Comments on: THE TORNADOS – “Telstar”

By: swanstep

swanstep — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 03:20:50 +0000

Amazing record this one, great review of it by Tom, and some nice comments. I *love* the way the timeless melody (as timeless as Ode to Joy or Simple things really) emerges out of the static. To Tom’s list of Aphex, Human League, Moroder etc. people who were right on this frequency I’d definitely add OMD. In retrospect, it’s pretty clear that a lot of their experiments with noise+naive melodies (esp. things like Radio Waves) are kind of warmed-over Telstar.

Must second lonepilgrim’s Mad Men ref above…Season 2 ep. 10 The Inheritance was a cracking ep. but going out with Telstar made it a bona fide classic.

Anyhow: 9 or 10

By: Erithian

Erithian — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 08:54:14 +0000

As featured in “Oil City Confidential”, Julien Temple’s marvellous documentary showing occasionally on BBC4, Heinz Burt was on the bill at the rock’n’roll revival festival at Wembley in 1972 alongside Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Bo Diddley, and his backing band were the quartet later to be known to all and sundry as Dr Feelgood. Apparently Heinz asked the Feelgoods if they would change their name to the Tornados, but they declined.

Wilko Johnson adds in the documentary, “And guess what age Heinz was when he died? Yeah, 57.”

By: tim davidge

tim davidge — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:22:30 +0000

19th June of course saw the release of “Telstar” the film, which centres around the comings and goings in Joe Meek’s ramshackle studio where they pour black goo down the floorboards to damp vibration, blank off windows with that perforated hardboard stuff and drop marbles down toilets to create sound effects (“It’s your turn to fish ‘em out again….”), along the way creating some major (and a few minor) pop phenomena. The film concentrates at least as much on Meek’s mental health issues as it does on his achievements, and ends with his inevitable unpleasant demise. The performances of Con O’Neill (Meek) and J.J. Feild (Heinz Burt) are commendable, and in many ways the best part of the film. The same can’t be said for the period reconstruction, which had the odd glitch which smacked of carelessness. The whole thing left me feeling harrowed and disturbed rather than entertained. Most reviewers gave it three stars out of five, which is generous though not excessively so.

Tom, you review of this tune was spot on – this was just one of those flashes of brilliance that pop comes up with from time to time, and for me it’s probably the best single of that particular year and also better than a lot of the thumping that was to come in ’63-’64. It has a “Song of Joy” quality about it and maybe, just maybe, people will be humming it centuries from now, perhaps wondering about the context and the circumstances of its creation.

One further point about “Telstar”: When Radio 1 decided to feature the 100 best-selling singles of the previous ten years in 1972, “Telstar” just made it into the chronology, being ten years old at the time. It made something like number twelve on the list.

By: steve

steve — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:04:30 +0000

Pub Quiz time!

Who was the first ever British pop group to reach No 1 on the American billboard charts?

Answer – The Tornados, with “Telstar”

By: lonepilgrim

lonepilgrim — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:48:57 +0000

this tune plays at the end of the latest Mad Men episode (season 2, episode 10) as the golden glow of the morning sun fills the airplane window while Don Draper lights up another cigarette and heads west to a ‘space age’ aeronautics convention in California 1962 – giving some sense of it’s thrilling modernity at the time.

By: pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør

pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:31:47 +0000

oo thanx mark! (apologies i wz so monosyllabic this eve, i was quite tired)

one thing the meek film does not really get across was HOW MANY RECORDS HE MADE — i have been reacquainting myself with that fact

By: Mark M

Mark M — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:14:38 +0000

pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør, re: the Yes/Meek connection:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Syndicats

By: Matthew

Matthew — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 06:07:33 +0000

This is the first record, from years before I was born, that Popular has encouraged me to archaeologise that brings tears to my eyes with how amazing it is. Thank you.

By: Volkan Gorsel

Volkan Gorsel — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 09:02:46 +0000

Even it was released 12 years before I was born, Telstar has a strange affection on me. It leads me to distant images of my beloved, when they were young and full of life. I would love to live in 1962…

By: BYRON ELWELL

BYRON ELWELL — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:36:53 +0000

As a point of interest I write and record Joe Meek inspired instrumentals under the guise of the Space Babes. I have released two 21 track instrumental cd albums. Full reviews in JMS Thunderbolt magazine and Tom Hammonds Tornado’s web site. All details and a jukebox page on my web site at http://www.chestnutbankproductions.co.uk
Relive the Telstar era.

By: Alan

Alan — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 08:43:30 +0000

You can hear the Tornados perform Telstar live at the Joe Meek festival weekend on 27/28th October at Newent, Gloucestershire (Joe’s birthplace). See Newent web pages for detail of events.

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 06:53:37 +0000

Aphex Twin.

By: Lena

Lena — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 17:13:14 +0000

Who is the Cornish mentalist?

By: Grant

Grant — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:11:16 +0000

Makes you wonder if this sort of musical backdrop might have inspired the son of Tornados’ guitarist, George Bellamy, to become hailed as the greatest guitarist since Hendrix. Matt Bellamy’s band, Muse, already the biggest act in Europe and now ruthlessly conquering the States, is said to be one of the greatest live acts around. Go to Youtube.com, listen to Knights Of Cydonia and tell me that Telstar didn’t inspire the opening sequence to this fine song.

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 11:09:31 +0000

I’m sorry to hear that, Doreen.

Certainly I think “Telstar” still my favourite of all the number ones. It sort of wordlessly says everything.

There was an interesting three-part documentary on Meek on Radio 2 recently, during which Dave Stewart demonstrated exactly how “Telstar” was built up. Made me wonder how someone so lucid and knowledgeable could come up with such rubbish music (Dave Stewart, that is).

Oh, and it’s worth missing a meal or two to buy the Joe Meek Story box set if only to hear Meek singing the demo of “Telstar” with his, er, unique sense of pitching…

By: Doreen Collinson

Doreen Collinson — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 02:25:38 +0000

I first heard this absolutely fabulous tune played on a car radio on the way to Manchester Airport following my Wedding on 1 September 1962. We were on our way to fly to the Isle of Man (UK) which was quite an experience in those quite early days of flying. The tune was scintillating and stopped me talking in the car. It was “our tune” until the early demise of my husband in 1994.

By: Lena

Lena — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 16:37:00 +0000

And wow, this was #1 when Plath was writing all her great Ariel poems – here comes the future indeed…

By: Lena

Lena — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 15:54:00 +0000

Look at it this way: it’s a song so good that even Thatcher can like it. Kind of a clock-stopped-is-right-two-times-a-day thing.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 15:13:00 +0000

So the Cornish mentalist is Richard James, I assume the Sheffield-based fop is Philip Oakey, but who’s the Italian-in-Germany? Giorgio Moroder?

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 25 Sep 2005 22:28:00 +0000

Over 40 years on, Telstar still stops me when ever I hear it, as then just a teenager, it sparkled to me with such promise , which as has been said, never materialised. Maggie did her job as was needed. Look at Europe now to see where we would have become without her!

By: Joe Williams

Joe Williams — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 22:50:00 +0000

A good record forever tainted by Margaret Thatcher mentioning that she liked it. Evil bitch.