The Tornados - Telstar

[japinvt]

It is a satellite..the subject of the song. It is told through sounds and without words. It does give a feeling of motion through the melody. It was a novel thing to have a satellite above the Earth because I think there was one more satellite from Soviet Union called Sputnik in the sky when this song came out. To make a song call Sputnik has not a good sound so Telstar has much cooler sound for song name! I am not born for 25 years after this song come out but I LOVE all these songs so much!

[doellison]

if you take into account compound interest this might be one of the greatest songs ever, bc this was ahead of its time

[RhythmAddictedState]

Matt Bellamy! He's on the guitar, just like his father! :) <3

[GregDad100]

Greatest rock instrumental of all-time. Period.

[shuckinspa]

And has nothing to do with salt flats or cheap horror movies. Just a geat tune for those who remember the early 60's (if you were there).

[DinoTuned]

49 years old and sounds as good as ever.

[studiosound211]

Just in case anyone is wondering, this song is about the world's first trans-Atlantic telephone communication satellite, AT&T's Telstar.

[Ataru320]

Very surreal but awesome...sad it really isn't remembered these days considering what music has de-evolved into.

[tricksmiley]

those sound FX are sick!



[MrDarwinsDog]

Now this instrumental wonder always has me thinking, 'It's a perfect early 60's southern California dragster or salt flat land speed run melody. It's a roadtrip.' Did writer Joe Meek simply change the title to cash in on a current event coolness? Read w'pedia article on this - poor Meek got no royalties. But, wow, what a heady chunk of slick music.

[jimamia77]

responsable for the existence of MY Matt Bellamy! U can have Chris.

[Kkrnbrcht]

I cry too, my girlfriend Kathy got killed walking to my house on Christmas when I was 15 years old. She loved this song, this is for you Kathy as I sit here in tears. I will see you again!!!!!!

[lompocable]

@Kkrnbrcht that must have been tough; When I hear this song, it brings me back home when I was 12 years old; I remember my older sister's friend died , (she was 14) and I had a crush on her, so now when I hear this song, I can see myself on her front porch learning how to do the mash potatoes.

I hope you have the same great memories.

[MrTHREEFOOT]

I cry when i found this song this morning thanks to the BBC in London. My memory of this beautiful piece takes me home to St. VINCENT in the Caribbean. I was in my childhood days 3 -11 years old. My grandmother raised me and am thinking the love and the area we lived in the country must have added an overwhelming feeling to my soul.

[Cartoons80]

Υπέροχο κομμάτι, νιώθεις ότι ταξιδεύεις στο γαλαξία μελωδικά........

[ThePromovideo]

Thanks for posting. Love to hear those classics.

[lukealymariuccio]

George Bellamy *-*

[kazball]

The guy in this band Roger LaVerne was just on a tv show on channel 4 in an A&E ward and told the nurse about this so i had to google it to find out what it was

[lipsandhooves]

@kazball No probs!. 

[jsilence418]

It reminds me of the theme to star trek, and who the fuck is matthew bellamy?

[L1S91]

Still gives me the chills!

[ThePromovideo]

@L1S91 My mother played this for us as kids.. Been a music lover ever since. Grew up on Rock-N-Roll. Take care!

[lipsandhooves]

Roger Le Verne was in hospital on that Channel 4 A and E programme. How did he get on as i switched over.

[SweetAsMapleSyrup]

@lipsandhooves He was alright I think, nothing wrong with his heart anyway so he's tottering right on. I looked this up because he said everyone knows this song when they hear it....but I actually don't know it :P What a nice fellow he is anyway :)

[kazball]

@lipsandhooves I probably should have read the comments before i posted a comment the exact same as yours lol sorry!

[egeozel1996]

it reminds Knights of Cydonia <3 George and Matt we love you

[PicoTjiawJong]

Knights of Cydonia. Totally

[shrimper007]

this was played at the rayliegh weir speedway stadium as the parade music , reminds me of some great nights at the home of the rockets which closed back in 1973

[pete49100]

Telstar the sattelite that started Global communications

[themooseOFpower]

its like that time dave built a space rocket from a vw beetle and crashed into a bush . WHO LIKES JAM STRAWBERRY JAM

[renues]

This kind of sounds ahead of it's time.

[SailorJenova]

for some strange reason, I always got images of transport choppers over the jungles of Vietnam when I listened to this, on the radio or on store speakers before I found out the name ...maybe it was in some movie I watched ...but don't remember or its sweet but somehow sad melody...I see it differently now that i know its about space ..^.^.. but i love it just the same

[MetroidMilkMan]

A lot of people say that Telstar sounds like Knights of Cydonia, but in reality, Knights of Cydonia sounds like Telstar.

Telstar: "KNIGHTS OF CYDONIA, I AM YOUR FATHER."

Knights of Cydonia: "omg coolest dad in the universe."

[nightgrooveruk]

AWESOME TIMELESS ~ SMILES THANK YOU :)

[darkram13]

I'd been searching for the name of this song for years. It was only when an episode of "Mad Men" used it that I had a clue where to look.

Thanks for the upload! :-)

[carmium]

Who did this with a bass guitar? It sounded like a western theme when I heard it the first time, and I can only hear it that way!

[DaveWollenberg]

Billboard's 121st #1 hit of the rock era. No offense meant here, gang, but, God bless!

[MrJacMac1986]

Kind of sounds like the classic Star Trek theme

[grasmaker]

Dudes.. I think we can all hear Knights of Cydonia in this song.. ? Cuz' I do

[majakka61]

This is so very great song, and I always remember first time when I heard it.

[Okanagan48]

My all time favourite instrumental group. I was 12 when it was released.

[ucla4eva]

Very possible song I want played at my funeral...IF I HAVE ONE! MWAHA HA HA HA!!

[pinkixtheEMO]

@ucla4eva yeh maybe theyll never find your body

[MrRONALDO1]

don't give a sh*t who did what, just a great tune :)

[paddyjoe1019]

this was no 1 when i said hello to the world

[lensois5]

The bassist is matthew bellamy's father, I saw it in an article

[NappaWesker]

@lensois5

his dad was the guitarist, not bassist

[lensois5]

@NappaWesker

bad article lol ; )

[NewB0rnKiller]

@lensois5 His dad played Rhythm guitar.

[Kylesnanny]

60,s magical, like all, i've had my ups and downs but i was around at the right time for the best sounds, i'll never forget them

[TIMOTHYSAARINEN]

In 1962, this was ahead of it's time. Eerie and beautiful.

[MrJacMac1986]

@TIMOTHYSAARINEN Green Onions by Booker t &MG's sounded like it should have been put out in 1967 rather than 1962 as well

[flowerdoodle]

Does anyone else hear some of The Beatles 'Yes it is" in this song? John must have subconsciously borrowed from its themes

[maxvid777]

Joe Meek a genius!!

[sophiet09]

i really was born into the wrong yeah imonly sixteen :(

[sipodge]

@sophiet09 Tell me about it! I'm 12 (What a shame, I have a youtube! I won't tell if you don't!) and all my mates (Ok, when I say mates I mean... You get it...) They all think I have the worst taste in music ever! Now, I think they may be getting mixed up... THEY have the worst taste in music ever! Lady GaGa? Rhianna? R&B? What does R&B mean these days? It used to have a good meaning, now it just means some person talking quickly into a microphone... XD

[HoodedSword]

@sipodge I think that's awesome that you've realised that at the age of 12! Contemporary RnB is crap; most of what you'd hear on the radio is manufactured money-making stuff which won't last until next year. Good on you for shunning what's popular and supporting what you really love. I also noticed that at 12 years old you seem to have far better spelling and grammar than a lot of people on YouTube. lol

[sipodge]

@HoodedSword Yes, I am a grammar/spelling nut! (I <3 creative writing!)

I'll stick with my taste in music until the end! No matter what people say! :)

(This song... Beautiful!)

[HoodedSword]

@sipodge Haha yay I love writing too XD

Yes, don't give in! You're part of the minority of people your age who doesn't just listen to radio friendly pop :D Thumbs up to you

[The1ComicalMan]

@sipodge Dude, you have good grammar. Says the 14 year old from Kentucky.

[johnclawed]

@sipodge They don't have bad taste. They have NO taste. Most people have no sense of aesthetics, so they just listen to whatever other people are listening to, and that's whatever is advertised and marketed. So they never listen to music that is more than a few years old because it isn't being marketed anymore.

[PissoDeStrisso]

magic years

[wetlandraider99]

Thank You Rush Limbaugh 

[jaapkay]

dit liedje hoorde ik 47 jaar geleden op mijn transistor radio. Ik was pas getrouwd en was in militair dienste. k 'lag alleen op bed en luisterde ernaar met heimwee naar huis.

[settingsonssc]

music was weak back then thats why this shone through, it also captured the space theme of the day, it would not be heard at all now if just released, but i kind of have fond memorys of it from whiley bay ice rink,(speed skating time)

[3dwurli]

@settingsonssc music was fine till it got to the 80s, and then it generally started to dwindle. This is when music was...very experimental.

[dearmalika]

das waren Zeiten...!

[deconstructionist67]

No hooks, meandering melody, rancid keyboard sound. Music sucked in 1962.

[blues3531]

@deconstructionist67 you would think a song needs some retarded catchy hook to bring you in to be good. what a sheep you are to the corporate American music scene. I'm not a fan of this band but music TODAY sucks. Aside from a few bands like Muse.

[darkness2121]

Boston "More Than A Feeling" was inspired by this song.....

[genesisisok]

One of the great instrumentals!

[zodiacflower]

totally mind-blowing song. 

[rpb1169]

really good instrumental song *.*

[mattiejj]

It sounds so much like Knights Of Cydonia! :O

[8BitROB]

Telstar (the song here) changed my life. I also LOVED the Film as well! Just a shame it didn't make it to the USA because the Americans are really missing out on a fantastic film. :-D

[aa428507]

i love the arcaic artwork!!!

[The1993HondaAccord]

Telstar is pure genius. The tools available at the time to make something like this were incredibly crude. Your upload sounds great and I even kind of like the mild fake stereo effect.

[lillamy79]

Plain beautiful.

[corneel49]

Ik was 14 jaar toen ik dit singeltje van mijn Oma kreeg.

Ik geniet opnieuw bij het afspelen

[corneel49]

ik was 14 jaar en kreeg dit singeltje van mijn Oma. Ik ben nu 61 en geniet nog steeds van deze plaat als ik hem afspeel.

[leliana91]

wow matt and his dad can be twins if his dad was still young

[Scottmcrae1]

thats the song that inspired Matthew Bellamy to write Knights of Cydonia.

At the start both of the songs sound so alike

[lukeyboyojoy]

muse eat your heart out ;) :P

[LosAngeleno1959]

I always envisioned Kruschev flying through space. I don't know why but when I heard this it always came to my mind. lol

[AristYdes]

@LosAngeleno1959 thats because this is so bizarre that it reminds you of slavs trying to play rock and pop

[marmas58ink]

I think I like this version better than The Ventures' personally. ...The dawn of the space age, 1962. Once you reach the space age there's no where else to go... only further, farther, higher, faster!

[greenisland75]

Brilliant song. It had No.1 written all over it. I feel I am transported to another world when I hear this song.

[daixxxy]

sure know where Mathew Bellamy got his talent from :)

[MerleOberon]

leave it to the Brits to honor an American accomplishment..,

[psy008]

this song is stuck in my head!!

[Caliiico]

There's all these songs made decades ago that I've always ended up hearing in snippets.

It normally takes me ages to find them, but I heard this on Mad Men - so glad to be able to find this one so quickly. :)

[mobile513]

You should look up Raymond Scott's Powerhouse, it's been used in literally hundreds of cartoons, shows and advertisements since the 30s, yet most people can't name it.

I saw this in Mad Men the first time too, can't believe I missed it.

[yankeear]

I knew when I heard this back in 62', this is the song I want played when I go to the heavens.

[19coolmanc]

nice

[joelgil42]

Annette

This is the sound of love. I think of you.

Love Joel

[3friend]

Truly great instrumental-best of all time-heard this at school and was fascinated by the sound that was way ahead of its era-this tune will be remembered when the X fACTOR "STARS" will be long forgotten.

[hafstrat]

Hearing this when I was 5 made a lasting impression and made me want to make electronic music and noises. And I did, for years and to this very day.

[moolhuysen]

it was #1 in the hitparade on the day I've born. In a way, it signifies the highly optimistic "space age/Apollo years/Dutch Delta Works"-era I grew up in.

[bumblebeemoi]

Truly amazing song. I was 10 when it came out. It make me feel as if Telstar was a living thing while the music creates a feeling of going through space and seeing the universe.

[cjeb2003]

@bumblebeemoi You and I have much in common! I was about the same age and felt the same about it! :)

[heywally]

@bumblebeemoi I was 10 also ,,, nothing reminds me more than this song, of laying in bed at night, listening to my transistor radio and being care free.

[lejistar]

@bumblebeemoi Although I was more like 4 or 5, even so, I remember it like it was yesterday! Recently, a guest speaker at our astronomy club meeting played it as part of her program on the 1960's discovery of the 3-degree Kelvin "echo" of the Big Bang.

[Count22]

@bumblebeemoi Perfect.Thats excactly what it felt like.All the cheap horror movies fantasizing of the possibities before us.It went from John Glenn to John Lennon and we all followed the endless experiment.

(at least thats the way i felt, n saw it)

[arizonaghost1]

thanks joe meek...R I P

[RICECAKEGOESWHEE]

reminds me of space suit by tmbg

[Chicago10281]

Does this remind you of a sci-fi TV show?

[nergvol]

You're right, give it a 95. Loved this tune, still do. Remember hearing on my first transistor radio in grade school, fond memories indeed.

[gmakepiece]

nergvol. You and me both...yes...Colonel Robert Neville blogspot com.

[nergvol]

Didn't have a good beat, wasn't easy to dance to, still give it a 85!

[joelgil42]

Your F...... Great beat for the time in instrumental. Or do you know about instrumental? DA

[the1emily]

this is so rad. matt bellamy's dad is the bomb haha

[connonnoc]

WOOO BELLAMYS DAD!

[clairbear62]

I remember Telstar being played when the test pattern was on when television was finished for the night, and sometimes they use do play it with a very spacey cartoon video clip! Who does this remind you of?

[bumblebeemoi]

What station was that (or what area)? I never heard that where I grew up in Western MA. Very cool that someone did that.

Remarkable that before this we simply could not see live TV on the other side of the planet (from U.S. that is).

Very cool that it was a British group.

So, who the blank is Matt Bellamy? The whole (younger) world seems to know who he is. Never heard of him.

[NappaWesker]

@bumblebeemoi

Matt Bellamy is the son of the Tornados guitarist George Bellamy.

Matt is the guitarist and singer of the band Muse.

You should check Muse out, great band.

[clairbear62]

I'm from Australia, and it would have been on one of the 4 tv stations that existed back then. Yes please check out Muse, your life will be changed forever!

[bumblebeemoi]

Changed forever...such responsibility that you've given a group! Even God has a hard time doing that for me! :-) I did listen to one song (a video where they had masks on.....it was OK...of course, my friends, music is so personal..I have been on youtube and read from people who thought the Beatles were not that good. So, if I only think they are OK, I hope you understand. Regardless, you should love them and love them passionately!!!

[clairbear62]

Well, if you only think they are OK that is a start! Oh yes, music is so personal - my life would not be the same without it! And I do love Muse passionately! :)

[bumblebeemoi]

oF COURSE, i ONLY HEAR ONE SONG!

[jom97]

@bumblebeemoi

The greatest guitarist of the last decade voted by like, every magazine, guitarist of my fave band muse, and can sing falsetto and is god

[clairbear62]

The beginning and end reminds me of the plane/missile going overhead and the end of collateral damage. Matt has obviously been very influenced by his Dad George Bellamy of the Tornadoes.

Please visit my "channel" and click the clairthebear link to help me win a competition to see Muse in London! Thanks!

[ahowe73]

A member of this band is the father of Matt Bellamy (Muse-UK). If you play it backwards you get Knights of Cydonia. (That's a joke for all of you comment freaks).

[travis7310]

I've heard this in Walgreens and Wal-Mart before. I guess it can be considered Muzak.

[carlosmlgato]

fantastico ,crear estos sonidos en una epoca en que no existian los equipos de hoy,GENIAL. Se puede sentir la fe en la ciencia , el optimismo por la promesa de la tecnologia y los viajes espaciales .

[carlosmlgato]

wonderful

[Grensel6578]

I thank for valuable information brought by you.

I am asked about music well in Japan, but recognition as a musician is the poor situation. Therefore you must acquire it by such a means.

I try to do a contact of the Amazon at once. Thank you very much.

[Grensel6578]

Where will it be the music that it listened to?

I knew the program, but nothing has a connection.

I am mysterious by now of 52 years old. Is it a television play?

Is it a commercial message of anything?

I want a KEY word

[Telstar10000]

Telstar has been made into a movie which is currently on release in the UK (release date 19th June 2009). Available on DVD from September 2009.

To learn lots more about the Tornados join their Facebook group.

Their CDs can be purchased from Amazon.

"The Complete Tornados" double CD has about 55 tracks of everything they ever released.

"The Ridin' the wind anthology" double CD omits three of their released tracks but includes 11 previously unreleased tracks.

Other compilations are available.

[NappaWesker]

Thanks for the info :D

[3friend]

Yeah,a classic piece of instrumental pop,

ahead of its time-brilliant!!

[morangie1974]

First No1 hit in the U.S by a British band.

[sanantharamiah1]

How true! This would be a great trivia question. Most of us probably think of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dave Clark 5 as the chart topping bands from UK. This song was sadly the only top hit for the Tornados on the American pop charts.

Thank you for your posting!

[Bo618]

great song

[NappaWesker]

Agreed :D

[videodude4]

How come this song wasn't too famous? I never really heard it on the radio today?

[NappaWesker]

I dont know :S its pretty old but Its a great song

[tubist666]

Hmmm.... in the 80's I heard this song regularly on german radio. Perhaps you should tune in stations playing oldies...

[Telstar10000]

Hello Videodude4

This "song", actually an instrumental, was massively famous. It was a world wide mega-hit in 1962/63. It was impossible to turn on the radio and not hear it. It topped the charts right around the world. The Tornados were awarded at least 6 gold discs for record breaking sales at that time. It remains to this day Britain's best ever world-wide selling instrumental.

[videodude4]

Thanks Telstar0000 for the fact! I did not know that. It's just that I have not heard it today radio.

[Telstar10000]

Hello Videodude4

You would probably only hear Telstar today on a golden oldies radio station. The pre-Mersey Sound hits rarely if ever get air play on radio now. Shame, as there are so many gems that today's generation are totally unaware of.

[varrmitt]

Thanks for posting. It is nice and clear.

[NappaWesker]

You're welcome m8

[roygbiv330]

i like it.

[jabcd1983]

wonderful song. thanks for the post

[NappaWesker]

Yeah, it is a great song!