The Tornados were from London and only had the one hit in the US, "Telstar," which reached #1 in both the UK and the US in 1962. The song came out around the time the first Telstar communications satellite was launched into orbit. The band released a number of singles in the UK after this, one of which, "Globetrotter," made it to #5.
16 thoughts on “Song of the Day: The Tornados, “Telstar””
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Loved “Telstar”! The Tornados were formed in the image of England’s great “Shadows” but beyond a handful of UK hits – remained in the shadows of the “Shadows” who placed more than 50 singles and EP’s onto the British Charts
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I don’t recall The Shadows even making the charts here in the US. They were a fantastic band, easily equal to The Ventures (maybe better), but I don’t recall ever hearing of The Shadows until I was much older. Do you know why?
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Haven’t heard this one in a long time, but that’s usually the case with the gems you find for us ๐
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Thanks! I try…
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I remember the song and the launch. Great stuff, John.
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It was great stuff, both of them.
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I love this song! One of the greatest instrumentals!
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A true classic. Sounds real exciting, too.
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Oh, for the day of instrumentals to return!
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I agree 100%. It takes people actually buying the records (or the CD’s, or the downloads, or streaming…), though.
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Oh! Gosh those were the days, I remember this one well๐
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I heard this as a “golden oldie,” but I remember the launch of Telstar and what a big deal that was…
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Yes I was nearly 9yrs old and it was a huge thing here too, imagine…it went into space! ๐
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I wasn’t too much younger, but I remember it well. Captured the attention of a lot of young boys (and a few girls) in this country when it happened, and the rest of the world, too.
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It was seminal ๐
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