One of the best rock bands of the very early 60s...
R. Lindeboom | Paso Robles, CA USA | 08/04/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Back in 1961 or -2, a couple of songs were released that changed the way I would look at music forever... These two songs really changed the way I looked at music and were both out of England, though they were a couple of years or more before the big British Invasion which brought the Beatles, Stones, Animals, Dave Clark 5 and The Kinks, et al, to the USA. These songs, which were the first two records that I ever bought, were: The Springfields version of "Silver Threads and Golden Needles." (Dusty Springfield was still singing with her brother in a folk ensemble at this point and her version of Silver Threads is still the best in my opinion.) The second record was "Telstar" by The Tornadoes. These guys were years ahead of their time and they were the first to mix electronica with rock. The Tornadoes were the first band I remember to give rock an electronic and classical edge. They rocked like a surf-garage band but there was so much more to these guys who never seem to get any credit. They brought scope, vista and grandeur to rock and they did it before anyone else. They were amazing.It's really sad that the...link for "Telstar" is all dedicated to the organ and ends just as the lead player gets ready to peel off one of the most breathtaking leads in the annals of early rock music. It's at least one of the most stunning leads at this time and place in music history. Whereas Chuck Berry and other early rockers hammered their notes, the lead guitarist of The Tornadoes did wondrous leads that sounded as if he were trying to communicate the wonder and awe of a world just beginning to look to the stars. It worked and I wish you could hear it. I give "Telstar" 5 stars and the rest of the album, three. But don't get me wrong, there is plenty to appreciate here if you want to find the roots of much of what happened later in rock history. Other musicians remember these guys but the public has largely forgotten them.Dusty Springfield taught me about singing with heart and abandon but The Tornadoes taught me that music could be anything you wanted it to be... Rest in peace, dear Dusty and Tornadoes long past...Boomer"
