All Topics  
Telstar (song)

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Telstar (song)
 
 
  Topics Telstar (song) Topic Home

"Telstar" – – is a 1962 instrumental
Instrumental

An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments....
 record
Gramophone record

A gramophone record is an analog signal sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove usually starting near the periphery and ending near the centre of the disc....
 performed by The Tornados
The Tornados

The Tornados were an England instrumental group of the 1960s who acted as in-house backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions....
. It was the first single
Single (music)

In the record industry, a single is a song usually used from a current or upcoming album to promote the album. Singles are distributed through a number of ways; originally, they were packaged as "single" records with one or two other songs and sold before the release of the album....
 by a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 band to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard Single popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on airplay and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the airplay tracking-week runs from Wednesday to Tuesday....
, and was also a number one hit in the UK. The record was named after the AT&T
AT&T

AT&T Inc. is the largest US provider of both local and long distance telephone services, and Digital subscriber line Internet access. AT&T is the second largest provider of wireless service in the United States, with over 77 million wireless customers, and more than 150 million total customers....
 communications satellite
Communications satellite

A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purposes of telecommunications. Modern communications satellites use a variety of orbits including geostationary orbits, Molniya orbits, other elliptical orbits and low Earth orbits....
 Telstar
Telstar

Telstar was the first active communications satellite, and the first satellite designed to transmit telephone and high-speed data communications....
, which went into orbit in July 1962. The song was released five weeks later on 17 August 1962. It was written and produced by Joe Meek
Joe Meek

Joe Meek was a pioneering England record producer and songwriter acknowledged as one of the world's first and most imaginative independent producers....
, and featured a clavioline
Clavioline

The clavioline is an electronic keyboard instrument, a forerunner to the analog synthesizer.It was invented by Constant Martin in 1947. It consists of a Musical keyboard and a separate amplifier and loudspeaker unit....
, a keyboard instrument with a distinctive electronic sound.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Telstar (song)'
Start a new discussion about 'Telstar (song)'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


"Telstar" – – is a 1962 instrumental
Instrumental

An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments....
 record
Gramophone record

A gramophone record is an analog signal sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove usually starting near the periphery and ending near the centre of the disc....
 performed by The Tornados
The Tornados

The Tornados were an England instrumental group of the 1960s who acted as in-house backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions....
. It was the first single
Single (music)

In the record industry, a single is a song usually used from a current or upcoming album to promote the album. Singles are distributed through a number of ways; originally, they were packaged as "single" records with one or two other songs and sold before the release of the album....
 by a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 band to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard Single popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on airplay and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the airplay tracking-week runs from Wednesday to Tuesday....
, and was also a number one hit in the UK. The record was named after the AT&T
AT&T

AT&T Inc. is the largest US provider of both local and long distance telephone services, and Digital subscriber line Internet access. AT&T is the second largest provider of wireless service in the United States, with over 77 million wireless customers, and more than 150 million total customers....
 communications satellite
Communications satellite

A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purposes of telecommunications. Modern communications satellites use a variety of orbits including geostationary orbits, Molniya orbits, other elliptical orbits and low Earth orbits....
 Telstar
Telstar

Telstar was the first active communications satellite, and the first satellite designed to transmit telephone and high-speed data communications....
, which went into orbit in July 1962. The song was released five weeks later on 17 August 1962. It was written and produced by Joe Meek
Joe Meek

Joe Meek was a pioneering England record producer and songwriter acknowledged as one of the world's first and most imaginative independent producers....
, and featured a clavioline
Clavioline

The clavioline is an electronic keyboard instrument, a forerunner to the analog synthesizer.It was invented by Constant Martin in 1947. It consists of a Musical keyboard and a separate amplifier and loudspeaker unit....
, a keyboard instrument with a distinctive electronic sound. "Telstar" won an Ivor Novello Award and is estimated to have sold at least five million copies worldwide.

This novelty record
Novelty song

A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its Comedy. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs....
 was intended to evoke the dawn of the space age
Space Age

The Space Age is a contemporary period encompassing the activities related to the Space Race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events....
, complete with sound effects that were meant to sound "space-like". A popular story at the time of the record's release was that the weird distortions and background noise came from sending the signal up to the Telstar satellite and re-recording it back on Earth. It is more likely that the effects were created in Meek's recording studio
Recording studio

A recording studio is a facility for Sound recording and reproduction. Ideally, the space is specially designed by an acoustics to achieve the desired acoustic properties ....
, which was a small flat above a shop in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
. It has been claimed that the sounds intended to symbolize radio signals were produced by Meek running a pen around the rim of an ashtray, and that the "rocket blastoff" at the start of the record was actually a flushing toilet, with the recordings made to sound exotic by playing the tape
Musique concrète

Musique concr?te , is a form of electroacoustic music that utilises acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sonorities derived from musical instruments or register s, nor to elements traditionally thought of as 'musical' ....
 in reverse at various speeds.

Plagiarism claim

A French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 composer, Jean Ledrut, accused Joe Meek of plagiarism
Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use or close imitation of the language and ideas of another author and representation of them as one's own original work.Within academia, plagiarism by students, professors, or researchers is considered academic dishonesty or academic fraud and offenders are subject to academic censure....
, claiming that the tune of "Telstar" had been copied from "La Marche d'Austerlitz", a piece from a score that Ledrut had written for the 1960 film Austerlitz
Austerlitz (film)

Austerlitz is a 1960 film directed by Abel Gance and starring Jean Marais, Rossano Brazzi, Jack Palance, Claudia Cardinale, and Elvira Popescu....
. This led to a lawsuit
Lawsuit

In law, a lawsuit is a civil action brought before a court in which the party commencing the action, called the plaintiff, seeks a legal remedy or equitable remedy....
 that prevented Meek from receiving royalties
Royalties

Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property right.Royalties can be determined as a percentage of gross or net sales derived from use of the asset or a fixed price per unit sold....
 from the record during his lifetime, and the issue was not resolved in Meek's favour until a year after his death in 1967. It is unlikely that Meek was aware of Austerlitz, as it had been released only in France at the time.

"Magic Star" and other vocal versions

Meek produced later in 1962 a vocal version of "Telstar" titled "Magic Star", sung by Kenny Hollywood. It was released as a single by Decca Records
Decca Records

Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 in music by Edward Lewis . Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; later the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
 (cat. nr F11546), with on the B-side "The Wonderful Story of Love", written by Geoff Goddard
Geoff Goddard

Geoff Goddard was an English people songwriter. As he worked for Joe Meek, he wrote songs for Heinz , Mike Berry, Gerry Temple, The Tornados, Kenny Hollywood, The Outlaws , Freddie Starr, Screaming Lord Sutch, Gunilla Thorne, The Ramblers, Carter-Lewis and the Southerners and John Leyton ....
. The musical direction for both songs was done by Ivor Raymonde
Ivor Raymonde

Ivor Raymonde was a British musician, songwriter, arranger and actor, best known for his distinctive rock-orchestral arrangements for Dusty Springfield and others in the 1960s....
 . "Magic Star" was covered by Margie Singleton
Margie Singleton

Margie Singleton, is an United States country music singer. In the 1960s, Margie Singleton was a popular duet and solo recording artist, working with legendary Country stars George Jones and Faron Young....
, released by Mercury Records
Mercury Records

Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US, and are both subsidiaries of Universal Music Group....
 (cat. nr 72079) in January 1963, backed with "Only Your Shadow Knows".

Two Spanish vocal versions were released by Alberto Cortez
Alberto Cortez

Alberto Cortez is an Argentina singer and songwriter. Cortez and his wife live in Madrid.Cortez was born in Rancul, province of de La Pampa, Argentina, March 11 1940....
 and The Latin Quartet, titled "Magica Estrella."

With French lyrics by Jacques Plante, the song was released by Les Compagnons de la Chanson under the title "Telstar - Une étoile en plein jour" (a star in broad daylight).

Luxembourg-born German language singer Camillo Felgen
Camillo Felgen

Camillo Jean Nicolas Felgen was a Luxembourgian singer, lyricist, Disc jockey, and television presenter....
 recorded the German vocal version as "Telstar (Irgendwann Erwacht Ein Neuer Tag)" with lyrics by Carl Ulrich Blecher in 1963.

Track listing

  • UK: Decca
    Decca Records

    Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 in music by Edward Lewis . Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; later the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
     F11494
  • USA: London
    London Records

    London Records is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 in music through 1979 in music, then becoming a semi-independent label....
     Lon 9561 (as The Tornadoes)
  • France: Decca 72.009 Simple
  • West Germany: London 20654


Personnel


The Tornados

  • Clem Cattini
    Clem Cattini

    Clem Cattini was the drummer for the 1960s England musical band, The Tornados as well as being used as a session musician. Cattini is one of the most prolific drummers in United Kingdom recording history, appearing on hundreds of sound recording and reproductions by artists as diverse as Engelbert Humperdinck and Lou Reed....
     – drums
    Drum kit

    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbell s, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer....
  • Alan Caddy
    Alan Caddy

    Alan Caddy was a guitarist, arrangement, record producer and session musician.He was born in Chelsea, London and educated at Emanuel School, and the Royal Academy of Music....
     – lead guitar
    Guitar

    The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
  • Roger LaVern – additional keyboards
    Keyboard instrument

    A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organ s as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic musical instrument....
  • George Bellamy
    George Bellamy

    George Bellamy was the rhythm guitarist from The Tornados; and father of Matthew Bellamy, Lead vocalist of Great Britain rock band, Muse ....
     – rhythm guitar
    Rhythm guitar

    Rhythm guitar is the use of a guitar to provide rhythmic chord al accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a musical ensemble. In ensembles or "bands" playing within the country music, blues music, rock music or Heavy metal music genres , a guitarist playing the rhythm part of a composition supports the melodic lines and solos play...
  • Heinz Burt
    Heinz (singer)

    Heinz Burt , and mainly publicised by his first name, was a bass guitarist and singer....
     – bass
    Bass guitar

    The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...

Other

  • Joe Meek
    Joe Meek

    Joe Meek was a pioneering England record producer and songwriter acknowledged as one of the world's first and most imaginative independent producers....
     – composer
    Composer

    A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
    , producer
    Record producer

    In the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, Audio mixing and audio mastering processes....
  • Geoff Goddard
    Geoff Goddard

    Geoff Goddard was an English people songwriter. As he worked for Joe Meek, he wrote songs for Heinz , Mike Berry, Gerry Temple, The Tornados, Kenny Hollywood, The Outlaws , Freddie Starr, Screaming Lord Sutch, Gunilla Thorne, The Ramblers, Carter-Lewis and the Southerners and John Leyton ....
     – clavioline
    Clavioline

    The clavioline is an electronic keyboard instrument, a forerunner to the analog synthesizer.It was invented by Constant Martin in 1947. It consists of a Musical keyboard and a separate amplifier and loudspeaker unit....
     (on both sides), plus subtle vocals
    Singing

    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the human voice, which is often contrasted with regular speech. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist....
     towards the end of "Telstar"
  • Dave Adams
    Dave Adams

    Dave Adams is an United Kingdom lifeguard at the noarlunga leisure centre, singer, keyboard player and songwriter. In the early 1960s, he helped build up Joe Meek's studio....
     – transcription of Meek's composition recording


Chart performance

The record was an immediate hit after its release, remaining in the UK pop charts for 25 weeks, five of them at number one, and in the American charts for 16 weeks. "Telstar" was the first U.S. number one by a British group. Up to that point, and since World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, there had only been three British names that topped the U.S. chart: in May 1962 "Stranger on the Shore
Stranger on the Shore

"Stranger on the Shore" is a piece for clarinet written by Acker Bilk for his young daughter and originally named "Jenny" after her. It was subsequently used as the theme tune of a BBC TV drama serial for young people that was also called Stranger on the Shore ....
" by clarinetist Mr. Acker Bilk
Acker Bilk

Acker Bilk Order of the British Empire , born Bernard Stanley Bilk , is a clarinetist. He is known for his trademark goatee, bowler hat, striped waistcoat and his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register clarinet style....
; the second was "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" is a spiritual that made the popular music charts in a 1958 in music version by Laurie London, which went all the way to #1 of the Hot 100 number-one hits of 1958 song list in the United States....
" by Laurie London
Laurie London

Laurie London achieved fame as a boy singer of the 1950s, sound recording and reproduction in both English language and German language.At the age of thirteen he made an up-tempo cover version of the spiritual song "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" with the Geoff Love Orchestra for Parlophone Records which was picked up by its co-ow...
 (1958), whilst the first was "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart
Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart

"Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" is a popular music song and a cover version of "Auf wiedersehen, auf wiedersehen" written by German composer Eberhard Storch....
" by Vera Lynn
Vera Lynn

Dame Vera Lynn Order of the British Empire is a popular United Kingdom vocalist whose career flourished during World War II, when she was nicknamed "Forces Sweetheart"....
 (1952). See List of songs by British artists which reached number-one on the Hot 100 (USA)
List of songs by British artists which reached number-one on the Hot 100 (USA)

This is a list of number-one hits by United Kingdom artists in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 ....
.

Chart (1962)Peak
position
UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The chart week runs from Sunday to Saturday, with the chart being printed in Music Week magazine , ChartsPlus , and published online on various sites ....
1
Belgian Singles Chart1
Dutch Singles Chart3
German Singles Chart6
Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart

The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland music industry standard Single popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the Irish Recorded Music Association by Chart-Track....
1
Norwegian Singles Chart3
South African Singles Chart1
US Billboard Pop Singles
Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard Single popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on airplay and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the airplay tracking-week runs from Wednesday to Tuesday....
1
US Billboard Black Singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in Urban area, or primarily African-American, venues....
5


Cover versions

There were numerous other artists who recorded "Telstar", most notable are:
  • Ad Infinitum
    Ad Infinitum (band)

    Ad Infinitum were a musical group which were part of the Factory Records label. They were formed by Lindsay Reade who was married to manager Tony Wilson at the time....
     (1984)
  • Apollo 100
    Apollo 100

    Apollo 100 was a short-lived United Kingdom instrumental recording studio based band that had a chart-topper with the Johann Sebastian Bach-inspired single "Joy" in 1972....
  • Bud Ashton (1962)
  • Bitch Boys (2002)
  • Black Market Audio
  • The Challengers
    The Challengers (band)

    The Challengers were an instrumental surf rock band in the 1960s, located in Los Angeles. They started early in the game and helped make the genre popular....
  • The Champs
    The Champs

    The Champs were a rock and roll band, most famous for their Latin-tinged instrumental "Tequila ." Formed by recording studio executives at Gene Autry Challenge Records to record a A-side and B-side for the Dave Burgess single , the intended throwaway track became more famous than its A-Side, "Train to Nowhere"....
  • Les Compagnons de la Chanson ("Telstar - Une étoile en plein jour", French vocal version)
  • Alberto Cortez
    Alberto Cortez

    Alberto Cortez is an Argentina singer and songwriter. Cortez and his wife live in Madrid.Cortez was born in Rancul, province of de La Pampa, Argentina, March 11 1940....
     (Spanish vocal version, titled "Magica Estrella")
  • The Eagles
    The Eagles (UK band)

    The Eagles were a United Kingdom music quartet active from 1958 through the mid 1960s.Led by guitarist Terry Clarke , who used a homebuilt custom instrument, the group included drummer Rod Meacham , bassist Michael Brice, and Johnny Payne on rhythm guitar....
     (1960s)
  • Duke Ellington
    Duke Ellington

    Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and bandleader.Duke Ellington was recognized during his life as one of the most influential Jazz royalty, if not in all American music and he is of only four jazz musicians ever to have been featured on the cover of Time magazine ....
  • Camillo Felgen
    Camillo Felgen

    Camillo Jean Nicolas Felgen was a Luxembourgian singer, lyricist, Disc jockey, and television presenter....
     (German vocal version, titled "Telstar (Irgendwann Erwacht Ein Neuer Tag)")
  • Les Fingers
  • Les Fradkin
    Les Fradkin

    Les Fradkin is a guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for being a member of the original cast of the hit Broadway show Beatlemania....
     (2008)
  • The Gaylads
    The Gaylads

    The Gaylads were one of the top rocksteady vocal groups active in Jamaica between 1963 and 1973. The group, formed in Kingston, Jamaica, originally consisted of singers Harris "B.B." Seaton, Winston Delano Stewart and Maurice Roberts; Seaton and Stewart had previously been successful as the duo Winston & Bibby....
     (vocal version called "Red rose", includes the Studio One band doing an organ version)
  • Joe Goldmark
  • Kenny Hollywood (vocal version, titled "Magic Star", 1962)
  • Hot Butter
    Hot Butter

    Hot Butter was an instrumental cover band fronted by the Keyboard instrument player Stan Free. The other band members were Dave Mullaney, John Abbott, Bill Jerome, Steve Jerome, and Danny Jordan....
  • The Ashley Hutchings Big Beat Combo
    Ashley Hutchings

    Ashley Hutchings is a bassist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, band leader, writer and record producer. He was a founder member of the three most significant English folk-rock bands in the history of the genre, Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band; he has overseen numerous other projects, including records and live theatre,...
     (1994)
  • Ricky King
    Ricky King

    Ricky King is a German guitarist. His singles "Verde" and "Le r?ve" reached the top ten in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in 1976....
  • Laika and the Cosmonauts
  • James Last
    James Last

    James Last is a Germany composer and big band leader....
     (1966)
  • The Latin Quartet (Spanish vocal version, titled "Magica Estrella")
  • The Lively Ones
    The Lively Ones

    The Lively Ones were an instrumental surf rock band active in Southern California in the 1960s. They played live mostly in California and Arizona....
  • Stephan Mathieu
    Stephan Mathieu

    Stephan Mathieu is a German musician and sound artist whose work is based on digital and analog signal processing techniques. He lives and works in Saarbr?cken, Germany....
  • Takako Minekawa
    Takako Minekawa

    is a Japanese people musician, composer and writer....
     (1998)
  • Jackie Mittoo
    Jackie Mittoo

    Jackie Mittoo was a Jamaican keyboardist, songwriter and musical director. He was a founding member of The Skatalites and was a mentor to many younger performers, primarily through his work as the musical director at the Studio One record label....
  • Models
    Models (band)

    Models are an alternative rock group from Melbourne, Australia, which formed in August 1978 and went into hiatus in 1988. They are often incorrectly referred to as The Models....
  • Monsters From Mars
    Monsters From Mars

    Monsters From Mars is an underground rock band from California, formed in 2001. Originally an instrumental surf rock trio, the band has since grown in size and influences....
  • Ronnie Montrose
    Ronnie Montrose

    File:Ronnie Montrose 4 - Montrose - 1974.jpgRonnie Montrose, is an United States guitarist.Montrose has worked with a variety of musicians over the years, including Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison, The Beau Brummels, Boz Scaggs, Beaver & Krause, Gary Wright, Tony Williams, The Neville Brothers, and Dan Hartman....
  • Los Mustang (Spain, 1960s)
  • Not Breathing
    Not Breathing

    Not Breathing is the creative vehicle of David Wright, maker of experimental electronic music and instruments. Beginning in the late 80s with a series of self-distributed cassettes, Not Breathing?s career now encompasses seven full-length CD releases, several vinyl releases, over forty compilation appearances, one 8-track release, and six US...
     (2000)
  • Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD)
    Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

    Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England. OMD record for Virgin Records ....
     (1979)
  • Portsmouth Sinfonia
    Portsmouth Sinfonia

    The Portsmouth Sinfonia was a real orchestra founded by a group of students at Portsmouth School of Art in Portsmouth, England, in 1970?however, the Sinfonia had an unusual entrance requirement....
  • The Rapiers (2001)
  • The Residents
    The Residents

    The Residents are an United States avant-garde music and visual arts group who have created over sixty albums, created numerous musical short films, designed three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs, and undertaken seven major world tours....
     (1974)
  • The Rockin' Rebels
  • The Roosters
    The Roosters

    The Roosters were an influential Japanese rock band that mixed punk rock, blues-rock, ska and straight-forward rock and roll....
     (1981)
  • The Routers
    The Routers

    The Routers were an United States instrumental group in the early 1960s....
  • The Shadows
    The Shadows

    Nick-named: the Shads, The Shadows are the most successful United Kingdom instrumental and vocal group from the 1950s to the 2000s with an aggregate total of at least 64 UK hit singles....
     (1981)
  • Margie Singleton
    Margie Singleton

    Margie Singleton, is an United States country music singer. In the 1960s, Margie Singleton was a popular duet and solo recording artist, working with legendary Country stars George Jones and Faron Young....
     (vocal version, titled "Magic Star (Tel-Star)", 1963)
  • The Spotnicks
    The Spotnicks

    The Spotnicks is an instrumental rock band from Sweden, who were formed in 1961. They were famous for wearing "space suit" costumes on stage , and for their innovative electronic guitar sound....
  • Los Straitjackets
    Los Straitjackets

    Los Straitjackets is an American instrumental rock band that formed in Nashville, Tennessee, Tennessee in 1988. Originally comprising guitarists Danny Amis and Eddie Angel and drummer L....
  • The Supertones
  • Susan and the Surftones
    Susan and the Surftones

    Susan and the SurfTones is an American surf instrumental band. The band is considered part of the ?third wave? of surf-revivalist bands that formed the 1990?s....
     (1996)
  • Symarip
    Symarip

    Symarip were a ska and reggae music ensemble from the United Kingdom, originating in the late 1960s when Frank Pitter and Michael Thomas founded the band as The Bees....
  • The Television Personalities (1993)
  • The Ukrainians
    The Ukrainians

    The Ukrainians are a British band which plays traditional Ukrainian music, heavily influenced by western post-punk.The Ukrainians were formed by former Wedding Present guitarist Peter Solowka, with singer/violinist Len Liggins and mandolin player Roman Remeynes, who had all played on the Wedding Present's Ukrainian John Peel Sessions record...
  • The Ultras
  • Caterina Valente
    Caterina Valente

    Caterina Valente is a singer, dancer, and actress. She was born into an Italy artist family; her father Giuseppe was a well-known accordion player, her mother, Maria Valente, a musical clown....
  • Billy Vaughn
    Billy Vaughn

    Richard "Billy" Vaughn was a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and orchestra leader.He was born in Glasgow, Kentucky, Kentucky, where his father was a barber who loved music and inspired Billy to teach himself to play the mandolin at age 3, while suffering a case of the measles....
     ("1962's Greatest Hits," first track)
  • Velvett Fogg
    Velvett Fogg

    Velvett Fogg are a cult British psychedelic rock band. Tony Iommi was a member in mid-1968, but soon left to form Black Sabbath. Their lone eponymous album was released in January 1969, and re-released on CD by Sanctuary Records in 2002....
     ("Telstar 69", 1969)
  • The Ventures
    The Ventures

    The Ventures are an United States instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington, Washington. The band, formed by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, two masonry workers, has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide, having sold over 100 million records, and are to date the best-selling instrumental band of all time....
  • Wolfman Jack
    Wolfman Jack

    Robert Weston Smith was a gravelly-voiced, United States disc jockey who became world famous in the 1960s and 1970s under the stage name of Wolfman Jack....
  • Sam Wright Group (Big/C-17)


Use in popular culture

  • This song was utilised as ongoing theme music for the 1979 film Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
    Mr. Mike's Mondo Video

    Mr. Mike's Mondo Video was a 1979 in film movie conceived by Saturday Night Live writer/featured player Michael O'Donoghue.Mondo Video was a spoof of the controversial 1962 in film documentary Mondo Cane, showing people doing weird stunts....
     in the same vein as the song "More
    More (Theme from Mondo Cane)

    "More" is the theme music from the Italy Film Mondo Cane, from 1962 in film.The music was written by Riz Ortolani and Nino Oliviero, being nominated for an Academy Awards for Best Song in 1963 in music....
    " was used in this film's inspiration, Mondo Cane
    Mondo Cane

    Mondo Cane is a 1962 in film Cinema of Italy documentary film by Italy filmmakers Paolo Cavara, Gualtiero Jacopetti, and Franco Prosperi. The film consists of a series of travelogue vignettes providing glimpses into cultural practices throughout the world intended to shock or surprise the mostly Cinema of the United States audience, incl...
    .


  • The Finnish
    Finland

    Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
     rock band Eppu Normaali
    Eppu Normaali

    Eppu Normaali is one of the most popular bands in Finland. The band was formed in 1976 in the small town of Yl?j?rvi, near Tampere.The core of the band consisted Juha Torvinen, Mikko Saarela, Aku Syrj? and brothers Martti Syrj? and Mikko "Pantse" Syrj? ; their parents are Kirsi Kunnas and Jaakko Syrj?, both accomplished writers....
     borrowed the opening of "Telstar" as the guitar solo
    Guitar solo

    Guitar solos are a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, rock , metal and jazz styles such as swing and jazz fusion....
     for their song "Science Fiction" (1979).


  • In the movie The Prophecy 3: The Ascent
    The Prophecy 3: The Ascent

    The Prophecy 3: The Ascent, released 14 March 2000, is the conclusion to The Prophecy trilogy. Once again, Christopher Walken is the Archangel Gabriel, now a homeless human, and Steve Hytner is a coroner....
     (2000), the angel Gabriel
    Gabriel

    In Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an angel who serves as a messenger from God. He first appears in the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible. In some traditions he is regarded as one of the archangels, or as the angel of death....
    , played by Christopher Walken
    Christopher Walken

    'Christopher Walken' is an Academy Award winning United States actor of theater and film, on which he has spent more than 50 years. A prolific actor, he has appeared in over 100 movie and television roles, notably including A View to a Kill, At Close Range, The Deer Hunter, King of New York, Batman Returns and Pulp Fictio...
    , plays trumpet to this song while driving on the highway.


  • A "sound-alike
    Sound-alike

    A sound-alike is a recording intended to imitate the sound of a popular record, the style of a popular recording artist, or a current musical trend; the term also refers to the artists who perform on such recordings....
    " of this song appears in the film Strangers with Candy
    Strangers with Candy (film)

    Strangers with Candy is a film released in 2006 in film by ThinkFilm, first screened at the 2005 in film Sundance Film Festival. It is a prequel to the TV show Strangers with Candy....
     (2006). According to the audio commentary
    Audio commentary

    On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video....
     for the film, they were unsuccessful in getting the rights to the actual song.


  • "Knights of Cydonia
    Knights of Cydonia

    "Knights of Cydonia" is a song by England rock music band Muse and is the closing track on the British release of their 2006 album Black Holes & Revelations....
    ", a 2006 song by Devonian rock band Muse
    Muse (band)

    Muse are an English rock music band that was formed in Teignmouth, Devon, England in 1994. Since their inception, the band has comprised Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard ....
    , was influenced by "Telstar". Lead guitarist and vocalist Matthew Bellamy
    Matthew Bellamy

    Matthew James Bellamy, is the main songwriter and lead vocalist, guitarist and pianist in the Rock music group Muse . He also scores strings for Muse songs....
     is the son of The Tornados' rhythm guitarist, George Bellamy
    George Bellamy

    George Bellamy was the rhythm guitarist from The Tornados; and father of Matthew Bellamy, Lead vocalist of Great Britain rock band, Muse ....
    .


Other uses

  • A number of football teams, such as East Fife
    East Fife F.C.

    East Fife are one of four senior clubs based in the Fife region but are the only one to bear...
     and Telstar walk out on to the field of play to this song.


  • The former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
    Margaret Thatcher

    Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Fellow of the Royal Society was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990....
     named "Telstar" as one of her favourite pop songs, and chose it as one of her records on BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs
    Desert Island Discs

    Desert Island Discs is a long-running BBC Radio 4 programme. It was first broadcast on 29 January 1942 and is said by the Guinness Book of Records to be the longest-running music programme in the history of radio....
    .


  • The WFMU
    WFMU

    WFMU is a listener-supported, non-commercial radio station based in Jersey City, New Jersey, broadcasting at 91.1 MHz FM using a freeform radio format....
     Radio Show Seven Second Delay
    Seven Second Delay

    Seven Second Delay is a radio show broadcast on radio station WFMU. It has been hosted by Ken Freedman and Andy Breckman since the early 1990s....
     used this song as a theme song. It was picked by a listener who won a contest to pick the theme song during one of WFMU
    WFMU

    WFMU is a listener-supported, non-commercial radio station based in Jersey City, New Jersey, broadcasting at 91.1 MHz FM using a freeform radio format....
    's pledge drives in 2001. They used it as a theme for one year, up through early 2002.


External links