The Tornados were an English instrumental group of the 1960s that acted as backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions and also for singer Billy Fury (January 1962 - August 1963). They enjoyed several chart hits in their own right, including the UK and U.S. no.1 "Telstar" (named after the satellite, and composed and produced by Meek), the first U.S. #1 single by a British group.
Telstar[]
- Released August 17, 1962
- Highest UK Chart Position: #1, five weeks
The record was named after the Telstar communications satellite, which was launched into orbit on July 10, 1962. Written and produced by Joe Meek, it featured either a clavioline or the similar Jennings Clavioline, both keyboard instruments with distinctive electronic sounds. It was recorded in Meek's studio in a small flat above a shop in Holloway Road, North London. "Telstar" won an Ivor Novello Award and is estimated to have sold at least five million copies worldwide.
A French composer, Jean Ledrut, accused Joe Meek of plagiarism, 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. This led to a lawsuit that prevented Meek from receiving royalties from the record during his lifetime, and the issue was not resolved in Meek's favour until three weeks after his suicide in 1967. Austerlitz was not released in the UK until 1965, and Meek was unaware of the film when the lawsuit was filed in March 1963.
Meek produced later in 1962 a vocal version of "Telstar" titled "Magic Star", sung by Kenny Hollywood. "Magic Star" was covered by Margie Singleton, released by Mercury Records in January 1963.
Tornados - Robot
The Tornados made a scopitone film (an early form of music video) for "Telstar" and another for their chart hit "Robot" featuring members of the group walking around a woodland dressed in appropriate headgear with their guitars, flirting with various young women and being finally arrested by policemen after lighting a campfire.
Decline[]
For a time The Tornados were considered serious rivals to The Shadows. The Tornados' single "Globetrotter" made it to #5 in the UK Singles Chart. However, pop instrumentals began to lose popularity with British audiences during the course of 1963 as the "Mersey Sound", most notably The Beatles, became more and more popular. In the summer of 1963 Joe Meek induced The Tornados' bassist Heinz Burt to start a solo career, as The Tornados' chart success as an instrumental outfit waned, and from that point onwards The Tornados began to fall apart. By 1965 none of the original lineup remained.
Later lineups were credited as Tornados '65 and The New Tornados, but these names were never used on The Tornados' releases. In the mid-'60s The Tornados backed Billy Fury again, with Dave Watts on keyboards, Robby Gale on guitar and John Davies on drums
After drummer and bandleader Clem Cattini left The Tornados in 1965 he became a successful session musician, playing on recording sessions for other artists, and was featured in Cliff Richard's backing bands. He holds the record for appearing the most times on UK #1 singles.
The B-side of the final single that the group released, in 1966, "Do You Come Here Often?", was the first openly "gay" pop record release by a UK major label. It started off as a standard organ-inspired instrumental, but Joe Meek decided that the organ playing was a little too jazzy for the style of the group. So, about two-thirds in, a casual conversation between what appears to be two gay men (Dave Watts playing keyboards and Rob Gale playing guitar) was overdubbed.
Members[]
- Clem Cattini - drums (1960-1965)
- Heinz Burt - bass guitar (1960-1963)
- George Bellamy - rhythm guitar (1962-1965)
- Alan Caddy - lead guitar (1962-1965)
- Roger LaVern - keyboards (1962-1964)
- Norman Hale - keyboards (1962)
- Ray Randall - bass guitar (1963-1966)
- Tab Martin - bass guitar (1963)
- Brian Gregg - bass guitar (1963)
- Stuart Taylor - lead guitar (1964-1965)
- Jimmy O'Brien - keyboards (1964-1965)
- Dave Watts - keyboards (1965-1967)
- Bryan Irwin - rhythm guitar (1965-1966)
- Dave Cameron - lead guitar (1965-1966)
- Peter Adams - drums (1965-1966)
- Roger Warwick - tenor saxophone (1965-1966)
- Tony Marsh - keyboards (1965)
- John Davies - drums (1966-1967)
- Robb Huxley - lead guitar (1966-1967)
- Pete Holder -lead guitar/vocals (1966-1967)
- Roger Holder - bass guitar (1966-1967)
Selected singles[]
- 1962: "Love and Fury"
- 1962: "Telstar" - UK & U.S. Number 1
- 1963: "Globetrotter" - UK Number 5
- 1963: "Robot" - UK Number 19
- 1963: "The Ice Cream Man" - UK Number 21
- 1963: "Dragonfly" - UK Number 41
- 1964: "Exodus"
- 1965: "Granada"
- 1965: "Stingray" / "Aqua Marina"
- 1966: "Pop-Art Goes Mozart"
BFI MOST WANTED, lost film - farewell performance featuring The Tornados. Music score / Direction: Joe Meek