The People's Songs 

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BBC Radio 2 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced Light Programme.

BBC Radio 2

Radio 2

The People's Songs

Music

Stuart Maconie tells the story of modern Britain via the songs that provided a soundtrack.

Featuring memories contributed by Radio 2 listeners, Stuart Maconie narrates the story of post-war Britain via 50 records that soundtracked this dramatic and kaleidoscopic period.

The People's Songs: Telstar – The Sound Of The Future

Telstar – The Sound Of The Future

BBC Radio 2 - The People's Songs, Telstar – The Sound Of The Future

Joe Meek's music brought romance to the space-race, albeit in a DIY, home-made fashion.

1962 marked the start of the space race, and Joe Meek's music brought romance and heart to the era, albeit in an inspiring home-made fashion. 

Like its subject matter, the Telstar satellites, Joe Meek's track was also pioneering and other worldly. We now take global communication and entertainment for granted, but in the early 1960s it was the cutting-edge of technology. The Telstars were a series of satellites launched to provide telecommunications and faxes as well as live and recorded television feeds. The first Telstar was tiny, measuring under three feet in width and powered by a tiny 14 watts of power. Telstar 18 was launched as recently as 2004, and given that its life expectancy was 13 years, it must still be circling the globe high above us, visible against a clear night sky. And famously another Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, declared on Desert Island Discs that it was her favourite pop song. 

It's believed that at least 5 million copies of Telstar were sold, and the track was the first British single to go to number one in the USA. But there wasn't to be a happy ending to this story. Meek didn't get much chance to bask in the glory of all this trailblazing success; he was sued by a French composer, Jean Ledrut for plagiarism. The court case blocked Meek's royalties and the case was finally settled in his favour...but three weeks after Meek had taken his own life in 1967.

Joe Meek's pop music brought romance and heart to the space-race. Telstar's vision of the future is beautiful and adventurous in contrast with the next episode's track - the dystopian vision embodied in Gary Numan's Are Friends Electric?

Amazing music. Played by an amazing line up.

Radio 2: Amazing music. Played by an amazing line-up. The home of great music, entertainment and documentaries

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The People's Songs

Telstar – The Sound Of The Future

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