The Tornados

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This article is about the English band The Tornados. For the American surf band see The Tornadoes. For the weather phenomenon, see Tornado.

The Tornados EP cover - 1963

The Tornados (in the U.S. they were credited as The Tornadoes) were an English instrumental group of the 1960s, who acted as the in-house back-up group for many of Joe Meek's productions.

1 Career
2 Members
3 Discography
4 Trivia
5 Reference
6 External links

[edit] Career

The Tornados also enjoyed several chart hits in their own right, including the Number One "Telstar" (named after the satellite and composed by Meek). It was the first U.S. Number One by a British group. Up to that point, and since World War II, there had only been three British names that topped the U.S. chart: In May of 1962 "Stranger on the Shore" by clarinetist Mr. Acker Bilk; the second was "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" by Laurie London (1958), whilst the first was "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" by Vera Lynn (1952).

For a time, the Tornados were considered serious rivals to The Shadows. They were also one of the biggest influences on The Who, and also on the early Pink Floyd. Their next single "Globetrotter" made it to number 5 in the UK Singles Chart, but when bassist Heinz Burt left in 1963 for a solo career, the group began to fall apart. By 1965, none of the original line-up remained.

In 1975, four of the five original members tried an unsuccessful comeback as the Original Tornados.

[edit] Members

George Bellamy, Rhythm guitar - (born 8 October 1941, in Sunderland, County Durham).
Heinz Burt, Bass - (born Heinz Henry George Burt, 24 July 1942, in Detmold, Germany. Died 7 April 2000, in Weston, Southampton, Hampshire).
Alan Caddy, Guitar - (born 2 February 1940, in Chelsea, London. Died 16 August 2000).
Clem Cattini, Drums - (born Clemente Anselmo Cattini, 28 August 1937, in Stoke Newington, North London).
Roger LaVern, Keyboards - (born Roger Jackson, 11 November 1938, in Kidderminster, Worcestershire).
Stuart Taylor, Lead guitar (born 23 October 1944. Died 18 April 2005).
Tab Martin, Bass - (born Alan Raymond Brearley, 24 December 1944, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland).
Brian Gregg, Bass - (born 1939).
Dave Harvey, Bass
Jimmy O'Brien
Bryan Irwin
Norman Hale played keyboards on "Love and Fury".

The New Tornados (1966)

John Davies, Robb Huxley, Pete Holder, Dave Watts, Roger Holder

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

"Love and Fury" (Meek) / "Popeye Twist" (Cattini) (Decca F11449, 1962)
"Telstar" (Meek) / "Jungle Fever" (Goddard) (Decca F11494, 1962) - UK & U.S. Number 1
"Globetrotter" (Meek) / "Locomotion With Me" (Decca F11562, 1963) - UK Number 5
"Robot" (Meek) / "Life On Venus" (Meek) (Decca F11606, 1963) - UK Number 19
"The Ice Cream Man" (Meek) / "Scales Of Justice (Theme)" (Decca F11662, 1963) - UK Number 21
"Dragonfly" / "Hymn For Teenagers" (Meek) (Decca F11745, 1963) - UK Number 41
"Joystick" (Meek) / "Hot Pot" (Meek) (Decca F11838, 1964)
"Monte Carlo" / "Blue Blue Beat" (Irwin) (Decca F11889, 1964)
"Exodus" / "Blackpool Rock" (Cattini) (Decca F11946, 1964) - Number 41
"Granada" / "Ragunboneman" (Meek) (Columbia DB7455, 1965)
"Early Bird" (Meek) / "Stomping Thru The Rye" (Tornados) (Columbia DB7589, 1965)
"Stingray" (Gray) / "Aqua Marina" (Gray) (Columbia DB 7687, 1965)
"Pop-Art Goes Mozart" (Mozart arr. Meek) / "Too Much In Love Too Hear" (Gale; Holder) (Columbia DB7856, 1966)
"Is That A Ship I Hear" (Meek) / "Do You Come Here Often?" (Tornados) (Columbia DB7894, 1966)

[edit] EPs

The Sounds Of The Tornados (Decca DFE 8510, 1962)

"Ridin The Wind"; "Earthy"; "Dreamin On A Cloud"; "Red Roses And A Sky Of Blue"

Telstar (Decca DFE 8511, 1962)

"Love and Fury"; "Popeye Twist"; "Telstar"; "Jungle Fever"

More Sounds From The Tornados (Decca DFE 8521, 1962)

"Chasing Moonbeams"; "Theme From A Summer Place"; "Swinging Beefeater"; "The Breeze And I"

Tornado Rock (Decca DFE 8533, 1963)

"Ready Teddy"; "My Babe"; "Blue Moon of Kentucky"; "Long Tall Sally"

[edit] Album

Away From It All (Decca LK4552, 1964)

"Indian Brave" / "Flycatcher" / "Lullaby For Guilla" / "Dreams Do Come True" / "Costa Monger" / "Lonely Paradise" / "Chattanooga Choo Choo" / "Rip It Up" (Vocal) / "Cootenanny" / "Night Rider" / "Hymn For Teenagers".

[edit] Trivia

Drummer Clem Cattini often played on recording sessions for other artists and sometimes featured in Cliff Richard's backing bands. He holds the record for appearing on the most UK Number One singles in chart history.
Rhythm guitarist George Bellamy is the father of Matthew Bellamy, frontman for the successful British rock band, Muse.
The introduction in "Knights Of Cydonia" by Muse is very similar to the one used in "Telstar".
A bizzare promotional Scopitone film for one of the Tornados chart hits "Robot" was filmed, featuring members of the group walking around woodland dressed in appropriate headgear with their guitars, flirting with various young women, and being finally arrested by policemen after lighting a campfire.
The B-side on the final single that the group released in 1966 ("Do You Come Here Often") is now generally acknowledged to be the first openly "gay" pop record released in the mainstream. It started off as a standard organ-inspired instrumental, but about two-thirds into the song, we hear a conversation between what is obviously intended to be two gay men at a bar. Joe Meek, himself a homosexual, who wrote the song, committed suicide early the following year. The song was featured, along with other gay-flavoured releases, on a CD compilation, Queer Noises.[1].
Dave Harvey, known as one of the greatest bassist's in the world, was a member of the band for a short period.