Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesFriday MP3 Shuffle: Happy Birthday Heinz Burt Edition

Today we pay tribute to Heinz Burt, bass player for the ‘60s band The Tornados. The band is best known for their song “Telstar,” a trippy instrumental written in 1962 and named after a communications satellite that went into orbit in the same year. This song is also known for being the first track from a UK Pop group to reach #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart (although not the first UK recording to do so – that distinction belongs to the clarinet instrumental “Stranger on the Shore,” released earlier in the year). Soon after “Telstar” hit, The British Invasion would go into full swing, with the Tornados along for the ride. Wish Heinz a posthumous Happy Birthday by taking your MP3 player, pressing the “shuffle” button, and sharing the first 10 songs you hear:

1. Blue Asia - Abyssinean Dub (Japan) (Putumayo Presents World Lounge): A wordlessly groovy combination of Middle-Eastern and thumping electronic instrumentation

2. Lambert, Hendricks and Ross – Things Ain't What They Used to Be (The Hottest New Group in Jazz): A Duke Ellington classic given an extra vocalese dimension

3. Illum Sphere – Sleeprunner (Ghosts of Then and Now): Sounds like a meaner version of the Dr. Who series theme music

4. Detholz! – Electric Avenue: The Chicago band's DEVO'ed version of the Eddie Grant '80s hit

5. The O'Jays – Sunshine (Back Stabbers): Timeless Soul. Perfect "forgive me" music

6. Oneohtrix Point Never – Americans (R Plus Seven): Abstracted Ambient soundscapes that get more rewarding with each listen

7. Alison Krauss with Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch - Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby ('O Brother Where Art Thou' soundtrack): An a-capella Folk trio from one of the best movie soundtracks of the last 30 years

8. Benjamin Damage – Together (Heliosphere): Up-tempo electronic dance with a down-tempo feel, like when you're leaving the club at 3:00am and you're still a little wired because the music is still with you

9. Unknown - Track 1 Ron Hardy Edit (Jerome Derradji Presents: Kstarke Records - The House That Jackmaster Hater Built): Proto-House from the source!

10. Miles Davis – I Don't Want to Be Kissed (Miles Ahead): Lighter in feel than most of his other albums, this is the one you want in your player on a delightful Summer day

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