Record of the Year Revisited: 1962

Original Record of the Year: Tornado's - Telstar

I picked a record that no doubt sounded futuristic in 1962. It was a time when chart music needed an injection of life i.e. The Beatles.

One thing I've learned in the last 10 years is just how much better chart music became once The Beatles had established themselves. It therefore would seem a logical choice to pick The Beatles debut "Love Me Do" as the record of the year.

That said the producer behind "Telstar" Joe Meek was almost laying the foundations for The Beatles to do their thing. He may not of had the same impact, and lets face it who has, but in a pre-Beatles world the Joe Meek records do generally stand out as being better.

If we were looking for the record that was most innovative in moving music forward then it would be a straight fight between these 2 records. Remember "Telstar" was the first USA number one recorded by a British act.

What we're looking for though is the best record and I still think "Telstar" has the edge.