The only serious challengers to the Shadows as the UK's top instrumental unit, the Tornados merely lasted as long as their console svengali, independent record producer Joe Meek. In 1961, he assembled the quintet initially as house band at his Holloway, London studio, to back solo performers such as Don Charles, John Leyton and Billy Fury. The latter was name checked in the title of the Tornados' debut single, "Love And Fury". From Colin Hicks and his Cabin Boys, Meek had drawn guitarist Alan Caddy (b. 2 February 1940, Chelsea, London, England, d. 16 August 2000, England) and drummer Clem Cattini (b. 28 August 1939, London, England), both of whom had also played with Johnny Kidd And The Pirates. Rhythm guitarist George Bellamy (b. 8 October 1941, Sunderland, England) and keyboard player Roger Lavern (b. Roger Jackson, 11 November 1938, Kidderminster, England) were session players, although Norman Hale actually played organ on "Love And Fury". Bass player Heinz (b. Heinz Burt, 24 July 1942, Hagen, Germany, d. 7 April 2000, England), meanwhile, was one of Meek's own protégés.
In their own right, the Tornados made the big time with their second single, the otherworldly "Telstar". For its time it was a remarkable record and sounded like nothing else. Composed by Meek with his creative confrère Geoff Goddard deputizing for Lavern on clavioline, this quintessential 60s instrumental anticipated many of the electronic ventures of a subsequent and less innocent pop generation. Moreover, in 1962 it topped the domestic hit parade and stayed in the bestsellers for six months, and, unbelievably did likewise in the USA, where no UK group, not even the Shadows, had made any headway. Although a capitalizing tour of North America was unwisely cancelled, Meek's boys played "Eric The Red" to Britain's invasion of US charts two years later. 1963 was another good year for the Tornados with "Globetrotter", "Robot" and "The Ice Cream Man" - all with catchy juxtapositions of outer space aetheria and funfair vulgarity - cracking the UK Top 20. Flattering too were those myriad copyist combos in their artistic debt, notably the Volcanos with "Polaris". Danger, however, became apparent in the comparative failure of "Dragonfly" shortly after the exit of Burt for a solo career (his last recorded appearance with the band had actually been on "Globetrotter"). Burt was replaced by Tab Martin, Brian Gregg and Ray Randall in quick succession, but the absence of his blond Norse radiance onstage, coupled with the levelling blow of the beat boom and its emphasis on vocals had rendered the Tornados passé. Lavern and Bellamy had also jumped ship by the time "Dragonfly" was released. Worse, new ideas were thin on the ground. The "Robot" b-side, "Life On Venus", for instance, almost repeated the "Telstar" melody.
Following the departure of Cattini, the last original Tornado, there came further desperate strategies, with 1965's "Early Bird" (which featured a young Ritchie Blackmore on guitar) and "Stingray" again harking back to the million-selling sound of "Telstar". The penniless Meek's suicide in 1967 coincided with the outfit's interrelated disbandment. In the mid-70s, Bellamy, Burt, Cattini and Lavern - as "The Original Tornados" - managed some nostalgia revues and a remake of "Telstar" before going their separate ways. Nevertheless, with a new Tornados, Cattini tried again in 1989. While this line-up featured a female singer, the loudest cheers were reserved for the ancient instrumentals, especially Meek's eerie US number 1.
