Voyaging on!

[johncorrigan]

Since I watched those Carl Sagan programmes in the 80s I've been interested in the Voyager probes - they seemed such an incredible idea - an opportunity to fly past so many of the objects in the solar system.

And on the news tonight I see that the twin probes are now getting to a point beyond the effect of the solar winds, beyond the influence of the sun. Apparently they have the power of a light bulb and yet still they travel on.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13720438

And of course on board there's the famous Golden record with its collection of greetings from across our planet, and earth sounds and music. Here's a few waiting for some distant alien to catch up on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzhVAnOO45Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVRdEvdovgk&playnext=1&list=PL4D51474AB7BE5595

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctIEXopL220&feature=related

and of course

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8AuYmID4wc&feature=related

....and on they go long after we're gone! Amazing!

[Lateralthinking1]

JC, This is very interesting. Among other things, it highlights just how quickly technology here on earth has changed. Even so, the comparatively primitive technology has achieved huge amounts.

It would be fascinating to hear how the tracks for the Golden record were chosen. It is a world music disc and arguably surprisingly subtle for the times. One might have expected Mike Oldfield or Jeff Wayne perhaps.

As it is, we get something that ironically is quite listenable on our planet in 2011. But it is also a little stereotypical of perceptions of space, Hollywood style. However homespun these tracks may be, from all corners of the globe, there is an element to them of the ghostly and the distant and things that go bump in the night.

If there are other lifeforms, and they have any concept of music at all, it could be an advanced one. You can almost imagine them laughing like the smash guys and copying the wailing and so on, much as we were all being mocked for the potatoes being peeled with metal knives. - Lat.

[Martin Reynolds]

As a scientist and musician my interest is doubled. As a spiritual person I feel that there was no need to send music flying off into space. But it adds a bit of interest for us humans.

[johncorrigan]

One of the interesting things about the Voyagers was that Sagan and his collaborators saw these vessels as emissaries for earth - that humans could not survive such a journey, so send something that might - and even if nothing happens well they did show us some amazing images on the way.

There is something poetic, somethinig symbolic about Voyager. The record itself is attached to the outside of the crafts - the outer disc has a shelf life of tens of thousands of years but the inside face of the disc has a shelf life of a billion years apparently.

And perhaps in thousands of years people from our planet might come across one of those records and wonder if Chuck Berry created any other tunes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FboXO1FtbvE

[Lateralthinking1]

John - Is there any info on who chose the music? - Lat.

[johncorrigan]

John - Is there any info on who chose the music? - Lat.

I know that Sagan had a lot to do with it Lat and that apparently they consulted musicologists to make the choices - but Sagan struck me as very much a Californian with that sense of hope. Apparently there is a book called Mumurs of Earth about Voyager and the disc, written by Sagan and his colleagues. Here's a bit about it.

http://www.cedmagic.com/featured/voyager/voyager-record.html

[Paul Sherratt]

What would be a turn-up, John, Lat, is if some fancy space telescope suddenly started receiving this message:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yB5a5W1rk8

[Lateralthinking1]

Here's more on the golden record. The music (and sounds) are more wide ranging than I had thought. Sagan was the main man by all accounts. The discs look smart.

http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/music.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record

Meanwhile here's a clip for a girl from outer space. She contacted me on an early riff this morning. "Now that's what I wan't!". she murmured. I said "What money?"

"No" she replied "it may sound in the first few minutes like that Barrett song but I'm talkin' Barrence, you earth freak". "Yeah babe I know", I blurted, "but he gets quite heavy later on".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c2tR_LnWzg

[Paul Sherratt]

Well found Lat !

That's a dear favourite song, no mistake. There used to be a quite superb tv film of the lads performing it at some Italian festival or other - but unfortunately that's been taken down now ( I think )

I do have a VHS I took of the whole of an increadibly sweaty Barrence Whitfield & The Savages gig at The International, Manchester, from the late '80's. Haven't a clue how that would get tubed, mind you !

[Lateralthinking1]

Yes, indeed, I think we all need to find out when he is playing live. Somewhere maybe between the Big Smoke and the Middle Kingdom. Sadly that looks like Watford or Milton Keynes.

[Paul Sherratt]

Watford is the home of music lovin' Brian ( Saunders ) so that would be fine .. but he's definitely booked to put some attitude in to Latitude*.
The Savages at Southwold, now there's a temptation - and once, temptation kept twisting my arm.



Late Junction are covering Latitude but I'm thinking that it's quite unlikely that they will alight
upon the great rock & roll man. I'd love to be wrong !


* As part of Mark Lamarr's jukebox affair.

[Paul Sherratt]

PS

I do like to be beside the seaside ...

Pontins, Camber Sands, is the place to be this week, if it isn't always
Wayne Hancock will be occupying one of the chalets !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmJVXHLjVhk

[Lateralthinking1]

I have never been to Latitude although it has always looked interesting. Nor have I been to one of the intriguing Pontins type events although, the following is completely genuine, I did join my parents at their electric organ festival when it was at the holiday club in West Quantoxhead. I was the youngest one by a couple of decades and it was an educational experience.

Even more bizarrely, it was the week after the bikers convention there and the week before an annual gathering of transvestites. According to the bar staff, they were all lovely people but the cleaners preferred the latter as they didn't smoke cigarettes and discard beer cans in the chalets.

Needless to say, I spent my time on the beach observing the work of local geologists and watching the television. It was all ok but I felt a sense of relief on leaving, believing that Hinckley Point was bound to explode on the Thursday, probably halfway through a lame rendition of Misty.

[Paul Sherratt]

These specialist weekends do sound wonderful, if you enjoy being an observer. Not to a holiday camp but I did once
drive Barrence down from our house to play the Hells Angels organised, Kent Custom Bike Show ( The Savages were Friday's attraction, Blondie were Saturday night's ) That was memorable for a number of reasons. BW was the only black face amongst the twenty odd thousand at the event. He didn't notice !

The only bit of film from that event I can find

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMkEC9PBCgk

[Lateralthinking1]

That could just be the best argument for turning the aerial back away from Wrotham and towards Crystal Palace.