God Speed, John Glenn. RIP.

“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air….

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark, or even eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
– Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.”

John Gillespie Magee, Jr. – High Flight

Strings for a Space Age

Album - Strings for a Space Age

Bobby Christian & His Orchestra – Strings for a Space Age.

This was a hard vinyl record to track down for anything approaching a reasonable price. Most copies I see show up for between $50 and $150.

You can listen the the album’s space-age easy listening here.

Now that I have it, I need a proper retro living room to appreciate it.

Hanna-Barbera Gemini Documentary

Outside Album Art

Today’s throwback vinyl spin is from Hanna-Barbera, known for their cartoons. They also produced vinyl records like this 1965 “Real Life Documentary” recreated in dramatic fashion with uncredited actors portraying the actual recorded NASA transmissions between Houston and Gemini IV and V.

Inside Album Art

You can listen to the full album here.