But let’s back up, what is the Voyager Golden Record? In the late 1970’s NASA was sending Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 to a tour of the outer planets, after which they would continues on into uncharted outer space. With the idea that maybe, just maybe, there might be life somewhere that would find these space probes, famous astronomer Carl Sagan was commissioned to create a record. This record would be fixed to the side of the Voyager crafts and has been considered the most important compilation ever made. Think of it as a mixtape, from Earth to the Cosmos.

Scott details how Sagan chose who would be working on this project, what their guidelines and limitations were, and how they worked through all of these to create 90 minutes of sounds, music, pictures, and even a message from then-President Jimmy Carter that they all hoped would one day inform other beings in the universe about humans on Earth.

Scott personally interviewed many of the major players in the project and relied on other interviews and published works of others. He shares interesting details, behind-the-scenes insights, and addresses myths, such as why the Beatles music was left off completely.

In 1977, both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched and have been on their grand tour of outer space since then, and as of 2013 they were 9 to 11 billion miles away from the Earth. As of 2017, their 40th anniversary in space, NASA reports that both probes are still healthy and continuing their travels into deep space. So those golden records are still out there, still travelling, and may one day reach an audience.

More than a time capsule, Jonathan Scott describes in this book a brilliant combination of science and art, which together created a weird but wonderful artefact compiled by an amazing group of people. Created from a strange marriage of politics, bureaucracy, budget, ambition, innovation, and beauty, Scott describes a portrait of humanity that is still travelling out among the stars.

The Vinyl Frontier is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Will you be checking out The Vinyl Frontier? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

The fascinating story behind the mission, music, and message of NASA’s Voyager Golden Record – humanity’s message to the stars.

In 1977, a team led by the great Carl Sagan was put together to create a record that would travel to the stars on the back of NASA’s Voyager probe.  They were responsible for creating a playlist of music, sounds, and pictures that would represent not just humanity, but would also paint a picture of Earth for any future alien races that may come into contact with the probe.  The Vinyl Frontier tells the whole story of how the record was created, from when NASA first proposed the idea to Carl to when they were finally able to watch the Golden Record rocket off into space on Voyager.

The final playlist contains music written and performed by well-known names such as Bach, Beethoven, Glenn Gould, Chuck Berry, and Blind Willie Johnson, as well as music from China, India, and more remote cultures such as a community in small Malaita in the Solomon Islands.  It also contained a message of peace from U.S. President Jimmy Carter, a variety of scientific figures and dimensions, and instructions on how to use it for a variety of alien life forms.  Each song, sound, and picture that made the final cut on the record has a story to tell.

Through interviews with all of the key players involved with the record, this book pieces together the whole story of the Golden Record.  It addresses the myth that the Beatles were left off of the record for copyright reasons and will include new information about U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s role in the record, as well as many other fascinating insights that have never been reported before.  It also tells the love story between Carl Sagan and the project’s creative director Ann Druyan that flourishes as the record is being created.

Thee Golden Record is more than just a time capsule.  It is a unique combination of science and art, and a testament to the genius of its driving force, the great polymath Carl Sagan.

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So, in 1999, as we sat down to watch a film called Yellow Submarine on Channel 4 (the first time it was shown on British television for the first time since its theatrical release in 1968 – only Dad had actually seen it), I did have a vague sense of who The Beatles were. It turned out to be one of those defining moments, where a switch is turned on in your brain and you discover something that you love and that will continue to influence you. Yellow Submarine turned me into a fan, not only of the film itself and the Sgt. Pepper album, but The Beatles in general.

Yellow Submarine was the third Beatles film produced by United Artists after A Hard Day’s Night and Help!, made simply because they were contracted for three and, since the plan was to make it an animation, the Beatles themselves had little direct involvement. They were pleased enough with the end product to agree to appear in a small cameo scene at the end of the film, therefore satisfying their contractual obligation to UA of actually appearing in it. Doing what would later be done with the music of ABBA with Mamma Mia, the screenplay writers (Lee Minoff wrote the original treatment and the screenplay itself was penned by four collaborators with contributions by Liverpudlian poet Roger McGough, who was responsible for a lot of the dialogue’s crackling wit and for making sure that the Beatles actually sounded Liverpudlian but sadly wasn’t credited) took the Beatles’ music and used them to tell a story, only instead of a story of marriage and mystery parentage on a Greek island, Yellow Submarine is a hippie fairy-tale all about the power of love.

80,000 leagues beneath the sea lies the utopia of Pepperland, a place where everyone lives in harmony and beautiful things like music reign supreme. Their neighbours, the Blue Meanies, despise anything that brings joy and one day they invade, turning it from a colourful land of joy to a monochrome one of misery. One inhabitant manages to escape to seek help, in a yellow submarine. Finding himself in (then) present-day Liverpool, he comes across the Beatles, who agree to help, embarking on a zany journey and taking on the identity of Sgt Pepper’s lonely Hearts Club Band in order to bring happiness back happiness to Pepperland.

I was captivated from the start. The art direction and character design of German artist Heinz Edelmann gives the film the look of a pop-art Alice in Wonderland (appropriate, seeing as, reportedly, Lewis Carroll was one of John Lennon’s biggest literary influences). Moving away from the look of the Beatles cartoon, which the Beatles themselves hated and it’s easy to see why, the different animation styles/techniques – from traditional hand-drawn animation to rotoscoping and motion graphics – complementing the music brilliantly. There’s also a delightful air of “Art Student Project” about it, something that may or may not have anything to do with the fact that, due to being under a tight deadline of 10-11 months, in order to get the film finished on time, students from the local Art School had to be bussed in to form a night shift.

Take the ‘Eleanor Rigby’ sequence for example, where we first arrive in Liverpool. The use of real people and locations in the animation go hand in hand with the beautifully melancholy lyrics. It captured perfectly the nature of existential angst and despair long before I knew what they were or had the words to understand and articulate them. I played the VHS recording we made of this so many times Dad actually banned me from watching it… and then I found out he had the Sgt. Pepper album on CD.

Though the film wasn’t a smash hit upon its original release but it built up and maintained a large cult following over the years and it was definitely a forerunner to things like MTV music videos. Now it’s to the point where it was remastered and given a theatrical re-release in 2012. 2018 marked its 50th anniversary, celebrated by another limited theatrical re-release in July and a myriad of articles and merchandise, including a beautiful graphic novel version of the film, produced by comic book artist and writer Bill Morrison and published by Titan Comics. Whilst it is a little strange to see the story without the song sequences, the artwork is gorgeous – the colours more eye-popping – and, even in improvisations, the dialogue still has the wit and flow of the original.

Its continued appeal comes not only from the music (and this includes Sir George Martin’s instrumental score) but, like all the best films, because it is universal, timeless as well as pertinent. The Blue Meanies are comic caricatures but there are still those who desire to take away or deny peoples’ enjoyment of things which they don’t understand or like (and social media has allowed that particular cultural debate to get very loud and nasty). At the end of the day, Yellow Submarine’s message may have come out of the hippie politics of the late 60s’ but it’s still true today: “All you need is love.”

And at this time of year, or anytime when the deluge of bad news has made you forget just how far a little goodwill goes, what could be a better message than that?

What do you think of Yellow Submarine? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Beatles: ‘Yellow Submarine’ 50th Anniversary appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Music can make a difference; it alters your feelings from sadness to happiness and vice versa. It lets you remember a time passed, it shakes your brain, works your mind and it could probably make you brave enough to face that blank paper and write your own story.

With just a little bit of motivation, you can become the next great writer, so here are a few songs to get you writing!

1. Thunder by Imagine Dragons | YouTube

“I was dreaming of bigger things / And wanna leave my own life behind”
Imagine Dragons has many songs to uplift your soul, this one specifically is about dreams and ambitions. It’s about defying the odds and believing in yourself—in your story.

2. My Shot by Lin Manuel Miranda [Hamilton] | YouTube

“I am not throwin’ away my shot.”
It’s no secret that Hamilton has been a sensational musical over the past few years. This song has it all—the struggle, the ambition, the needs, the persistence and the consistency of being great. It’s about holding on to your dreams and taking advantage of every situation.

3. It’s My Life by Bon Jovi | YouTube

“It’s my life / It’s now or never”
Just put on your headphones, and let the music do everything else. It doesn’t get better than this!

4. Tubthumping by Chumbawamba | YouTube

“I get knocked down, but I get up again / You are never gonna keep me down.”
The journey writing takes you on is never easy. You get a lot of ‘NOs’, before that one celebratory ‘YES’, and this song shall be your mantra until you get that HELL YES!

5. This is Me by Keala Settle [The Greatest Showman] | YouTube

“When the sharpest words wanna cut me down / I’m gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out”
I believe that one of the hardest thing as a writer is that you never really get used to rejection. Yes, it happens often, but it doesn’t gets easier the second time around. That’s why you should always keep on going forward no matter how hard it hits you, but one day you’ll get there.

6. Titanium by Sia feat. David Guetta | YouTube

“You shoot me down / But I won’t fall / I am titanium”
It’s okay to fail, it’s okay to lose. You can never feel something entirely until you’ve experienced it’s opposite. You’ve got this!

7. Celebration by Kool & The Gang | YouTube

“Celebrate good times, come on! (Let’s celebrate)”
You don’t have to finish your book in one setting (it’s impossible), but you’ve got to celebrate the little achievements along the way—your first chapter, your first villain, your first plot twist. Have fun while you’re writing, your readers will feel it too!

8. So What? by Pink | YouTube

“I got a brand new attitude / And I’m gonna wear it tonight.”
Had a bad day? Didn’t reach your goal? SO WHAT?! Go out, leave your desk, get inspired then get shit done!

9. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Tammi Terrell & Marvin Gaye | YouTube

“Ain’t no mountain high enough/ Ain’t no valley low enough / Ain’t no river wide enough / To keep me from getting to you babe”
Your babe is your book and you’ll get there.

10. Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey | YouTube

“Don’t stop believin’ / Hold on to the feelin’ ”
And of course, you should always remember that hard work will be rewarded one way or another, just keep on believing in yourself and your writing.

There are still people out there who haven’t found themselves in a book yet, they can find it in yours. So start writing now!

What songs get you writing or pumped up? Tell us in the comments below!

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Records and cassettes have been around since the 1970’s, but as technology has progressed, they died down. However, like all fads, now they are becoming very popular again. They are a fun and unique way of playing and listening to music, and the greatest part is the nostalgia, which many people love to experience!

Did you know that records are actually called phonograph records? This is the technical name for them, but people have shortened it to records or called them vinyl. Just like any other audio format, records are played on record players or turntables and the majority of the time, the music will begin in the middle of a song because you don’t know where the start is. It’s very interesting how different the music sounds in comparison to CD’s or audio files, and that’s why so many prefer to listen to them.

Records were the primary source of music in the 20th century, until compact discs started gaining a larger market share in the 1980’s. Even though records weren’t as popular around the 1990’s, they were still being manufactured and sold, which is good considering how popular they are again today. Vinyl and record players started to gain popularity again in 2014 and they have been climbing ever since. As of 2017, 48 record facilities still operate worldwide.

Even though records are popular for listening to music, many people may purchase them solely because of the cover and/or artist. Now, some original records can cost up to $2000 or more because of the artist or if it is a limited edition of that particular record is. Today, you can buy records almost anywhere at most entertainment stores, such as Sunrise Records, carry records of all genres. You can also buy a lot of the older ones at most thrift stores.

As time has gone on, records have been changed to try to get more sales by altering their looks. They have changed in size over the years, from being a 12-inch disc to a 7-inch disc. Today, most records are the standard 12-inch disc and most people do want that because it is the popular old-school look. Tons of new records are being made and new albums being produced in vinyl, but there are still loads of old records that are still out there and many people are willing to sell them for a reasonable price.

Cassettes on the other hand are a completely different story. They weren’t as popular as records, but they are on their way to becoming popular again. Cassettes are played on a device referred to as a compact cassette, audio cassette or just a tape. The first cassette player was designed for use in the car dash in 1968, however, blank cassettes were being made in places like Germany in 1964. Even though cassettes were invented in the late 1960’s, they didn’t become popular until the 1970’s and 1980’s and then they took off. Things like the Walkman (invented in 1979) really helped make the cassettes popular. All throughout their existence, they really haven’t changed in the way they look, but the way they’re played from car dash, to Walkman and so on.

During the 1990’s, the cassette market started to decline, but by 2012, blank cassettes were still being produced and bought. Same as the records, cassettes started to become popular again in 2014 and they have steadily climbed ever since. One thing that really helped the cassettes to be put onto the map is the production of the Guardians of the Galaxy ‘Awesome Mix Tape #1’, which hit stores in 2014 and was a big seller for cassette business. Now, you can buy newly produced cassettes at places like Sunrise Records and Urban Outfitters, and you can buy older ones at most thrift stores.

Just like it was in the 1970’s, records are still more popular than cassettes. Records are produced so widely and are available at many stores, but cassettes are a little harder to find. With that said, we never know what the future might bring and cassettes might become way more popular. If you talk to the people who were teenagers in the time-frame of records and cassettes, they can’t believe that they are coming back at all. This proves you never know what the future will hold when it comes to things becoming popular again with so many older things coming back and current and future generations loving them!

Do you enjoy listening to records or cassettes? Tell us in the comments below!

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