he early 1960s were an incredibly eventful time for fans of both science fact and fiction, with the first daring launches of manned rockets and a prescient proposal from President John F. Kennedy to send astronauts to the moon by the end of the decade. The 1962 Seattle World's Fair echoed that sanguine tone, offering folks a chance to look forward and skyward with attractions such as the famed Space Needle, a futuristic monorail, and the popular World of Tomorrow exhibit.
Whether riding the Bubbleator (a huge, spherical, clear-plastic elevator) or deciding whether to hop onto a simulated spaceship at the Spacearium, the soundtrack for this ultramodern experience was provided by Attilio Mineo. At the time, two vinyl versions of his Man in Space with Sounds score were available to fairgoers: one featured spoken-word introductions for each of the dozen cuts, while the other offered only the music. These vintage recordings have been reissued in a new package, allowing contemporary listeners to hear both variations on a single CD.
The first 12 tunes on this disc present the instrumental melodies prefaced by voice-overs, which are delivered by an authoritative announcer. His words accent works such as "Soaring Science," "Mile-A-Minute Monorail," "The Queen City" and "Space Age World's Fair." Meanwhile, the second half of the collection spotlights the same selections without vocal enhancements. Vintage images from the exposition adorn the liner notes, which explain in part how the album's executive producer tracked down the long-forgotten composer.
The sounds of tomorrow
During the heady and occasionally harrowing inaugural years of the Space Age, it often seemed as if the sky was no longer the limit when it came to celestial exploration. Though undeniably dated by contemporary musical standards, Man in Space with Sounds presents an interesting and surprisingly entertaining glimpse into that exciting and somewhat overly optimistic era.
By mixing familiar percussion and string elements with unusual electronic effects, Mineo's compositions are actually evocative of myriad 1950s science fiction film scores. Works like "Century 21" or "Science of Tomorrow" are typical tracks, with spirited orchestral motifs intermingled with weird synthetic noises that could easily have been lifted from the soundtrack of Forbidden Planet. Other cuts, such as "Welcome to Tomorrow" and "Man Seeks the Future," are a tad more menacing, accenting their hopeful themes with dark melodic undertones. These numbers subtly reflect problematic issues, like the Cold War or the perils of atomic power, that undoubtedly were of concern to futurologists at the time.
The vocal introductions are quite enjoyable too, instructing fair visitors to "guide your own rocket and taxi to tomorrow" on "Gayway to Heaven" and notifying audiences that they'll go "around the world in 80 ways" on the appropriately titled "Around the World." Regardless of whether listeners prefer the all-instrumental or voice-enhanced tunes, Man in Space with Sounds provides a rousing aural representation of a period when, for both SF enthusiasts and the world at large, the promise of scientific discovery seemed almost boundless.
