"Previously known as the 21st Birthday Album, this is a gorgeous and goofy compilation of 45 fun and experimental electronic tone poems made for radio and TV from 1958 to 1979, some from the days when the music department only allowed the Workshop to exist by pretending electronic music wasn't music (just as Forbidden Planet was scored with "electronic tonalities"). So since no one was being taken seriously, the composers could even be women, of whom Delia Derbyshire has recently gained acclaim (in electronic-music geek circles; if you're not in one, it's not too late to join!). The longest track, 'A Whisper from Space', is 2:11; so if something doesn't grab you, wait a minute. If only all records could be this varied and entertaining. Derbyshire's immortal Dr. Who theme isn't even necessarily the best track. "

"Whenever I watch this movie, I want to go out with my son and fire off an Estes rocket in the back yard. I love this movie. I love what it stands for — exploring the unknown and our deepest fears. I love the era: the space race with the Russians. I love the heroism — Chuck Yeager had the biggest pair of balls of any man. Ever! The greatest lesson this movie teaches is the balance of tone. Obviously it has some incredible drama and action, but it also has straight up comedy. It’s really hard to juggle those three things in one movie. Harry Shearer and Jeff Goldblum are the perfectly understated comic relief guys. Fred Ward, who I got to work with in Naked Gun 33 1/3, is hilarious. This movie has it all."