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Moonwalker Alan Bean was my favorite @nasa astronaut of all time - talented, down to Earth, nicest guy you’d ever meet! He loved music — “anything with a beat.” So I am thrilled to add to my collection Alan’s Skylab flown personal mix tape No. 1. And what a mix tape it is!
Alan’s mix of pop, country, and R&B tunes was selected and recorded by him from his favorite 45’s to take with and entertain himself onboard Skylab II (SL-3) for his 59 1/2 day mission in 1973.
According to my conversation with his wonderful daughter Amy Sue Bean ( @moonwlkrdaughtr), music was motivational for her Dad. And he not only took this tape into space, but also listened to it in his studio while creating his wonderful art — dancing and singing and creating!
So if you want to create a @Spotify playlist to be inspired & dance like Alan, here’s the 23 tune play on this tape: 1) Donna Fargo - Happiest Girl ‘72; 2) Looking Glass - Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl) ‘72; Wayne Newton - Daddy Don’t Walk So Fast ‘72
4) Mickey Newbury - Remember The Good ‘71; 5) Wadsworth Mansion - Sweet Mary ‘70; 6) The Outsiders -Time Won’t Let Me ‘66; 7) Jerry Butler - For Your Precious Love ‘58
8) The Loving Spoonful - Did You Have To Make Up Your Mind ‘65; 9) The Cascades - Rhythm of The Rain ‘63; 10) Helen Reddy - I Don’t Know How To Love Him ‘71; 11) Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman ’66
12) Johnny Rivers - Poor Side Of Town ‘66; 13) Brook Benton - Rainy Night In Georgia ‘70; 14) Freda Payne - Band Of Gold ‘70; 15) Three Dog Night - Joy To The World ‘70
16) Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends ‘69; 17) Otis Redding - The Dock Of The Bay ‘68; 18) Dionne Warwick - Don’t Make Me Over ‘63; 19) Jed Strunk - Daisy A Day ‘72
20) Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson ‘68; 21) Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing ‘68; 22) Conway Twitty - Danny Boy ‘59; 23) Neil Sedaka - Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen ‘60.
No wonder he loved this tape! I have been playing the digitized CD of the tape all afternoon: mind blowing for me to think of Alan listening to these great tunes on Skylab on orbit or belting them out in the studio! Just another reason to love the guy...
