Capitol Records
There I was, idly researching cetaceans on the company dime, when I came across . Released 55 years ago this month, this album of whale songs remains the bestselling environmental recording of all time, inspiring everyone from Pete Seeger to Kate Bush. I had to see what the fuss was about.
The five-track album was full of keening, alien songs as magical as they would have been in 1970. My favourite is Three Whale Trip: full of spine-tingling undulations, it feels both very intimate and otherworldly.
The album was compiled by Roger Payne, a bioacoustician and biologist who co-discovered whale song among humpback whales. It gave a voice to animals hunted for their meat and blubber, and helped fuel the Save the Whales movement.
At just 35 minutes long, the album is a quick listen, but it lingers. Give it a go as you drift off to sleep – and fill your head with ocean dreams.
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