Klaatu - Klaatu (1976) (vinyl Lp) - €10,00

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Klaatu was a Canadian rock group formed in 1973 by the duo of John Woloschuk and Dee Long. 

They named themselves after an ambassador, Klaatu, from an extraterrestrial confederation who visits Earth with his companion robot Gort in the film The Day the Earth Stood Still. 

After recording two non-charting singles, the band added drummer Terry Draper to the line-up; this trio constituted Klaatu throughout the rest of the band's recording career.

In the U.S. "Calling Occupants" backed with "Sub-Rosa Subway" was a minor double-sided hit and their only chart entry, peaking at No. 62 in 1977.

Internationally, the group's pop-influenced style of progressive rock has led to them being known as the "Canadian Beatles".

Klaatu has variously been described by critics and journalists as progressive rock, psychedelic pop, pop rock, and space rock.

The band's combination of pop and progressive/art rock has often been compared to the Beatles, the guitar-rock of Queen, the electronic music of Wendy Carlos, the light pop sound of 10cc, and the orchestrated ballads of the Moody Blues and Electric Light Orchestra. 

The opening track is best known for being inexplicably covered by the Carpenters.  

It's a crazy, utterly bizarre sci-fi track, starting with some unearthly radio chatter before slipping into a stunningly catchy message to our alien brethren.  

It's great and astoundingly odd, and hard to imagine why the Carpenters of all people decided to cover it (leaving it pretty much intact other than sweetening it up a bit).  

The other highlight is "Sub-Rosa Subway," one of the greatest 70s pop songs nobody's ever heard, and presumably the basis for those bizarre secret-Beatles rumors.  

There's definitely a McCartneyesque vibe to the song (a somewhat detailed narrative of the early construction of the NYC subway, I think), but it's also just relentlessly infectious in its own right.  

Beyond those two obvious standouts, there's the relatively straightforward sun-drenched Brian Wilson-influenced West Coast summer pop of "California Jam," the freaky boogie-rock of "Anus of Uranus," the glam rock of "True Life," and the goofy, disjointedly proggy "Doctor Marvello."  

(The final two tracks on the album are far more problematic; one sounds like a Muppets outtake, and the other is some drawn-out spacey, orchestrated weirdness.) 

Side one

1.  Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft  (The Recognized Anthem Of World Contact Day)

- 7:14

2 . California Jam - 3:01

3.  Anus Of Uranus - 3:16

4.  Sub-Rosa Subway - 4:36

Side two

1.  True Life Hero - 3:25

2.  Doctor Marvello - 3:37

3.  Sir Bodsworth Rugglesby III - 3:22

4.  Little Neutrino - 8:25

Klaatu

• John Woloschuk – vocals, piano, organ, mellotron, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, synthesizers, percussion
• Dee Long – vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, electric sitar, synthesizers, ukulele, mellotron
• Terry Draper – drums, percussion, tympani, vocals

Additional musicians

• Doug Riley – orchestral arrangements, xylophone on "Sir Bodsworth Rugglesby III"
• Vern Dorge – chimes on "Sub Rosa Subway"
• Bruce Cassidy – trumpet on "Doctor Marvello"
• Dave Kennedy – guitars on "California Jam"
• Raymond Gassi – backing vocals on "California Jam" 

Production

• Produced by Terry Brown & Klaatu
• Recorded & engineered by Steve Vaughn & Terry Brown
• Tape operators: Brian Bell & Paul Barker
• Composed By [All Selections] – Klaatu
• Lacquer Cut By – L
• Written-By – Klaatu

Notes

Release:  1976

Format:  LP, Vinyl

Genre:  Space rock, Progressive rock, Psychedelia pop

Pressed:  Netherlands

Label:  Capitol

Catalog#  5C 062-851134

Vinyl:  Goed (VG)

Cover:  Goed (VG)

Prijs: €10,00