Klaatu

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Klaatu
General information
origin Toronto , Canada
Genre (s) Progressive rock
founding 1973
resolution 1982
Website www.klaatu.org
Founding members
Terry Draper
Dee Long
Electric bass , vocals
 John Voloshuk

Klaatu was a Canadian progressive rock group that was active from 1975 to 1981. It was founded in Toronto by the three musicians John Woloschuk, Dee Long and Terry Draper . The band initially caused a stir because of the rumor that Klaatu was a secret reunion of the Beatles . The sales of the first album were accordingly. In the six years of its existence, the group released five albums. The true identity of the musicians was only revealed in 1980 with the release of their fourth album.

history

Emergence

The Canadian musicians Dee Long and Terry Draper had known each other since 1968, where they played in various school bands. All three musicians played together for the first time in 1971, back then under the name "Mudcow". However, this collaboration only lasted about a year. When the band, to which the musician Jamie Bridgman belonged, broke up, the project "Klaatu" developed. Terry Brown worked in a studio in Toronto during the day and used the space to record with Klaatu at night.

First album

As a first track, the band recorded the song Anus of Uranus . Together with the title Sub Rosa Subway , the group released it in 1973 as their first single in Canada. Neither this nor the following Dr. Marvello / For You Girl . Only California Jam was able to record minor successes with some radio stations. This made the American music label Capitol Records aware of the band. For the first album 3:47 ET you fell back on pieces from the early days of the group, including the hit Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft , who a year later by The Carpenters gecovert was, which in turn was a hit. It was released on August 11, 1976.

The Beatles Rumor

When Klaatu released their first album 3:47 EST in 1976 while recording their second album Hope , rumors surfaced that the band was a secret Beatles project. The American journalist Steve Smith wrote in a newspaper appearing in Providence ( Rhode Island ) that Klaatu was the Beatles. He put forward the thesis that Klaatu were either the Beatles themselves or the Beatles and musicians friends. In the days that followed, this message spread around the world.

Various clues presumably spoke in favor of this theory (selection): First of all, the similarities in the sound - particularly noticeable with the title Sub-Rosa Subway . The voice of the singer John Woloschuk was reminiscent of Paul McCartney's . Furthermore, there was no information about the musicians on the album cover. Even the band's name Klaatu fueled speculation: Klaatu is a character from the science fiction -Spielfilm The Day the Earth Stood Still , on the cover photo of former Beatle Ringo Starr's album Goodnight Vienna clearly was referring. In addition, the record was released on Capitol Records, the Beatles' US label. Someone thought they knew that there were four band members, which convinced some. Or that the words Klaatu and Beatles have the same number of vowels. Newspapers devoted full-page articles to the subject.

The individual members of the Beatles remained silent about the rumors. Klaatu benefited greatly from the excitement surrounding the album. Over 300,000 copies have been sold in the US alone. This was enough for eleven weeks and number 32 as the highest price on the Billboard charts . The single, Sub-Rosa Subway , which was released at the same time, stayed in the charts for six weeks, but only reached number 62.

Second album

The band decided to keep their identity silent and to use the success for the second album, because due to the sudden fame due to the Beatles rumor, money was available to revise their second album Hope during production. From June 1976 to June 1977 they devoted themselves to the recordings. The album, which has recordings from the London Philharmonic Orchestra , begins with the squeak of a mouse.

Hope , the group's second album , was released in September 1977 . It was designed as a concept album that wanted to portray the fascist dictatorship on an alien planet. As with the debut album, no information about the group or composer was provided . As with the first album, the cover was designed by Ted Jones. The record reminded "Beatles connoisseurs" of the Beatles albums Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road . The Beatles rumor was alluded to in an advertisement for Hope :

“Klaatu is an English Band from Birmingham, England. Klaatu is four well known musicians attempting to wrap their collaborative work together in a cloak of secrecy. "

“Klaatu is an English band from Birmingham, England. Klaatu are four well-known musicians who try to wrap their collective work in a cloak of secrecy. "

- KLAATU : RPM Weekly 1976

Hope stayed in the top 100 for seven weeks, with 83rd place being the highest. The album received the Canadian Music Critics Award for Best Album in 1977 . In addition, the Juno Award in the Best Engineered Album category for producer Terry Brown.

Third album

For the album Sir Army Suit , the band was in the studio from August 1977 to May 1978. Her previous producer Terry Brown was unavailable this time around, after which Dee Long took over the role. Instead of offering to film the story of Hope , the band decided to produce a video for the title A Routine Day . In August 1978, Sir Army Suit , the group's third long-playing record, was released. Klaatu made the transition from progressive rock to pop music . No information about musicians, producers and composers was given. The Beatles rumor continued to feed. In the film How I Won the War (1966), John Lennon had a supporting role with the sentence: "Could Sir Army Suit be a reference to this film?" But speculation subsided. The band was hidden in the album's artwork: Among the people who lead a group of people on the back of the cover are (not yet named) John Woloschuk, Terry Draper and Dee Long, with a woman in a headscarf behind them closer inspection turns out to be Queen Elizabeth II .

The album failed to reach a placement on the Billboard 100 chart .

Fourth album

After the failure of Sir Army Suit , the record company wanted to gain more control over the production. For the next album Endangered Species , the producer Christopher Bond and studio musicians were hired. The production phase lasted four months, until December 1979. It is said that the band only had limited opportunities to contribute their own ideas. The LP was released in June 1980. The band considers it to be the most rock 'n' roll oriented album. The content of this record is about the endangered environment. The band members send a message to their fans on the slipcover, asking them to take an active part in nature conservation. This request was signed by the band members by name. The riddle about the musicians was solved.

The album did not reach the top 100 charts.

Fifth album

Capitol Records had lost interest in the band due to the two failures. In the spring of 1981 the record company offered the band a new contract. In October 1981 the new album called Magentalane was released . On the inside of the cover were photos of the three musicians from Klaatu. From November 10th to 24th, 1981, Klaatu played ten concerts in Canada as a support act for the band Prism. For the stage appearances they hired three other musicians: Gary McCracken (Max Webster) on drums, Mike Gingrich on bass and Gerald O'Brien on keyboard.

The album was released in Canada and sold better than its two predecessors, but could not follow the first successes.

Dee Long left the group at the beginning of 1982. After another tour with session musicians, Draper and Woloschuk broke up the band in the same year. Capitol Records released the sampler Klaasic Klaatu for the tour in 1982 , which was released in 1993 in an expanded version as CD Peaks .

Reunion and dissolution

In 1988 the band reunited. For the ARD crime series Tatort they recorded the new play Woman for the episode Tödlicher Treff by SDR . The song was written by Paul Vincent Gunia . The recording was produced by Klaatu for Bavaria Sonor Musikverlag. It was released by Polydor Records in Germany. A total of three versions were released, in addition to the regular one, an instrumental and a film version.

The title was unsuccessful in the German charts, so that Klaatu broke up again. Except for Klaatu Kon 2005 - World Contact Day , the band never got back together.

Discography

Albums

  • 3:47 EST (1976)
  • Hope (1977)
  • Sir Army Suit (1978)
  • Endangered Species (1980)
  • Magentalane (1981)

Rarities

  • Sun Set: 1973–1981 (2005)
  • Raarities (2005)
  • Solology (2009)

Greatest Hits Collections

  • Klaasic Klaatu (1982)
  • Peaks (1993)

Tribute album

  • Around the Universe in 80 Minutes

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Jaimie Vernon: KLAATU "IT WAS 20 YEARS AGO TODAY ..." This article originally appeared in GREAT WHITE NOISE Vol.1 / No.4 (December 1990) and has been revised. In: klaatu.org. Dave Bradley, accessed August 20, 2017 .
  2. ^ A b Conrad Stinnett: Being compared to The Beatles proved to be a mixed blessing for Klaatu. In: Goldmine Magazine. December 8, 2013, accessed August 20, 2017 .
  3. ↑ http://rockasteria.blogspot.de/2013/11/klaatu-sir-army-suit-endangered-species.html
  4. ↑ a b c d e f Complete list of Canadian LPs. The Music. In: The Official KLAATU Home Page. Dave Bradley, accessed August 20, 2017 .
  5. ↑ 1977 Bravo report on Klaatu. 1977 - Wild rumors about a ghost group, American music - Experts claim: THE BEATLES ARE TOGETHER AGAIN! In: The strawberry fields. Frank D. Badenius, accessed August 20, 2017 .
  6. ↑ a b Klaatu - The Secret Band as Good as The Beatles. In: Ledger Note. August 23, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2017 .
  7. ^ A b Evan Sawdey: So Said the Lighthouse Keepers. In: Pop Matters. September 30, 2007, accessed August 20, 2017 .
  8. ↑ The Toronto Sun (Ed.): Klaatu: Been here before? Toronto April 7th 1977.
  9. ↑ a b c http://rolandblog.ca/the-music-of-klaatu/
  10. ↑ Listen to Klaatu and know there is Hope. This is the text of a promotional brochure sent out by Capitol Records in 1977 to promote the release of the Klaatu LP "Hope". 1977, accessed August 20, 2017 .
  11. ^ RPM Weekly. (PDF) A Magazine to the Radio and Recording Industries and the A Ilied Arts. In: RPM Weekly. RPM Weekly Toronto, Ontario, December 4, 1976, p. 13 , accessed August 20, 2017 .
  12. ↑ billboard. ARTISTS / Klaatu. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group, accessed August 20, 2017 .
  13. ↑ a b MEDIA INFORMATION. This is the text of a promotional brochure sent out by Capitol Records in 1980 to promote the release of the Klaatu LP "Endangered Species". Retrieved August 20, 2017 .
  14. ↑ Dee Long: Klaatu and Prism. In: Bridge River Lillooet News. Glacier Community Media, April 21, 2010, accessed August 21, 2017 .
  15. ^ Dee Long: German / West German Singles. In: To The Official KLAATU Home Page. Dave Bradley, December 5, 1998, accessed August 21, 2017 .
  16. ^ Mark Hershberger: Klaatu Kon 2005. In: EAR CANDY MAG. July 2005, accessed on August 21, 2017 .