Klaatu — Klaatu/Hope
This reissue comes from the year 2000, and features a sixteen page booklet taking in a six page write-up about the bands early career & these two releases. Both albums here are well conceived & executed 1970’s rock/pop albums, but of the two I’d say the second(Hope) will be of most interest to M[m] readers. As it focus in on the more progressive side of the bands sound, to create a rich, flamboyant & grand album. That mangers to blend epic composition with creative turns, a clever concept, and tunefully song craft.
The band first came to international attention in the early 1970’s with rumours that they were The Beatles, working under a pseudonym. This came mainly about from the way the bands early work utilized Beatle like harmonies ( though they also did the same with Beach Boy like harmonise too), and lush psychedelic & playful pop/rock production. But if your not a fan of the ‘fab four’, don’t let this put you off!- as there is a lot more to the band beyond their Beatle like elements. As the bands sound takes in elements of symphonic rock, flamboyant & playful pop, & approachable/ grand prog rock composition.
So the CD opens with the eight tracks from the bands 1976 debut 3:47 EST/Self Titled. With album opening up with one of the bands most known tunes "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft", which a year latter would be covered by pop/ light-rock/easy listening duo The Carpenters. The bands original album version is much more epic & grand than The Carpenters version, blending psychedelic & orchestral rich pop with symphonic rock- coming off like a meeting between The Beatles & Bread. The remaining seven tracks are quite genre varied we move from Beach Boys harmonise meets 70’s light-though-dramatic pop rock of "California Dream". Though to boogie rock meets glam stomp & quirky synth effects of "Anus Of Uranus". Onto psychedelic & buoyant "Doctor Marvello"- which blends twanging electric sitar, woodwind trumpeting, Beatle like backwards organs work, and sleek pop-rock styling’s. Though to the decidedly spacey, quirky, through oddly grand "Little Neutrino"- which brings together moog, vocoder like vocal work, & symphonic pop elements.
Next up of course we have 1977’s Hope, and this is much more of a prog/symphonic rock focused, though there are still the odd traces of the bands pop bound side. The albums takes in eight tracks in all, and each of these are a lot more progressive, darting & often multi-part in their feel. Following the classic prog template Hope is a concept album, and a fantasy/sci-fi story that tells of about the sole survivor of an arrogant race of beings, & his regret in the last days of his life on the dieing planet of Hope. Also in classic prog rock fashion the album sees the band joined by London Symphony Orchestra. Each of eight tracks are both epic & dramatic in both their blending of instrumentation (both rock based & orchestrated) and genre mixing. Yet it never becomes too indulgent or overly classical- just staying in the rock bracket. Also in fine concept album form you get a host of sound effects, and different voices parts. The thing that sets the album apart from a lot of prog of the time is the feeling of both grand-ness, buoyant & often tuneful composition- plus a ability to be theatrical yet creative in it’s unfold. You can certainly make comparisons at times to Queen, at their more symphonic, or possible ELP at their more epic- but these are only fleeting. And really as a whole Hope feels most original & distinctive in both it’s unfold & blend of elements.
All in all if you enjoy intelligent, often tuneful & epic 1970’s rock that flits between prog, symphonic rock, and pop this two album reissue is well worth tracking down.