Klaatu - 3:47 Eastern Standard Time (1976)
This was the debut of an enigma. Taking their name from the 1951 science fiction movie 'The Day The Earth Stood Still' (The alien played by Michael Rennie was named Klaatu) the band members refused to release their individual identities. Their desire to avoid media hype and let the music speak for itself was admirable, if not a little naive, even for the time. There's nothing the media likes better than a good mystery to sink it's teeth into, and like all good rabid pittbull's, once those teeth are in, they never let go! In the case of Klaatu, it was a rumor that they were actually the Beatles, regrouped and recording anonymously, that caused a media sensation.
For their music to be compared with the Beatles is high praise indeed, and well deserved. 3:47 EST is an imaginative and brilliantly produced album, that does have moment's in it that sound like they could have come from the fab four, which helped to fuel the rumor.
But the band wanted the music to speak for itself... so we shall let it! The matterial is bought to life through the use of sound and special effect's that create a unique atmoshpere fueled by their intergalactic name. Although not a concept album, the idea of exploration and space travel does recur in the lyric's, drawing the listener into a musical world with limitless possabilities. But there are also quirky tunes on the album that bring the listener back down to earth.
In all, the album is a wonderfully crafted sonic journey of the imagination that is limited only by the listener's ability to dream.
Is it the Beatles? I say, "Who Cares?"
Let the Music speak for itself.
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