Klaatu Bethlehem PA

Klaatu

Klaatu

Capitol Records, 1976

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 01/03/2000

Just how popular were the Beatles? So popular that people wouldbelieve that they were working incognito with - or, maybe, were - a group shrouded in mystery, perhaps?

Back in 1976, a group known as Klaatu released their self-titleddebut album on an unsuspecting public. But enough people heardsimilarities to the music from Klaatu - who were never identifiedon the record jacket, and their label claimed they didn't know whowas actually in the band - and the Magical Mystery Tour-era work of the Fab Four that thebelief was tendered that Klaatu was either being assisted bymembers of the Beatles, or even was the Beatles in some shape orform.

The kicker to this story, as reader Eric Ness (who suggestedthis review) correctly reminded me of, is that Capitol Records -ironically, the same label of the Beatles - never denied the rumor.(They never confirmed it, either.) This only served to add fuel tothe fire, and helped propel into the stratosphere a group thatotherwise we would never have heard of.

In the end, of course, the truth came out that Klaatu was only agroup of studio musicians from Canada - and the backlash againstthem killed their future sales. They went on to record a total offive albums (including one available only in Canada), and have onlystayed in the limelight thanks to stories about them in rockencyclopedias and soundtracks like that for Due South that used some of their music.