Hope is the second album by the Canadian rock band Klaatu and their first concept album. Released in September 1977, it won a Juno Award for "Best Engineered Album" and a Canadian Music Critics award for "Best Album" that same year. The album follows the loose concept of space travelers visiting a distant planet.[4]
| Hope | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1977 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:53 | |||
| Label | Daffodil, Capitol | |||
| Producer | Terry Brown | |||
| Klaatu chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1][2] (Klaatu/Hope two-in-one) |
| Classic Rock | [3] |
An alternate version of Hope was released in 2005 as part of the group's Sun Set collection of rarities. The alternate version on Sun Set includes the complete contributions of the London Symphony Orchestra, which had largely been removed from the version released in 1977. The alternate version also includes a short unreleased track, "Epilogue," which had originally been intended to be placed between "So Said the Lighthouse Keeper" and "Hope". The lyrics to "Epilogue" were printed on the inner sleeve for Hope despite the song being omitted from the album.
Hope was remastered and re-issued in 2012 by the band's members, and was released on the band's independent record label Klaatunes.
Musical style
editA reviewer for Julian Cope's Head Heritage described Hope as “an elaborate sci-fi prog opera,[5] while an article in the Edmonton Journal described a “whimsical space-rock album”.[6] Allmusic's Mike DeGagne commented that the album was "less pop-infused" than the group's previous album 3:47 EST, and contained more "progressive depth" with an "experimental sound".[7] Peter Kurtz of the website felt that the album's conceptual rock opera theme sounded "pretentious, and in some cases like a rip-off of Queen".[1] Billboard described the songs as ranging from "fun light pop" similar to 10cc, to "theatrical melodramas" similar to Queen, and to well-orchestrated ballads similar to the Moody Blues.[4]
PopMatters described the song “Around the Universe in 80 Days” as a “powerful pop ballad” with a “gorgeous piano melody”, and a “fine example of effortless pop-rock craftsmanship”. It described “Prelude” as “an instrumental rock epic”.[8]
Artwork
editLike the previous Klaatu album, the cover was painted by graphic artist Ted Jones. The cover shows "the Lighthouse Keeper's beam". The ruined stone plaza features the sun image from the cover of the previous Klaatu album.
Track listing
edit- Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We're Off You Know" | John Woloschuk | 4:01 |
| 2. | "Madman" | Dee Long | 2:39 |
| 3. | "Around the Universe in Eighty Days" | Long | 4:59 |
| 4. | "Long Live Politzania" | Woloschuk | 9:11 |
- Side two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Loneliest of Creatures" | Woloschuk | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Prelude" | Woloschuk, Long, Terry Draper | 5:44 |
| 3. | "So Said the Lighthouse Keeper" | Woloschuk | 5:51 |
| 4. | "Hope" | Woloschuk | 4:44 |
| Total length: | 40:53 | ||
The original release credited all songs simply to "Klaatu"; however, subsequent reissues and the band's website provided individual song writing credits.
Personnel
edit- Klaatu
- Dee Long - vocals, piano, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, organ, clavinet, bass guitar, synthesizer, mandolin, slide guitar, harmonica, electric sitar
- John Woloschuk - vocals, bass guitar, Fender Rhodes piano, autoharp, acoustic guitar, piano, organ, Polymoog synthesizer, harmonium, electric piano, pianet
- Terry Draper - drums, tambourine, triangle, percussion, whistle
- Additional
- Production
- Arranged and produced by Klaatu and Terry Brown
- Recorded and engineered by Terry Brown
The band members are not named on the original LP.
Charts
edit| Chart (1977–1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9] | 49 |
| US Billboard 200[10] | 83 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[11] | Gold | 50,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Kurtz, Peter. "Hope - Klaatu". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^ Dave Sleger (1992-01-06). "Klaatu/Hope - Klaatu | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "Klaatu: Hope album review". Loudersound. 10 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Billboard's Top Album Picks — Pop" (PDF). Billboard. United States. September 24, 1977. Retrieved March 3, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Dog 3000. "Unsung Reviews – Klaatu: Sir Army Suit". Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Hicks, Graham (12 July 1980). "Klaatu has long maintained a low profile emerging from the underground". Edmonton Journal.
- ^ Mike DeGagne. "3:47 EST - Klaatu | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "So Said the Lighthouse Keepers". www.popmatters.com.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5434a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ "Klaatu Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Klaltu – Hope". Music Canada. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
