SIR ARMY SUIT

Klaatu's fascinating career would make an intriguing book! After a Beatles/Floyd-ish first album, their second was a full-blown prog opus about the end of the world, then they did another sharp turn and returned to Beatle-style pop on this, their third LP.

I actually go back a long time with this record, I think it's simply one of the best "Beatle pop" albums ever recorded by anyone after the breakup of the Beatles. So is it "prog"? Maybe not -- about as prog as The Moody Blues perhaps, which is to say there is a certain "art rock" vibe here, but no lengthy solos or multi-section high concept fol-de- rol.

Though really, it's only Woloschuk's songs that sound like the Beatles (something about his voice, he sounds like the bastard son of McCartney & Harrison somehow) -- Dee Long's tunes tend to be more in the vein of KISS -- his tunes like "Older" & "Mister Manson" are rawkin 70's style smokers (good stuff! I dig his lead guitar a lot.)

Highlights include the opener "A Routine Day" which I think is an absolute masterpiece -- very Lennon / Moody Blues, only better than most tunes by either of those artists (seriously, it is that good!!) There's also a cool animated "video" for this song as well.

The closer "Silly Boys" is a tour de force of editing & production -- the basic tracks are "Anus of Uranus" off of their first album, played backwards (including the vocals)!

Really there's only a pair of ballads that I think are anything less than superb on here, the other 8 songs are really good and superbly produced. Not for progheads perhaps, but if you like Beatles, Moody Blues, Styx, Kansas -- ie "art rock" -- then this seriously unsung Canadian band is well worth a listen.