Hope (album)
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Hope | ||
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Studio album by Klaatu | ||
Released | September 1977 | |
Recorded | 1976-1977 | |
Genre | Progressive Rock | |
Label | Daffodil Records (Canada) Capitol Records (US) | |
Producer(s) | Terry Brown | |
Klaatu chronology | ||
---|---|---|
3:47 EST (1976) |
Hope (1977) |
Sir Army Suit (1978) |
Hope is the second album released by the Canadian group Klaatu, in September 1977. It is a concept album, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, about the sole survivor of an arrogant race of beings, who warns space travelers of hazards in the last days of his life.
The recording is rich in both musical content, as one of the most powerful combinations of rock and classical orchestral music to date, and in production values, sounding like a modern recording, even though it was created in the late 1970s on a relatively small budget by a few people. Some consider this album one of the earliest story-telling concept albums in history, as it pre-dates The Wall, a story-telling concept album by Pink Floyd.
Many fans and critics consider Hope to be the most creative of the Klaatu albums, and a high point of 1970s production standards, although their first album 3:47 EST is also highly regarded. Like the previous Klaatu album, the cover was painted by graphic artist Ted Jones. It won a Juno Award for "Best Engineered Album" and a Canadian Music Critics award for "Best Album" in 1977.
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 included 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."
[edit] Track listing
- (The album opens with a mouse squeak.)
- "We're Off You Know" – 4:01
- "Madman" – 2:37
- "Around the Universe in Eighty Days" – 4:57
- "Long Live Politzania" – 9:11
- "The Loneliest of Creatures" – 3:45
- "Prelude" – 5:45
- "So Said the Lighthouse Keeper" – 5:51
- "Hope" – 4:43
All selections composed by Klaatu.