MAGENTALANE

The best thing you can say about this record is that it makes a happy ending to the Klaatu story -- after the disaster of their 4th LP "Endangered Species", they very nearly broke up in disgust with the music biz and their utter failure to sustain a career being true to their original musical vision. But they licked their wounds and went home to Toronto, recording this 5th LP which was released only in Canada (as a fan in the US, I was unaware that they had a follow-up to "ES" until pretty recently!)

Basically this is a return to Beatle-style "art rock" such as you find on the 1st & 3rd Klaatu LP's (something about the odd numbered ones . . . ) Not as good as the 1st or "Sir Army Suit" mind you, but at least it sounds like "the old Klaatu" again! The production is quite a bit cheaper than the US-released records (not so many orchestrated bits this time out), but definitely still ambitious and well put-together.

Highlights include the opener "A Million Miles Away" (which sounds like a lost George Harrison rocker circa 1971), "Blue Smoke" (their most blatantly druggy song), and "Maybe I'll Move To Mars" (which recalls their magnum opus "Hope" LP.) "Mrs. Toad's Cookies" -- well, it's sorta like "Octopus' Garden" crossed with "Sweet Gingerbread Man"! Maybe too sweet for some . . . . ;-)