Sub-Rosa Subway

Last updated
"Sub-Rosa Subway"
Single by Klaatu
from the album 3:47 EST
A-side "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft"
ReleasedAugust 1976
RecordedJanuary –March 1973 (single version)
April 1975 (album version)
Genre
Length4:37
Label Daffodil, Capitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Terry Brown

"Sub-Rosa Subway" is a song written by the Canadian rock band Klaatu, from their album 3:47 EST , describing the efforts of Alfred Ely Beach to create the Beach Pneumatic Transit, the New York City Subway's precursor. His work is described as secretive (hence sub rosa ). The song peaked at No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977.

Contents

The song is best known for sparking the rumour that the band was the Beatles in disguise.

Two minutes and fifty seconds into the song, a long message in Morse code plays in the background. [3] John Woloschuk, in an article in the fan magazine The Morning Sun, finally provided a translation of the code:

"From Alfred, heed thy sharpened ear — A message we do bring — Starship appears upon our sphere — Through London's sky come spring." [4]

The harpsichord sound on the song was created by recording a tack piano with the tape recorder running at half-normal speed. [5]

Charts

Chart (1977)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [6] 62
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [6] 57
U.S. Record World Singles Chart [6] 73

Personnel

Album version
Single version

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klaatu (band)</span> Canadian rock band formed 1973

Klaatu was a Canadian rock group formed in 1973 by the duo of John Woloschuk and Dee Long. They named themselves after an ambassador, Klaatu, from an extraterrestrial confederation who visits Earth with his companion robot Gort in the film The Day the Earth Stood Still. After recording two non-charting singles, the band added drummer Terry Draper to the line-up; this trio constituted Klaatu throughout the rest of the band's recording career.

<i>Hope</i> (Klaatu album) 1977 studio album by Klaatu

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.

<i>Secret Messages</i> 1983 studio album by Electric Light Orchestra

Secret Messages is the tenth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 1983 on Jet Records. It was the last ELO album with bass guitarist Kelly Groucutt, conductor Louis Clark and a full orchestra, and the last ELO album to be released on the Jet label. It was also the final ELO studio album to become a worldwide top 40 hit upon release.

<i>3:47 EST</i> 1976 studio album by Klaatu

3:47 EST is the debut album by the Canadian progressive rock group Klaatu, released in August 1976. The album was renamed Klaatu when released in the United States by Capitol Records. The album is notable for its Beatlesque psychedelia. The Juno-nominated album cover was painted by a friend of Klaatu's members, a Canadian graphic artist, Ted Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft</span> 1976 single by Klaatu

"Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" is a song by Canadian rock band Klaatu, originally released in 1976 on their first album 3:47 EST. The song was played to open night-time transmission of the pirate radio station Radio Caroline. The year following its release, American soft rock duo the Carpenters covered the song, using a crew of 160 musicians. The Carpenters' version reached the top 10 in the UK and Canada, and charted at number 1 in Ireland.

<i>Nightcap: The Unreleased Masters 1973–1991</i> 1993 compilation album of outtakes by Jethro Tull

Nightcap: The Unreleased Masters 1973–1991 (1993) is a double compilation album by Jethro Tull released on 22 November 1993. It contains much of the band's previously unreleased material.

<i>Sir Army Suit</i> 1978 studio album by Klaatu

Sir Army Suit is the third album recorded by the Canadian rock band Klaatu.

<i>Sun Set</i> 2005 box set by Klaatu

Sun Set is a box set of various Klaatu rarities, outtakes, demos, live tracks and other recordings from 1973 to 1981. It was launched at the "KlaatuKon" 2005 convention in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The final nine tracks on disc one are alternate versions of Klaatu's second album project, Hope. Referred to as "The Orchestral Hope", this included a track not present on the version of Hope which was originally released; "Epilogue," which joined "So Said the Lighthouse Keeper" and "Hope".

<i>Endangered Species</i> (Klaatu album) 1980 studio album by Klaatu

Endangered Species is the fourth and penultimate album by the Canadian rock band Klaatu, released in mid-1980. It was branded upon release as an attempt at a harder rock and roll sound geared for AOR radio, contrasting with the pop stylings of their previous album Sir Army Suit.

<i>Magentalane</i> 1981 studio album by Klaatu

Magentalane was the fifth and final album of new material by the Canadian rock group Klaatu.

<i>He Who Rides the Tiger</i> 1980 studio album by Bernie Taupin

He Who Rides the Tiger is the 1980 second solo album by longtime Elton John lyricist, Bernie Taupin. It is his follow-up effort following his 1971 spoken word album Taupin. Taupin co-wrote all the songs in the album with the Buckinghams former guitarist Dennis Tufano and sang lead vocals in all of them. Although the album was recorded during a time when John and Taupin had interrupted their collaboration, John lent backing vocals on "Love ". The album was re-released on CD by American Beat Records on March 10, 2009.

<i>Keyed Up</i> 1983 studio album by Ronnie Milsap

Keyed Up is the fifteenth studio album by American country music artist Ronnie Milsap, released in 1983. It featured the No. 5 country chart hit "Stranger in My House", plus the No. 1 country hits "Don't You Know How Much I Love You" and "Show Her".

"Girlfriend" is a song by English rock band Wings, from their 1978 album London Town. It was written by Wings frontman Paul McCartney, who originally intended it to be sung by Michael Jackson. Jackson then covered the song the following year on his 1979 album Off the Wall, and in 1980 it was released as the 5th and final single of that album.

<i>Back to the Grindstone</i> 1991 studio album by Ronnie Milsap

Back to the Grindstone is the twentieth studio album by American country music artist Ronnie Milsap, released on March 12, 1991. The album produced four singles, three of which reached the top ten on the Billboard country singles chart, including "Are You Lovin' Me Like I'm Lovin' You," "Since I Don't Have You," a cover of The Skyliners' 1958 standard and "Turn That Radio On." The fourth single, "All Is Fair in Love and War" peaked at number 11. Milsap produced the album with Rob Galbraith, with further assistance from Richard Landis on "Since I Don't Have You".

<i>True Believer</i> (Ronnie Milsap album) 1993 studio album by Ronnie Milsap

True Believer is the twenty-first studio album by country music artist Ronnie Milsap. It was released in 1993, his first for Liberty Records. The album produced two singles, the title track, which peaked at #30 on country charts and "I'm Playing for You," which did not chart.

"Little Neutrino" is a track written by Dee Long, from the album 3:47 EST by the progressive rock group Klaatu.

<i>4: John Paul George Ringo</i> 2014 EP / Compilation album by George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and Wings

4: John Paul George Ringo is a digital extended play compilation released on 23 September 2014, as a free download by the iTunes Store. It features one solo song by each former member of the Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. It is the first official release to bring together their solo material.

<i>ArrangingTime</i> 2016 studio album by Pete Yorn

ArrangingTime is a 2016 studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Pete Yorn, released on Capitol Records.

The Rock of the Westies Tour was a North American concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 10th studio album Rock of the Westies. The tour included a total of 17 shows across the United States and Canada.

The Louder Than Concorde Tour was a concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 10th studio album Rock of the Westies. the tour included two legs and a total of 62 shows.

References

  1. ↑ "Burning Sounds: 20 Killer Power Pop Cuts! - Record Collector Magazine".
  2. ↑ Gary Graff (1996). MusicHound rock: The Essential Album Guide. p. 392.
  3. ↑ The Sub-Rosa Subway Morse Code Message-Waynus of Uranus
  4. ↑ The Morning Sun-7th Edition
  5. 1 2 "The Official Klaatu Homepage".
  6. 1 2 3 Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book. Menonomee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 285. ISBN   978-0-89820-213-7.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.