This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Back in the ’70s, there it was rumoured Canadian art-popsters Klaatu were really The Beatles. Listening to All What Missiles, Who Put Up Where? made me decide to start a new rumour: Local art-popsters Cheatron are really Klaatu. Or Styx. Or Yes. Or maybe Queen. Or — and how’s this for a rumour? — maybe Cheatron are the result of a top-secret program in which the DNA of various ’70s bands was extracted, distilled and used to propagate a new race of retro-popsters.
Sound crazy? Not once you hear this dozen-song disc. All the evidence is right here: Mellow ’70s melodies, laid-back grooves, strummy guitars, psychedelic synth squiggles, proggy arrangements, impeccable playing, trippy titles like Hector Special And The Caspian Sea and — finally and most crucially — vocals that sound like a fusion of Jon Anderson, Freddie Mercury, Tommy Shaw, Kevin Cronin and just about anybody else who ever wore white bellbottoms, platform shoes and lip-synched on The Midnight Special. Still not convinced? Think about this: How come you’ve never seen a picture of Cheatron, Styx, Yes, Klaatu and Queen together?
