| Title
of Work: |
Long Live Politzania |
Words
By:
|
John Woloschuk
|
Music
By:
|
John Woloschuk
|
Lead
Vocal:
|
John Woloschuk |
Backup
Vocals:
|
John Woloschuk, Terry Draper,
Dee Long, Terry Brown |
Instrumentation:
|
John:
|
Pianos, Hohner pianet,
bass guitar, synthesizer
|
Dee:
|
Electric guitars,
synthesized sound effects |
Terry:
|
Drums, percussion, sound
effects, coconuts
|
|
Recorded
At:
|
Toronto Sound Studios and
Olympic Sound Studios
|
Recording
Period:
|
September 1976 to April 1977
(mixed in May 1977)
|
Initial
Release Date:
|
September 1977 ("Hope" album)
|
Remarks:
|
During the Question and Answer
segment of "KlaatuKon 2005", a Klaatu fan inquired about the SOS
message embedded in "Long Live Politzania". This message is in the form
of a instrumental riff that is repeated three times in each of two
chorus sections of the song. The riff's melody was contrived to conform
rhythmically with the Morse code sequence that denotes the SOS signal
(dot-dot-dot dash-dash-dash dot-dot-dot). The idea first surfaced in
the summer of 1976 during rehearsals for the "Hope" album. We thought
it would be "tight" (translation: "cool" in current vernacular) to
plant a hidden message from the Politzanians themselves who (according
to the album's story line) evidently had destroyed their own planet by
some unknown means of self-annihilation.
The instruments used to produce the "marching" sounds in the chorus
sections of this song were: a "Scrabble" game box with all
contents removed except for the wooden letter tiles; and an empty
pickle jar partially refilled with a mixture of nuts and bolts.
The simulated sound of horse's hooves heard in the "battle" sequence
was created by Terry Draper using two halves of a coconut shell. Most
of the other sound effects featured on this track were produced by a
Moog Sonic V synthesizer or were dubbed from various sound effects
records found in the Toronto Sound Studio tape library.
|