Terry Draper remembered how quickly everything changed. One moment, Klaatu was a relatively obscure Canadian rock band with a studio-focused debut and no public image. Next, they were the subject of international headlines, swept up in a rumor that their album had been recorded by The Beatles in secret.
The idea started in 1977 when an American journalist suggested Klaatu’s debut LP might be the work of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, reunited under a different name. The theory, while far-fetched, found traction. The band had released their record without any photos, names, or direct promotion. Their label, Capitol Records, had also been The Beatles’ label in the U.S., adding fuel to the speculation.
Terry Draper, who handled drums and shared songwriting duties with his bandmates John Woloschuk and Dee Long, watched the rumor grow from whispers to bold headlines. The band had made a conscious decision to stay anonymous, hoping the music would speak for itself. But they hadn’t anticipated that this silence would be filled by such elaborate theories.
Within weeks, record stores were promoting the album with signs linking it to The Beatles. Radio stations ran segments asking listeners to compare tracks. Sales spiked. For a while, Klaatu was everywhere, not because of who they were, but because of who people thought they might be.
Though they never confirmed or denied the story, the members of Klaatu didn’t plant the rumor. Draper has since said the attention was overwhelming and, in many ways, unhelpful. Once it was confirmed that Klaatu was not a Beatles side project, public interest began to fade. Listeners had been drawn in by the mystery more than the music itself, and the unraveling of the myth left the band in a strange position.
Even after the Beatles rumor quieted down, Klaatu didn’t slow their pace. They kept putting out new music, much of it leaning into spacey themes and layered, almost orchestral production.
Years later, Terry Draper looked back on that period with a mix of appreciation and caution. The Beatles rumor gave Klaatu an international platform that few independent bands ever saw. But it also created expectations that the group never set out to meet. What started as a creative decision to remain faceless became a story that overtook their actual work.
In time, Klaatu’s catalog has gained a small but devoted following. Draper, who was active musically until his passing in May 2025, continued to reflect on the strange chapter that brought the band global attention for being something they never claimed to be.