Captain Beyond - Captain Beyond (1972)
Release: 1972
Country: US
Type: Album
Length: 35:21
Biography by William Ruhlmann from allmusic.com wrote:
Captain Beyond was a rock group formed in Los Angeles in 1972 by ex-members of other prominent groups. Singer Rod Evans (b. January 19, 1947, Slough, Berkshire, England) had been with Deep Purple; drummer Bobby Caldwell had worked with Johnny Winter; and guitarist Larry Rheinhart (b. July 7, 1948, Florida) and Lee Dorman (b. September 15, 1945, St. Louis, MO) had been in Iron Butterfly. This lineup made their self-titled debut album for the Southern rock label Capricorn in 1972, after which Caldwell was replaced by Marty Rodriguez for their second album, Sufficiently Breathless (1973). Captain Beyond became inactive following the departure of Evans, but it was reorganized in 1976. Caldwell returned, and Willy Daffern was added as vocalist for Captain Beyond's third album, Dawn Explosion (1977), recorded for Warner Bros. Dawn Explosion was Captain Beyond's final effort.
Michael Ofjord from allmusic.com wrote:
Captain Beyond is a one-of-a-kind progressive album with rock, heavy metal, and jazz influences with a "space rock" lyrical bend. Formed by former members of Deep Purple (Rod Evans, vocals), Iron Butterfly (Rhino, lead guitar, and Lee Dorman, bass), and Johnny Winter (Bobby Caldwell, drums) Captain Beyond is an album that flows from riff to riff, drumbeat to drumbeat, often with various time signatures within the same song. Taking a tip from the Moody Blues, songs flow directly into each other without benefit of any lag time between selections. Taken as a whole, the album is kind of a rush, as quick, riff-laden guitar lines predominate for a few songs before slowing down temporarily into a lull until the next takeoff. Lyrically, the album differentiates itself by exploring themes of the outer world and meanings of existence, often with references to the moon, sea, sun, and so on. Listeners may get the feeling of taking a journey to space in a rocket ship headed for destination unknown. Musically, the album is superior in all aspects. Rod Evans has a strong rock voice, Rhino plays an enormous amount of hook-laden guitar lines, and Lee Dorman plays complex basslines (for example, at the end of "As the Moon Speaks-Return") that lead to typically rhythmic, nimble Bobby Caldwell drumming. The tightness between musicians is enormous, never lets up for long, and leaves the listener feeling like the ride should continue for the indefinite future.
Tracklist:
1. Dancing Madly Backwards (On a Sea of Air) (4:02)
2. Armworth (1:49)
3. Myopic Void (3:31)
4. Mesmerization Eclipse (3:49)
5. Raging River of Fear (3:51)
6. Thousand Days of Yesterdays (intro) (1:19)
7. Frozen Over (3:46)
8. Thousand Days of Yesterdays (Time Since Come and Gone) (3:57)
9. I Can't Feel Nothin', Part I (3:07)
10. As the Moon Speaks (To the Waves of the Sea) (2:26)
11. Astral Lady (0:16)
12. As the Moon Speaks (Return) (2:14)
13. I Can't Feel Nothin', Part II (1:14)
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