Captain Beyond - Captain Beyond (13 tracks) +Album Reviews

There I was ...

MurrayTheCat | upstate New York | 09/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"... in the summer of 1972, standing in the record store, holding this album. Hmmm, Lee Dorman and Rhino. (I was an Iron Butterfly fanatic.) Hmmm, Rod Evans. (I was a Deep Purple fanatic.) And, who the heck was Bobby Caldwell? Johnny Winter had a drummer by that name. Was it the same one? I didn't buy the album that day, but about a week later, I did. I took it straight to a friend's house, and we had a listen. Needless to say, it just about took our faces off.The album still has its effect. What an amazing display of power and finesse! Never before--and never again to my knowledge--has an array of diverse time signatures danced with such remarkable ease. Bobby Caldwell's highly aggressive but astoundingly tasteful drumming will stupefy you. I thought about mentioning a couple of specific spots on the album where he overwhelms me, but that's impossible because the guy never really stops overwhelming me! With today's preoccupation with trying to mimic a drum-machine (an ongoing trend for almost 20 years), I wonder if anybody knows how to play drums like this anymore. Guitarist Larry Reinhardt (Rhino) is as tasteful a player as one could ask for. We got a dose of his alluring style on Iron Butterfly's METAMORPHOSIS (a much overlooked gem, by the way). His playing is firm, to the point, and power-ridden. But, it also contains cosmic elements, overtones of otherworldliness, that I find irresistible. Lee Dorman is much underrated on bass. The power aspect of this music does not afford him the freedom to embellish with the endless variety he gave us with Iron Butterfly, but he does give us plenty of motion, along with maintaining the solid bottom needed for these driving rhythms. I've always loved the work of vocalist Rod Evans when he was with Deep Purple. Here, he is given the opportunity to really show off. His vocals are as energized as the rest of the band.Another review points out that most of the reviews on this product page are written by us old folks. Yes, there are indeed many of us who have owned this album for 30-some years, and who are still infatuated by its brilliance. Great music stands the test of time. It rises above mere nostalgia. CAPTAIN BEYOND packs a wallop. What a combination of energy and sophistication! The music is well thought out--it's classy, but tailored to knock your socks off. If you have any idea of what it takes to make a band jell, I can almost guarantee that after the first four songs, you and your friends will be looking at each other with blank stares. "Juggernaut" does not even begin to describe this album.Cheers,
Murray"

One of the best albums ever made!

David Parker | burlington, vermont United States | 11/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"And to think, when I bought this on a whim back in '72 at the age of 16, I, for many years, thought I was the only one who'd ever heard of this great band (even though it was made up of members of Iron Butterfly and Deep Purple!) So great to read all the other glowing reviews here - so I must add my two cents. What exactly is "Captain Beyond"?? An album still very much ahead of its time - hard rock, but not metal - spacey but not too "druggy" - acoustic before there was the term "unplugged" - jazzy without being jazz (this due to drummer Caldwell's unique and offbeat time signatures) - conceptual without being a "concept album", with each song flowing on into the next. And certainly one of the greatest guitar albums I've ever heard, due to the highly underrated Strat-master with the single-moniker name of Rhino (as a guitarist myself, I STILL can't figure out most of these riffs!) So what exactly does all this yin & yang add up to? One of the greatest "unknown supergroup" albums ever recorded. Still eminently listenable after 31 years (due in no small part to its excellent production values - it sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday!!) How many albums, even the better known "classics", can really say that? Of the thousands of albums I've ever owned, this is still in my Top Ten! Yeah, that good!"

One o f the best Progressive Metal LP's of all TIme!

highway_star | Hallandale, Florida United States | 07/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This group consisted of ex-Deep Purple vocalist Rod Evans, ex-Iron Butterfly bassist Lee Dorman, drummer Bobby Caldwell and lead guitarist Rhino. The songs weave from one song into another and create one of the era's best progressive metal L.P.'s ever. Some may call it space rock but I'd prefer to call it progressive metal. Songs such as "Dancing Madly Backwards", "Myopic Void", "Thousand Days of Yesterday" immediatley let one know this band is unique not a copy of say Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, or Led Zeppelin. Rod Evans has deep vocals which many may remember from Purple's Hit "Hush". He is in top form with this band as is bassist Lee Dorman. Being an Iron Butterfly and Deep Purple fan for years I was immediatley attracted to this band when this L.P. was released. Hearing it remastered for the first time brings out the fine songs that this unfortunatley short lived group produced. If you enjoy late 60's early 70's rock such as Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Grand Funk Railroad, etc. you owe it to yourself to pick up this masterpiece before it goes out of print. Highly recommended!"

One of the 5 best rock albums of all time!

D. Tonya | Barber-tucky, Ohio | 06/02/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Born from the ashes of Deep Purple (vocalist Rod Evans) and Iron Butterfly (bassist Lee Dorman and guitarist Rhino) and adding an excellent if somewhat unknown drummer (Bobby Caldwell). This was one of the first "superbands" of their time. All members had achieved a great degree of fame in their former bands, but took their different stylistic approaches to produce the first truly great progressive hard rock album.Their music was punctuated with a constantly shifting tempo with equally complex time signature changes. Their musicianship rivalled or surpassed that of the majority of their contemporaries. Unlike many groups with stellar musicians, their songs still flowed effortlessly together, never staying one place long enough to become stale or repeatative and never becoming overly self-indulgent.From they acoustic "A Thousand Days of Yesterdays" to the loud and heavy "Frozen Over", the incredible dynamics that are the hallmarks of progressive hard rock music today are present. For an early 70's recording (2 years before I was born), the production work on this recording is nothing less than extraordinary. The album sounds incredibly clear and vibrant, with all the impact and power you'd expect from a modern production.This album was ahead of its time and is still fresh to this day. Of the 2500 cd's in my collection, this is still my most favorite. If you are a fan of King's X, Dream Theater, Fates Warning or the like, you must have this album. If you are a fan of Deep Purple and Iron Butterfly and don't own this album, what are you waiting for?"

Possibly The Greatest Rock Album Of All Time

Josh H. | Toledo, Oh (USA) | 02/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"God, where do I start? I borrowed this album (on cassette) from a friend of mine about two years ago, and it just grabbed me by the balls and refused to let go. Why nobody knows about this album is a mystery that I'll never understand. For those of you who don't know, Captain Beyond was a super group that consisted of singer Rod Evans (formerly Deep Purple), guitarist "Rhino" (formerly played with Duane Allman and Dickey Betts), bassist Lee Dorman (formerly of Iron Butterfly) and drummer Bobby Caldwell (formerly of Johnny Winter's band). All four of these guys are musical geniuses. Rod Evans is probably my favorite singer in the world (check out "Lalena" from Deep Purple's third album) and his voice can be both powerful and beautiful. "Rhino" cranks out guitar riffs that sound angry enough to kill, as well as some excellent solos. Lee Dorman's bass sounds like a monster awakening from the bowels of the Earth (listen to his playing on "Mesmerization Eclipse"). And Bobby Caldwell is one of the most gifted drummers that I've ever heard, and his massive, unique style only enhances this already stunning band.
There really is no way to categorize their style. There's no other band to compare these guys to because they're so unique. If I had to describe their style, I would probably say "psychedelic melodic jazz metal". They do a fascinating job of mixing psychedelia, heavy metal and even some jazzy stuff, and the mellow stuff is the icing on the cake. And I should mention the fluidity of the songs, they flow into each other wonderfully. The music is calm and lovely one minute, only to turn blistering and loud the next."DANCING MADLY BACKWARDS (ON A SEA OF AIR)": As soon as you hear the opening thump of Caldwell's drums, you know you're in for one hell of a ride. Great, trippy hard rock song. Rhino delivers some smoking riffage."ARMWORTH": An anti-war song. The lyrics are brilliantly constructed and very profound. The words are kind of hard to understand, though, so you should go to the Captain Beyond website and see all of their lyrics."MYOPIC VOID": An eerie atmosphere on this one, as Rod keeps repeating his euphoric chant ("I no longer saw colors, only gray") amidst a very haunting background."MESMERIZATION ECLIPSE": What a guitar riff! Rhino plays it with such power that it might just blow your speakers if you play it too loud! And when he's joined by Dorman's monstrous bass, that's it, you're in hard rock Heaven. That middle section simply KICKS A**!"RAGING RIVER OF FEAR": Another riff based heavy rocker with another intoxicating middle section. These guys just never let up."A THOUSAND DAYS OF YESTERDAYS (INTRO)": Soft, quiet, beautiful, emotional acoustic song. Rod's vocals are very, very soothing. But beware, this is only the calm before the storm..."FROZEN OVER": Wham! Another crushing riff comes in and you find yourself being blown away. Listen to the middle section, THIS is where Rhino plays the most angry, aggressive, furious guitar riff that I've ever heard. It's almost as if something pissed him off, and he took out his fury by playing that riff like a friggin' MONSTER."THOUSAND DAYS OF YESTERDAYS (TIME SINCE COME & GONE)": This is where the jazzy aspect of the band comes in. It's a fascinating, upbeat acoustic shuffle. The groove is so addictive that I promise you'll have this song stuck in your head for a long time."I CAN'T FEEL NOTHIN' (PART 1)": Back to heavy metal! Yet another glorious riff and some more great vocals from the main man Rod Evans."AS THE MOON SPEAKS (TO THE WAVES OF THE SEA)": The medley of this song and the next one is my favorite moment on the album. This tune is about as psychedelic as you can get. A total trip. The sound of wind blowing in the background begins, and then you're launched into the stratosphere with some really spaced-out vocals and guitar. The guitar that Rhino plays here sounds EXACTLY like a sitar, but I'm not 100% sure that it is. Evans' eerie vocals sound like they're from another universe, complete with some trippy echo. And then, before you know it..."ASTRAL LADY": Pow! In comes another earth-shattering riff before you even have time to blink an eye! This riff is also the greatest riff that I've ever heard. No doubt."AS THE MOON SPEAKS (RETURN)": A continuation, but much more mellow and peaceful. Rod gives a tear-inducing vocal performance here, expressing more emotion in 20 seconds than most singers could in 20 minutes (you just have to hear the way he sings "As I think to the past, there's nothing left to see")."I CAN'T FEEL NOTHIN' (PART 2)": Some more tripped-out vocals, but soon it starts to ROCK! They reprise the riff of part 1, and start to jam like madmen until the song fades out and you're left sitting there with your jaw on the floor.I've never heard an album that was so perfect from start to finish as this one. BUY THE DAMN THING. BUT IT NOW."

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