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181 of 183 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There I was ..., September 24, 2003
... 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
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124 of 127 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best albums ever made!, November 19, 2003
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!
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One o f the best Progressive Metal LP's of all TIme!, July 24, 2001
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!
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