Captain Beyond - Captain Beyond/ Sufficiently Breathless

Initially beyond compare, then presumably beyond caring

Strictly speaking, this twofer should be demarcated thusly: four stars for the debut album, two stars for the follow-up. One resents toeing the party line, but received wisdom is pretty spot-on where Captain Beyond are concerned. First album? The very apotheosis of hairy-shouldered, Harley-straddling early 70s American hard rock. Second album? The undistinguished, sub-CSN sound of collective mojo loss.

Formed in 1971 by Iron Butterfly escapees Lee Dorman and Larry “Rhino” Reinhardt, fronted by Mk 1 Purps vocalist Rod Evans and hot-wired by the titanic efforts of drum demon Bobby Caldwell, Captain Beyond should by rights have hit the ground running, had it not been for the usual litany of record company and management numptitude.

That ’72 debut album is a peach, though. In themselves, the riff beds aren’t exactly super-imaginative – Raging River Of Fear even appropriates a weighty chunk of Manic Depression – but the band worked tirelessly on the intricate details, then rode them relentlessly. Rhino’s guitar sound is a blast of pure nitro (Mesmerization Eclipse, Astral Lady), subsequently receiving the thumbs-up and devil horns from Eddie Van Halen. Best of all, the perky tumble of Thousand Days Of Yesterdays sounds like Moby Grape waltzing with Flash.

3 stars 3 stars 3 stars

Raven | RVCD-307

Reviewed by Marco Rossi
<< Back to Issue 370

Login Here

Free Newsletter


Subscribe to
our email newsletter by emailing:

anna.bowen@
metropolis.co.uk