CAPTAIN BEYOND

For me, this is one of the greatest albums of all time. I don't give out max ratings often because with a collection of over 3300 recordings, it takes a really special recording to stand out as one of my top 10 recordings. As a Deep Purple and Iron Butterfly nut, it wasn't any surprise I'd find this recording (which was released the year I was born). I've always loved Rod Evans voice and it just fits perfectly with the music from Dorman, Rhino, and Caldwell. He's got a great voice and tone that is plenty strong enough to belt out lyrics over the loud musical passages. The lyrics are also a wonderful collection of psychedelia, I mean where else would you find imagery like "Dancing madly backwards on a sea of air".

I imagine some progists will say this album isn't progressive due to the fact it is essentially a bass/guitar/drum album lacking keyboards, flutes, violins, synthesizers, and sound effects normally attributed to progressive genre. To those people I must say; can't you just enjoy excellent music without analyzing it to death and thus taking all the enjoyment out of music? This album has numerous tempo and time signature changes, great jazzy drums, tight rhythms, and blistering guitar work that were 20 years ahead of the game. Don't forget that while the album is segmented into many single songs, there are 3 basic themes that really segment the album into three extended compositions. The songs flow from one into the other with such fluidity that is often amazing to segue from an acoustic piece right into a raging hard slab of rock.

I just can't say enough about how great this album is. Amazingly it sounds just as fresh and original today as it must have when it was originally released. I think any prog fan that likes heavy music will find this an enjoyable recording on some level if not completely altogether. I remember when this album finally got issued on CD (Japanese release), I bought two copies and place one in a safe, secure location. My greatest fear was that I'd lose or damage it and that the pressing would be a limited run. That thought is just to tragic to envision!