CAPTAIN BEYOND

I love this record. It's not often anymore I want to turn on something really loud and bang my head, but when I do, this is the record I usually choose to listen to. It's Beer Drinking and Hell Raising music for me.

Former Deep Purple vocalist starts a group with guys from Iron Butterfly and a guy who played with one of the Winter Brothers. It's not really prog, I'd classify it as proto-metal kind of in the heavy Led Zeppelin/Deep Purple/Iron Butterfly mold. It's riff rock that makes you feel like you're on a class 5 rapids, thrilling rollercoaster, and space shuttle all at the same time in the span of barely over 30 minutes.

I consider this an all time classic in the hard rock field and it really is a lost classic for inclined parties. Bizarrely released by southern rock specialists Capricorn Records, there is a note dedicating this album to Duane(!) Allman(?) which is surprising to me, my buddies and I could never figure out the relationship. It doesn't sound anything like the Duane or the Allman Bros or any other record I've heard from the Capricorn Stable, except maybe a little off the Johnny Jenkins' Ton Ton Macoute! album. Maybe Duane supplied them with the opium that supposedly was the inspiration for the tune "Starglow Energy" off Captain Beyond's next release, Sufficiently Breathless. The cover art is a perfect reflection of the times and music, enhancing it's classic status in my collection.