Captain Beyond/UK 1972

CAPTAIN BEYOND is a legendary super group that has been engraved in the history of 70’s rock. Here is their very first live album. The “original CAPTAIN BEYOND” was the epitome of the profusion of 70’s rock. This super band included not only Rod Evans of DEEP PURPLE, but also Lee Dorman and Larry Reno Reinhardt of IRON BUTTERFLY, and the genius Bobby Caldwell, who later played innovative hard rock in ARMAGEDDON. Their music also fused the psychedelic taste of the first DEEP PURPLE with progressive rock, creating a unique hard rock that was unlike anyone else’s. The famous album “CAPTAIN BEYOND” was released in 1972, the same year as DEEP PURPLE’s “MACHINE HEAD,” but there were even some British connoisseurs who declared that they liked it better than Purple. This work is a miraculous live album that contains the very early performance before the release of their debut album “CAPTAIN BEYOND”. This work contains “May 6, 1972 Bickershaw Performance (UK)”. It is a performance from their participation in the legendary British rock festival “BICKERSHAW FESTIVAL” held only once in 1972. There are many unknowns about CAPTAIN BEYOND’s history, and it is not known how many shows this show was since the band was formed, but it was definitely before the release of their debut album “CAPTAIN BEYOND”. Here, let’s briefly summarize their journey since the band was first formed.・May 1971: IRON BUTTERFLY breaks up ・July 1971: CAPTAIN BEYOND is formed – half a year later ・March 1972: Signs with Capricorn ・May 1972: Appears at BICKERSHAW FESTIVAL ←★Here★ ・June 1972: Releases debut album (July in the US) ・July-August 1972: North American tour The band was formed surprisingly early, in July 1971. The original four members, all of whom were career veterans, formed in secret to avoid contractual troubles, and began working on their debut album without waiting for a contract with a record company. The appearance at “BICKERSHAW FESTIVAL” for this work was a signal that the band had started “activities” as the album was completed. The quality of this work is a wonderful vintage audience. In fact, it is a recording of an outdoor festival in the early 70s, but it sounds incredible. Each note of the four musicians’ performance reaches you straight, without any muffled or cloudy sound, and you can even hear the subtleties of the ensemble. Of course, this is not to say that there is no noise from the era, but the guitar and vocals are very clear and direct, and Caldwell’s detailed hits can be heard beautifully. In fact, this recording first appeared more than 10 years ago, and at the time, it was introduced by specialist magazines with a lot of excitement, such as “an unbelievable work,” “a very high-quality audience recording,” and “this is truly a bootleg masterpiece.” And the rock depicted by that sound is amazing. There are no cover songs on the set list, and it is full of their debut album “CAPTAIN BEYOND,” which seems to have already been completed. The only song that was included was “Sweet Dreams,” an early version of a song from their third album “DAWN EXPLOSION” in 1977. Of course, the “original four” disbanded immediately after their debut, but I never thought that the songs for their third album were written at the time of their debut… Such historical facts are interesting, but the main focus is on the super-unique rock that was also featured in the masterpiece “CAPTAIN BEYOND”. Although the live album from the Texas performance has now seen the light of day, this work is merely a live performance version of the debut work. That masterpiece has been boldly rearranged and remodeled into four large medley formats. First, the opening is “I Can’t Feel Nothin'”, which was divided into two on the B side of the album. It is a medley format that connects parts 1 and 2 and avalanches into “As the Moon Speaks” and “Astral Lady”, which were sandwiched in between. The second is a reproduction of the beginning of the A side of the album. The three songs “Dancing Madly Backwards (On a Sea of ​​Air)”, “Armworth”, and “Myopic Void” are medleyed in the order of the album. The third is the “Thousand Days of Yesterdays + Frozen Over” suite at the beginning of the B side, starting from the above-mentioned “Sweet Dreams”. And the last song is “Mesmerization Eclipse” which includes a drum solo. Each song is a masterpiece of about 10-15 minutes. The performance of this masterpiece set is the height of 70’s rock mixed with British and American music. The IRON BUTTERFLY-like harmony is beautiful, and the BLUE OYSTER CULT-like aggression is sharp. A slow slide guitar reminiscent of PINK FLOYD sounds, and then a guitar solo like KING CRIMSON’s hard rock from the “ISLAND” era roars… Of course, Rod’s vocals are much stronger and more romantic than those of the first DEEP PURPLE. Among all the members, who are all super unique, Caldwell is the shining core. As mentioned above, the show is made up of a bold masterpiece medley, but it is Caldwell’s drumming that controls the rhythm changes, and the drum solo is as powerful as John Bonham’s (!) and continues to pound away. At the time of the band’s formation, he was the boss and took the initiative in composing, but this work also conveys that he is definitely the “master of the band.” His outstanding talent that predicts the future of ARMAGEDDON is in full swing. When it first appeared, it was praised by specialist magazines as “this is nothing short of a miracle” and “the unearthing of such rare sound sources is the great mission of (bootlegs).” This is a musical heritage album that opens up the darkness of history with clear sound. This is a piece that should be enjoyed by those who have been burning their hearts with British rock and have had their lives ruined. This is a living witness to 70’s rock. Live at Bickershaw Festival, Bickershaw, Lancashire, UK 6th May 1972 PERFECT SOUND 1. I Can’t Feel Nothin’ Parts 1 & 2 / As the Moon Speaks / Astral Lady 2. Dancing Madly Backwards (On a Sea of ​​Air) / Armworth / Myopic Void 3. Sweet Dreams / Thousand Days of Yesterdays (Intro) / Frozen Over / Thousand Days of Yesterdays (Time Since Come and Gone) 4. Mesmerization Eclipse / Drum Solo Rod Evans – Lead Vocals Larry “Rhino” Reinhardt – Guitar Lee Dorman – Bass Bobby Caldwell – Drums