Beyond Capricorn

Captain Beyond is a one-of-a-kind progressive album with rock, heavy metal, and jazz influences with a "space rock" lyrical bend. Formed by former members of Deep Purple (Rod Evans, vocals), Iron Butterfly (Rhino, lead guitar, and Lee Dorman, bass), and Johnny Winter (Bobby Caldwell, drums) Captain Beyond is an album that flows from riff to riff, drumbeat to drumbeat, often with various time signatures within the same song. Taking a tip from the Moody Blues, songs flow directly into each other without benefit of any lag time between selections. Taken as a whole, the album is kind of a rush, as quick, riff-laden guitar lines predominate for a few songs before slowing down temporarily into a lull until the next takeoff.

Captain Beyond's second album must have confused the diehards. Where their self-titled debut had upheld the basic progressive heavy rock blueprint of lengthy instrumental explorations, constant tempo changes, and opaque, yet cinematic lyrics, Sufficiently Breathless downplays them for a subtler, song-oriented production. The predominant mood is snappy and businesslike; no track runs over five and a half minutes. This newfound conciseness certainly benefited such heavy-rocking efforts as "Distant Sun," even as the band stuck to their diverse guns on the moody, acoustic title track and the sleek Latin funk rock of "Bright Blue Eyes" and "Everything's a Circle." The results were intelligent and self-assured, yet the band's never-ending bad luck again intervened when vocalist Rod Evans quit in late 1973, leaving the album adrift. The band would proffer a markedly different style on their return four years later, but anyone dismissing progressive heavy rock as an oxymoron should definitely check out this album first.

While Tangerine Dream amassed its vast catalog throughout the '70s and '80s, chief Dreamer Edgar Froese was quietly releasing influential records of his own. This handy, two-disc set is a fine collection of some of the better moments from Froese's numerous solo outings, including 15 new tracks recorded specifically for this set, and the rest are extensively reworked with "new timbres." Consequently "Beyond The Storm" comes off less as a compilation than as a whole studio album based upon old themes. If you're a fan of Froese or TD this is a nice slice of that pie.

With songs that fall exactly in between Michael Jackson's Off the Wall period and A Taste of Honey, Jamiroquai's Synkronized is a funk-disco inferno that is distinguished from its 1970s counterparts only by its 1990s production. It contains all the same ingredients: wah-wah guitar, electric piano, soft-sided strings oozing out melody, pot-bellied bass, and a blasted-out horn section that evokes images of three guys stepping in sync while their sequined flairs swipe over white patent-leather loafers. While the funk is steamy enough to flatten the tallest 'fro, Jay Kay's impeccable ability to emulate Stevie Wonder's vocals brings on the cool side.

Released on the struggling Beyond record label in 2000, Ten 13 wasn't exactly a well-publicized release. An impressive list of artists joined Sammy Hagar around the turn of the century at Beyond only to release hefty musical but commercially non-viable recordings. Hagar fared better than most due to his solid fan base – with which he managed to maintain a very close connection through touring, entertaining at his very popular bar and restaurant Cabo Wabo in Mexico, and by continuing to produce music generally true to his extremely popular '80s solo and Van Hagar material.

Released on the struggling Beyond record label in 2000, Ten 13 wasn't exactly a well-publicized release. An impressive list of artists joined Sammy Hagar around the turn of the century at Beyond only to release hefty musical but commercially non-viable recordings. Hagar fared better than most due to his solid fan base – with which he managed to maintain a very close connection through touring, entertaining at his very popular bar and restaurant Cabo Wabo in Mexico, and by continuing to produce music generally true to his extremely popular '80s solo and Van Hagar material.