1. What were your VERY FIRST impressions on listening to the album, say from the first five minutes in?
Great production, particularly when it comes to how the drum were mixed. Bombastic yet technical: heavy prog. right up my alley!
2. What did you think of the opening tracks?
'Dancing Madly Backwards (On A Sea of Air)' and 'Myopic Void' are both minor classics in early 70's canon: changing time signatures abound, but groovy and even poppy in a sense. If you wanted a couple o' spacy sounding singles for a proto-prog mixtape, you've come to the right album.
3. What did you think of the later tracks?
Nothing stands out quite as much as the two opening tracks in my mind, but the suiteish approach of 'Thousand Days Of Yesterdays' got me grinning like a fool: if I were going to pick a third essential cut from this album to round out the proceedings, I'd pick this sucker.
4. Did you like the vocalist? Hate him/her? Any impressions?
Rod Evans has a very interesting voice: he's not particularly energetic, but there's a presence to his voice that adds that extra special something to an already trippy sounding record. On top of that, he's fairly flexible and can vary his range depending on the track, which is always a good thing.
5. Did the music (only) generally appeal to you, or not?
I've owned this record for quite a long time prior to this review, and I most definitely love it. People cite
Black Sabbath and
Led Zeppelin as being heavy metal's biggest precursors in the following decade, but I'd be just as likely to cite this debut as being equally influential in some respects: it certainly sounds a bit different from most of the blues based hard prog. coming out around the same year.
6. Did the album get better or worse as you listened to it (first time)?
Neither:
Captain Beyond is a consistently strong LP from start to finish, and that opinion hasn't changed since my initial listen back in high school.
7. What did you think of the lyrical content?
Appropriate. Nothing mind blowing or life changing mind you, but it definitely works.
8. Did you like the instrumental parts?
Yep, particularly the guitar work in conjunction with the drums.
9. What did you think of the production?
Interesting for the era: you have the drums higher in the mix than your typical rock record while Evans's vocals are pushed a bit further back behind the instruments to emphasize a sense of space. Sounds great overall!
10. How well do you already know the band/artist?
I've owned the debut for a few years now, so I'm decently familiar with the band and it's history.
11. What sub-genre, if any, would you assign this music to?
Space Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock, Proto-Metal...pick a card, any card. xD
12. On repeated listens, did you find you liked the album more, or less?
More. As the saying with fine wine goes...*motions*
13. What would you class as your favourite track, if you have one?
'Thousand Days Of Yesterdays'.
14. And the one you liked least?
Probably 'I Can't Feel Nothin'. Not because its terrible, but it's very typical of the early 70's.
15. Did the fact that this album is a debut/sophomore/middle period or later period allow it, in your mind, any leeway, and if so, was that decision justified or vindicated?
That kind of thing never really plays into my evaluation of any album I've ever listened to. Some bands really hit their stride after a couple of shrug-worthies and others begin their careers guns blazing only to burn themselves out within two to three years. In any case....a fine debut.
16. Are you now looking forward to hearing other albums by the band/artist?
At some point, yeah. 1973's 'Sufficiently Breathless' is allegedly just as good as this first LP, but I've never sought it out. I shall be rectifying that in the near future, lol!
17. Did you get, thematically, the idea behind the album if there was one?
Captain Planet...he's a hero..gonna take pollution down to zero...?
18. Did the album end well?
I'd say so. 'As The Moon Speaks' was my 4th favorite track, and the percussion that closes out the cut is awesome!
19. Do you see any way the album could have been improved?
More song variety might have been a good thing for this record (a principle that solidified
King Crimson's debut as a classic among classics three years prior to this LP). Otherwise, it's fine as it is!
20. Do you think the album hung together well, IE: was a fully cohesive unit, or was it a bit hit-and-miss?
When you have at least four very strong songs out of eight, that's a mark of cohesiveness in my book!
Overall Album Rating:
8.3/10