Episode #52 – Captain Beyond – Dawn Explosion with Nick Jones of Pod of Thunder

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Lead up to the Album:

• The Captain Beyond Story researched by Hartmut Kreckel
  • Reformation:
  • Lee Dorman: “Warner and Capricorn had a deal and contacted us in 1976 to do another album. In the interim I was working as a engineer/producer for demo bands for Warner Bros. We started to audition singers and were quite happy with Willy Daffern. We have a outtake of “Icarus” and a studio version of the song “Dawn Explosion” that wasn´t used for that album. We did like 15 to 20 gigs with that line-up.”
  • Rhino: “… I first met Willy in a liquor store…”

Personnel

• Bass, Ensemble [String], Vocals – Lee Dorman
• Drums, Percussion [All], Vocals – Bobby Caldwell (2)
• Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Slide Guitar – Rhino*
• Lead Vocals – Willy Daffern
  • http://repertoire.bmi.com/Catalog.aspx?detail=writerid&keyid=79157&subid=3&page=1&fromrow=1&torow=25
  • As “Dee” with Gary Moore, with a band called G-Force

• Producer – Captain Beyond, John Stronach
  • Stronach worked with R.E.O. Speedwagon, Dan Fogelberg, Diana Ross, Keith Moon, and Joe Walsh
• Engineer – John Stronach, Rick Sanchez
  • Al Kooper’s “Act Like Nothing’s Wrong album, The Outlaws (not the Ritchie Blackmore version), Tower of Power, UFO

Album Art & Booklet Review

• Design [Album] – Pacific Eye And Ear*
  • Discussed on previous episodes, did Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Grand Funk, The Doors, Billion Dollar Babies, Aerosmith’s Toys in th eAttic, and the previous Captain Beyond album Sufficiently Breathless
• Illustration – Carl Ramsey (2)
  • http://www.carlramsey.net/mbr_statement.php
  • Album covers for Count Basie, previous Captain Beyond album, The Turtles, Cameo, Dream Girls Original Broadway Cast

Album Tracks:

Side one:

1. Do or Die (Caldwell, Daffern, Reinhardt)
2. Icarus (Caldwell, Dorman, Reinhardt)
   1. Written by previous keyboardist (Lewie Gold) but he didn’t get credit, previously  recorded with Rod Evans
   2. Not played Live
   3. “Icarus” studio recording in 1972 with Rod Evans and Lewie Gold from Lost & Found 
3. Sweet Dreams (Caldwell, Dorman, Reinhardt)
   1. Played a beginning version of this with Rod on ‘72 tour “Lonely Feeling” or “Lovely Feeling.”
4. Fantasy (Caldwell, Daffern, Reinhardt)

Side two:

1. Breath of Fire, Part 1 & 2 (Caldwell, Daffern, Reinhardt)
   1. The CD reissue separated these into two tracks:
      1. Breath of Fire, Pt. 1 (A Speck Within a Sphere)
      2. Breath of Fire, Pt. 2 (Alone in the Cosmos)
2. If You Please (Caldwell, Daffern, Dorman, Reinhardt)
   1. Not played live
3. Midnight Memories (Reinhardt)
   1. Not played live.
4. Oblivion (Caldwell, Dorman, Reinhardt)
   1. The CD reissue separated this into three tracks: “Space Interlude” followed by “Oblivion” and ending with “Space Reprise”

Live they played the song “Dawn Explosion” which was not included on the album.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncWbku5o8yk

Reception and Review

• The Captain Beyond Story researched by Hartmut Kreckel
  • Lee Dorman: “Looking back, we lacked of proper management. I think if we´d gone out doing 150 gigs a year it would have done much better. Our management did nothing for us, it was like “we´ll get back to you” and they never did a thing, so what could you do about it… They should have bought us into a tour to open up for someone who would really draw some people, but it never happened… There were several attempts of reforming Captain Beyond over the years, but it never got beyond talking about it, and the only chance to do it seemed, if I was going to do anything… I´m now with Iron Butterfly and surely I can do one thing at the time only, but THERE´LL ALWAYS BE A PLACE IN MY HEART FOR CAPTAIN BEYOND…´CAUSE THIS WAS REALLY A LABOUR OF LOVE…”
  • Bobby Caldwell: “… after Willy left, we tried out Jimmy Henderson for a time in 1978…”
  • Rhino: “… and then Jimmy went with me in my band named “Rhino”, we were managed by the manager of Styx and toured for six months in 1979…”

This Week in Purple History . . .

April 20 through April 26

• April 20, 1968 – Roundabout plays their first show
  • *Date: 1968-04-20
  • *Venue: Parkskolen-Vestpoppen   
  • *City: Tastrup   
  • *Country: Denmark

• April 22, 1997 – Blackmore’s Night releases “Shadow of the Moon”

• April 26, 2013 – Deep Purple releases “Now What?!”

For Further Information:

• Album Liner Notes

Listener Mail/Comments

• Comments about the show? Things you’d like us to cover?  We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@deeppurplepodcast.com or @ us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.