Captain Beyond - Sufficiently Breathless (1973)

When Iron Butterfly split up in 1971, two of its members got together with ex-musicians of other popular groups of the era and formed this band. Arguably considered a supergroup, the talent found on the band’s first lineup consisted of Rod Evans from Deep Purple, Bobby Caldwell from Johnny Winter’s band, and Larry “Rhino” Reinhardt and Lee Dorman still paired up from Iron Butterfly. This initial lineup created the band’s debut album, Captain Beyond, in 1972. After its release, personnel began to shift with a particular revolving door for drummers. By the time they were ready to record their next album (Sufficiently Breathless in 1973), they were a six-piece band. The abridged version is that they lost Bobby Caldwell and ultimately gained Guille Garcia and Marty Roriguez. Unfortunately for fans, that lineup, too, disintegrated before the album they worked on together was released. A brief reunion of the four original members in the latter-half of '73 toured to support the album, but the group again ended on December 31st, 1973 when lead singer Rod Evans announced that he'd be leaving the group for good. As a last hurrah, the three remaining members of the band released an album in 1977, titled Dawn Explosion, featuring Willy Daffern to replace Evans on lead vocals. The album had a lukewarm response and the band folded permanently in 1978.

The band’s second album, Sufficiently Breathless, features the eponymous title track heard below. Written by Lee Dorman, the song is the opening track on the album and features the vocal talents of Rod Evans. The album was produced by Phil Walden (Otis Redding’s manager up until Otis’ death) and released on Capricorn Records (the home of Southern Rock bands such as The Allman Brothers Band and The Marshall Tucker Band).



Captain Beyond - Sufficiently Breathless (1973)

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Lyrics:

Sitting on the door stoop
Watching multiples of people pass me by
Look through the windows, through the houses
Oh, they're made of sky

Gargoyle watching the bouncing ball
Strangers mystified by all
All the goings on
Sufficiently breathless
Sufficiently breathless

Hey, Mr. Policeman, can you point the way
Oh, with your handgun?
The Earth above me and the space below
Don't you understand ‘em?

Gargoyle watching the bouncing ball
Strangers mystified by all
All the goings on
Sufficiently breathless
Sufficiently breathless
Sufficiently breathless
Sufficiently breathless

Hearing and watching all the city sounds
On the street where we live
No one to care about us
Seems it’s falling down around us
Nothing left to live for
(Sufficiently breathless)
Nothing left to live for
(Sufficiently breathless on the street)
(Where we live)
Nothing left to live for
(Sufficiently breathless)
Nothing left to live for
(Sufficiently breathless on the street)
(Where we live)
Nothing left to live for
(Sufficiently breathless)
Nothing left to live for
(Sufficiently breathless on the street)
(Where we live)
Nothing left to live for
(Sufficiently breathless)
Nothing left to live for
(Sufficiently breathless on the street)
(Where we live)
Nothing left to live for
(Sufficiently breathless)
Nothing left to live for
(Sufficiently breathless on the street)
(Where we live)
Nothing left to live for
(Sufficiently breathless)
Nothing left to live for…