Florida — When you speak of real classic rock legends, Larry ‘Rhino’ Reinhardt, founder of legendary ’70s rock group Captain Beyond and former member of heavy metal prototypes Iron Butterfly, is a firmly established constituent of this elite group. Guitarist, songwriter and producer Larry “Rhino” Reinhardt started in the Georgia based bands The Load (1967-69) and The Second Coming (1969-70), with Dickey Betts and Berry Oakley, who went on to help form The Allman Brothers Band. Rhino would join Iron Butterfly in late 1969, and recorded the highly acclaimed ‘Metamorphosis’ album as well as touring with the band worldwide. After Iron Butterfly split at the end 1971, Rhino wasted no time and formed Captain Beyond, together with Lee Dorman (bass) from Iron Butterfly, Rod Evans (vocals) from Deep Purple and Bobby Caldwell (drums) from Johnny Winter. Captain Beyond was called a super group, given that pedigree and skills of the individual members. Their first self-titled album left the world breathless and continues to sell, being an influence of a whole new generation of bands. Rhino‘s unique guitar playing and songwriting skills can be heard on all three Captain Beyond albums: the first, self titled album ‘Captain Beyond’ (1972) and their second album ‘Sufficiently Breathless’ (1973) were released on Capricorn, while their third album ‘Dawn Explosion’, released on Warner Bros. In 1977. The first two Captain Beyond albums are considered ‘classics’ and have been since remastered and reissued on CD.

Rhino made some selected guest appearances through the years: he appeared on two Bobby Womack songs,“Don‘t Let Me Down” and “I Don‘t Want To Get Hurt By Your Love Again” from ‘Lookin’ For A Love Again’ album (United Artists 1974). The Robert Tepper album ‘No Rest For The Wounded Heart’ was released in 1996, having been recorded in 1991 as Iron Butterfly. After Captain Beyond split in 1977, Rhino formed his own band Rhino in 1979, which included former Tucky Buzzard singer Jimi Henderson. The band toured the US in support of Stephen Stills. Through the years, Rhino has been in several reformed versions of Iron Butterfly with Lee Dorman (1978, 80, 84, 89 and 92), that also included original lead vocalist Doug Ingle (1978, 84), drummer Ron Bushy (1978, 92) and guitarist Erik Keith Brann (1989). In 1998 he reformed Captain Beyond with original drummer Bobby Caldwell. After a fantastic debut at Sweden Rock Festival in 1999, sharing the stage with Deep Purple, Dio and Budgie, Captain Beyond recorded an EP, that contains the potential hit “Don’t Cry Over Me”. Unfortunately, due to management issues, Captain Beyond was discontinued in 2002. Rhino then joined Blue Swamp in 2003 also playing selected shows locally with Rhino & Doss.

In August 2008 Rhino Reinhardt released his first solo album in Florida, called ‘Rhino’s Last Dance’. The CD received critical acclaim, but, due to distribution problems the CD was hard to obtain. Unsupported by management he pondered what to do, and then in early 2010 Dicky Betts sudden retirement opened the door to get together with old friends, Mike Koch (keyboards), Frankie Lombardi (drums), Pedro Arevalo (bass) and Don Bonzi (guitar) from Dicky Betts band Great Southern. Rhino formed Rhino and the Possie and a lot of songs and a new concept started a new album ‘Back in the Day’ based on the idea of music that was familiar sounding but with a fresh new approach.

Rhino says, “We will just have see what the fans have to say about it. If the concept is not misunderstood, we just may have a winner here!!!”

Rhino and the Posse ‘Back in the Day’ CD can be purchased through www.rldrecords.com

Paul Miles
“Sex Tips From Rock Stars”
Omnibus Press, 97801084938-404-9, Softcover, 272 pages, $19.95

By Gillian G. Gaar

This book is one you’ll read more for voyeuristic purposes than to get any useful sex tips. Nor are all the tips about sex; there are chapters on marriage and divorce, for example. Finally, the “rock stars” in question are decidedly of the b-list variety. Motorhead’s Lemmy is most recognizable name; others include Joel O’Keeffe (Airbourne), Rob Patterson (Otep), and Bruce Kulick (who’s played with Meat Loaf and Kiss, in addition to his solo work). Allison Robertson, from the Donnas, is the sole female (and it must be said her answers are pretty tame).

Most tips are of the common sense variety. Drinking too much isn’t helpful for a sexual encounter. As far “techniques,” different people like different things (“I think you’ve really got to ask the woman” says Vazquez, from Damone). More men will take maturity and experience over youth and inexperience (or ideally youth and experience). Men split 50/50 over whether they like breast enhancements, but there’s a decided preference for having the woman shave her pubic hair (and about half the men cop to trimming as well).

Some inadvertent insights are also revealed. Biohazard’s Evan Seinfeld comes off as a sad character, a rocker and an “adult movie star” whose wife is eager for him to film himself having sex with “the hottest, youngest” women he can find, as they aren’t “jaded” yet (he also cites disturbing a preference for “thinners,” women who weigh under 105 pounds; someone who’s usually viewed as having an eating disorder). Or maybe she’d not that eager after all; the last sentence of his bio in the book has the punchline — Seinfeld and his wife have since separated.

Overall, a fun book to skim through. But the “stars” are definitely wrong about one thing. Blondes do have more fun.

The sixth effort by Chicago was the first and one of the few to picture the band on the cover

By Phill Marder

(Seventh in a series on artists who should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but are not)

Four members of the original Chicago appeared on Chris Isaak’s excellent show, which runs on Sundance. Isaak asked them point blank – and I paraphrase – “Just who did you piss off?”

Isaak’s query revolved around the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s failure to induct (or even nominate) the group that now ranks as the most popular – chartwise – the United States ever has produced. How can this be?

True, the still-active band may have overstayed its welcome, but from 1969 until Peter Cetera departed in 1985, there was nothing less than top quality work from this group, especially before the 1978 death of lead guitarist Terry Kath. With keyboardist Robert Lamm and the horn section of Walt Parazaider, Lee Loughnane and James Pankow carrying on, the group re-surfaced with a string of blockbuster hits in the late ’80s that garnered public approval but, evidently, proved too schmaltzy for critical blessing.

But Chicago’s initial core, which included Danny Seraphine on drums, gave us some of the most innovative works of the Rock era. Where The Buckinghams and Blood, Sweat & Tears introduced the concept of a horn section supplementing a basic rock group, Chicago was the group that avoided self-destruction and carried on, expanding Rock’s boundaries.

With Kath, supposedly Jimi Hendrix’ favorite guitar player, providing a raw edge, Chicago ran off 10 consecutive Top 10 albums from 1970 to 1977, including a string of five straight No. 1 LPs. Five straight No. 1 albums! Any artist who denies he or they would give his best Fender and Roland to get near the top of the album charts is an artist who has never gotten near the top of the album charts. This group topped the charts five times.

Several other offerings just missed the top, seven reaching the top 10, three of which were double albums and one which came 15 years after their debut. That is a truly unbelievable achievement and the original Chicago seven should be acknowledged by the Hall of Fame. Actually, a carryover from my original list 10 years ago, they should have been recognized long ago.

Though clearly an album-oriented group at the outset, with long, progressive pieces being the norm, the group still managed the ridiculous number of 20 singles to reach the top 10, three landing in the No. 1 position. In the United Kingdom, Chicago also was a regular presence on both album and single charts.

William Ruhlmann, writing in the “Allmusic Guide,” hits the nail right on the head, describing the group’s plight as follows “…Chicago has been singularly underrated since the beginning of its long career, both because of its musical ambitions (to the musicians, rock is only one of several styles of music to be used and blended, along with classical, jazz, R&B, and pop) and because of its refusal to emphasize celebrity over the music. The result has been that fundamentalist rock critics have consistently failed to appreciate its music and that its media profile has always been low. At the same time, however, Chicago has succeeded in the ways it intended to. From the beginning of its emergence as a national act, it has been able to fill arenas with satisfied fans. And beyond the impressive sales and chart statistics, its music has endured, played constantly on the radio and instantly familiar to tens of millions.”

Obviously, those in command of nominating artists feel the intelligence and taste of the majority of record buyers can be described using the same phrase that leads us to picture the rear portion of a horse. It would be nice if the Hall of Fame had the guts to reveal just who holds the public in such low esteem.

Or, as Isaak so elegantly stated to the remaining originals, “Just who did you piss off?”

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The Guess Who, the Canadian powerhouse ignored by Rock Hall

By Phill Marder

There is terrific support for Rush to make the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That trio deserves it and will be featured as this series continues. But Rush is not the greatest band to come out of Canada. The Guess Who holds that honor and, in addition, they came first.

Rock royalty in their native country, the Guess Who did everything well. While they churned out a steady stream of radio hits, their albums may be the best listening of the Rock era, right next to the Beatles. For, like the Beatles’ LPs, Guess Who albums contained classic cuts from almost every genre of music, each group managing to forge a couple hit singles from each long player while avoiding filler and sameness on the rest of the cuts. And, no other group compared to the Beatles when it came to meshing humor into their recordings.

Where the Beatles gave us “Eleanor Rigby” next to “Taxman,” the Guess Who could follow “Undun” with “No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature.” Where the Beatles would throw “Honey Pie” and “Helter Skelter” at you, the Guess Who could flip “Nashville Sneakers” and “American Woman” your way. The Beatles could offer “You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)” or “Rocky Raccoon,” but the Guess Who could match the hilarity with “One Man Army” or “Get Your Ribbons On.”

Burton Cummings is one of the greatest of all rock vocalists, a 1960s version of Jerry Lee Lewis but with a much more versatile voice. When it came to creating lyrics on the fly, he was without equal. He could melt the radio waves with “These Eyes” and “Laughing,” then crack your speakers with “American Woman,” “No Time,” “Hand Me Down World” and “No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature.” In addition, his talent on the piano and flute is first rate, and he also plays guitar when necessary. Randy Bachman is one of rock’s most underrated guitarist, capable of holding his own with any of the top axmen. Likewise Jim Kale on bass. And Garry Peterson stands with the Rascals’ Dino Danelli and Stewart Copeland of the Police in the top three on my list of rock’s greatest drummers. Everything Peterson played was perfect and his versatility went beyond the group as he worked with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in some down time.

Bachman and Cummings were one of rock’s greatest songwriting teams. And when Bachman left to form the highly successful Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Cummings continued the Guess Who’s strong tradition, working with Bachman’s replacements, Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw. Before the next ballots are cast, the group’s “Canned Wheat, “American Woman,” “Rockin’” and “So Long, Bannatyne” albums should be required listening for everyone involved. Along with “Sgt. Pepper” and “Abbey Road,” “Rockin’ may contain the best ending of any LP of the rock era along with heavy rockers “Heartbroken Bopper” and “Guns, Guns, Guns,” the country tinged “Get Your Ribbons On” and the humorous “Your Nashville Sneakers” and “Herbert’s A Loser.” If that’s not enough, there’s a reverent cover of Johnny Preston’s “Running Bear,” no less, which finishes in chaos. The more serious “Bannatyne” LP still manages a classic unknown to all but Guess Who faithful – the aforementioned “One Man Army.”

Perhaps the group’s lack of success in the United Kingdom accounts for the Hall of Fame’s failure to recognize Canada’s greatest band. That’s the UK’s loss. Its homeland certainly supported the group as did the United States. Between 1965 and 1974, The Guess Who placed 21 singles on the Hot 100, six reaching the top 10, including “American Woman,” which held the top spot for three weeks. Fifteen times the band hit the top 200 LP chart, three times reaching the top 10. And that doesn’t include Cummings’ solo success and Bachman’s hits with Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

The Guess Who’s musical output, if one takes the time to listen to it, stands head and shoulders above practically any group to ever enter a recording studio.