Captain Sky (1979) Pop Goes The Captain (2020)

 With a group of other Chicago-based musicians, Captain Sky began recording around 1978 and released The Adventures of Captain Sky in that year, followed quickly by Pop Goes The Captain in 1979. In the liner notes to the first Captain Sky album, Captain Sky’s origins are explained in this way: “Oh, by the way, if you’re wondering, Daryl Cameron somehow entered the phonebooth of his mind and emerged as Captain Sky. Tune in again.” Both albums were released by AVI Records. Several singles were released from these albums, most notably “Wonder Worm” and “Super Sporm.” By 1980, Captain Sky had moved to TEC records and on that imprint released his third album Concerned Party #1. After several more singles, The Return of Captain Sky, his final album, was released in 1981 back on AVI records. That particular album was not authorized or endorsed by Captain Sky. Since that time, Captain Sky has released singles sporadically on various labels and older tracks have been included on various compilations. Captain Sky also signed with Philly World Records, WMOT, and as a concept artist with Sweet Mountain/Sugar Hill Records. 

 The poor man's Bootsy Collins, Captain Sky channels the sprawling cosmic-funk consciousness of Parliament-Funkadelic to create a slicker, more commercial version of their pioneering sound. His sophomore LP, Pop Goes the Captain, is like a paint-by-numbers copy of a George Clinton production, mirroring the maestro's deep grooves, far-out lyrics, and extraterrestrial arrangements but boasting none of the gonzo creativity that makes P-Funk so sublime. The album even fails to maintain the energy level established on the previous The Adventures of Captain Sky, settling instead for tepid ballads and syrupy slow jams. He may be a captain, but the only way he's getting a ride on the P-Funk mothership is by stowing away in the cargo hold.