WHAT'S IN THE CD PLAYER
Oldies stations periodically cue up a curio from the '60s that kicks off with this pronouncement:
"I am the god of hellfire, and I bring you ..."
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown might seem like the typical one-hit wonder to folks who hear "Fire," a song that made it to No. 2 on the U.S. charts (No. 1 in Brown's native Britain) back in 1968. But there's more than meets the ear in this case.
Film clips from the era, for example, show how Brown went about performing the tune in what's been described as the first example of rock theater in action. Dressed in a cape and facial makeup, he culminated the song by ingiting his helmet, adding a literal touch to "Fire" (15 years before Michael Jackson inadvertently tried the same thing during a Pepsi commercial).
Beyond the histrionics, the driving force behind "Fire" as a musical piece is the organ playing of Vincent Crane, who co-wrote the song (Pete Townshend took a break from The Who to produce). Brown, in fact, had only two backing musicians on the Crazy World album, Crane and drummer Drachen Theaker, with the keyboardist carrying the major load.
The project collapsed after just the one album, with the resulting tour taking a toll on all three members: Brown's manic stage persona caused him some injuries; Crane suffered a nervous breakdown; and Theaker, with a fear of flying, was replaced by Carl Palmer (later of Emerson, Lake and ... fame).
Crane and Palmer went on to form Atomic Rooster, which experienced some British chart success with the gloomy-but-catchy "Tomorrow Night" and "Devil's Answer." Brown later resurfaced with some solo albums and a band called Kingdom Come (not Lenny Wolf's group of the '80s) that highlighted his rather strident vocal stylings.
As an album, "The Crazy World of Arthur Brown" plays like a stab at the dark side of psychedelia, with Brown emoting his visions of "yellow sky, orange faces" and such in a vocal range spanning several octaves. (Yes, it gets more extreme than what you hear in "Fire.") His also indulges us with a good bit of poetry; believe it or not, some of it sounds as if Eric Burdon lifted it for his 1970 hit with War, "Spill the Wine." Then there's Arthur's obligatory late '60s-type freak-out, "Spontaneous Apple Creation," which is just what you'd expect from something with a title like that.
But if that's the kind of music you enjoy - and there are plenty of us out there - "The Crazy World" is one entertaining listen, particularly for fans of the eminent talents of the late Mr. Crane. His work on the first three Atomic Rooster albums is particuarly worth seeking out and giving a try.
For more about Arthur Brown and company, read Richie Unterberger's highly informative "Urban Spacemen and Wayfaring Strangers: Overlooked Innovators and Eccentric Visionaries of '60s Rock and Roll."
Oldies stations periodically cue up a curio from the '60s that kicks off with this pronouncement:
"I am the god of hellfire, and I bring you ..."
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown might seem like the typical one-hit wonder to folks who hear "Fire," a song that made it to No. 2 on the U.S. charts (No. 1 in Brown's native Britain) back in 1968. But there's more than meets the ear in this case.
Film clips from the era, for example, show how Brown went about performing the tune in what's been described as the first example of rock theater in action. Dressed in a cape and facial makeup, he culminated the song by ingiting his helmet, adding a literal touch to "Fire" (15 years before Michael Jackson inadvertently tried the same thing during a Pepsi commercial).
Beyond the histrionics, the driving force behind "Fire" as a musical piece is the organ playing of Vincent Crane, who co-wrote the song (Pete Townshend took a break from The Who to produce). Brown, in fact, had only two backing musicians on the Crazy World album, Crane and drummer Drachen Theaker, with the keyboardist carrying the major load.
The project collapsed after just the one album, with the resulting tour taking a toll on all three members: Brown's manic stage persona caused him some injuries; Crane suffered a nervous breakdown; and Theaker, with a fear of flying, was replaced by Carl Palmer (later of Emerson, Lake and ... fame).
Crane and Palmer went on to form Atomic Rooster, which experienced some British chart success with the gloomy-but-catchy "Tomorrow Night" and "Devil's Answer." Brown later resurfaced with some solo albums and a band called Kingdom Come (not Lenny Wolf's group of the '80s) that highlighted his rather strident vocal stylings.
As an album, "The Crazy World of Arthur Brown" plays like a stab at the dark side of psychedelia, with Brown emoting his visions of "yellow sky, orange faces" and such in a vocal range spanning several octaves. (Yes, it gets more extreme than what you hear in "Fire.") His also indulges us with a good bit of poetry; believe it or not, some of it sounds as if Eric Burdon lifted it for his 1970 hit with War, "Spill the Wine." Then there's Arthur's obligatory late '60s-type freak-out, "Spontaneous Apple Creation," which is just what you'd expect from something with a title like that.
But if that's the kind of music you enjoy - and there are plenty of us out there - "The Crazy World" is one entertaining listen, particularly for fans of the eminent talents of the late Mr. Crane. His work on the first three Atomic Rooster albums is particuarly worth seeking out and giving a try.
For more about Arthur Brown and company, read Richie Unterberger's highly informative "Urban Spacemen and Wayfaring Strangers: Overlooked Innovators and Eccentric Visionaries of '60s Rock and Roll."
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