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Friday Full-Length: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (1968)

In the vast annals of weirdo rock, there’s a special place for The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. The soul of “Child of My Kingdom,” the progressive theatrics of “Time,” the classic proto-Satanic heavy rock of “Fire,” the organ-laced social commentary groove of “Come and Buy,” and because hey, why not, covers of Sreamin’ Jay Hawkins and James Brown (no relation) — it’s an album that, at nearly 50 years old, could be read as a founding moment for what would become prog as much a watershed moment for psychedelia. Its titular figure, vocalist Arthur Brown, served as a template for the likes of Alice Cooper, and while the actual band The Crazy World of Arthur Brown were short-lived in this incarnation (at least until 1988’s Strangelands), the 1968 self-titled debut has nonetheless been a signpost for freaks lost in a sea of normalcy: This Way to Where Things Don’t Make Sense in the Best Way Possible. It’s a long sign. It would have to be.

The album — and I don’t even know which version of it is above, but it’s one of them — is rendered human by two things: Its jazzy, schooled-sounding underpinnings and the acknowledgement that the reality in which it takes place is crazy. Brown, keyboardist/orchestrator Vincent Crane, bassist Nick Greenwood, and drummers Drachen Theaker and John MarshallThe Who‘s Pete “I’m Writing a Book” Townshend as associate producer — conjured nightmares of the acid era, and these songs are as much beyond psychedelia as they are of it. But they’re not happenstance, and calling it “Crazy” proves that. While they weren’t the only ones at the time seeming to fly off the rails with sound or stage visuals, that consciousness might be The Crazy World of Arthur Brown‘s greatest contribution to progressive rock, since as the likes of Pink FloydKing CrimsonJethro Tull and of course Arthur Brown continued to delve deeper into what eventually took shape as the style, it was that sense of being in control of the moment that would be so pivotal to making it what it was. Even when control seemed impossible, which on a lot of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, it definitely does. And yeah, if they only came down long enough to name the band and record and then took lysergic flight again, it still counts. Still counts. He’s the god of hellfire. It counts.

You can take a pretty cold, academic appreciation of what it has to offer and its various , but the bottom line is that The Crazy World of Arthur Brown continues to present a vision that nothing else quite matches, and which doesn’t quite match anything else. It is warped in the truest and most satisfying of stylistic senses.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

I’m not sure I have it in me to articulate how done I am with this week.

Very done.

Okay, yeah, maybe I did have it in me after all.

Next week is already busy. Monday’s locked in with premieres from Cities of Mars and Young Hunter. Tuesday is a song from Malady; folky Finnish prog — you’re gonna love it, as I do. Wednesday a track premiere from The Heavy Eyes. Thursday a full-album stream from Sunder, formerly known as The Socks, and Friday is… something else? Well, if nothing else I’ll put up that Lee Dorrian interview about With the Dead. A lot, a lot, a lot coming up. I already have something slated for Monday, Nov. 2 as well, so yeah, pretty packed. Good thing I don’t have a full-time job or anything that includes, I don’t know, a modest expectation of my time and mental faculties. That would make everything terrible.

Oh yeah, Monday night is also the Acid King/Gozu show in Boston. Might be Wednesday before I can get a review posted of that, but as soon as I can I will. I think that will be the only show I’ve been to this month — again, this whole “having a job” thing — but I’m going to try to make the most of it. Much as one can, anyhow.

If you’ve already downloaded the latest podcast, thanks.

I hope you have a great and safe weekend. Please check out the forum and the radio stream.

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One Response to “Friday Full-Length: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

  1. Dutch gus says:

    Many years agoI went to a friend’s birthday at her local working men’s club. Arthur drinks there regularly and it seems everyone knows him so when he came for a pint that evening he was kidnapped to join in the entertainment. Onlyparty I’ve been at where happy birthday was sang as a duet between the birthday girl and Crazy Arthur Brown

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