THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN

Cult-hero Arthur Brown's only album that is actually really good was his debut of '68. His appearance and style made him the first shock-rock act and he can also be attributed to be one of the first artists to make fun of the hell and the devil on stage. Lyrics like "Why is it so cold out here, let me in!, -"The price for your entry is sin" are classic examples of how the rock musicians would eventually get 'hell' out of the realm of scary things.

I wouldn't lay to much weight on this aspect of 'The Crazy World of Arthur Brown', because the album has way more to offer then it's lyrical exploration. The compositions of Brown are actually very catchy and his vocal performance stands out as original, energetic and at times mind-blowing. The electric guitar is absent, but the heavy organs of Crane (who would later form Atomic Rooster) are both great sounding and a document of it's time. The wind-sections on some songs add a slightly big-band jazz vibe at times, which works very well with these songs. The song 'Fire' ("I'm the god of hellfire, and I bring you!") became a hit, but all songs of side one are of the same quality. The 'Fire Poem' is a great psychedelic track with spoken words by Brown that make a perfect intro for 'Fire'. 'Come and Buy' has vocal-jazz influences (think of Sinatra) and is very original. On side two Brown's version of the obscure classic 'I put a spell on you' is very well sung. The psychedelic/spoken (or screaming) word track 'Spontaneous apple creation' is really funny and remains funny after more spins. 'I've got money' is a cover of the James Brown song (keep on laughin'). The last track 'Child of my kingdom' is easily overseen, but it's one of the strongest tracks of the album because of it's epical and devoted style.

Conclusion. For collectors of proto-prog and '60 psychedelic rock classics this album is highly rewarding. The vocals, compositions, originality, pleasant craziness and pure catchyness are all winners for me. I must say I wasn't too fond of it before I heard it on a vinyl. The digital versions seem to lack the ability to really produce what was intended, so it seems. Four stars for this great '60 psych album.

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