The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown

The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown

Magnificent crazy diamond flames on again. Fifty years ago, Arthur Brown’s four-octave vocal operatics, skull make-up and druid robes provided that summer’s most memorable

Top Of The Pops appearances as Fire lit up the Top 10, elevating its creator’s status from underground mainstay to unpredictable pop star who might set his head ablaze, strip naked or descend from the heavens covered in sparklers. Alice Cooper and Peter Gabriel were both taking notice.

Behind Brown, organist Vincent Crane, bassist Nick Greenwood and drummer Drachen Theaker pinballed between pummeling R&B and exotic tonal colouring hot-wiring Brown’s extended elements concept theme, and the many highlights of The Crazy World Of included Spontaneous Apple Creation and Screamin’ Jay’s

I Put A Spell On You never sounding more demonic.

Co-produced by Track head honcho Kit Lambert and Pete Townshend, the album still stands as one of the most timeless works to emerge from the UK’s counterculture explosion; robust, mysterious and absolutely gripping when in full flight and Arthur’s on heat.

To celebrate its half-century,

this line-up’s sizzling only album gets the Cherry Red box-set treatment with stereo and mono mixes, radio sessions, pre-Track Brown recordings, 45rpm versions, epic annotation and vinyl LP. Still highly inflammatory.