The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (album) - Instrumentation and Content

Instrumentation and Content

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown was the only album released by the band during its active tenure, and features the band's core members Arthur Brown (vocals), Vincent Crane (organ, piano and vibes), and Drachen Theaker (drums). Bass guitar, where used, was provided by Nick Greenwood; session drummer John Marshall replaced Theaker on two selections. Horn and string overdubs were also employed on side one of the album. While the latter were done for tactical reasons as described in the next section, Brown's opinion is that the overdubs add to the album's overall presentation, replacing visuals and costume changes he would have employed in live performance to achieve dramatic effect.

Considered a classic of the late-1960s psychedelic scene and a significant influence on progressive rock, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown included a full album side of original songs focused on the horrors of Hell, including Brown's signature song "Fire." The album's second side contained a mix of original songs and covers, the latter being Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You" and James Brown's "I've Got Money." The album's format reflected a compromise between Brown and the band's producer/manager Kit Lambert; Brown's original intent was to produce an album-long rock opera incorporating the material included on side one, while Lambert wanted to produce a more overtly commercial record, including cover material from the band's stage act. Interestingly, about eight months after The Crazy World of Arthur Brown was issued, Lambert's primary clients the Who would release the landmark double-album rock opera Tommy.

Following the success of the single "Fire," the press would often refer to Brown as "The God of Hellfire" in reference to the opening shouted line of the song. The nickname has persisted to the present day.