Arthur Brown…the very mention of the name conjures images of demonic bellowing and flaming headgear (see above). For those unfamiliar, ‘twas he who belted out “Fire,” one of the wildest leftfield hits of the 1960s as leader of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Often called a one hit wonder, he subsequently achieved much of interest, with Long Long Road his latest, out now on vinyl (red or black), in a 2CD set + hardback book, and in a limited box set that includes 180 gram vinyl (orange marble) in a gatefold sleeve, the 2CD + book, a bonus 7-inch, a wall flag, four art prints, and a numbered certificate of authenticity signed by Brown, all via Prophecy Productions and Magnetic Eye Records.
Released in 1968 on Kit Lambert’s Track Records in the UK and Atlantic Records in North America, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’s eponymous debut LP is one of the stranger records of its era, but even more twisted is its 1969 follow-up Strangelands, so bent in fact that it didn’t come out until 1988, courtesy of the Reckless label of the UK.
Not long after, Brown split to form Kingdom Come and released three albums, Galactic Zoo Dossier (1971), its title the inspiration for the excellent psychedelic zine by Plastic Crimewave (aka Steve Krakow), Kingdome Come (1972), and Journey (1973), all compiled by Esoteric Recordings with plenty of bonus stuff into a 2021 CD box set Eternal Messenger (An Anthology 1970-1973).
Note that after Brown left The Crazy World, the rest of his band became Rustic Hinge, a mostly instrumental outfit influenced by Captain Beefheart. Their terrific sole recording, with Brown singing on one track, was issued long posthumously in 1988 by Reckless as Replicas (and with most of it added to the CD releases of Strangelands).
Along with reactivating the Crazy World in 2000, Brown cut a few solo records starting in the mid-’70s, plus a handful with collaborators over the years including his Crazy World (and Atomic Rooster) organist Vincent Crane, producer-musician Craig Leon, Mothers of Invention drummer Jimmy Carl Black, and more recently, Rik Patten, the multi-instrumentalist who’s heard alongside Brown on Long Long Road.
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’s debut had a bit of a demented soul review vibe (they covered James Brown’s “I’ve Got Money”) that really hit its apex during “Fire.” It’s a dangerous angle to pursue at any length, and it wisely dissipates in Brown’s work in Kingdom Come, where the ingredients are essentially psychedelic rock, hard rock, prog rock, and Brown’s uniqueness as a frontman, as his operatic vocal range has brought him stature as an influence on heavy metal (not at all far-fetched, as he contributed to The Chemical Wedding a solo album by Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden).
Brown’s early work is wholly representative of ’60s psych-rock excess. Frankly, that’s a big part of the appeal, but it also means it’s a dicey proposition to rekindle in 2022, as Brown just celebrated his 80th birthday on June 24. While Long Long Road isn’t a Crazy World of Arthur Brown record, the contents can still get intensely out there, as opener “Gas Tank” is an organ-infused nugget of hurdling hard rock bombast.
There are other similarities to Brown’s formative stuff, as the relatively brief simmer-down strummer “Coffin Confession” makes clear that a penchant for theatricality remains intact. The songs also flow together uninterruptedly, enhancing the feel of the conceptual (a big part of the approach in both Crazy World and Kingdom Come). “Going Down” is a horn-spiked groove-belter with lyrics detailing a return to the hot spot where Brown’s debut LP kicked things off (that would be Hell).
“Once I Had Illusions (part 1)” finds Brown singing a blues in an almost Eric Burdon-like manner amid a psychedelic swirl that’s anchored by incessant fingerpicking and percussive shaking (maracas, probably). It’s an appealingly tense situation, as is the following track, “I Like Games,” where the bluesy approach gets heightened and nudged toward the swampy, complete with harmonica and slide guitar. As it plays, it’s easy to imagine that old night tripper Dr. John nodding appreciatively from up above (or from wherever his spirit might be).
“Shining Brightness” showcases the stylistic range of Brown (credited with guitar, piano, and of course vocals on the album) and Patten (who is apparently responsible for everything not played by Brown), alternating between stomp-rock and faux-lounge jazzy passages (complete with vibraphone). “The Blues and Messing Around” swings back to the blues, tapping into a current of electric Chicago in a major fashion, as if Brown’s attempting to score a contract with Alligator Records (who once reissued Dr. John’s Gris-Gris, come to think of it).
I’ll admit that “The Blues and Messing Around” takes a little getting used to. It’s unexpected, partly because it’s rather conventional, but the song sticks around long enough that it’s won me over every time I’ve played it thus far. It’s also to Brown’s credit that he’s not straining to top his younger self in the antics department. But don’t get the idea that his sound is neutered, or the power of his pipes tempered. He in fact belts it out in the title track, but with considerable sensitivity, which delivers another curveball by heading into piano-based singer-songwriter territory, with flashes of Joe Cocker.
“Once I Had Illusions (part 2)” returns to the blues once more for the album’s finale, this time with a harder edge. It’s often cynically said that when rockers run out of ideas, they turn to the blues, but Long Long Road deftly avoids the hacky, the set loaded with better than average songs and inspired delivery, plus the personality of Arthur Brown, bold but never coming of like an advertisement for his younger self. It’s a solid record, a breath of fresh air and quite the pleasant surprise.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+
