Atomic Rooster

@ atomic-rooster.com

Early Days And "Fire" And Atomic Ro-o-oster
Born In Reading On 21/5/43, Vincent's Formal Music Training Was At Trinity College Of Music, London . He Studied There For Three Years And Gained His Ltcl And Gtcl. His Early Bands Were J.C. & The Machine (With Phil Kinnora, Ray Dussel, John Mcvee And Bob Downes) And The Jazz And Poetry Group The Word Engine (Founded By Paul A. Green, With Red Reece, Phil Seaman, Pete Brown, John Surman And Bob Downes. His First Professional Gig Was At The Marquee Club, London, In 1963 As The Vincent Crane Band.

In 1966, He Joined Up With Arthur Brown And Formed The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown And By 1967 They Were Playing Gigs Such As The Ufo Club, Tottenham Court Road; The Alexandra Palace 'Love In'; The Reading Festival And The Montrose Festival. During 1968 They Were Out On Their 1st American Tour And The "Fire" Single And "Fire" Album Topped The Usa Charts. The Single Was No.1 In England & Europe, And The Album Top 5 . The Band Headlined At That Year's Reading Festival. In 1969 They Returned To America Playing Fillmore East And Madison Square Garden. By The End Of The Year And After A 3rd Usa Tour Problems Had Set In. Vincent Lived In New York For Three Months And Finally Returned To England With Carl Palmer On Friday The 13th. During 1970 They Formed Atomic Rooster As Decided In New York, And The Band's First Gig Was Headlining At The Lyceum, London, With Deep Purple As Support. The 1st Atomic Rooster Single Was "Friday The 13th", C/W "Banstead" And The 1st Album "Atomic Ro-O-Oster".

In 1971 John Ducann Joined Atomic Rooster And Added Guitar To The American Version Of "Atomic Ro-O-Oster". Carl Palmer Left To Join Elp And Paul Hammond Joined Rooster As Drummer. This Year Saw The Band's 1st Hit Single "Tomorrow Night",/C/W "Play The Game" And Their 1st Top 10 Album "Death Walks Behind You", Followed By A 2nd Hit Single "Devil's Answer",C/W "Play The Game". The Band Also Played The Reading Festival.(During This Year, Vincent Also Guested On Piano For The Self Titled "Rory Gallagher" Album Released On Polydor.)

In 1972 Pete French Joined The Band On Vocals And They Played The Oval With The Who Headlining. A 3rd Album Was Released, "In Hearing Of.." With Cover Design By Roger Dean. This Was The Year Of Atomic Rooster's 1st Usa Tour, Playing The Troubadour, La And Fillmore East, Ny. John Ducann And Paul Hammond Left The Band To Form Hard Stuff With Johnny Gustaveston And Ric Parnell & Steve Bolton Joined. Pete French Left To Join Cactus With Carl Minnaplice, Replaced In Rooster By Chris Farlowe .The Band Then Went On To Release Their 4th Album "Made In England" And The 1st Compilation Was Released, "Atomic Rooster Assortment". The 2nd Tour Took In The La Amphitheatre, The Texas 'Rose Bowl' And The Dusseldorf 'Rock Festival' With Deep Purple And Free. A 3rd Single Was Released "Stand By Me, C/W "Breathless". In 1974 The 5th Atomic Rooster Album Was Released "Nice & Greasy" And A 2nd Compilation "Home To Roost". The Band Left Gaff Management And Toured Spain, Italy, Germany, Holland & Portugal. In 1975 After A Tour Of Belgium, France, Italy And Spain, Vincent Stopped Touring And Took Atomic Rooster Of The Road For An Unspecified Period......

The Missing Years
Vincent Divorced His First Wife, Pat, In 1976 And Remarried In 1977. With Atomic Rooster Off The Road, Vincent's Talents Diversified. He Did The Music For Paul A Green's "Ritual Of The Stifling Air" For Radio 3. Influenced By His Second Wife, Jean, He Worked On "Dracula" At The Shaftesbury Theatre, The Ghost Train" At The Old Vic, The "Old Country At The Queen's, "Stevie" At The Vaudeville, Rolls Hyphen Royce" At The Shaftesbury Theatre. He Was Musical Advisor To The Royal Court's Children's Theatre Festival, And Vocal Coach For A South London Children's Festival. He Was Musical Director For "Rain Dog" Stomu Yamashta's Red Buddha Theatre Company And Renewed The Jazz/Poetry Gigs With Paul A Green.

In 1978, Vincent Met Up With Arthur Brown Again And They Began Writing Together And Performing. By 1979, They Had Material Together For A New Album "Faster Than The Speed Of Light" Which Was Recorded In Germany At Klaus Schult's Studio. He Also Recorded With Klaus On The "Dune" Album And With Arthur And Klaus On "Wahnfried". A Classic Moment Of That Time Was A Party Thrown By The German Record Company When Vincent And Arthur Performed A Classic Rendition Of Frankie Vaughan's "Green Door", Dressed In Top Hat And Tails!!

Together again and then not...
1980 Saw The Reform Of Atomic Rooster And Vincent Working Again With John Ducann. Finally An Emi Deal, A Secret Warm Up Tour, And The Release Of A New Album "Atomic Rooster" And A Single "Do You Know Who's Looking For You" Preston Heyman Did The Honours On Drums, But By The Time Of The 1981 3 Month Tour Of The Uk, Paul Hammond Was Back On Drums. This Year, Saw The Release Of The 1st Two Atomic Rooster 12" Singles, "Play It Again" C/W "Start To Live"/"Devil's Answer" (Live) And "End Of The Day" C/W "Living Underground"/"Tomorrow Night" (Live) The Band Played The Reading Festival With John Mysteriously Awol, Big John Mccoy Stepped In On Bass. John Had Decided To Retire Again, And Subsequent Tours Of Germany And Italy Were With Bernie Torme On Guitar.

1983 Saw A New Style Of Atomic Rooster Album "Headline News" With A 12" Single "Land Of Freedom" (Extended Version C/W Carnival), Featuring Guitarists, Dave Gilmour Of The Pink Floyd,Bernie Torme And John Mizarolli. Bernie Subsequently Toured With The Band To Germany And Italy And An Album Of Their Live Gigs Has Just Been Released. March 6th 2000, Atomic Rooster "Live In Germany '83"

In 1984, Vincent Disbanded Atomic Rooster And Went On To Make "A Case For The Blues" As Katmandu With Peter Green, Ray Dorset & Jeff Whittaker.The Following Year He Joined "Dexy's Midnight Runners" Playing Piano For The "Don't Stand Me Down" Album. They Toured In The Uk And France, Releasing Two Singles "This Is What She's Like" From The Album And A Second Single, The Theme Song To The Tv Series "Brush Strokes".

Final Days
In 1987 Dexy's Was Disbanded And Vincent Intended To Reform Atomic Rooster.

Due To Ill Health, A Planned German Tour Was Cancelled, And, Sadly, Vincent Died On 14th February 1989, Saint Valentine's Day.

Since That Time, Paul Hammond Too Has Died.

Of The "Death Walks Behind You" Line-Up Of Atomic Rooster, Only John Ducann Remains. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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@ Wiki
Atomic Rooster were an English progressive rock band, formed by ex-Crazy World of Arthur Brown members, Vincent Crane and Carl Palmer in 1969. Their only hit singles came in 1971 with "Tomorrow Night" (a UK Number 11), and "The Devil's Answer" (UK Number 4).

History
In 1970, Atomic Rooster (at that time consisting of Crane, Palmer and Nick Graham) released their self-titled debut album.

Between Palmer's departure (to be one third of Emerson, Lake & Palmer), and the recording of a second album, guitarist John Cann (also credited as John Du Cann) joined them, giving a whole new dimension to the music with his distinctive guitar attack. Death Walks Behind You featured Paul Hammond on drums, and this album yielded "Tomorrow Night".

Having found success on the UK Singles Chart, the band was augmented with singer Peter French for their third effort on vinyl, In Hearing of Atomic Rooster. It showed the band at full throttle. The import version included the hit single "The Devil's Answer", although this was strangely missing from the original UK release. After this album, Cann, Hammond and French left the band. French went to join Cactus, while John Du Cann and Paul Hammond teamed up with ex-Quatermass bass player John Gustafson and founded Hard Stuff.

Crane put the band together one more time, recruiting 1960s British R&B singer and ex-Colosseum vocalist Chris Farlowe. Along with old friends John Goodsall, then known as "Johnny Mandala", and Rick Parnell (who is the son of orchestra leader Jack Parnell, and composed material on the last album, plus came up with the piano riff on "Tomorrow Night") they released Made in England.

They managed to release one more album, Nice 'n' Greasy, but the sound was somewhat diluted, although the tracks "Voodoo in You" and "Take One Toke" reminded their fans of past glories. It proved to be their last record in the 1970s.

The band ceased to exist until the early 1980s, when Crane and Du Cann teamed up once again, going through a series of drummers. During the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they almost had some presence in the charts with "Lose Your Mind" and a re-make of "Tomorrow Night".

After this stint, Crane went on to join Dexy's Midnight Runners in the mid 1980s, and also recorded A Case For The Blues as part of Katmandu, a one-off project with Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac and Ray Dorset of Mungo Jerry. Crane died on 14 February 1989 in Reading. Hammond died of a drug overdose in 1992.

Du Cann recently licensed the release of the only existing tapes of Atomic Rooster that featured Crane, Palmer and himself: some BBC Radio 1 sessions recorded by John Peel in 1970 and 1971. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Atomic Rooster were formed during summer 1969,when Vincent Crane and Carl Palmer broke away from The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and returned to England, the date of return being Friday 13th. Having broken away from CWOAB with the idea to form their own band, Atomic Rooster, (the name of the band being taken from a member of the U.S. band Rhinoceros who whilst undertaking a "spiritual quest" emerged with a personae which he named as the Atomic Rooster, a name which obviously struck a chord with Carl and Vincent). Interestingly enough 1969 was the year of the Rooster, in the Chinese calendar. Nick Graham was recruited for bass, vocals and flute and the band undertook live work. The first LP, Atomic RoOoster, was recorded during December 69 and January 70 and released during February 70, along with the single, Friday 13th. During mid-March 70,Vincent decided to add a guitarist to the band and John Cann was recruited into the Rooster ranks from his band Andromeda. However as John joined, Nick departed leaving Rooster without a vocalist or bassist. Vincent now played the bass lines on his Hammond Organ by a combination of left hand and foot pedals, whilst John doubled up as vocalist as well as assisting bass lines by emphasising the lower range on his guitar. The band resumed gigging until the end of June 70 when Carl announced his departure to ELP. Ric Parnell helped out on drums, completing the outstanding gigs, until August 70 when a young 18 year old, Paul Hammond, was recruited to fill the drum vacancy. The second LP, Death Walks Behind You, was recorded and released in September 70 and the single, Tomorrow Night, was released, eventually charting in the UK at No.12 in January 71.The band continued touring and in June 71 Pete French was added to the band as vocalist for the recording of the third LP, In Hearing Of, released in July 71. Prior to this a third single, Devil's Answer, was released, reaching No 2 in the UK, in June 71. During the recording of In Hearing Of, it became clear that the band were yet again moving in a different musical direction, away from the harder and heavier-edged Death Walks Behind You, and by August both John and Paul had left to form Daemon.

In August 71,Vincent, along with vocalist Pete French recruited drummer, Ric Parnell, and on guitar, Mancunian born Steve Bolton.This line up toured, including an appearance at the Oval on September 9th, a benefit gig arranged by The Who. By the end of the year, vocalist Pete French departed and was replaced by Chris Farlowe and a fourth LP, Made In England, was recorded and released along with the single, Stand By Me. The band had moved to a more funkier/soul musical direction by now. The end of 72 saw the departure of Steve Bolton and his replacement was John Goodsall, under the name of Johnny Mandala.This line up toured and recorded a fifth LP, Nice N Greasy, in 73. A single from the LP was also released, Save Me, a reworking of Friday 13th. .During 74 this line up came to an end and any gigs outstanding were completed by Vincent along with members of the band, Sam Apple Pie, the last gig being in February 75, a benefit gig for the RSPCA. At this point Vincent called time on Atomic Rooster and moved onto other things.

1979, post punk,and the arrival of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, with members of these new bands citing, as an influence, Atomic Rooster.Vincent and John (by now using his full name - John Du Cann) got together, talked about it, did some research and Rooster were back!!!.1980 saw the recording of an LP, on EMI, on the drums being the highly rated session drummer, Preston Heyman.A couple of "test the water" gigs were undertaken, to great acclaim, and dates were set for a tour. Preston was invited and undertook the drum duties, whilst the LP was released in September 80, following the single, Do You Know Who's Looking For You?(June 80).However Preston's prior session and touring commitments caught up with him and by the time of the gig at the Marquee, 23rd October 1980 Paul Hammond was once again behind the drum kit. Touring continued but EMI pulled the plug on the band, fortunately Polydor picked up the band for two singles, during 81, Play It Again (25th September 81) and End Of The Day (Feb 82). During the recording of these two singles reworked versions of Tomorrow Night and Devil's Answer were also recorded (Big John McCoy adding bass) Record label problems(again) led to the departure of John Du Cann prior to the recording of the sixth LP, Headline News, in late 82, the guitar parts were recorded by Dave (Pink Floyd) Gilmour, John Mizarolli and Bernie Torme.Tour dates in Italy and Germany were undertaken with Bernie on guitar and the odd UK dates were with John Mizarolli.Vincent had also taken on the vocals not only for the LP, Headline News, but also for live work. Headline News was released in June 83, following the single, Land Of Freedom, in May 83. Vincent called time on Atomic Rooster, again and in 85 assisted Dexy's Midnight Runners by playing piano on their LP, Don't Stand Me Down. Vincent and John were talking about making the Rooster crow again into the 90's, but Vincent's poor health intervened and, sadly, Vincent passed away on Feb14th,1989. Paul Hammond also sadly passed away, an accidental death, in 1992. Of the band that recorded Death Walks Behind You, only John Du Cann remains with us.. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Arthur Brown

@ Wiki
The Rev. Arthur Brown (ordained in the Universal Life Church), born Arthur Wilton in Whitby, Yorkshire on 24 June 1942, is an English rock and roll singer known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on shock-rocker Alice Cooper.

History
Brown attended London University and Reading University and studied philosophy and law, but was also interested in taking advantage of his large vocal range of 4 octaves. He still can sing at this range today.

First coming to public awareness in the late 1960s, Brown quickly became known for his outlandish performances, which included the use of a burning helmet (notably on Top of the Pops) whilst miming to the track "Fire" (all acts mimed on that show in those days). Perhaps his most memorable mishap occurred in Windsor, England, when the methane that fueled his crown poured over his head and caught fire. Fortunately, two bystanders doused the flames by pouring beer on Brown’s head, preventing any serious injury.

He is also purported to have performed part of some gigs in the nude. His debut album, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (1968) was a surprise hit on both sides of the Atlantic. The album included Pete Townshend as producer, and featured a major hit single entitled "Fire" (not to be confused with many later songs of the same title or the previously released song by Jimi Hendrix). His group was also called The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and included Vincent Crane (later of Atomic Rooster) on Hammond Organ with Drachen Theaker on Drums and Nick Greenwood on Bass. At almost the end of the band's second US tour, Drachen was replaced by Carl Palmer (later of Emerson, Lake and Palmer), though Drachen returned after Carl left.

American Tours
Arthur Brown has risen to fame partially thanks to his outrageous live show. As a result, Brown's live show got him kicked off of a tour with Jimi Hendrix, outdoing Hendrix himself. On one tour, he waited until sunset when his band was playing, and then he had a winch lower him onto the middle of the stage from above, wearing a suit and helmet welded from sheet metal. An awe-inspiring sight, parts of the suit were completely alit in lighter fluid and sparklers. The perception that he was always on the verge of setting fire to the stage led later concert organizers to demand he post a bond with them if he could not show he was adequately insured against uncontrollable fire, and fire damages.

Retreating to Britain
Though Brown never managed to release another recording as commercially successful as "Fire", he did release three noteworthy albums as Kingdom Come in the early 1970s. (Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come should not be confused with the hard rock/glam band of the same name from the 1980s.) Kingdom Come albums featured a wild mix of progressive rock and demented theatrics, including Brown's simulated crucifixion. Kingdom Come often performed in full costume with makeup, and photos of Brown from this period clearly show him sporting a distinctive eye makeup scheme that Alice Cooper borrowed. The third and final Kingdom Come album, Journey, is noteworthy for being one of the first (if not the first) rock albums to feature a drum machine.

In 1979, he provided the vocals for the German synth musician Klaus Schulze on his album "Dune".

In later years, Brown released several solo albums and also contributed vocals to the song "The Tell Tale Heart" on the Poe-based concept album Tales of Mystery and Imagination by The Alan Parsons Project. In 1973, Arthur Brown also had a small but meaningful part in The Who's rock opera movie Tommy as "The Priest". Brown moved to Austin, Texas for a time, in the 1980s, and obtained a Master's degree in counselling. He is also a minister in the Universal Life Church.

Later career
Brown returned to England in 1996. In 1997, he re-recorded "Fire" with German band Die Krupps.

Arthur then went on another musical journey of performing with an acoustic band, initially with Rick Pattern on guitar and Stuart ? on Guitar, this band then added Stan Adler (Cello and Bass) and Malcolm Mortimer (Percussion) and produced the well received Tantric Lover CD.

This line up didn’t last, and Rick and Arthur put a new band together with multi instrumentalist Nick Pynn, Straight away they started doing more and more festivals and international tours, then the big break came in 2002 when Arthur was asked to support Robert Plant on his Dreamland Tour, by now Rick had been replaced by Chris Bryant.

Arthur was getting much more media exposure now as well as playing many gigs all over the world, mostly with his 'Giant Pocket Orchestra' but also with new band Instant Flight, who perform in the exact self same style as the original band in the 60s.

Arthur has released 25 albums, and 2 new albums are due out soon.

Brown reunited the surviving members of Kingdom Come (except Des Fisher) in 2005, for a one-off concert at The Astoria in London, performing material from Kingdom Come's album Galactic Zoo Dossier, with an encore of "Spirit Of Joy". This show won Arthur the Showman Of The Year award from Classic Rock Magazine. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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@ The God of Hellfire
A British war baby - Arthur's birth and first moments were a mercurial foretaste of a life to come - born literally as the German bombs were falling on the quiet English seaside town of Whitby. Arthur's mother was terrified by the sound of the sirens.

Moments after his birth, as the keening whine of the sirens was heard by his exhausted mother, she literally threw herself from the high old hospital bed, clutching her new baby and rolled underneath for protection. Fifteen minutes later the doctor, looking in on his rounds, pulled the frightened mother from the floor - "Don't worry, Mrs. Brown, it was only the army diesel taxis parking in the garages outside". Arthur's mother was distraught, but the doctor cut her short - "Thank God you did believe there was a raid, the fall from the bed has dislodged the placenta which must have been stuck in your womb, if it hadn't been removed you could have been dead by morning - your son has saved your life!"

Within a year the young Mr. B. "had risen from the dead" - in yet another major air raid the entire Wilton (his mother's maiden name) family had taken refuge in the basement of the family hotel high on the cliffs above the town - in a spate of extreme bombardment the whole building was razed to the ground. The local paper carried a headline the next day - "Entire Wilton Family Lost in German Air Raid" - two hours after the paper hit the street Arthur's grandfather dug his way out and walked into town. Was Arthur's infant resurrection a foretaste of things to come?

School and early years were constantly upset by the war and the ensuing insecurity. The only interlude of note being the short poem written by the young Arthur - "Fire Poem" which eventually became the first track on his famous "Fire" album. His father had a string of jobs and the family moved around a lot, eventually settling in Leeds after a spell in Cardiff. The young Arthur was a good student, eventually securing a university place where he elected to study law. Kings College London held fascinations and mysteries for any young man, but for the unusual and unconventional, it was a haven. Arthur was spiritually absolutely at home. Clearly with term grades showing an average of 5% (some 55% short of the required mark) something was causing a distraction - Arthur had discovered The Chelsea Set, Bohemian London and Jazz. The Law was no longer a major influence - and Arthur was OUT. No problem - by the following year he had a place at Reading University to study philosophy and follow his true calling, music.

At Reading Arthur was asked to make a demo "flexi-disc" with a local band, the exotically named "Black Diamonds" - Why not? So he duly appeared at Marquee Studios and was produced by The Yardbirds' Paul Samwell-Smith. Predictably nothing happened with the recording. A few weeks later he was approached by his first real band - a fledgling Mod (well ahead of their time in 1964!) outfit from Fulham called SW5.

Within a few weeks they were "The Arthur Brown Union", resident at the attractively named "Plughole Club" in London's Tottenham Court Road, where they caught the eye of a visiting record company executive from The US division of Polydor Records - Clair Francis. She dragged them into various studios to make an album of Soul and R&B standards. Time passed and Polydor decided not to release the record - setting a pattern with Polydor which exists to this day!

Shortly after a telegram from the "Union" informed Arthur that he was sacked. Despairing of his career, Arthur set about the music companies in London armed only with the now ancient "Black Diamonds" flexi-disc - no takers. Drowning his sorrows in the famous "Kilt" discotheque before returning to college Arthur felt a hand on his arm - "Arthur, how would you like to start a Rock Empire in Paris, old boy?" These words, spoken by Philip Woods, the man who had just recorded the "Moody Blues" No 1 hit and who, co-incidentally had been the engineer on the fabled "Diamonds" flexidisc - were all that Arthur needed.

Ten days later he was on the ferry to France - before that week was out he was the toast of Paris.

1965/66 - During his first week in Paris Arthur was featured on French National TV and the club where he worked became, overnight, the epicentre of the French music scene. His stage act was the wildest and most excessive ever seen, even in the exotic setting of the Parisian night life. His music, romances and excesses were the stuff of legend and he was the darling of the city. Within a few weeks he was spotted by The Baronesse de Lichy, Roger Vadim, Jane Fonda, President George Pompidou. And he played for the President, provided the music for a cult Vadim film with Jane Fonda - "La Curee" and was feted by all Paris society. This explosion of activity was short-lived - the English Music Scene was alerted and arrived in Paris only to find Arthur gone. His success had upset the local Mafia, whose strip and sex clubs had been eclipsed by the mass of youth flocking to his Montmartre Kingdom, and Arthur had been unceremoniously removed to a rival club in the North of the city. The club's owner was a beautiful and amorous recently-widowed mob wife whose exploits were dark and various. During the next few months Arthur was moved from club to club and from country to country, generally one step ahead of the law, the police and the music business. Eventually when he was finally tracked down, his last gig had been burned to the ground by the band (who were by now unpaid for a year) and the mysterious patroness had been extradited by the Paris Police to answer charges of white slavery and drug running. During the short year since leaving England Arthur had been the single most successful Rock Artist in France, had incited the beginnings of the Paris Student Riot scene, had performed for the students - shoulder to shoulder with the aristocracy - and had become embroiled in very heavy and dangerous high-level international crime and intrigue. His drinking was legendary throughout the city although his drug intake was still under control. Quite an interesting year.

Back to England in 1966 and Arthur is ensconced in a Bohemian flat in Kensington - Vincent Crane is rehearsing upstairs and the embryonic "Crazy World of Arthur Brown" is born. After advertising for a drummer they meet Drachen Theaker who is returning from being too late for an audition with Jimi Hendrix. Mitch Mitchell gets the Hendrix gig and Drachen joins Arthur.

The band start gigging as "The Crazy World" with Arthur developing his excessive and groundbreaking stage act on the basis of the insane antics of his Paris persona. The act becomes so extreme that gigs are hard to find - but after being seen at the Rock "watering hole" The Speakeasy by Hendrix and Jagger, a cult following develops. Gigs at Joe Boyd's psychedelic lynchpin - The UFO Club - follow and Arthur develops his "Hippy Anthem" "Give Him A Flower". By the start of 1967 "The Crazy World of Arthur Brown" is the underground focus of the psychedelic movement and the frontrunner in the newly developing Progressive Rock movement. Arthur is courted daily by the movers and shakers of the new Rock and Roll movement - Bryan Morrison (manager of The Pink Floyd and the newly psychedelic "Pretty Things"), Robert Stigwood, and Chas Chandler (Jimi Hendrix manager). The Beatles and The Stones are fans, Pete Townshend gives Arthur use of his Soho flat. Everyone wants to sign Arthur as a solo artist, but he won't leave the band.

Early in 1967 the notorious managers of The Who - Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp (brother of actor Terence) who also own Track Records, the home of Jimi Hendrix - sign Arthur to a management, agency and recording deal backed by Dutch giant, Polydor Records. In '67 the first record - "Devil's Grip" is released, but flops after a bizarre vinyl shortage at the Polydor factory. Undeterred, Lambert and Stamp send Arthur on his first US tour and by May Arthur is playing with The Doors, Jefferson Airplane and Frank Zappa. The tour is a huge success and a European tour follows. Upon their return they are ensconced in the cream of London's Independent Studios recording the first album. During this period Lambert is very, very "out of it" and the band contact Cream and Bee Goes impresario, Robert Stigwood for help. Stigwood mounts a manoeuvre to get involved with the band and the recording, but a paranoid Lambert rebuffs the proposed involvement and Arthur is soon back in the bosom of Lambert & Stamp alone. By Christmas, after some orchestration is added (without the band's knowlege) the album is finished - Lambert is exhausted, his two week mixing session unheard of at that time. The project gives all concerned a different perspective - Lambert is quoted in The Times saying "(with Arthur) what we wanted was a hip Elvis Presley - what we got was a Pop Lenny Bruce"

Early in 1968 the band are back in the USA where they have now achieved legendary status with public and their peers alike. One week into the tour the band hear the album for the first time, complete with the orchestration - they freak out! But within weeks the single "Fire" is No. 1 in the UK and the USA and throughout most of Europe. The album is Top Ten all over the world. The tour becomes even more massive and the promise is "champagne all the way" - the reality is a little different, the band get no money for their work and have to this day never received a penny in royalties for the record! Nevertheless, they complete the tour with the cream of 68's US rock supporting them - Janis, Iron Butterfly, Blue Cheer, Zappa, and expatriate Brits, Ten Years After, and Ginger Baker.

By summer the pressure is beginning to take its toll. Drummer Drachen Theaker is getting more and more out of hand and organist Vincent Crane's history of mental problems have re-asserted themselves. Drachen is sacked and Vincent is sectioned. Before Vincent is "sent away" Jimi Hendrix contacts Arthur with a view to forming a new band (it would eventually become "Band of Gypsies") incorporating Arthur on vocals, Vincent on keyboards, Jimi, Mitch Mitchell and an unknown bass player. It doesn't happen as a result of Arthur's commitments and Vincent's failing health - we'll never know what that band could have sounded like... what a loss.

Anyway it didn't happen, and ultimately Vincent was too ill to continue at all...

So now Arthur is stranded in Midtown USA with no band, no money and a pair of "missing" managers; oh, and a worldwide No. 1 album and single. He is penniless and is forced to borrow money from fabled New York Times jazz critic Ralph Gleason and promoter Bill Graham to return home. At this stage the album and single have probably sold in excess of 5 million units in the previous three months. By now his totally uninhibited live appearances and screaming vocal style have begun to influence a generation of early 1970's rock musicians. Arthur is the source of the principal inspiration for the "First Wave" of Heavy Metal rockers - Sabbath, Widow, Purple, etc - all documented as regarding Arthur as their fundamental influence - Oh God Arthur, what have you done now?

Back in England an uneasy truce is made with a penitent Lambert and Stamp. Carl Palmer is drafted in to replace Theaker and shortly Crane is able to return to his duties after a "cure". After a short rehearsal the new line-up is out for US tour No. 3. The tour is arduous - dates everywhere and again alongside the cream of the rock world, the Grateful Dead, Hendrix, Premier Cast of Hair, etc. etc. The gruelling schedule, the erratic behaviour of Lambert and Stamp and the failure of anyone to pay him has irretrievably dented Arthur's confidence. He wants out of the management deal, so the band informally leave their managers and look for new representation. The schedule and their own internal demons conspire to confound them however, and by the autumn both Crane and Palmer have left and returned to the UK to form their own band - "Atomic Rooster". Arthur finishes the US tour alone and returns to the UK to work with the wayward Drachen on a new album in Puddletown deep in Dorset. A tour of France follows with the mercurial Giorgio Gomelsky attempting to manage the band.

The tour is predictably stricken with unwanted notoriety. As a result of Arthur removing all of his clothes in a gesture of solidarity with the Parisian Student Revolt, the French Communist Party (who have unwisely sponsored the tour) lose valuable seats in the French House of Representation. The band retreat in haste to the UK - Gomelsky (an expatriate communist Russian Jew) disappears totally and the "Puddletown" album is shelved as a result of mounting pressure from Lambert and Stamp. The situation is intolerable, so eventually, on one-sided and incredibly onerous terms, the unrepresented Arthur signs a document which releases him from the deal with Lambert and Stamp (unbeknownst to Arthur they continue to get all the money from the "Fire" album and chunks of his publishing income to this day!).

In 1971 Polydor Records in Germany want to sign Arthur to a new deal and thus a new band - "Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come" is born. Three highly challenging and inventive albums are recorded by Kingdom Come - chronologically "Galactic Zoo Dossier", "Kingdom Come", and "Journey". The band tour endlessly with a wild act incorporating electronics, rock, synthesisers and predominantly, theatrics supporting even Duke Ellington on one bizarre night. Their influence gives inspiration to artists as diverse as Alice Cooper and Genesis. They are the first band ever to use the drum machine as a live and recorded instrument, pre-dating dance and sequence music by 15 years. Way ahead of their time, by late 1973, Kingdom Come is dead.

Throughout 1974 - Arthur, always a seeker of the truth, chooses meditation and spiritual enlightenment as a path, guided by The Gurdjieff Way. He moves away from London and music and lives simply in the heart of rural Gloucestershire with others following "the way" alongside neighbour Stevie Winwood and many disillusioned rock stars and celebrities. He weakens only once, encouraged by Laurence Olivier's chauffeur to pop out for a non-spiritual "quick fag" and do the film of "Tommy" with Ken Russel, Eric Clapton, The Who, Tina Turner, Elton John and Oliver Reed.

After his year's spiritual sabbatical, Arthur returns refreshed to London and makes a deal with David Howells of Gull Records (Howells incidentally became the man responsible for the PWL/Kylie Soap Pop explosion of the 1980's - bizarre!). Arthur records a new album for Gull - "Dance - With Arthur Brown". This is a hugely acclaimed record critically, but Gull's resources are less than ample and the record is not a huge success. During the same year however, Arthur records "The Telltale Heart" for The Alan Parsons Project and the record is a multi-million selling epic worldwide. During this period Arthur, as eclectic as ever, works on separate projects with Robert Calvert of Hawkwind ("Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters" album) and tame lunatic Vivian Stanshall (a marriage made in heaven). Although Arthur has no management or agency, Gull have placed the album with Tamla Motown in the USA. The album and single get great radio airplay, requiring Arthur to go to the US and tour, the record enters the National Radio Playlist Chart and just as it looks as though Arthur is to get a bizarre US R&B crossover hit - Gull pull all of their acts off Tamla Motown after a dispute. The album disappears and Arthur goes to Israel to play on the frontline for wounded troops. This leads, via his established spiritual path, to discovering a talent for musical spiritual healing. Alongside his musical career he develops this and continues to this day.

In 1976 Arthur marries and has a son. Whilst living in a Sufi establishment in Scotland he compiles a second album for Gull - "The Lost Ears" a compilation of the "Kingdom Come" and unreleased "Puddletown Express" material. Having established his domestic position, Arthur is recording again in 1977 - a new album "Chisolm In My Bosom" is released. The album is 50% arranged songs and 50% totally live improvisation - not unsurprisingly, it bombs in a big way. Disappointed, Arthur moves into a hut (!) in Bermondsey (all he can afford) and by the summer has moved on again, this time to Burundi in Africa, where he becomes a teacher of music and history.

You can't keep a good man down... In 1978 Arthur returns to Europe to work with pioneering German synthesiser and electronics giant Klaus Schultz. They record three massively successful European albums - "Dune", "Dyemagic" and "Live" - and tour extensively over 40 days throughout the huge arenas of Western Europe. These albums and the tour receive huge critical acclaim and give rise to German hit records. Arthur is now a fully established mainstay of the European electronic music scene - predating the huge British electro-pop explosion of "The Human League" "Depeche Mode" and Gary Numan by years.

With this acclaim secured, Arthur predictably decides upon a full 180° change of direction and returns to the UK to record a new album with his erstwhile colleague, Vincent Crane. The album, "Faster Than The Speed of Light", is the best kept secret of the decade and sinks without trace.

Even Arthur has had enough by now and decides to move to the US with his American wife. The start of the 1980's sees Arthur living in Austin, Texas and taking care of family matters. Not long after establishing home in Austin, contact is made with Peter Gabriel and discussions are afoot for Arthur to record a new album at his Real World studios using his (Gabriel's) band. Eventually Arthur declines - smart move, Arthur, as shortly after Gabriel has his biggest solo hit - "Sledgehammer". As a footnote to this, it is interesting to learn that a few years before, when Arthur had just returned from Africa, he was approached by Peter Gabriel who was showing interest in African and "world" music. Arthur suggests that Gabriel visited Africa and in due course went to Senegal where he connected with Youssou n'Dour and the rest, as they say, is history.

During 1981 Arthur records an album with "Blondie" producer Craig Leon, who was involved in the aborted Gabriel project. The album "Speak No Tech" is reviewed in glowing terms throughout the USA, but is on a tiny record label and, frankly, Arthur's interest is almost academic by this time. The following year Arthur records another album, "Requiem", for small Texas label Republic Records. This album isn't really released, it just escapes and even now, very few people know of its existence. This doesn't worry Arthur who by now is ensconced in his multi-path way of life and is concerned with quality, not quantity. His family and private life are really the focus for Arthur at this time and he is happy in his sphere of influence with friends and associates centred around the enlightened "spiritual capital"of Texas that Austin represents.

During the mid 1980s Arthur forms a lunatic "ragbag" Texas-based "Crazy World of Arthur Brown". He is coincidentally running a successful house painting and decoration company with Jimmy Carl Black, the foul-mouthed but well-meaning "Mothers of Invention" drummer. In a moment off work they record a crazed Texas psycho R&B album together - "Brown, Black and Blue" - as usual the reviews are great and the sales are shit. No problem, let's paint another house...

Late in the 1980's Arthur is back in school to study for his Masters Degree in Counselling. He graduates in 1988 and immediately heads for Mexico for further esoteric education with a desert Shamen, where he learns yet further methods of healing with music.

The start of the following year is blighted by the sad news of the death of his old friend and most productive musical partner, Vincent Crane, who has taken his own life on the 14th February in that year. Vincent's life was blighted by mental illness and personal demons and he is sorely missed by his loving wife Jean. Arthur flies back to the UK and sings at Vincent's funeral. It is a sad affair and one of "The Crazy World" is now gone.

Life goes on in Texas and in 1991 Arthur is admitted into The Church of Universal Life as a fully fledged Minister. This sounds pretty impressive, but when you learn that other "ministers" include Cary Grant and James Mason, I think you'll begin to get the picture. Nevertheless, should you wish it, you can be legally married, christened or buried by our hero.

A contemporary headline in the National US magazine "People" reads - "from God of Hellfire to Singing Shrink"...

Life is getting a little complex by now, Arthur's marriage is rocky and mainstream "ordinary" life is taking its toll on the pleasantly "unconventional" Arthur. This year has another shock for Arthur - his remaining partner in "The Crazy World", Drachen Theaker, dies suddenly of a brain tumour. Dracken was always a little shaky health-wise (having been born with two sets of ears) but his death is sad and leaves Arthur alone as the only remaining member of the band. And then there was one. Eventually 1992 is redeemed by a Christmas album of Austin artists with Willy Nelson - another well-kept secret but a lighter end to the year.

In 1993 Arthur takes a big step and decides to tour the UK with his US band - his first UK visit for many years. The tour is a huge success, but his long-standing marriage breaks up upon his return. More focussed, Arthur returns in 1994 to really attack the European market. Things are going well until during the high point of the act he hits the high scream in "Fire" and passes out. He has suffered a massive brain haemmorage and is lucky to be alive; he has to take 6 months convalescense in a UK hospital. Given the fate of his two original partners in "The Crazy World" perhaps this should have been the end for Arthur, but somehow he is restored to (pretty much) full health and returns to Texas in 1995 to "settle his affairs". Nevertheless, it proves a cathartic experience.

In June of the same year, Arthur is asked to perform at the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg in Russia before some 300,000 people. The Festival is televised live to more than 10 million people throughout all of the Russias. Arthur's performance, entirely unaccompanied, is the spiritual and artistic high point of the show leading to impassioned reviews from the Russian press. Other performers, Joe Cocker, Terence Trent D'Arby and Sheryl Crow are hardly mentioned. There is something kindred to the passionate and imprisoned Russian spirit which is clearly visible in Arthur's music and presentation. He returns home a hero in Russia, where his name is still the stuff of legends. Later that same year he undertakes a "low-key" UK tour in order to test his health and stamina in a full touring environment. He is seen by well-known manager Ian Grant (Big Country/The Stranglers/The Cult) who persuades him to return to the UK full time.

Arthur returns in 1996 to re-launch his career and to see justice done in respect of his years of missing royalties from the "Fire" recordings and album. Although things don't work out with Ian, Arthur issues a massive lawsuit against Polydor Records for the unpaid millions and losses and damages. The case continues to this day. It is reported in the Financial Times, Punch and The News of the World. After his false start (including a bizarre re-recording of "Fire" with "The Stranglers", produced by Alan Parsons, which was never released) he is rehearsing and prepares a new act to return to the major spotlight in 1998.

On Sunday September 6th 1998 at Abbey Road Studios, Arthur takes the role of Narrator in the first ever world-wide Live Internet Global Broadcast of the milestone psychedelic album "S.F. Sorrow" by "The Pretty Things". Performing alongside "The Pretty Things" and Dave Gilmour of "The Pink Floyd", Arthur's contribution as the Narrator is astonishing and re-establishes him overnight within the UK industry.

Now, it looks as though we may finally see Arthur Brown fulfill the immense potential that he has been displaying since that first explosion of bravado, sexuality and charisma that captivated Paris more than thirty years ago.

Ladies and gentlemen, you are lucky to be witness to the Second Coming of the First Child of The Revolution. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Crazy world of arthur brown - fire

Arthur Brown @ You Tube

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Arthur Brown

@ Gorge Starostin's Review
Arthur Brown is usually regarded as a flash-in-the-pan one-hit wonder, one of the most typical symbols of the swingin' London eccentricity around the times of Flower Power. It's not surprising: for a brief moment in late 1967/early 1968 the man was really big, and in a way, he managed to achieve public notoriety such as Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd (with whom he was very tightly artistically connected) could only hope to achieve, with a big hit under his belt ('Fire') and his debut album, or, to be more exact, the debut album for his band, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, selling pretty well. However, I guess that the main attention at that time was usually paid to Brown the image-maker rather than Brown the music-maker - his proto-glam theatrical shows, with his bizarre robes, helmets, fire plays and face paint, got him the most publicity, and as a result, with the swingin' Sixties over, he found himself cynically discarded as nothing but a nostalgic reminder of that epoch. Since early 1968, Brown has made at least about a dozen albums, working in other bands or as a solo artist, yet it's hard to imagine a less commercially successful art-rocker - none of them ever grated even the lower sections of the charts, and you'd be hard pressed to find enough info on them even at all-encompassing sites such as the All-Music Guide (whose "biography" of Arthur, sure enough, concentrates on the Sixties period and pretty much ignores everything that came afterwards). That's a doggone shame, because Arthur Brown, when assessed as a long-term artist, is certainly much more than just 'The God Of Hellfire'. He's one of the rare breed of artsy gentlemen who can, all through their career, actually combine serious pretentions and complexity with general melodic accessibility, not to mention a solid sense of humour. Brown actually started out in the early Sixties as a white R'n'B crooner, and his love for classic R'n'B, soul, and blues permeates his entire career, starting from the second side of Crazy World Of Arthur Brown and ending with the lovable "educational" covers album he recorded with Jimmy Carl Black more than twenty years later. At the same time, Brown is an avid experimentalist. In the late Sixties, this experimental side would be reflected in his fierce psychedelic recordings and his arrogant scenic image. Later on, he became obsessed with electronics, and while not everybody knows it, he was actually one of the pioneers of the movement, relying heavily on atmospheric grumpy Krautrockish synthesizers and primitive drum machines from as early as the beginning of the Seventies. He then proceeded to work with Electronics Maestro Klaus Schulze on several of his projects, and his hard-to-find early Eighties albums, whether you like 'em or not, certainly sound like nothing else recorded at the time. And again, at the same time there's always a sensitive and tradition-based side to Arthur - as reflected on his pretty 'normal' 1975 album Dance, for instance, or on the already mentioned collaboration with Jimmy Carl Black. He's definitely got one of the better voices in the business; not too strong, but always expressive and soulful, and while some may disagree, I think he's one of the more credible R'n'B interpreters among the white population. So, both sides combined, Arthur Brown is definitely a unique figure, and well worth getting to know - that is, if you can find at least something by the man. I do notice, though, that Arthur tends to polarize people: just about any reactions to the man I've ever seen could be categorized as either complete adoration or absolute disgust. If pressed to choose, I'd select "adoration" as my answer, but, of course, Arthur does have his limits. For one thing, he's easily the most, or one of the most, pretentious artists on Earth, never coming shy of constructing some other mind-boggling universalist we-see-it-all conceptual album, and in those cases where the pretentions aren't immediately dissolved by a healthy injection of some hilarious tongue-in-cheek comment, this can be pretty bad. He isn't much of a composer, either: my suspicion is that for actual melodic ideas, he's been always heavily dependent on his collaborators (such as Vincent Crane in The Crazy World, for instance), and that his main talent lies in his role as overall "director" of the projects he's been involved in, as well as lyrics interpreter. But whatever you think of the guy, there's nobody in rock music sounding exactly like him, and that's to be accounted for. I have yet to hear an Arthur Brown album I could call "generic" or "thoroughly uninteresting", whatever my exact reaction might be. If you ask me, it's high time somebody made an effort to actually reinstate the man and give him his due - even if Arthur has been partially guilty of it himself, seemingly losing any interest in self-promotion since the days of The Crazy World (thus, his early Eighties albums were pressed in extremely small numbers, like a thousand copies or something). I don't rate him too high (high 2, low 3, something like that), but he's been pretty doggone consistent, and you'll definitely meet more praise on this page than, uh, otherwise, so let this be my lil' heartfelt tribute to the long-forgotten God of Hellfire. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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