Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A 'must' if you like Arthur Brown!, 19 Dec 2003
Arthur Brown has released around twenty albums in a career that has - so far - lasted over 35 years and is currently going stronger than ever. In addition there is a great deal of unreleased material, as well as singles, collaborations and so on. Whilst many of his major releases are more readily available today than ever before, the bulk of his recorded output is generally inaccessible, even to his keenest fans.It is clearly impossible to compile a 'retrospective' release without losing most of his work. And the task is especially challenging because most of his albums are of the 'concept' variety: in general, they all have a theme, though such themes may well be very hard indeed to uncover. As well as losing some of their meaning, the danger of plucking odd tracks from here and there is that they often don't work quite as well, in isolation, as they do within the framework of an album. The selection of material on this double CD is, as I understand the situation, Arthur's. So how has he approached the task? Several of his 'classic' tracks are there, as the previous reviewer has rightly noted, but Brown has put considerable emphasis upon quite a lot of the rarer material, which most of his fans don't have, can't get, or know nothing about. As a result, this isn't necessarily the 'best' of Arthur Brown, but rather is a very valuable broad picture, and is absolutely vital to anyone who's interested in this highly influential and remarkably creative individual. If you only want one Arthur Brown album, it has to be the classic 1968 'Crazy World' one, and not this one. But if you want to progress from there, I'd say buy this one and also his 'Galactic Zoo Dossier', which is now re-released on CD. And then take it from there!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth the wait, 8 Jul 2003
Arthur Brown is best known for his one hit single "Fire", released in 1968 it was a milestone of Psychedelic music. Taken from the classic album the Crazy World of Arthur Brown it has subsequently been sampled by the Prodigy and used on a number of advertisements. This double CD provides over two hours of music several tracks from the Crazy World Album including a splendid cover of the Screamin' Jay Hawkins classic "I put a spell on you" which shows the strength of Arthur's voice. A number of tracks from his era with the underrated Kingdom Come. Listen to the weird experimentation of "Creep/Creation" which then blends seamlessly with the sublime "Sunrise" both taken from the Galactic Zoo Dossier (1970). Pre dating Kraftwerk "Time Captains" provides a slice of proto electro trance. The list goes on, solo work, compilations with Jimmy Carl Black, Frank Zappas former guitaritst and Bob Calvert formerly with Hawkwind. Arthur is currently touring with Hawkwind and the compilation features a live recording of him singing the classic "Silver Machine" with the band. With copious liner notes this CD is a must for fans or anyone who has an interest in this unsung hero of British rock music.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Does NOT do justice to Arthur Brown...., 5 Sep 2008
Arthur Brown? Who is Arthur Brown...? Ahh yes, that guy that did "Fire" decades ago. This is the common answer when you ask people who Arthur Brown is. But there is more than meets the ear. Arthur Brown is a very talented singer, his soul voice is remarkable. Since "Fire" he made more then a dozen records, some good, some not. Come on, whom we're kidding? Arthur did make some terrible crap in his career. That is a fact. Some in collaboration with other musicians, some solo.
Then this record came. Entitled "The Story of Arthur Brown". Implying that this must be the ultimate record for all Brown enthusiasts to buy. It is not. This record is a total disgrace and does not do justice to Arthur's talent. If you want to know what Arthur is capable of then try to find the "Kingdom Come" trilogy and "Faster than the speed of light" with Vincent Crane.
Do not buy this album. It will leave the not-so-die-hard-fans irritated and confused as it contains some of the rather worst songs Arthur ever did with only a few of his more successfull songs. It is rather a very crappy compilation. You might miss better and worthy songs like "Helen with the Sun", "Dance", "Cromatic Alley", "Welcome", "Pale Stars", "Swimfish", "Desert Floor", "Time Captains", "Faster than the Speed of Light" even the weird "Santa put a spell on me". To name a few. All much better than this experimental compilation.
I wish there was an option to give zero stars but unfortunately there isn't. You can find "Fire" on every other rock compilation out there. Hell, on "Tantric Lover" Arthur did a re-make of "Fire" in 2000. Even that could have been included instead of the terrible Krupps Remix. So, who is there left to buy this record? The die hard fan is certainly not interested. The regular guy in the street who only knows "Fire" get's scared away from this one. The average Arthur Brown listener too. A worthless attempt to lure your money out of your pocket. Believe me.
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