The Crazy World of Arthur Brown is the eponymous debut studio album by the English psychedelic rock band the Crazy World of Arthur Brown. The album was produced by the Who’s manager Kit Lambert with associate production by Pete Townshend. The album was released in June 1968 on Lambert’s Track Records label in the UK, with North American distribution handled by Atlantic Records. The album peaked at No. 7 on Billboard’s Pop Albums chart, No. 2 on the UK charts, and No. 6 in Canada. The album’s first single, “Fire”, was a global success, reaching No. 1 in the UK in August 1968, No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in North America in October 1968, No. 1 in Canada also in October, and No. 19 in Australia again in October.(More from Wikipedia)
Even in the context of the late 1960’s, King Crimson’s debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King seemed to come out of nowhere, even after other bizarro albums had already come along (both of which are excellent by the way): the 1968 debut Gris-Gris by Dr. John the Night Tripper (the stage name of premier New Orleans pianist Mac Rebennack, and later shortened to Dr. John), which features voodoo rhythms and chants; and, in the same year, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, which spawned the hit single “Fire”. In the Court of the Crimson King featured powerful music and dense lyrics, particularly on the title song, “In the Court of the Crimson King” and “21st Century Schizoid Man”, interspersed with quieter songs like “I Talk to the Wind” and an extended free-form jazzy interlude on “Moonchild”. I have already discussed this album at length on an earlier post about another UARB, Trillion.
