Arthur Brown

Fire

It seems fitting since I have been home bound for 3 days due to hazardous air. I live in Oregon and over 2 million acres have burned. The air was the worst in the world yesterday. Arthur Brown’s song “Fire” felt appropriate at this moment.

Arthur was born in Britain in 1942. He is well known for his wild theatrics and has supported legendary performers including Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, Joe Cocker and Frank Zappa.

His song “Fire” was released in 1968 from the album “The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.” The album was produced by The Who’s manager Kit Lambert and my hero Pete Townshend! The UK label Track had released it first, with Atlantic Records releasing the album 3 months later in the US. “Fire” was a psychedelic hit reaching #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The band embarked on their first American tour supporting The Doors, Frank Zappa and MC5.

Personnel

• Arthur Brown – vocals

• Vincent Crane – Hammond organ, piano, vibes, musical arrangements and orchestration

• Nick Greenwood (billed as “Sean Nicholas”) – bass guitar

• Drachen Theaker – drums

• John Marshall – drums (on “I Put a Spell on You” and “Child of My Kingdom”)^[6]

Additional personnel

• Pete Townshend – associate producer

• Kit Lambert – producer

• David King – cover design

• David Montgomery – photography

• Ed Strait – compilation producer

Photo: Chris Morphet (Getty/Redfern)

---

Arthur is still actively touring, click the image below for merch and tour dates.

---

Tile Photo: Ron Howard

---