photo: Harvey Waller
To call English musician Arthur Brown a one-hit wonder legend would be selling him short. He single-handedly invented shock rock in 1968 with the classic Fire as the frontman of The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown. It became a huge hit, a cornerstone song that laid the foundation for hard rock. He never troubled the charts in such a way after that, but his legacy far supersedes his sales. For his 80th birthday, he teamed up with Rik Patten, who played all the instruments besides Brown's guitar and piano.
Long Long Road has all the trappings of his past, mixing the blues and psychedelic rock with plenty of references to misfortune, seduction, femmes fatales and mind expanding tidbits. His voice not quite reaching the banshee heights of yesteryear, but the power is still there. The title track is both a summation of his career and a window to his future. The self-proclaimed God of Hell Fire stills burns bright, especially in two parts of the bittersweet Once I Had Illusions. He will keep creating until his dying breath, but ailments are slowing him down, which both worries him and pisses him off. Fingers crossed that this not his last hurrah, but if it is, it sure is a damn fine one.
Long Long Road is released via Magnetic Eye Records (CD, vinyl, digital).
Tracks:- Gas Tanks
- Coffin Confession
- Going Down
- Once I Had Illusions (Part 1)
- I Like Games
- Shining Brightness
- The Blues and Messing Round
- Long Long Road
- Once I Had Illusions (Part 2)
