Arthur is my father. He has continued to perform and record since. He toured with The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and all the other bands of the time, playing gigs in Europe and America, with everyone. He received the Rock Legend award last month at a ceremony in London.
I’ve followed the great Arthur Brown for fifty-three years, seen him many times performing with many projects and have met him many times. He is one of loveliest people you could hope to meet. He always takes time to talk to fans after a show (when he must be exhausted) and there is not an ounce of cynicism in him. I’m so looking forward to the film of his career when it is finished. Many who have met him love him to bits. This was great television when it came out and still stands up today. My dad didn’t appreciate it as much as I did 🤣
An interesting side-note: he lived in Texas for a while in the mid-80s and shared a house painting business with Jimmy Carl Black, the first drummer of the Mothers of Invention. "I charge extra for setting my hair on fire," he quipped in an interview.
It's true Harri Alice Cooper said in an interview that when he saw Arthur Brown, he was shocked, it inspired him, in 1968, seeing a man with fire on his head was something new, not ordinary, non-standard! There's something about it.
I was _born_ in '68, but I distinctly remember hearing this as a very early childhood memory, so it must have been performed and been popular for several years after. I don't remember the visuals, but anyway it could have been from radio, (b&w) tv, or one of my two older brothers' record collections. Certainly an impressive piece. I think I must have fancied it back then, and of course I think it is a great classic today.
Arthur is still performing. I saw him in 2019, he was a special guest on the Royal Affair Tour (Yes, Asia, John Lodge of The Moody Blues and Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy). He performed this song with Carl on the drums. He was wearing makeup and and crazy headress.
Arthur Brown is his name. I just watched the video again before I came here. I had the grand fortune of wandering into a night club in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1968 and got to watch his show, really up close and personal. I think he touched me, mentally, not physically.
Whren I was a kid, about 13 years old, a girl invited me to a dance at her church. We were not church people. I had this on a 45 rpm single and brought it to be played at the dance. Only the opening line got played, then a church lady (Dana Carvey?) quickly took the record off the record player. I was never invited to a church dance again. lol. Peace.
Times changed quick back then. I was in high school during the 70's and we had dances at this Catholic Schools gym (I went to public school - it was open to any teen). Anyway, the band that would play every month was called Lucifer and they dressed like KISS. No one made a big deal about it. --- Sorry, just noticed your post is 2 yrs. old. Hope all is well.
Not only did he influence Alice Cooper with the make up,Kiss as well. Like one of the other comments read, you have to listen to the whole album. Arthur Brown's version of Screamin' Jay Hawkins is sublime( by the way,Screamin' Jay Hawkins was another cool cat that was out there and did it almost 10 years before Brown). Arthur Brown has one of the best falsetto voices i've ever heard and doesn't get the credit for it. And most incredible of all, he's alive and still kicking today!!
The whole album is worth a listen. It stands as probably one of those one of a kind albums that will never be repeat, like Trout Mask Replica, or Piper at the Gates of Dawn. He also has a couple of great covers: I Put a Spell on You, and a James Brown tune.
Arthur and Alice did indeed meet several times over the years and performed together. I like his albums a lot and seen him several times as I was soundengineer working with him. Great voice as a narrator. And one of the most gentle giants I ever met
Age 67 here and I vividly remember hearing this a lot on my little transistor radio. Contrary to adult opinion at the time this song did not turn me into a monster. Lol.
Arthur Brown made a short visit into the rock world with this hit. It had influences into rock music for decades. Actually he is more into philosohy art performance etc. A deep man! So much happened those years when Beatles quit, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa ... and Arthur Brown etc etc put new influences into music. Flower Power. The first synths. Prog. Viet Nam war etc. Other has mentioned Napoleon XIV and Edwin Starr. Odd music but with influence on other music for long. I was lucky to be in my teens when all this happened!
That's got to be one of the first rock music videos. I heard this song 100 years ago and I forgot all about it till now. I didn't even know they had a video out because they didn't make music videos back then. This song is fire
As soon as I saw this I thought OMG does Harri know what he is letting himself in for? . It WAS a big hit at the time . I do not think I will be choosing this as my funeral song any time soon lol
I knew a guy in '68 whose motorcycle blew up under him. He was severely burned, in a coma, and in intensive care. He woke from the coma screaming because someone was playing this song. He credited this song for snapping him back and reinforcing his will to live.
As soon as I saw the notification I knew what song it was. I was just finishing high school when this came out and the Vietnam war was in full swing and napalm was being used heavily. I won't say that this is the reason for this song but it's what I thought of when I heard it. Plus the music and vocals fit the song perfectly. It's unnerving, just like war.
I was 13 at the time and clearly remember seeing this on TV and it has stuck in my head ever since. I just remember being absolutely dumbfounded. Aside from Jimi Hendrix and a few others, acts just had cute matching outfits and equally cute little songs. This was a whole different thing. It was so cool to see Alice Cooper (you can find this on UA-cam) bring Arthur out to do an encore performance flaming headpiece & all in 2011 & again in 2017.
I was 11 when this came out and it was one of my favourite songs of the time. The flaming helmet was made by Arthur Brown himself and had no insulation on the bolt which held the fire bowl in place so the red hot piece of metal would press into the top of his head. Stories of Arthur are legion. At one festival he played after dark and was lowered towards the stage by a crane. Unfortunately, he was left hanging in mid-air beneath the proscenium arch which his helmet set on fire. The guy has almost died a number of times but is still recording and performing. Two notable members of the band were Vincent Crane on the Hammond who formed Atomic Rooster and Carl Palmer, letter of ELP.
Hi Paul, Arthur is my father, and I have the original fire helmet. It had sat on Arthur's brother's Porch for 20 years, covered in ivy, before he gave it to me.
@@senorleloup You can't imagine how amazed I am to hear from you, somehow I never thought of Arthur as having children or a family at all, he just seemed a one-off, a wild man who would never even bother about things like that. I remember that 45 years ago or so he appeared at a bar in the Freemasons' Hall or Temple or whatever they have. I never got to see him there but it had a bio of him and reading it you thought that not only should he have been dead, he should have been dead ten times over with all of the things that had happened to him. But what a fascinating souvenir you have there. I bet you're not crazy enough to try out your father's engineering skills!
@@pauldover1403 2+ years since this was posted. I've seen an interview recently where Ron Wood of Jeff Beck Group, The Faces, the Rolling Stones says he played the bass guitar on this recording in 1968.
I was probably seven or eight years old when I first heard this song on the radio, or maybe hanging out with my older cousins and listening to their records. I thought it was the most effing coolest song ever. However, I never saw the video version until now. The video maintains it in the very top tier of badass songs.
Jimi Hendrix took the single to American DJs and told them to play it. The most dinstinctive thing about AB is his wide vocal range which is still his trademark, when you hear him perform nowadays - hadn't lost a bit of his energy and charisma. Even his latest work is brilliant and most underrated, check out the Vampyre Suite or ZimZamZim or read his biography The God of Hellfire. He inspired Alice Cooper and Peter Gabriel amongst many others. Fire was in inspiration for many hardrock and heavy metal bands, which is curious, because there is not one guitar to be heard, just the drumming of Drachen Theaker and Vincent Crane's organ and orchestration. The guitar player in this video here is just a puppet.
Great: The crazy world of Arthur Brown. I was 13 in that year and I liked it so much. I still know the lyrics. I bought the single ……. No one in my surroundings liked it. But I still do and I still love hard roch WITH guitarplaying Cheers 🎸🎸🎸
Author Brown, could be the biggest influence on music, articles in the mind; tripping as well as simply having the biggest balls. Jake,, I remember Austin gig where you let me handle the stage work. Still listening. You still the first and foremost in my musical inspiration .
I was in college at the time and the album was one of the go-to songs. A lot of my friends would smoke marijuana and listen to the album. I still have my copy of "The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown". As was previously suggested, you do need to listen to the whole album.
Interesting you mention Alice Cooper. 1968 is the same year that Vincent Damon Furnier changed his name to Alice Cooper and decided to adopt the gimmick of the stage makeup etc. He released his first album the following year. So, you could be right Harri about the influence. Who knows. Anyway I love learning of these somewhat obscure old bands from the past. The spectrum of different music and creativity out there is amazing.
Amazing song!! I was a teen when it came out and I remember it blasting from the radio and the power of the song was actually so physical it could knock you cold ! And that was long before music television.
Imagine being a little kid when this came out! I remember liking the single when my big brother brought it home. Here's my parody of this song, entitled "Fryer": I am Todd of the deep fryer, and I bring you Fryer The chicken is done Fryer For table oh-one Don't let it burn You quit school and you got a job And you're working for a guy named Bob Pouring in the cooking oil, waiting till it starts to boil Opening the poultry bin, tossing all the chicken in Oh no, oh no, oh no, it's gonna burn Fryer To feed all our guests Fryer Keep an eye on those breasts Don't let 'em burn You've been frying like you don't know how Overcook it and I'll have a cow Pour the oil, let it boil Poultry bin, toss it in Keep an eye, on those breasts Think about our hungry guests Ooohhhh Fryer, If the chicken is burned Fryer I'll revoke all you've earned It's gonna burn You didn't learn The chicken's burned, burned, burned, burned, burned, burned, burned, burned, burned, burned, burned Fryer, the chicken is burned Fryer, don't ever return Fryer, hand in your hat
I'm sure this was on the weekly UK TV show Top of The Pops. We'd already been amazed by Jimi Hendrix appearing in 1966 when I was around 13. My parents going, "What the hell is this?" and me thinking, amazing. I remember this performance as well, but I wasn't shocked by anything by that stage of my musical journey. I don't know if Arthur Brown was an influence, but The Sensational Alex Harvey Band , formed in 1972, had a similar vibe.
He was also on the Tom Jones programme in 1969 which I think was on Sunday evening. I remember seeing him on it when he performed his fire poem and then the song. The performance is on youtube.
@@pauldover1403 Wonderful. I have no memory of that so probably wasn't allowed to watch it. As someone commented on the video I watched, there's a very young Carl Palmer showing his skills.
@@HarriBestReactions Yes, Arizona at that time. There wasn't much censorship happening then. Your parents were the censors. I was very fortunate to be a child of the 60's and 70's. ☮️❤️
HIs next band had an album that took me years to understand - Arthur was/is among other things deeply into Greek philosophy. It introduced me to such works as Plato's Timeaus, and some very strange corners.
Carl Palmer replaced Drachen Theaker shortly before the Crazy World disbanded. He is not heard on the album or in this video. On the album it is mostly Drachen Theaker, only a couple of tracks feature Jon Hiseman and John Marshall of Soft Machine.
Imagine the reaction of a couple of Catholic school substitute teachers when I started acting out and lip-synching to this the morning after seeing him/them on Tom Jones' show. Grade 7. I was already a fan of the record.
We had a large State Hospital ( for Mentally Handicapped ) where I lived in Allentown Pa. .... We used to be allowed to walk and ride our bikes through the grounds. When this song came out some of the older Teens would ride through with their Transistor Radios blaring this song ....
This was the single pulled from an early Concept album. The music either side relates to it, and gives it some context. The 60s started off fairly normal, if you can call rock and roll and skiffle normal, but it soon got pretty crazy. We got used to oddballs popping up. They had to outdo each other. Wearing a flaming hat was quite an extreme stunt. Sometimes his stage act went awry and he got scorched a couple of times. Sham TV was only b+w - would have been good in colour.
This was a Hugh Monster Hit back in the day !!! : D Arthur also inspired many band Alice Cooper yes, the most famous Classic Prog Genesis when Peter Gabriel started his many masks and Theateratics !!!
I forgot to say Harri, you asked how it was received when it came out. He appeared on the Tom Jones show, Sunday night, prime-time. That's how it was received.
I am a guitar player with over 55 years of playing and bought this album in 68. Although there is no guitar on this album it is one of the biggest influences on my style of playing. With that said, listen to some more of his stuff back to back with Tom Jones and tell me they don't sound a lot a like. When Mars Attacks was rolling the credit and Tom Jones was singing "It's not Unusual", I was in the kitchen and wondering what the hell Arthur Browne was doing singing that tune! Carl Palmer, later of ELP played on some of these tracks and Vincent Crane is the keyboardist. Both killers. I challenged others to tackle this song, you my man, are the only one so far.
I remember seeing him on tv in 68 as well here in the U.S. ...I was just a kid, walked in the living room and there he was on tv, I remember being intrigued, it was unlike anything I'd seen on tv before. After a bit, mom got up to turn the channel, she thought seeing this would mess me up. I enjoyed it though. He was a guest on some show.
The musical track was soooo thinly produced and it begs for a bigger or better band. A decade later, Alice Cooper and KISS would dive into face-painting, too. Try and remember this performance if you ever watch PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE. Also... think back - in 1956, Screamin' Jay Hawkins was screaming his way into a few radio stations - not many! - and somewhere in the mid-60s - or later? - he had to go "full lampoon" and turn PUT A SPELL ON YOU into a cartoon. Here was Arthur Brown doing it as well.
Back in 68, we had no MTV or cable and rock videos were a bit of a rarity on broadcast tv. So we knew this song was out there where the buses don't run but had no way of knowing just how nuts Aurthur was (is) without these you tube videos. 1968 was a psychotic era.
I was born in 1977 this song was still going in eighties and now in 2022 living in rural Ireland I sing this everytime I light our open fire 🔥 lol my kids love the song
I remember the song well. It was over the radio back then. I don't remember ever seeing this video except on UA-cam recently. I think I would remember it (I was 13). I don't remember TV showing videos at all back then. The expression on your face watching it was priceless lol
Arthur Brown was the beginning of theatrical rock. You should really hear the whole album. When he appeared on the Tom Jones Show his band members were dressed like puritans. The Puritan were a large part of the first Great awakening during the 18th century and is where the Fire and Brimstone preaching developed.
This was extremely influential. Carl Palmer played with them. There's another film of them where he is clearly seen. Progressive organ music, Alice Cooper, I even hear Ian Gillan's vocal style here.
While we're at it, you could almost consider the keyboard work on this to almost be a prototype for the sound made famous (or is that infamous?) by The Stranglers.....
i remember when it came out and i still enjoy the song i can remember my sister kathy who was way older then me teaching me to dance to this song, man could that girl dance lol
I was 4 years old when this came out in 68,and remember seeing it on top of the pops and it giving me nightmares,but at the same time being mesmerised.
I saw Arthur Brown,Alice Cooper,and The MC5 in 1969 at an outdoor concert in Douglas Michigan Cooper's set I remember Alice chasing chickens around the stage with a hammer. Brown's "Fire" was highlighted with a 4 foot flame shooting out of his headdress . Besides the acts on the stage,revival motorcycle gangs and the State Police breaking up the concert it was an amazing 1st concert for me.
He was an influence on Alice Cooper, and has performed with him. Jimi Hendrix wanted to for a band with him too. ~And he is still touring. He has had several bands now.
ask him about the 60th and the coming out of the song.... he is still touring with it... i love it for 50 years now, and he is a very interesting person... he is on facebook, and like conversations too ;)
I was an 11 year old schoolboy in New Zealand when Fire was released, and we all LOVED IT, and I was at a Catholic School. It first came on TV on a Sunday night as that was when our solitary music show played, about 7 pm. Organ was extremely popular in 60's music, Booker T and the MG's, Isaac Hayes and lots of others incorporated the organ into their bands where a few years earlier, you hardly were aware of one. As for what you said re Arthur influencing Mick Jagger, The Stones kicked off about 1963 so if anything, Mick influenced Artful Arthur.
Harri, this still blows me away all these years later. Luv your reaction.You were on the money when you said, "imagine sitting down with your family and this comes on" even in 2021 let alone 1968.
Trained in philosophy and opera, Arthur a one-off never copied or repeated. Great talker too. Think he is still around to this day, very popular and a great guy too .Had my first hallucinogenic experience to this. Imagine that!
The organist is Vincent Crane, one of rock's best organists and a great arranger. From this he went onto Atomic Rooster with drummer Carl Palmer. Carl went onto ELP. Vincent unfortunately committed suicide in 1989. He co wrote Fire.
My father thought he was crazy too when you first saw this back in 68. He recently had me watch this he's not talking about hellfire like in the literal sense he's talking about alchemical process of transmutating the soul of the sorcerer my visualizing a violet flame inside your brain. he still making very good music I suggest looking up Gypsy Voodoo, the track not the album. Have a good day mate I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Arthur Brown is the main inspiration to Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden, when he started to experiment with his voice, how to use it for having the most power from his "toolbox" so to speak..
I bet Arthur was good childhood friends with Ozzy Osborne. They both have alot in common. I was 11 years old & do remember this song on my transistor radio. I didn't believe in a place called Hell back then, so this song really did not seem to have an influence on me. But now I'm 65 & definately prefer not to listen to this song because I have learned through the years that Hell is a very real place & I don't want to go there. Anyone telling me they want to take me there are people I choose to dis-associate myself with.
I had every album that came out in the 60s the day it hit the stores cuz I stole albums Lol I always had everything before anyone else and when I heard this i knew this guy was light years ahead of everyone just like Hendrix was light years ahead of everyone ! Every song on this album is great ! And guess what ! Pete Townsend produced it !
The album was produced by The Who's manager Kit Lambert, the song 'Fire' was co-produced by him and Pete Townshend who recorded his own version with The Who in 1989 for "The Iron Man: A Musical". It's also been covered by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Ozzy Osborne and some metal bands. The group's 2nd album "Strangelands" went unreleased for 21 years because their label thought "it lacked sales potential". It was more experimental and avant-garde "that shed the pop sensibilities" of the 1st album.
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown started what would be known as ' glam rock ' ....and early soft metal ( metal had actually already been out 2 years prior to The Crazy World of Arthur Brown )
Nice reaction! Yeah, that's Carl Palmer on the drums! Just saw them less than 2 years back with Arthur and Carl! (It was a Carl Palmer/ELP, Asia, and Yes, show. Great!)
Every last Demented form of Shock Rock, Heavy, Black, Death, and Satanic Metal (as well as every last variant therein..?) in one form or another..? owes it's origin to Arthur Brown. He was the first of them. In a time when so-called "Wholesome Music" was in ascendance..? Arthur Brown was the sole Voice and Champion of Darkness. ...and nothing was ever the same again!
Arthur is my father. He has continued to perform and record since. He toured with The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and all the other bands of the time, playing gigs in Europe and America, with everyone. He received the Rock Legend award last month at a ceremony in London.
Thanks for coming on here Julian, have loved this since it came out(I was 8) . he certainly influenced a lot of other performers.
Noice if true.
He is great. I´ve seen him perform. He looks like a preAlice Cooper combined with a preFrank Zappa.
what was he like in real life off the stage, just wondering.
Hes a very gracious, gentle soul, most of the time :) music is still his life, hes just got back from playing America and Germany .
I’ve followed the great Arthur Brown for fifty-three years, seen him many times performing with many projects and have met him many times. He is one of loveliest people you could hope to meet. He always takes time to talk to fans after a show (when he must be exhausted) and there is not an ounce of cynicism in him. I’m so looking forward to the film of his career when it is finished. Many who have met him love him to bits. This was great television when it came out and still stands up today. My dad didn’t appreciate it as much as I did 🤣
Still sounds FUCKING Amazing !
An interesting side-note: he lived in Texas for a while in the mid-80s and shared a house painting business with Jimmy Carl Black, the first drummer of the Mothers of Invention. "I charge extra for setting my hair on fire," he quipped in an interview.
It's true Harri Alice Cooper said in an interview that when he saw Arthur Brown, he was shocked, it inspired him, in 1968, seeing a man with fire on his head was something new, not ordinary, non-standard! There's something about it.
This is one of the most BADASS songs you'll ever see........or hear
You need to hear the whole album. This single was a smash hit when it came out and got substantial radio play.
I was _born_ in '68, but I distinctly remember hearing this as a very early childhood memory, so it must have been performed and been popular for several years after. I don't remember the visuals, but anyway it could have been from radio, (b&w) tv, or one of my two older brothers' record collections. Certainly an impressive piece. I think I must have fancied it back then, and of course I think it is a great classic today.
Prelude, nightmare is a brilliant track
Arthur is still performing. I saw him in 2019, he was a special guest on the Royal Affair Tour (Yes, Asia, John Lodge of The Moody Blues and Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy). He performed this song with Carl on the drums. He was wearing makeup and and crazy headress.
Wow
Interesting collection of performers. It sounds like some of the characters of a fantasy all-star group I envisioned a year back or so.
SNS 1, Carl Palmer was in Arthur's backing band Atomic Rooster before joining ELP, so the performance you describe was a reunion for them.
Arthur Brown is his name. I just watched the video again before I came here. I had the grand fortune of wandering into a night club in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1968 and got to watch his show, really up close and personal. I think he touched me, mentally, not physically.
Watching that in black and white makes it that much more scary! Lol.
Whren I was a kid, about 13 years old, a girl invited me to a dance at her church. We were not church people. I had this on a 45 rpm single and brought it to be played at the dance. Only the opening line got played, then a church lady (Dana Carvey?) quickly took the record off the record player. I was never invited to a church dance again. lol. Peace.
Times changed quick back then. I was in high school during the 70's and we had dances at this Catholic Schools gym (I went to public school - it was open to any teen). Anyway, the band that would play every month was called Lucifer and they dressed like KISS. No one made a big deal about it. --- Sorry, just noticed your post is 2 yrs. old. Hope all is well.
Not only did he influence Alice Cooper with the make up,Kiss as well. Like one of the other comments read, you have to listen to the whole album. Arthur Brown's version of Screamin' Jay Hawkins is sublime( by the way,Screamin' Jay Hawkins was another cool cat that was out there and did it almost 10 years before Brown). Arthur Brown has one of the best falsetto voices i've ever heard and doesn't get the credit for it. And most incredible of all, he's alive and still kicking today!!
One of the precursor songs that presaged the emergence of heavy metal. A personal favorite of mine.
I was around when it came out and it caused a bit of a stir. We loved it and thought it was a scream. Mums and dads, not so!
🤣
Same... I saw it as just dressing up.. It was cool and fun. My parents didnt care for it. Arthur Brown is still going strong. He's a legend :)
The whole album is worth a listen. It stands as probably one of those one of a kind albums that will never be repeat, like Trout Mask Replica, or Piper at the Gates of Dawn. He also has a couple of great covers: I Put a Spell on You, and a James Brown tune.
Arthur was born: June 24, 1942 (age 79 years), Whitby, United Kingdom
I've been to Whitby .... For the Abbey!
@@jamesalexander5623 Cool!
Arthur and Alice did indeed meet several times over the years and performed together.
I like his albums a lot and seen him several times as I was soundengineer working with him. Great voice as a narrator. And one of the most gentle giants I ever met
Age 67 here and I vividly remember hearing this a lot on my little transistor radio. Contrary to adult opinion at the time this song did not turn me into a monster. Lol.
Arthur Brown made a short visit into the rock world with this hit. It had influences into rock music for decades. Actually he is more into philosohy art performance etc. A deep man! So much happened those years when Beatles quit, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa ... and Arthur Brown etc etc put new influences into music. Flower Power. The first synths. Prog. Viet Nam war etc. Other has mentioned Napoleon XIV and Edwin Starr. Odd music but with influence on other music for long. I was lucky to be in my teens when all this happened!
That's got to be one of the first rock music videos. I heard this song 100 years ago and I forgot all about it till now. I didn't even know they had a video out because they didn't make music videos back then. This song is fire
As soon as I saw this I thought OMG does Harri know what he is letting himself in for? . It WAS a big hit at the time . I do not think I will be choosing this as my funeral song any time soon lol
Hahahha hell could be fun you know
i would!!!
@@HarriBestReactions That's where all fun people end up 😅!
I knew a guy in '68 whose motorcycle blew up under him. He was severely burned, in a coma, and in intensive care. He woke from the coma screaming because someone was playing this song. He credited this song for snapping him back and reinforcing his will to live.
As soon as I saw the notification I knew what song it was. I was just finishing high school when this came out and the Vietnam war was in full swing and napalm was being used heavily. I won't say that this is the reason for this song but it's what I thought of when I heard it. Plus the music and vocals fit the song perfectly. It's unnerving, just like war.
Songs always takes you back to a certain time or place
Hahaha... I was 8 when this song rode the charts! It was unlike anything I had heard at that time. He was ahead of his time. He still performs!
Awesome dancing song in the 60s
The UK and the US had it as number 1
I was 13 at the time and clearly remember seeing this on TV and it has stuck in my head ever since. I just remember being absolutely dumbfounded. Aside from Jimi Hendrix and a few others, acts just had cute matching outfits and equally cute little songs. This was a whole different thing. It was so cool to see Alice Cooper (you can find this on UA-cam) bring Arthur out to do an encore performance flaming headpiece & all in 2011 & again in 2017.
I saw Arthur Brown live @ The GRANDE BALLROOM in Detroit in 1968 and his head was on fire.
I was 11 when this came out and it was one of my favourite songs of the time. The flaming helmet was made by Arthur Brown himself and had no insulation on the bolt which held the fire bowl in place so the red hot piece of metal would press into the top of his head. Stories of Arthur are legion. At one festival he played after dark and was lowered towards the stage by a crane. Unfortunately, he was left hanging in mid-air beneath the proscenium arch which his helmet set on fire. The guy has almost died a number of times but is still recording and performing.
Two notable members of the band were Vincent Crane on the Hammond who formed Atomic Rooster and Carl Palmer, letter of ELP.
Hi Paul, Arthur is my father, and I have the original fire helmet. It had sat on Arthur's brother's Porch for 20 years, covered in ivy, before he gave it to me.
@@senorleloup
You can't imagine how amazed I am to hear from you, somehow I never thought of Arthur as having children or a family at all, he just seemed a one-off, a wild man who would never even bother about things like that.
I remember that 45 years ago or so he appeared at a bar in the Freemasons' Hall or Temple or whatever they have. I never got to see him there but it had a bio of him and reading it you thought that not only should he have been dead, he should have been dead ten times over with all of the things that had happened to him.
But what a fascinating souvenir you have there. I bet you're not crazy enough to try out your father's engineering skills!
Crazy! They didn't call it the Crazy World of Arthur Brown for nothing
@@pauldover1403 2+ years since this was posted. I've seen an interview recently where Ron Wood of Jeff Beck Group, The Faces, the Rolling Stones says he played the bass guitar on this recording in 1968.
I was probably seven or eight years old when I first heard this song on the radio, or maybe hanging out with my older cousins and listening to their records. I thought it was the most effing coolest song ever. However, I never saw the video version until now. The video maintains it in the very top tier of badass songs.
Jimi Hendrix took the single to American DJs and told them to play it. The most dinstinctive thing about AB is his wide vocal range which is still his trademark, when you hear him perform nowadays - hadn't lost a bit of his energy and charisma. Even his latest work is brilliant and most underrated, check out the Vampyre Suite or ZimZamZim or read his biography The God of Hellfire. He inspired Alice Cooper and Peter Gabriel amongst many others. Fire was in inspiration for many hardrock and heavy metal bands, which is curious, because there is not one guitar to be heard, just the drumming of Drachen Theaker and Vincent Crane's organ and orchestration. The guitar player in this video here is just a puppet.
Really, from those high pitched screams to that low pitch growl. He has a range.
Great: The crazy world of Arthur Brown. I was 13 in that year and I liked it so much. I still know the lyrics. I bought the single ……. No one in my surroundings liked it. But I still do and I still love hard roch WITH guitarplaying
Cheers 🎸🎸🎸
Author Brown, could be the biggest influence on music, articles in the mind; tripping as well as simply having the biggest balls. Jake,, I remember Austin gig where you let me handle the stage work. Still listening. You still the first and foremost in my musical inspiration .
Arthur Brown is in his crazy world. I was a teenager in the early 70s we love this song
I was in college at the time and the album was one of the go-to songs. A lot of my friends would smoke marijuana and listen to the album. I still have my copy of "The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown". As was previously suggested, you do need to listen to the whole album.
Interesting you mention Alice Cooper. 1968 is the same year that Vincent Damon Furnier changed his name to Alice Cooper and decided to adopt the gimmick of the stage makeup etc. He released his first album the following year. So, you could be right Harri about the influence. Who knows. Anyway I love learning of these somewhat obscure old bands from the past. The spectrum of different music and creativity out there is amazing.
Alice Cooper did copy Arthur Brown, Alice Cooper had him as a guest performer and did this song with him.
Alice talks about Arthur Brown and this song and how it blew him away with all the theatrics. Definitely a big influence on Alice.
@@craigammons5779 yes it's on youtube, from 2011. Arthur joined Alice and his band on the encore to perform Fire.
ua-cam.com/video/rTL9xqrIn1g/v-deo.html
Here's the collab!
I remember it very well, I was a teenager when it came out. He was one of the artists who collectively invented heavy metal.
Amazing song!! I was a teen when it came out and I remember it blasting from the radio and the power of the song was actually so physical it could knock you cold ! And that was long before music television.
Scared the crap out of me as an 8 year old, but loved it.
Imagine being a little kid when this came out! I remember liking the single when my big brother brought it home. Here's my parody of this song, entitled "Fryer":
I am Todd of the deep fryer, and I bring you
Fryer
The chicken is done
Fryer
For table oh-one
Don't let it burn
You quit school and you got a job
And you're working for a guy named Bob
Pouring in the cooking oil, waiting till it starts to boil
Opening the poultry bin, tossing all the chicken in
Oh no, oh no, oh no, it's gonna burn
Fryer
To feed all our guests
Fryer
Keep an eye on those breasts
Don't let 'em burn
You've been frying like you don't know how
Overcook it and I'll have a cow
Pour the oil, let it boil
Poultry bin, toss it in
Keep an eye, on those breasts
Think about our hungry guests
Ooohhhh
Fryer,
If the chicken is burned
Fryer
I'll revoke all you've earned
It's gonna burn
You didn't learn
The chicken's burned, burned, burned, burned, burned, burned, burned, burned, burned, burned, burned
Fryer, the chicken is burned
Fryer, don't ever return
Fryer, hand in your hat
I enjoyed that. Always appreciate a bit of humour in a comment.
What do you call an Over Weight, Contemplative Monk? ..... A Deep Fat Friar!
A great unique talent who to this very day performs at 80 yrs young!
I'm sure this was on the weekly UK TV show Top of The Pops. We'd already been amazed by Jimi Hendrix appearing in 1966 when I was around 13. My parents going, "What the hell is this?" and me thinking, amazing. I remember this performance as well, but I wasn't shocked by anything by that stage of my musical journey. I don't know if Arthur Brown was an influence, but The Sensational Alex Harvey Band , formed in 1972, had a similar vibe.
It was, I clearly remember seeing it on Top of the Pops.
He was also on the Tom Jones programme in 1969 which I think was on Sunday evening. I remember seeing him on it when he performed his fire poem and then the song. The performance is on youtube.
@@pauldover1403 Wonderful. I have no memory of that so probably wasn't allowed to watch it. As someone commented on the video I watched, there's a very young Carl Palmer showing his skills.
This was played on all the AM radio stations when I was a kid. It was different but nothing unusual for that time.🔥🔥👺🔥🔥
Really? Are you from the states?
@@HarriBestReactions Yes, Arizona at that time. There wasn't much censorship happening then. Your parents were the censors. I was very fortunate to be a child of the 60's and 70's. ☮️❤️
HIs next band had an album that took me years to understand - Arthur was/is among other things deeply into Greek philosophy. It introduced me to such works as Plato's Timeaus, and some very strange corners.
Arthur had to put up with pain to wear that fire hat. It was hot.
It does look like Alice got some ideas from Arthur's make-up.
Carl Palmer replaced Drachen Theaker shortly before the Crazy World disbanded. He is not heard on the album or in this video. On the album it is mostly Drachen Theaker, only a couple of tracks feature Jon Hiseman and John Marshall of Soft Machine.
Nice reaction, love from New Zealand ❤️❤️
ffs mate 🤦
Thank your Dad for all the years of music
First time on radio Luxemburg europ was 14 years and now 68old its magic
Kudos to his band as well. Crazy good.
Imagine the reaction of a couple of Catholic school substitute teachers when I started acting out and lip-synching to this the morning after seeing him/them on Tom Jones' show. Grade 7. I was already a fan of the record.
😄😄
This is a killer driving song.
Mate try listening to "they're coming to take me away ha-haaa" by Napoleon X1V always been a favourite of mine!
We had a large State Hospital ( for Mentally Handicapped ) where I lived in Allentown Pa. .... We used to be allowed to walk and ride our bikes through the grounds. When this song came out some of the older Teens would ride through with their Transistor Radios blaring this song ....
😩
This was the single pulled from an early Concept album. The music either side relates to it, and gives it some context. The 60s started off fairly normal, if you can call rock and roll and skiffle normal, but it soon got pretty crazy. We got used to oddballs popping up. They had to outdo each other. Wearing a flaming hat was quite an extreme stunt. Sometimes his stage act went awry and he got scorched a couple of times. Sham TV was only b+w - would have been good in colour.
This was a Hugh Monster Hit back in the day !!! : D
Arthur also inspired many band Alice Cooper yes, the most famous Classic Prog Genesis when Peter Gabriel started his many masks and Theateratics !!!
I forgot to say Harri, you asked how it was received when it came out. He appeared on the Tom Jones show, Sunday night, prime-time. That's how it was received.
Look at the visuals. It looks like the whole television studio actually is on fire!
I saw these guys 'live' at my college in the mid 70s ..... so long ago I can't remember much about it now !
I am a guitar player with over 55 years of playing and bought this album in 68. Although there is no guitar on this album it is one of the biggest influences on my style of playing. With that said, listen to some more of his stuff back to back with Tom Jones and tell me they don't sound a lot a like. When Mars Attacks was rolling the credit and Tom Jones was singing "It's not Unusual", I was in the kitchen and wondering what the hell Arthur Browne was doing singing that tune! Carl Palmer, later of ELP played on some of these tracks and Vincent Crane is the keyboardist. Both killers. I challenged others to tackle this song, you my man, are the only one so far.
This is always played on TV so many times I cant believe anyone over 25 hasnt seen this at least once. Huuuge hit
I saw this on American tv in 1968. It was a trip, to say the least.
I remember seeing him on tv in 68 as well here in the U.S. ...I was just a kid, walked in the living room and there he was on tv, I remember being intrigued, it was unlike anything I'd seen on tv before. After a bit, mom got up to turn the channel, she thought seeing this would mess me up. I enjoyed it though. He was a guest on some show.
I want this played at my funeral.
The musical track was soooo thinly produced and it begs for a bigger or better band. A decade later, Alice Cooper and KISS would dive into face-painting, too. Try and remember this performance if you ever watch PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE. Also... think back - in 1956, Screamin' Jay Hawkins was screaming his way into a few radio stations - not many! - and somewhere in the mid-60s - or later? - he had to go "full lampoon" and turn PUT A SPELL ON YOU into a cartoon. Here was Arthur Brown doing it as well.
...remember my old Dad watching this on TOTP with mouth agape...and his dropped cigarette burning a hole in the carpet....
😄🤣😄😂🤣poor dad
Back in 68, we had no MTV or cable and rock videos were a bit of a rarity on broadcast tv. So we knew this song was out there where the buses don't run but had no way of knowing just how nuts Aurthur was (is) without these you tube videos. 1968 was a psychotic era.
I was born in 1977 this song was still going in eighties and now in 2022 living in rural Ireland I sing this everytime I light our open fire 🔥 lol my kids love the song
I remember the song well. It was over the radio back then. I don't remember ever seeing this video except on UA-cam recently. I think I would remember it (I was 13). I don't remember TV showing videos at all back then. The expression on your face watching it was priceless lol
Arthur Brown was the beginning of theatrical rock. You should really hear the whole album. When he appeared on the Tom Jones Show his band members were dressed like puritans. The Puritan were a large part of the first Great awakening during the 18th century and is where the Fire and Brimstone preaching developed.
My Mom didn't mind this one, but she wouldn't let me or my Sister listening to "They're Coming to Take Me Away!" LOL!
I remember that one, did this group sing that one too?
This was extremely influential. Carl Palmer played with them. There's another film of them where he is clearly seen. Progressive organ music, Alice Cooper, I even hear Ian Gillan's vocal style here.
While we're at it, you could almost consider the keyboard work on this to almost be a prototype for the sound made famous (or is that infamous?) by The Stranglers.....
"I'll take you to hell.... interesting" lol
the instrumental is so good, it gives you the real energy of the 60s.
i remember when it came out and i still enjoy the song i can remember my sister kathy who was way older then me teaching me to dance to this song, man could that girl dance lol
I was 4 years old when this came out in 68,and remember seeing it on top of the pops and it giving me nightmares,but at the same time being mesmerised.
I saw Arthur Brown,Alice Cooper,and The MC5 in 1969 at an outdoor concert in Douglas Michigan Cooper's set I remember Alice chasing chickens around the stage with a hammer. Brown's "Fire" was highlighted with a 4 foot flame shooting out of his headdress . Besides the acts on the stage,revival motorcycle gangs and the State Police breaking up the concert it was an amazing 1st concert for me.
He is 82 years old now and still out playing like he was 30. Amazing!
I remember this song for sure! Never seen this video though. Wild! 😂
He was an influence on Alice Cooper, and has performed with him. Jimi Hendrix wanted to for a band with him too. ~And he is still touring. He has had several bands now.
I love that you reviewed this one! He is still living the FIRE dream today!
Yes!!! Every time somebody reacted to Alice Cooper I suggested this!!
They were friends and sometimes collaborated!
ask him about the 60th and the coming out of the song.... he is still touring with it... i love it for 50 years now, and he is a very interesting person... he is on facebook, and like conversations too ;)
You have to live through the sixties to understand, it made all sense then, great times, best on earth.
Remember Vincent Crane wrote the lyrics, thank God he started Atomic Rooster which is still one of the greatest bands formed in 1969.
I was an 11 year old schoolboy in New Zealand when Fire was released, and we all LOVED IT, and I was at a Catholic School. It first came on TV on a Sunday night as that was when our solitary music show played, about 7 pm. Organ was extremely popular in 60's music, Booker T and the MG's, Isaac Hayes and lots of others incorporated the organ into their bands where a few years earlier, you hardly were aware of one. As for what you said re Arthur influencing Mick Jagger, The Stones kicked off about 1963 so if anything, Mick influenced Artful Arthur.
The thought of Mark David Chapman burning is awesome.Tony
Harri, this still blows me away all these years later.
Luv your reaction.You were on the money when you said, "imagine sitting down with your family and this comes on" even in 2021 let alone 1968.
I was shown this video a year ago and have never stopped laughing about it since. 😂
You were a teenager back then??? 😮😮😮 Life's been good to you mate.
Trained in philosophy and opera, Arthur a one-off never copied or repeated. Great talker too. Think he is still around to this day, very popular and a great guy too .Had my first hallucinogenic experience to this. Imagine that!
Alice Cooper and Mick Jagger... You're absolutely right. The 60s had their afterglow in the 70s and 80s. All musicians were inspired.
The organist is Vincent Crane, one of rock's best organists and a great arranger. From this he went onto Atomic Rooster with drummer Carl Palmer. Carl went onto ELP. Vincent unfortunately committed suicide in 1989. He co wrote Fire.
He was crazy..and, we were crazy about him.
His biggest fan lives in new Zealand
Based
@@TVConnorsCrapLarp.
@@HARGC111 ?
i heard that and the album calactic zoo dosier on my first acid trip and i'm hooked ever since
My father thought he was crazy too when you first saw this back in 68. He recently had me watch this he's not talking about hellfire like in the literal sense he's talking about alchemical process of transmutating the soul of the sorcerer my visualizing a violet flame inside your brain. he still making very good music I suggest looking up Gypsy Voodoo, the track not the album. Have a good day mate I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Arthur Brown is the main inspiration to Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden, when he started to experiment with his voice, how to use it for having the most power from his "toolbox" so to speak..
I bet Arthur was good childhood friends with Ozzy Osborne. They both have alot in common. I was 11 years old & do remember this song on my transistor radio. I didn't believe in a place called Hell back then, so this song really did not seem to have an influence on me. But now I'm 65 & definately prefer not to listen to this song because I have learned through the years that Hell is a very real place & I don't want to go there. Anyone telling me they want to take me there are people I choose to dis-associate myself with.
I had every album that came out in the 60s the day it hit the stores cuz I stole albums Lol I always had everything before anyone else and when I heard this i knew this guy was light years ahead of everyone just like Hendrix was light years ahead of everyone ! Every song on this album is great ! And guess what ! Pete Townsend produced it !
it's a song for smart people who know that at some point someone will come into your life who will break all the illusions you live in
Now we know where Alice got his schtick from.
The album was produced by The Who's manager Kit Lambert, the song 'Fire' was co-produced by him and Pete Townshend who recorded his own version with The Who in 1989 for "The Iron Man: A Musical". It's also been covered by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Ozzy Osborne and some metal bands.
The group's 2nd album "Strangelands" went unreleased for 21 years because their label thought "it lacked sales potential". It was more experimental and avant-garde "that shed the pop sensibilities" of the 1st album.
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown started what would be known as ' glam rock ' ....and early soft metal ( metal had actually already been out 2 years prior to The Crazy World of Arthur Brown )
Uh, this was never on tv that I remember. Love folks reaction to this.....ha ha.
Nice reaction! Yeah, that's Carl Palmer on the drums! Just saw them less than 2 years back with Arthur and Carl! (It was a Carl Palmer/ELP, Asia, and Yes, show. Great!)
Every last Demented form of Shock Rock, Heavy, Black, Death, and Satanic Metal (as well as every last variant therein..?) in one form or another..? owes it's origin to Arthur Brown. He was the first of them.
In a time when so-called "Wholesome Music" was in ascendance..? Arthur Brown was the sole Voice and Champion of Darkness.
...and nothing was ever the same again!