Record Reviews

ARTHUR BROWN ~ RADIO SESSIONS 1968 / 1972 / 1975 GONZO 299 (Barcode: 5060230865775) ~ UK ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 1968 - 1975 Released: 2016 This is an archival release that presents radio sessions recorded by the British Rock vocalist / composer Arthur BrownFind albums by this artist and his various groups. The first five tracks recorded in 1968 are by The Crazy World Of Arthur BrownFind albums by this artist, the next four tracks recorded in 1971 and 1972 are by his group Kingdom ComeFind albums by this artist and the last five tracks recorded in 1975 are credited only to his name. The booklet gives no information about the sources of the recordings, most of which were obviously done by the BBC. Judging by the sound quality of the tracks they are all home recording of BBC broadcasts rather than the original radio recordings. Most of the material consists of original songs by Brown. The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown tracks are of course live replicas of the tracks from the debut album, brilliantly performed by organist Vincent CraneFind albums by this artist, bassist Nick GreenwoodFind albums by this artist and drummer Drachen TheakerFind albums by this artist and the charismatic vocals by Brown are absolute classics. These tracks were recently released on the Super Deluxe Edition reissue of the debut album. The Kingdom Come tracks are superb Progressive Rock material originating from the group´s debut album "Galactic Zoo DossierFind albums with this title" and their third album "JourneyFind albums with this title", which puts a big question mark on the given dates of the recording as the third album was only released in 1973. These tracks were probably recorded in 1973 and released unofficially before. The last batch of tracks was recorded when Brown released his solo album "Dance" and presents him performing Pop / Rock material, but with his usual twist, brilliant vocal delivery and excellent instrumental backup, which includes saxophonist George KhanFind albums by this artist and other great players. As far as I could find out, these tracks are previously unreleased. Overall this is a mixed bag, pretty sloppily put together and suffering from pretty bad sound quality at times on one hand, but offering some brilliant music on the other hand. Approach with caution, but don´t ignore if you are a fan of Arthur Brown!

Updated: 30/09/2019Posted: 30/09/2019

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

KHAN ~ SPACE SHANTY ESOTERIC 2046 (Barcode: 5013929714625) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene Recorded: 1972 Released: 2008 Only album recorded by the short-lived Canterbury group KhanFind albums by this artist, which was fronted by guitarist Steve HillageFind albums by this artist and included keyboardist Dave StewartFind albums by this artist (who was a member of EggFind albums by this artist, another Canterbury group, at the time), bassist Nick GreenwoodFind albums by this artist and drummer Eric PeacheyFind albums by this artist, which turned out to be the first major exposure of Hillage´s considerable talents as a guitarist and composer. Later on Hillage joined GongFind albums by this artist and then released a series of excellent solo albums, but here he unveils his superb guitar work for the first time, playing a series of tunes he composed. The music is typical Canterbury mixture of Rock, Jazz and Psychedelic influences, beautifully executed and full of wit and inspiration. Stewart´s keyboards work is excellent as always and the entire album retains its original charm untouched by the passing time. The album was one of the most sought after collectors´ items for many years until reissued on CD and is considered a classic Canterbury release. A must to all Canterbury fans!

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend