ARTHUR BROWN VINCENT CRANE
''FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT''
1979
44:50
********************
1 Storm Clouds 01:04
2 Nothing We Can Do 05:12
3 No 02:29
4 Bright Gateway 01:22
5 Timeship 06:11
6 Come And Joint The Fun 05:39
7 Storm Wind 00:28
8 Storm 05:43
9 This Is It 03:17
10 Lightrope 03:53 (Brown, Crane, Mike Finesilver)
11 Balance 01:33
12 Faster Than The Speed Of Light 07:54
Tracks By Brown & Crane, Except 10
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Arthur Brown/Vocals
Vincent Crane/Hammond Organ, Piano, Clavinet, Minimoog
Clifford Venner/Drums, Percussion
Derek Damon/Vocal Harmonies Arrangements
The Members Of The Frankfurt Symphony Orchestra
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ABOUT THE ALBUM
DISCOGS
********************
REVIEW/AMG
Stewart Mason
Faster Than the Speed of Light got in just under the deadline of the new decade, a spectacle of grand progressive rock excess in a style that just wouldn't be possible in the '80s. The instrumentation on this album consists of Arthur Brown on vocals, Atomic Rooster's Vincent Crane (who had co-written Brown's signature track, "Fire," in 1968) on organ and piano, and drummer Clifford Venner, plus the entirety of the Frankfurt Symphony Orchestra. The resulting prog rock symphonics mesh somewhat uneasily with Crane's forward-looking synth rock experiments on songs like "Nothing We Can Do," but as a whole, this apocalyptic concept album makes a virtue of its own overblown pomposity. Arthur Brown always had a knack for deflating his occasionally pretentious lyrics with a refreshing modicum of dry wit, which holds him in good stead on the opening "Storm Clouds." On the centerpiece track, "Storm," Brown sings in an unexpected falsetto over a synth-dominated backing track reminiscent of some of Frank Zappa's mid-'70s work. Of course, all the various elements come together on the climactic title track, featuring some of Brown's most enjoyably overwrought vocals, a keyboard solo that Keith Emerson himself might find excessive, and some of the biggest orchestral swells to be found in the entire symphonic rock genre. It's all a bit over the top, naturally, but somehow it doesn't seem pretentious or annoying.
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Rovi
This UK band was formed in 1971 by the eccentric Arthur Brown (b. Arthur Wilton-Brown, 24 June 1944, Whitby, Yorkshire, England), a vocalist who had achieved momentary commercial fame three years earlier with his memorable single, "Fire". This new venture was completed by Andrew Dalby (b. Gainsborough, England; guitar), Julian Paul Brown (b. Liverpool, England; synthesizer), Michael Harris (keyboards), Desmond Fisher (bass) and Martin Steer (drums), a line-up immortalized in the film Glastonbury Fayre. Their debut album, Galactic Zoo Dossier, was a radical, experimental set, and featured an extended version of "Space Plucks", a piece the singer had written for his previous band with organist Vincent Crane. This high standard was sadly not maintained on its follow-up, Kingdom Come, which relied on contemporary progressive styles and featured new bass player Phil Shutt. Harris and Steer were dropped from the band for Journey, on which Brown, Dalby and Shutt were joined by keyboardist Victor Peraino and a drum machine. Kingdom Come broke up completely when their founder embarked on an erratic solo career.
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Richie Unterberger
One of the most electrifying one-shot artists of the '60s, British singer Arthur Brown briefly set the charts alight in 1968, as well as thrilling audiences with his theatrical performances, which saw him wearing helmets of fire and outlandish costumes. His debut album was surely one of the most left-field commercial successes of the late '60s, if not of rock history. In addition to topping the British charts (and reaching number two in the U.S.) with his brilliantly demonic single "Fire," the self-proclaimed god of hellfire actually scored a Top Ten LP with his 1968 debut. Unveiling Brown's demented, fire-obsessed lyrical visions and swooping, theatrical vocals, it showcased his band's manic, agitated psychedelic sound, which was anchored by incendiary drumming, Pete Townshend's production, and an organist who could be best described as Jimmy Smith on acid. Brown's original band broke up in early 1969; in the early '70s he released several albums with Kingdom Come, which saw him pursuing a maddeningly obscure and less exciting brand of art rock. He recorded off and on after, with an additional flash of fame springing from his role as a priest in the film Tommy.
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WEBSITE
********************
TO THE TOP
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''FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT''
1979
44:50
********************
1 Storm Clouds 01:04
2 Nothing We Can Do 05:12
3 No 02:29
4 Bright Gateway 01:22
5 Timeship 06:11
6 Come And Joint The Fun 05:39
7 Storm Wind 00:28
8 Storm 05:43
9 This Is It 03:17
10 Lightrope 03:53 (Brown, Crane, Mike Finesilver)
11 Balance 01:33
12 Faster Than The Speed Of Light 07:54
Tracks By Brown & Crane, Except 10
********************
Arthur Brown/Vocals
Vincent Crane/Hammond Organ, Piano, Clavinet, Minimoog
Clifford Venner/Drums, Percussion
Derek Damon/Vocal Harmonies Arrangements
The Members Of The Frankfurt Symphony Orchestra
********************
ABOUT THE ALBUM
DISCOGS
********************
REVIEW/AMG
Stewart Mason
Faster Than the Speed of Light got in just under the deadline of the new decade, a spectacle of grand progressive rock excess in a style that just wouldn't be possible in the '80s. The instrumentation on this album consists of Arthur Brown on vocals, Atomic Rooster's Vincent Crane (who had co-written Brown's signature track, "Fire," in 1968) on organ and piano, and drummer Clifford Venner, plus the entirety of the Frankfurt Symphony Orchestra. The resulting prog rock symphonics mesh somewhat uneasily with Crane's forward-looking synth rock experiments on songs like "Nothing We Can Do," but as a whole, this apocalyptic concept album makes a virtue of its own overblown pomposity. Arthur Brown always had a knack for deflating his occasionally pretentious lyrics with a refreshing modicum of dry wit, which holds him in good stead on the opening "Storm Clouds." On the centerpiece track, "Storm," Brown sings in an unexpected falsetto over a synth-dominated backing track reminiscent of some of Frank Zappa's mid-'70s work. Of course, all the various elements come together on the climactic title track, featuring some of Brown's most enjoyably overwrought vocals, a keyboard solo that Keith Emerson himself might find excessive, and some of the biggest orchestral swells to be found in the entire symphonic rock genre. It's all a bit over the top, naturally, but somehow it doesn't seem pretentious or annoying.
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Rovi
This UK band was formed in 1971 by the eccentric Arthur Brown (b. Arthur Wilton-Brown, 24 June 1944, Whitby, Yorkshire, England), a vocalist who had achieved momentary commercial fame three years earlier with his memorable single, "Fire". This new venture was completed by Andrew Dalby (b. Gainsborough, England; guitar), Julian Paul Brown (b. Liverpool, England; synthesizer), Michael Harris (keyboards), Desmond Fisher (bass) and Martin Steer (drums), a line-up immortalized in the film Glastonbury Fayre. Their debut album, Galactic Zoo Dossier, was a radical, experimental set, and featured an extended version of "Space Plucks", a piece the singer had written for his previous band with organist Vincent Crane. This high standard was sadly not maintained on its follow-up, Kingdom Come, which relied on contemporary progressive styles and featured new bass player Phil Shutt. Harris and Steer were dropped from the band for Journey, on which Brown, Dalby and Shutt were joined by keyboardist Victor Peraino and a drum machine. Kingdom Come broke up completely when their founder embarked on an erratic solo career.
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Richie Unterberger
One of the most electrifying one-shot artists of the '60s, British singer Arthur Brown briefly set the charts alight in 1968, as well as thrilling audiences with his theatrical performances, which saw him wearing helmets of fire and outlandish costumes. His debut album was surely one of the most left-field commercial successes of the late '60s, if not of rock history. In addition to topping the British charts (and reaching number two in the U.S.) with his brilliantly demonic single "Fire," the self-proclaimed god of hellfire actually scored a Top Ten LP with his 1968 debut. Unveiling Brown's demented, fire-obsessed lyrical visions and swooping, theatrical vocals, it showcased his band's manic, agitated psychedelic sound, which was anchored by incendiary drumming, Pete Townshend's production, and an organist who could be best described as Jimmy Smith on acid. Brown's original band broke up in early 1969; in the early '70s he released several albums with Kingdom Come, which saw him pursuing a maddeningly obscure and less exciting brand of art rock. He recorded off and on after, with an additional flash of fame springing from his role as a priest in the film Tommy.
********************
WEBSITE
********************
TO THE TOP
********************
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