Search - Arthur Brown :: Galantic Zoo Dossier

Brown's unacclaimed freight: a lost classic restored

Laon | moon-lit Surry Hills | 01/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This little-known disk is probably the greatest unknown album in rock history, I said grandly. But I think it's true. Certainly it's one of the best albums from the 1970s, and it usually has a place somewhere in my (regularly changing and admittedly slightly eccentric) top 10 rock recordings of all time. It may be the most startling psychedelic album ever made: dark, strange, scary at times, but a lot of roaring apocalyptic fun. On top of that it boasts some great soul singing by Brown, who has a truly phenomenal voice, ranging from a bass growl to a falsetto scream - with everything in between, and some brilliant musicianship, particularly from Andrew Dalby on guitar, Desmond Fisher on bass, and Michael Harris on organ. But in general it's an awesome collection of musicians. Mix in everything from cerebral space rock to funk and acid jazz (and acid other things), add Brown's operatic voice (the operatic nature of some of the music pointed up by a steal from Wagner's _Tannhäuser_) and some rather good jokes, and you have some kind of weird masterpiece. The structure is interesting, with a pieces like "Space Plucks" and "Galactic Zoo" morphing into other, separate pieces, then returning; the nightmarish "Galactic Zoo" piece, for example, occurs quite early in the disk, is interrupted by other music, continues later and merges into another piece and finally concludes on its third appearance. There is an initial climax with the soul ballad "Sunrise", which is the musical heart of the album, and a bigger climax about two thirds of the way through with "Creep" and "Creation", featuring nothing less than the creation of the universe of "all forms and distinctions", amid a great deal of highly dramatic white noise. Brown's performance, particularly his scream at the moment of creative cosmic orgasm, is a reasonable practical definition of the term "over the top", but it certainly works. And there's a recording trick with his voice, at the end of the scream, in which it merges with the electronic sounds and then leads into a new, "sparkling" keyboard theme, that ... Well, I can't really describe it, but I never fail to find it exhilarating. The album finishes back its own beginning, in a (I assume deliberate) allusion to _Finnegan's Wake_. This is high-energy music that demands your attention; you can vacuum the house to it, maybe, but I don't think you could read with it on. I originally heard the vinyl version in a psychedelic context, with a certain amount of chemical surf pounding through the brains'n'veins, and I can report that it sounds just electrifying, stunning, under those conditions. And the liner notes confirm what was always obvious, that LSD played a significant role in the creative process on this album. But _Galactic Zoo Dossier_ isn't limited by its psychedelic origins; Brown was much more serious about his music - also in his recurrent use of religious themes, though that's of less interest to me, at least - than he was ever given credit for. _Galactic Zoo Dossier_ stands up well heard under the influence of nothing stronger than a cup of tea. People who know the original release or the previous CD release need only know the following about the remastered re-release. The remastered sound is superb, crystal clear, though this was always a fine piece of production. The extra tracks are harmless rather than essential: the most interesting is a medley combining the "Space Plucks" themes with "Dem bones, dem bones, dem dryyyyy bones", that shouldn't work but does. The alternative take of "Metal Monster" is good, but you can see why they chose the version that is on the album. The "Alt version" of "Sunrise" is the same as the version on the album except, as far as I can tell, for a three-second edit. However it's a great track and I'm happy to hear it again. So, if you've never heard this, I strongly recommend it. If you don't know Brown, or you know of him only through the track "Fire", then you're in for a revelation. And if you know the album but you've been waiting for a good CD version, you need wait no longer. It's good to see this music back on the market at last. There are good notes and photos in the jewel case booklet, too. Highly recommended.Cheers!Laon"

Galactic Zoo...A Rock Revelation.

Jason A. Levine | Seattle, WA USA | 02/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you think you know post-psychedelic, progressive/art rock, you might not...If you think you've heard Arthur Brown and Kingdom Come before, well, you've *never* heard them like this!Quite simply, the recently reissued (and long out-of-print) masterpiece, Galactic Zoo Dossier, is an album that stands the test of time, and shreads all preconceived notions of what you *thought* you knew about music, circa 1970/71.From it's electrifying opener, 'Eternal Messenger', to the orgasmic crescendo of 'Creep' & 'Creation', Arthur and Kingdom Come usher us through each song with great passion; from darkness into light and through the shadows, there is a continuous exploration of musical subtlety and craftsmanship with every note that flows from the speakers. These musical creations are indeed 'master works' - seguing (often without pause) into each other with a seamless nature, and often surprising melodic direction. Ok, that all sounds very 'poetic and marketing-like', but how does this CD sound? Well, as mentioned, if you owned the vinyl or the earlier Voiceprint issues, you've simply never heard it like this. The clarity, depth, and sheer beauty of this recording shines through with the best of the modern-day, 24-bit remasters. And unlike previous issues, you can really appreciate that this album was not only masterfully crafted, but wonderfully recorded. Fantastic stereo-separation, crisp cymbals, thumpy kick drums, great toms, raunchy organs, blistering guitars, and of course, the voice of Arthur, all leap out at you as if you're in the studio, listening to it live. It's ever better in headphones. So - if you're thinking about delving deeper into the world of Arthur and Kingdom Come, this is really the first place to start. Prepare yourself, and bring along that passport...it's time to take an inter-stellar trip to the Galactic Zoo."

One of the greatest albums of all time

Mitchell Freedman | Poway, CA United States | 04/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have longed for this album to return in CD format and am amazed at the excellent quality of the recording. The album recording was fabulous and I was concerned that sometimes a CD of an older album (this was released as an album in 1971) is inferior in sound. Not this time! The CD is as strong a recording as the album.The music and structure of this album/CD puts it in the far end of progressive rock where it grew out of psychedelia. But this is not an album to be listening to while dropping acid or cleaning the house. It is an album to listened to with sober and discerning ears and one's mind, the way we listen to Miles Davis or Mozart. Seriously. It is a wonderful album.My only disapointment in the CD is that we didn't need the three outtakes after the album/CD ends. For those not familiar with the album, one loses the sense of the end being the end--particularly with the album having at least three "false" endings already, which I continue to love. I believe that many who are as intimately familiar with the album as I am will find the three tracks unnecessary. I am usually excited about outtakes/alternative takes, but these add nothing other than a fleeting smile when Arthur Brown starts singing "dry bones." The outtakes were a downer more than anything else because they took away from the album/CD's true ending.But whatever you do, get this CD while it lasts!"