The One-Hit Wonder Discovered and Produced by The Who’s Pete Townshend

One of the craziest and most bohemian acts of the 1960s was The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. During their shows, lead singer Arthur Brown would wear wild masks, absurd clothing, and even a helmet rigged up with pyrotechnics. Regarding this ornate and grandiose pageantry on stage, Brown paved the way for musicians such as David Bowie, Alice Cooper, Kiss, and Marilyn Manson. Despite this lasting influence, they are still often considered one-hit wonders, and their one hit, “Fire”, was partially produced by The Who‘s Pete Townshend.

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Following its release, the single peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a No. 1 hit in both the United Kingdom and Canada. Matter of fact, the only thing standing between “Fire” and a No. 1 on the Hot 100 spot was The Beatles’ “Hey Jude”. “Fire” was The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’s only significant single. Years after the release, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown would go on to break up in 1970.

Pete Townshend Did Not Receive Any Credit

Even though the album did not list Pete Townshend as a producer, Brown said Townshend was “involved with all the major decisions,” per Musoscribe. Concerning Townshend’s contributions, Brown also stated, “He was able to move us in a certain direction because of the sounds in the studio, which we didn’t have the experience with.”

In addition to helping the band on “Fire”, Brown also divulged that Townshend was the one who discovered them and persuaded Track (The Who’s record label) to sign them. Recalling Townshend’s participation in their discovery, Brown stated, “Pete was talent spotting for Track in the period when the underground was the big thing.”

Even though Pete Townshend put in all the legwork, the producer credited on the track was The Who’s manager, Kit Lambert. Years after the release of the single, Pete Townshend and The Who would go on to record their own version of the song. Specifically, in 1989, The Who contributed a cover of the track to Pete Townshend’s rock opera album, The Iron Man: The Musical By Pete Townshend.

While The Crazy World of Arthur Brown has fallen into obscurity, they never would have climbed out of it if it weren’t for Pete Townshend. So, if you are a fan of this one-hit wonder, you have Pete Townshend to thank. As he brought them from the underground all the way to the main stage.

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