Faster Than The Speed Of Light

Arthur Brown and Vincent Crane first performed together in The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, somewhere towards the beginning of the timeline. However, a decade later, during the sessions for one of the Richard Wahnfried albums, the pair offered their Faster Than The Speed of Light record to Klaus Schulze. Seeing as the duo weren't "boring old farts" Schulze coalesced, releasing the album on his Innovative Communications label—one better known for Neue Deutsche Welle and electronic music. With compositions from Crane and lyrics from Brown, the album is a concept record, having to do with the topic of sanity, or the loss of it. Crane handles piano and keyboards, while Clifford Venner contributes drums and other percussion. Brown's voice is forceful and to the fore in the mix. Bold and rich, the album is also a relatively contemporary one; though its sonic icing is Crane's brilliant orchestration (and conducting), performed by the Frankfurt Symphony Orchestra. The opening track, "Nothing We Can Do," is full of majestic drama, including the hook of "Storm Clouds"—pure Vincent Crane. "Timeship" follows, both contemplative and driving; and the playful "Come and Join the Fun" wraps up. The second side highlights the duo's soulful writing on "Tightrope." The album's title track closes, reprising the grand arrangements of the first side. It saw limited release in Germany, and predictably sold very few copies. In the early 80s, Crane reformed Atomic Rooster for a few years, while Brown immigrated to the US and began a career as a house painter in Austin, Texas. The album was first reissued on the Blueprint label in 1996, but ceteris paribus: The original tapes were lost and the CD was mastered from—if you can believe it—a scratchy vinyl record.