Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come

By the time Kingdom Come had gotten around to recording their second album, the band had slimmed down to guitarist Andy Dalby, organist Michael "Goodge" Harris and drummer Martin "Slim" Steer—all retained from their first album, Galactic Zoo Dossier. Bassist Phil Shutt, however, was new. Frontman Arthur Brown hadn't changed; and while the tracks approach a more linear presentation, the resulting self-titled album contains the same bizarre cut-up weirdness as their debut. The album kicks off with the slow-building atmosphere of "Water" before arriving at one of Brown's most enduring compositions, the slow and soulful "Love is a Spirit." From there, "City Melody" offers a classic prog rock workout from the band that ends in a wild frenzy of synthesizer and weirdness—something the short "Traffic Light Song" bypasses. The second side begins with the Vincent Crane-penned "The Teacher," with Dalby on vocals. The earthy "The Experiment" (complete with farting) is a mini-epic in and of itself, racing through several themes over the course of its eight-minute length. The band is again exceptional throughout, with Harris providing the classic organ tone. "The Whirlpool" is self-explanatory, though it does feature some plaintive guitar lines from Dalby. The album ends with another crooner from Brown, the heartfelt and stirring "The Hymn." Kingdom Come was unique among British progressives; though in all likelihood, the understated musicianship within the band was lost in the implausible weirdness! By all accounts, the live Kingdom Come experience was indescribable; thus, the band kept a constant touring schedule, as chart success eluded the band yet again.