GALACTIC ZOO DOSSIER

A blend of space rock and psychedelia, the first Kingdom Come album sees Arthur Brown's vocals in fine form but lacks the impact of the Crazy World of Arthur Brown's firey debut - possibly because none of the band's instrumental performances match the immediate appeal of the songs on that album, underpinned as they were Vincent Crane's furious organ.

In addition, the whole presentation can be abrasive; it's an album-length song sequence that on initial listens comes across as highly fragmentary, with some tracks including outright glitches (such as that around 25 seconds into Metal Monster). The overall effect is of the audio equivalent of the sort of avant-garde collage which graces the inner gatefold, and some moments can be particularly alarming - like the abrupt transition from Simple Man into Night of the Pigs.

Perhaps the best way to think of it is if Absolutely Free/We're Only In It For the Money-era Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention took a left turn into space rock, and then added a far better vocalist than any incarnation of the Mothers ever enjoyed. It's an often fast-paced, baffling work, though when it does slow down there's some absolutely beautiful moments made all the sweeter by the chaos around them - take album centrepiece Sunrise, for instance, which closes the maelstrom of the second side with a moment of genuine sincerity.

I was previously not entirely sold on this album, but now I've come to appreciated its twisted structure the better I think it's a magnificent slice of space rock from the more psychedelic end of the spectrum. Fans of early Hawkwind will find a similar musical approach on show here, making it no surprise that later Hawkwind would occasionally cover Kingdom Come material onstage - sometimes with Arthur Brown guesting on vocals.