Townshend revealed what he thought of the cover in retrospect.
“Arthur Brown I think is an incredible show,” he said. “What I dig in a performance, in an event, is essentially to be communicated to, to feel part of an audience. I always feel like an audience because I am an audience if I am watching anything.
According to CBS News, Townshend produced “Fire,” The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’s one hit single. The single doesn’t credit Townshend. Instead, Kit Lambert, The Who’s manager, is the credited producer of the song.
Townshend discusses Brown several times. He recalls bringing Brown to Track Records, an independent label. He became upset that he received no compensation when Brown’s signature hit reached No. 1.
In addition, Brown appeared in the film version of The Who’s Tommy. He played the leader of a Marilyn Monroe-themed cult. Townshend felt Brown was in his element when he portrayed the cult leader, as Brown was knowledgeable about voodoo.
Subsequently, Townshend produced The Iron Man: The Musical by Pete Townshend. It was based on The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. He decided The Who should appear on one song on the album, so The Who covered “Fire” for the record.
Townshend felt “Fire” almost suited the band. Their cover sounds more like 1980s stadium rock than Brown’s psychedelia. Townshend is the credited producer of this obscure version of the song.
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’s “Fire” is an essential one-hit wonder and it wouldn’t be the same without Townshend.
Townshend revealed he was offered the chance to work on the music for the 1982 science fiction classic after collaborating with Ken Russell on 1975 ‘Tommy’.
“I worked on the music with Ken Russell for his adaptation of ‘Tommy’. And when I finished, after sort of six months of working with him, I took him aside and I said I would never ever ever work on a movie ever again, this is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me, and I don’t even really like the film!Risultati immagini per blade runner locandina.
“But I love Ken Russell, he’s fantastic. Anyway, afterwards Terry Rawlings gave me a script to look at, and I said, ‘No, I’m not doing any more movies.’
“And he said, ‘You must read this, mate, you must read this, it’s fantastic it’s by a guy called Ridley Scott.’
“And I said, ‘I’m not doing any more films!’, and I read the script, and I thought ‘this is rubbish’, and I said to him ‘it’s rubbish, and I’m not doing any more films for you’, and it was… ‘Blade Runner.’ ”
