A psychedelic soul album, its style is defined by frontman Arthur Brown's wide-ranging theatrical vocals and mystical lyrics, with the first side of the original LP comprising a conceptual song cycle known as "the Fire Suite".

The album's sound and Brown's stage act influenced subsequent musicians such as David Bowie, Peter Gabriel,[2] Alice Cooper,[3] Marilyn Manson and George Clinton.

The band line-up consisted of Arthur Brown (vocals), Vincent Crane (organ, piano and vibes), and Drachen Theaker (drums).

[9] After recording the album, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown embarked on their first American tour, supporting the Doors, Frank Zappa and MC5.

[5] Brown alleged that approximately four minutes into the acetate, Theaker "leapt across the room, took it off the turntable, smashed it on the wall", claiming that his drumming had been "buried" in the mix.

[7] Brown defended the overdubs, saying that they added to the album's overall presentation, replacing visuals and costume changes he would have employed in live performance to achieve dramatic effect.

[10] The Crazy World of Arthur Brown has a psychedelic soul sound that encompasses British rhythm and blues, psychedelia and pop.

[5] Mike Knoop, writing for Classic Rock magazine, said that Brown's singing style recalls "Eric Burdon, Bob Calvert, Ian Gillan, Tim Curry, Brian Connolly, and a smidgen of King Diamond all coming out of one person.

[5] The original song "Rest Cure" has been described as "basic pop",[5] while "Spontaneous Apple Creation" was described as the album's most psychedelic recording, due to its high amount of sound effects.

[20][21] Other artists influenced by the album's sound and Brown's stage performance included David Bowie, Peter Gabriel,[2] Alice Cooper[3] and George Clinton.