Brand X
A relative late-comer to the Jazz-Rock game, Brand X came together in the wake of the tumult and tremors that the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return To Forever had created. The brainchild of bassist Percy Jones and keyboard specialist Robin Lumley, the band started out as a practice band, jamming for long hours whenever the members had the time or need or desire to get their willies out. Much of their efforts were stylized after the most recent incarnation of the American Fusion band Return To Forever. ATOMIC ROOSTER guitarist John Goodsall was an occasional member of these jam sessions. Things took a more serious turn when ISLAND RECORDS expressed interest in recording their material. With this new impetus, Lumley and Jones got more serious about creating a stable ensemble of committed musicians in order to fulfill the Island Records' hope for an in-house band. Though Lumley and Jones had been actively trying to recruit drummer Bill Bruford for the band, Percy had recently befriended GENESIS drummer Phil Collins while working with him during recording sessions for BRIAN ENO's 1975 release, Another Green World. With the recent and highly-publicized departure of Peter Gabriel from Genesis, Phil was left feeling rather insecure about the future of Genesis--which made him open to the invitation to come jam and try out for the forming "Island-band." Collins was rather excited to have another "more serious" and, perhaps, stable outlet for his considerable talents and skills. With the more formal admission of Goodsall as the band's guitarist, the "Island Band" had reached a whole new level of competency and clout--the respect of which led to the umbrella backing of Genesis' well-oiled management team under Tony Smith as well as a contract from Genesis' record company, Tony Stratton-Smith's own CHARISMA label. The formal recording sessions for the still un-named band occurred in September and October of 1975--at London's famous Trident Studios--which led to the release of their debut album in June of 1976.
BRAND X Unorthodox Behaviour (1976)
The debut album from Britain's answer to Return To Forever. The album was recorded at Trident Studios in London in September and October of 1975 and then released by Charisma (UK) and Passport (US) on June 18, 1976.
Line-up / Musicians:
- John Goodsall / electric, acoustic (7) & 12-string acoustic (2) guitars- Robin Lumley / piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Moog
- Percy Jones / fretless bass, marimba (5), acoustic bass (7)
- Phil Collins / drums, percussion, tambourine, vibes (2)
With:
- Jack Lancaster / soprano saxophone (7)
1. "Nuclear Burn" (6:20) Percy Jones inimitable fretless bass couples up with Phil Collins' extraordinary jazz drumming and Robin Lumley's tempering Fender Rhodes to lay down the foundations for John Goodsall's explosive John McLaughlin-like guitar shredding. Yet it's Robin's Moog that takes the first official solo--two minutes into the song. Phil takes Robin's fiery solo as a challenge and ups his chops to "duel" Robin before the John returns to recapitulate the main theme. Then things get really crazy as everybody tries sledding down the mountain together, barely keeping their balance and unity. Another main theme repeats before the upper end instruments quiet down so that Percy and Phil can really show their stuff. Amazing! Yes, it's all a show of "We can do Return To Forever, too" machismo, but it works: they do not fail to match all of the fire and skill, top to bottom, and even manage to show a little of their own uniquity along the way. (9.5/10)
2. "Euthanasia Waltz" (5:39) great 12-string acoustic guitar chords open and modulate the song while the dynamics shift according to which instrumentalist they wish to showcase. Percy and Phil impress the most, up front, but underneath it all both John and Robin impress as well. (9.125/10)
3. "Born Ugly" (8:13) a journey into mega-funk with the amazing Percy Jones leading the charge. (We KNOW he can play the funk from his sessions with Brian Eno.) The other boys in the band may just have a touch too much white in them to keep up with the Joneses, but they do put together an impressive and fairly enjoyable song. Robin Lumley's keyboard work is particularly interesting. Also, the in the dreamy middle section is very cool for its latent potentialities--as well as for the awesome Larry Coryell-like guitar shredding that rises out of it. You can certainly get the feeling that the four musicians are definitely putting their all into the creation and performance of this music--and Phil does finally get into his full funkiness with the final third of the song. (13.375/15)
4. "Smacks of Euphoric Hysteria" (4:26) melodically and structurally this one might just be a little too close/imitative of Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, and Al Di Meola's collaborations, but it stands up well side by side with the band that they are doppelganging. (9/10)
5. "Unorthodox Behaviour" (8:25) using band-mate Bill Bruford's snare sound can be advantageous, thinks Phil Collins, as he and Percy "Alphonso Pastorius" Jones play "straight men" to the quirky idiosyncratic play of the other two (as well as Phil's track on the vibes and Percy's on the marimba). A little too much playful experimentation might be good for practice, but for a studio album we like to have more meat and potatoes. (17.5/20)
6. "Running on Three" (4:37) fast paced with some solid rock forms and styllings (often reminding me of THIN LIZZY with the twin playing of John's guitar and Robin's keyboard). Phil is an animal on this one--making me totally think I'm listening to Lenny White--and Percy gets to run fast melodic à la Doug Rauch, while Robin settles into some excellent Chick Corea-like support work on the Fender as John's guitar plays some awesome Ray Gomez-Doug Rodrigues-like guitar leads. Wow! These guys can play! (9.33333/10)
7. "Touch Wood" (3:03) now for the acoustic side à la "Romantic Warrior": blazing acoustic guitar ceaselessly running, bowed acoustic bass and Danny Thompson-like stand-up with nimble piano riffing and acoustic guitar strumming with a little bit of Jack Lancaster's soprano saxophone before fading out. Interesting! I am most impressed by the instrumental sounds I hear that I rarely ever get to hear from these particular musicians. (8.75/10)
Total Time: 40:43
There is no place for fluff or tame/smooth jazz here as this band launches with every intention of proving themselves to belong in the same conversations with RTF, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Eleventh House, Nucleus, Tony Williams and Billy Cobham. Listening to this album makes one wonder how Percy Jones and Phils Collins aren't in the general discussions of the greatest jazz musicians of their respective instruments.
90.10 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a minor masterpiece of imitative high-powered Jazz Rock fusion; definitely an album every prog lover should own.
BRAND X Morrocan Roll (1977)
After bursting onto the scene with in the previous year with their exciting Unorthodox Behaviour album, expectations were high for the future of this band of RETURN TO FOREVER-like British Jazz-Rock Fusion wannabes. The big question would be: How long would Genesis drummer extraordinaire, Phil Collins stay involved? So far, he seemed pretty committed. And, how long would the band remain so obsessed with the American fusion masters to the exclusion of their own creative ideas? It was recorded in London at Trident Studios between December 1976 and January 1977 and then released as a vinyl LP on the Charisma label in the UK and Passport Records in the US in April 1977.
- John Goodsall / electric & acoustic guitars, sitar, backing vocals, effects
- Robin Lumley / piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, autoharp (5), clavinet, synthesizers (Minimoog, ARP Odyssey, Roland String), backing vocals, effects
- Percy Jones / bass, autoharp (7), marimba (8), effects
- Phil Collins / drums, lead vocals, piano (3), effects
- Morris Pert / percussion
1. "Sun in the Night" (4:25) with John Goodsall's sitar and an overall Indian feel (including melodic chant vocals from Phil, John, and Robin), the band start off with quite a BEATLES-like tribute. I actually like this song quite a bit. (8.875/10)
2. "Why Should I Lend You Mine" (11:16) the BEATLES-like sound palette is somehow continued despite the more-African Jújù guitar and Percy's free-floating fretless bass. Allan Holdsworth-like guitar in the center lead is cool but then it is followed by a pretty cool NOVA Vimana-like "jungle mystique" passage in which everybody's sound contributions are very quite and subdued: more mood-influencing than virtuosic or flashy-demonstrative. (They're trying to replicate the awesome harp & percussion interlude in the middle of YES' "Awaken.") At 8:30 the individuals begin to ramp up their volumes and with John making some AL DI MEOLA/CORRADO RUSTICI-like runs before the song starts to decay and rest again. Despite it's Vimana-"Awaken" references, I absolutely love this song! (Probably cuz I love Vimana and "Awaken.") (19/20)
3. "...Maybe I'll Lend You Mine After All" (2:10) this seems like a continuation of the quiet "jungle mystique" passage that finished the second half of the previous song--even picking up one of the melodies from "Awaken" on the keyboards. (4.375/5)
4. "Hate Zone" (4:41) on this somewhat funky tune John and Percy try their best to replicate the funky sounds that JAN AKKERMAN created on his two 1976 releases. (9.125/10)
5. "Collapsar" (1:35) I love this little interlude: it reminds me of a mix of MIKE OLDFIELD's Tubular Bells main theme with some spacey Prog Electronic synth work--maybe even the second Alan Parsons Project album, I Robot. (5/5)
6. "Disco Suicide" (7:55) a suite that contains interlaced but consecutive motifs that each emulate something from RETURN TO FOREVER's Romantic Warrior from the previous year (especially the bass, guitar lines, keyboard soloing (Moog whistles) and PHIL's pure-LENNY WHITE imitative drumming). They certainly did a great job of imitating Chick, Al, Stanley, and Lenny--even editing and packaging it all into one song! (13.5/15)
7. "Orbits" (1:38) a Percy solo. Cute and very Stanley Clarke-like. I like the dramatic engineering effects. (4.5/5)
8. "Malaga Virgin" (8:28) the full band goes out for a "Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant"-like cruise: everybody pumping at full speed as John and Robin take turns trying to establish melodies when it's Percy's bass line that really holds everything down. Phil's drumming is incredible. Percy and Morris Pert get to play off one another in the third minute while John tries some Al Di Meola acoustic guitar riffing alongside them and fill supports with his lite drum and cymbal play from beneath. Robin jumps in with a MiniMoog in the fourth minute as John recedes into Al Di "Race with the Devil" rhythm guitar work. Then, at 4:25, everyone stops and resets into another pensive, cautious slow and perspicacious walk through a mine field. Robin's piano and John's laser-fast Al Di runs on the acoustic guitar play off of Percy's fretless and Morris and Phil's delicate flanged cymbal play--until 7:32 when a pluck bass chord signals the run to the finish line: Fender, electric guitar, machine gun bass lines, and incredible speed drumming. Again, a near-perfect play on the RTF suite from the end of Romantic Warrior. I might even like this one more than the original: it's a little more cohesive/unified. (18.5/20)
9. "Macrocosm" (7:24) yet another song that opens just like a "classic" J-R Fusion power tune: like Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Meeting of Spirits"--but the sound is so good! All the gents are super impressive here but Robin Lumley's Jan Hammer imitation is incredible--his best work on the album! And I mustn't leave out acknowledging John Goodsall's amazing, near-Al Di Meola guitar work. If the Mahavishnu Orchestra had had the technology to make their instruments make these sounds I probably would have liked The Inner Mounting Flame better. (14.75/15)
Total Time 49:32
Total Time 49:32
I have several takeaways from listening to this album: 1) these guys are really good at imitation; 2) they make far more sophisticated music than I ever gave them credit for (I've owned this album since the late 70s but never really returned to it very often); 3) Phil Collins is an amazing drummer; 4) Percy Jones IS one of my favorite bass players of all-time (I prefer his work much more to that of Jaco Pastorius); and, 5) John Goodsall is a top tier guitarist. Why he doesn't get more notice or credit I'm not sure cuz he is every bit as deserving to be talked about in the same conversations with the other J-R F giants.
92.98 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; despite its imitative nature, this is definitely a masterpiece of Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion; Moroccan Roll is a far-better album than I ever gave it credit! It just took two years of submersion into the world of "classic era" Jazz-Rock Fusion for me to be better able to appreciate it!
Gone are founding members Phil Collins (the drummer, lead singer, solo career launching, and budding producer was getting very busy in 1978!) and Robin Lumley (who, in a very curious note, performs the duties as the album's producer!). Here are newcomers Chuck Bürgi and itinerant veteran Peter Robinson to fill some pretty big shoes. The album was recorded in London in May and June of 1978 at (once again) Trident Studios with its release by Charisma coming on September 8.
Line-up / Musicians:
- John Goodsall / guitar
- Peter Robinson / keyboards
- Percy Jones / bass
- Chuck Bürgi / drums
- Morris Pert / percussion, Fender piano (3)
2. "Masques" (3:16) cool spacious, WEATHER REPORT-like atmospheric soundscaping with Percy exploring his inner Jaco Pastorius and newcomer (but Jazz, Prog, and Fusion veteran) Peter Robinson doing his best Zawinul. Morris Pert's percussion work also adds a lot. I like it! (8.875/10)
3. "Black Moon" (4:49) sensitive guitar play creates an aqueous-ethereal environment for the whole-team creation of a very pleasant and dreamy Yacht Rock tune. Brings back the nostalgic feelings for many evenings in the warm Atlantic breezes of Florida tiki bars and pool-side or beach parties. Excellent for its intentions as well as for its nuanced performances from John Goodsall's electrically-enhanced acoustic guitar, Percy's aqueous bass, and the lush blend of Peter and Morris' keyboard work. (9/10)
4. "Deadly Nightshade" (11:23) sounding very syrupy like an emotional Narada Michael Walden song for its opening 90 seconds, the band then takes a turn into more funky territory before launching into an almost Chick-Corea-like race to the sun Power Fusion excursion. The musicianship is fine--still impressive--but the sound palette being used is so mellow and smooth--as if they want to avoid at all costs the chance of displeasing any of their listeners with any harsh or discordant sounds, chords and/or notes! But then I don't think they were quite planning on John Goodsall's launch in the fourth minute into a rather protracted display of aggression and listener disregard. If only he'd used a little more distortion and volume we'd have a real King Crimsonian event! Even though the melody line and sound palette of the crescendo and dénouement in the ninth minute was presented in the opening section, here it comes as quite a surprise (it's been so long--and the theme having absolutely no recapitulation in the past seven mintues!): the band sounding as if this were planned: the natural outcome of all that they'd worked so hard to set up, when, in fact, this melodic riff comes (back) as a total surprise to me. And then, to confuse me even more, they follow this up with a spacious Brian Eno Ambient patch of percussive keyboard and Calypso-Gamelan-like steel drum percussion sounds as if the listener were leaving the party by passing through a Thai garden populated with a small array of wind chimes. Interesting! Compositionally it feels both planned yet oddly constructed, and yet the brainworm effect of that central guitar riff is undeniable! (17.875/20)
5. "Earth Dance" (6:09) a feast of Chick Corea-like Jazz-Rock Fusion soloing starting with Percy Jones' impressive bass play moving into John Goodsall, Peter Robinson, Morris Pert, and Chuck Bürgi's impressive skill displays. (Yes: all of them!) An impressive display of jazz skills under rock conditions over a kind of Latin-ized rhythm pattern. (8.875/10)
6. "Access to Data" (8:01) a song that sounds more like Weather Report if combined with both Lenny White's and Al Di Meola's (up to this time) solo material (both of which I enjoy) as well as a bit familiar as if reverberating shadow effects from the NOVA Vimana album on which both Percy and Morris (as well as Phil Collins and Narada Michael Walden) had participated. A rather impressive construct and display of talents and skills and one of the more complete and "finished" feeling songs on the album. Some really awesome lead guitar work from John over the great groove of the rhythmatists. It does, however, get a little overdrawn while also losing focus toward the end. (13.875/15)
7. "The Ghost of Mayfield Lodge" (10:18) despite its saccharine opening, for this song the band finally gets brave enough to explore some non-traditional avant-garde discord and dissonance--starting out quite in the WEATHER REPORT wheelhouse while shooting out tangents of RTFdom before taking a sudden right turn at the 2:00 mark into full-on Di Meola-era Return To Forever. John's solo guitar work in the fourth minute is straight-on Al Di while even the breaks, bridges, and minor tangents after that follow completely the formulaic circus-show format of Romantic Warrior's "Medieval Overture" and, to a lesser degree, "The Magician." Morris Pert's percussion work is amazing--especially when he picks up the mallets for some xylophone work to accompany/reinforce Peter Robinson's excellent keyboard work but, really, anything and everything he does is fairly magical--the highlight of the song's palette. The slowdown passage in the eighth and ninth minutes is nice return to the world of WEATHER REPORT: allowing the subtleties of each band member's contributions as well as Percy's inner Jaco Pastorius. A little loose but overall a nice composition with some great performances. (18.125/20)
Total Time 49:07
Total Time 49:07
Recorded with the absence of drummer Phil Collins (who was obviously busy), the material here feels less energetic and, sometimes, a little half-hearted and "smooth." Still, the formidable skills of all of the individuals involved are undeniable. Keyboard specialist and itenerant jazz musician Peter Robinson brings a whole different vibe to the band than founder Robin Lumley had.
89.78 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of eclectic yet virtuosic Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion--even without Phil and Robin. Recommended!
BRAND X Product (1979)
I'm pretty sure this was my first Brand X acquisition and, therefore, one of my lasting favorites. The album was released on September 14, 1979 by Charisma Records in the UK and Passport Records in the the USA.
Line-up / Musicians:
- John Goodsall / guitar, vocals (2, 4)
- Robin Lumley / keyboards & sounds (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9)
- Peter Robinson (Shawn Phillips, Stomu Yamash'ta, Andrew Lloyd-Weber, Lenny White, / keyboards, sounds & vocals (2, 4)
- John Giblin / bass (1, 3, 5-9)
- Percy Jones / bass (2, 4, 7)
- Phil Collins / drums, percussion, vocals (1, 3), Roland drum machine (7)
- Michael Clark / drums (2, 4)
- Morris Pert / percussion (2, 4)
1. "Don't Make Waves" (5:08) More RUSH-like than Return To Forever. (8.75/10)
2. "Dance of the Illegal Aliens" (6:52) (13.25/15)
3. "Soho" (3:47) not Jazz-Rock Fusion at all. More like RTF for pop radio. (8.66667/10)
4. "Not Good Enough- See Me!" (7:27) Percy Jones is amazing! Very Weather Report like with total thematic changes three times! (13.5/15)
5. "Algon (where an ordinary cup of drinking chocolate costs .£8.000.000.000)" (6:07) Stanley Clarke/Return To Forever-like. Seriously! Great percussion work. (9/10)
6. "Rhesus Perplexus" (4:06) a little more based in traditional Latin jazz works though very much more electrified--like some of the "World Music" acts about to emerge in the 1980s. (8.875/10)
7. "Wal to Wal" (3:09) more Percy magic. Unfortunately, the entire song exists simply to showcase said skills. (8.66667/10)
8. "...And So to F..." (6:34) one of my favorite Brand X songs of all-time. I love Goodsall's Santana/Holdsworth-like sound and feel. (9.75/10)
9. "April" (2:40) more pensive Weather Report-like fare. (4.375/5)
Total Time: 48:50
Total Time: 48:50
Like all of the Brand X albums, there are a couple great songs ("…and So to F…") surrounded by many fair to mediocre songs.
89.35 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion.
BRAND X Do They Hurt? (1980)
Recorded at Startling Studios in Ascot, Berkshire, England and Farmyard Studios in the countryside of Buckinghamshire in April of 1980 and then released by Charisma Records on April 18.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Peter Robinson / keyboards, percussion, tam-tam (5, 6)
- Percy Jones / bass, vocals (A1, A3, A4, B1, B3)
- Michael Clarke (Herbie Hancock/The Headhunters) / drums (A1, A3, A4, B1, B3)
- John Goodsall / guitars (A2 to A4, B1 to B3)
With:
- Morris Pert / percussion (A1, B1)
- John Giblin (Gonzales, Duncan Browne, Gary Boyle, Steve Harley, Colin Blunstone, Lenny Zakatek, John Martyn) / bass (A2, B2)
- Robin Lumley / piano (A2), keyboards (B2)- Phil Collins / drums (B2)
A1. "Noddy Goes To Sweden" (4:30) listen to the X bringing the funk! It reminds me a lot of some of the funky New Wave / Techno Pop bands popping up in the UK. Percy's made-up on the spot (à la The Police's "Masoko Tanga") nonsense gobbley-goop word salad spoken beneath the music acting as if he's a soul-blaxploitation artists is quite interesting (and entertaining). The real highlight, however, is Percy's high-speed, otherworldly bass playing. Amazing. I happen to like really it! (9/10)
A2. "Voidarama" (4:25) here it becomes quite obvious that John Goodsall is devotedly following in the footsteps of guitar god and alien being ALLAN HOLDSWORTH--a fact that will be verified repeatedly as the album unfolds. (8.875/10)
A3. "Act of Will" (4:44) lyrics sung by Percy through a vocoder over a gentle and, unfortunately, sedating three-chord progression. Do they want to be just another average pop metal band like Foreigner, Loverboy or ELO? To me this is just a waste of talent. Filler. (8.5/10)
A4. "Fragile!" (5:26) cinematic fare with percussion and bass being the stars of the show of this (8.75/10)
B1. "Cambodia" (4:30) a ploddingly taxing song that feels way longer than its four and a half minutes would predict. (8.6667/10)
B2. "Triumphant Limp" (7:28) even with old material like this being resuscitated for this album (thus accounting for the presence of Phil and Robin) the result is more rock-cover of WEATHER REPORT-ish than representative of the band's previous work. Obviously John's Holdsworth-like guitar track(s) was added over the original whereas Percy's former track (if there was one) is replaced by the work of John Giblin. It's okay though it ends up leaving me with the feeling of being a studio jam that (rightfully) got left on the cutting room floor. (13.125/15)
B3. "D.M.Z." (8:37) you might as well have plugged these guys into Trident's mixing board and let the Bruford gang take a long lunch break! (17.625/20)
Total Time: 39:40
The musicianship is all top notch, as usual, but the compositions and sound palettes are become either too obtuse and dissonant in their constructs or overly simplistic with Bruford/U.K./Jaco Pastorius-like disconnection from real world (and capitalistic) preferences and expectations. It's like you've put these amazing musicians into the bodyminds of Dave Stewart, Jaco Pastorius/Jeff Berlin, Bill Bruford, and Allan Holdsworth! What you get is another solid but less-than-engaging BRUFORD album!
87.69 on the Fishscales = C/three stars; a good album of fine performances of some pretty baffling compositional choices.
Five albums with a revolving door cast of musicians of which the only constant to remain is founder Percy Jones. Phil Collins returns for one more album, in 1982, but it is the band's first--and only--Brand X album to go out without the participation of Percy--all other albums and tours, which go on well into the second decade of the 21st Century--include he and John Goodsall as stalwart members.
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