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6 reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Jazz Fusion Progressive Classics!
12 Mar 2003
Format:Audio CD
Brand X was formed by drummer Phil Collins when he wasn't drumming for Genesis. The music is some of the best jazz/rock fusion music of the seventies era. Guitarist John Goodsall sounds a bit like John McLaughlin and is not given the credit he deserves. He can play full shred as in "Nuclear Burn" or more subdued as in "Isis Mourning Part 2". Bassist Percy Jones is excellent as witnessed by the non lp B-side "Pool Room Blues" included here. His highly inventive bass playing proves him to be the equal of more famous fusion players like Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke. Keyboardist Robin Lumley provides added color with his vast array of synthesizers. Percussionist Morris Pert joined later and made the rhythm section even more complex. Goodsall and Jones are the only constant among the tracks. Collins was not able to make all the sessions due to conflicts with his work in Genesis and is capably replaced by Chuck Burghi later of Rainbow and Mike Clarke. Lumley when busy was replaced by Peter Robinson ex-Stanley Clarke Band. Kenwood Dennard on drums and John Giblin on bass also deputized occasionally but are not featured here. Highlights include "Cambodia", "The Poke" and "Disco Suicide" I like all of the tracks and have since purchased the original disks of the band from this time period. The liner notes included by Chris Welch are informative.
However, I have two criticisms with this compilation. The first is that the disk is only about 64 minutes long. A number of great songs could have been added to utilize the full time on the disk. Memorable tracks omitted include "Macrocosm", "Nightmare Patrol", "Access To Data" and "Deadly Nightshade" among others. No tracks were included from the last album by the original band "Is There Anything About". Do not let this deter you from the purchase of "A History 1976-1980". This is instrumental jazz rock of the highest quality. This band is becoming addictive the more I listen to it. Overlooked nuances become noticeable with repeated listening especially in the rhythm section. The band is not just all flash because the inclusion of Collins insures that songs like "Nuclear Burn", "Cambodia" and "Isis Mourning Part 2" contain memorable riffs. If you enjoy great musicianship by all band members this is an essential purchase!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
More info on the site would be nice
10 Sep 2005
Format:Audio CD
First let me say that the CD was recieved in good shape, and in good time. But if you're a serious brand X fan all this stuff is available on previous releases. I understand it's hard to find new music from an old band but the interest in unreleased stuff led me to buy this CD. If you're looking for a first brandX CD this would be a nice choice.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Outstanding quality of Progressive Jazz
8 July 2001
Format:Audio CD
Feeling stifled creatively with Genesis, drummer Phil Collins felt he needed to take his musical skills to another level. Collins, along with guitarist John Goodsall (of the Average White Band), bassist Percy Jones and keyboardist Robin Lumley, formed Brand X in 1976. In this collection, with its correct title being "Brand X - A History: 1976-1980", these four musicians really sew their wild, jazz- oriented musical notes, with a little progressive rock musings interwoven into the jazzy rhythms. Phil Collins' display of drumming is featured in the first six of the ten total instrumental tracks here. His pattern and technique is slightly different from the chops he displayed as a member of Genesis in this same time period. Here, Phil's stylings are more shifted toward a jazz-oriented style of playing, as jazz is Collins' most favorite genre of music at which he is very well adept, including being well honed in progressive rock too, of course. The opening tracks, "Nuclear Burn" and "Born Ugly", display both a jazzy-bluesy side of Brand X, while the tracks "Why Should I Lend You Mine (When You've Broken Yours Off Already?)" and "Sun In The Night" feature a smooth jazz feel. Collins sings a chorus-like vocal in the middle of the latter track, with the former number also written by Phil. Upon hearing the live track "Isis Mourning Part 2" (written by Mr, Collins as well), one will notice that it sounds more like it was recorded in the studio, with an audience coda tacked on the end, but that isn't the case here. An outstanding live number, to say the least. Then, we move into the non-Collins tracks featured in this wonderful set, where, briefly Chuck Burghi, then Mike Clarke handle the drumming duties for the remainder of Brand X's tenure (although Collins would generally perform on a few tracks of the band's subsequent albums while also continuing to perform as a member of Genesis). The first three in this latter set (The Poke, Dance Of The Illegal Alien and Pool Room Blues), sort of harken back to the funky side, as featured in the CD's first two tracks, although I wish "Pool Room Blues" had been extended a little longer, with its infectious funky-jazzy grooves and all. The finale, "Cambodia", has a rockier edge to it, which shows another side of the talents of these fine, well-schooled musicians. It isn't often you hear a jazz group with progressive pizazz, which is why the most diehard fan of either jazz or progressive rock should pick up a copy of "Brand X - A History: 1976-1980" as soon as possible, before it definitely becomes a part of history!
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