MANIFEST DESTINY

"Manifest Destiny" continues BRAND X's exploration into the fusion of Jazz, Rock and Funk genres and IMHO may represent their overall best album yet. Nesting somewhere in the mix of KING CRIMSON, UZEB and MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA comes "Manifest Destiny" a killer album which offers the listener a vast array of avenues and atmospheres. This album features the standout muscular fretless bass lines of Percy Jones, combines with the aggressive percussion of Frank Katz and the diverse guitar pluckings of John Goodsall. What we are left with is a tremendous musical exploration with a tons of mood and tempo shifts, incredible instrumentation and excellent songs... not a bad minute on this album... hate to do this again kids but I highly recommend this album to you...

This latter-day Brand X album is well worth hearing. Some of the funky tunes (e.g. Stellerator) go on for too long (and drummer Frank Katz mainly serves to remind you how special Phil Collins really was) but it's oh so good to have Percy Jones (fretless bass) and John Goodsall (lead guitar) joining forces again! Jones is outstanding on Virus (which could be described as fun power pop with ambient bass interludes) and The Worst Man (fun funk with weird synths). Goodsall has two of his best-ever moments on the title track (sublime power-chord rock with ecstatic solos) and on Operation Hearts and Minds (which features a grandiose guitar climax). My version of this CD (Purple Pyramid 1997) includes two hidden tracks, one of which is a drum solo, apparently by Pierre Moerlen (whom I saw live with Brand X around the time this disc was released), whereas the other is a highly atmospheric instrumental, once again with starring roles for Goodsall's guitar and Jones's bass.

This is another excellent fusion banquet from the inspired Brand X, certainly in terms of volume of its discography; one of the more successful and prolific acts ever. As the humorous proviso on the back cover "Warning! Highly Contagious" states, this is an infectious virus that has deep burrowing power and wastes no time in setting down to the task of supplying a steady dose of delirium. The opener is a rumbling groove fest, led by the contagious fretless Percy Jones bass, syringed by some deadly drumming and some feverish effusions from guitarist John Goodsall and keyboardist Franz Pusch. "Stellarator" showcases Jones' dripping style, his massive fingers cajoling, twisting and caressing his fabled instrument (an Ibanez fretless), while Marc Wagnon adds a barrage of Midi-vibes and Goodsall some Midi-vapor guitar. Drummer Frank Katz does his finest "boom-boom- tchak" imitations, keeping it all tight and funky. "Virus" starts out like rabid creature, spooky, determined and unrelenting within a highly binary beat, chugging inexorably into maximum acceleration, fluffed with oddball vocal samples, bizarre sonic collages like a lovely "reverse guitar solo" that reeks of Steve Hillage, some jingle, some jangle and weird vocal chanting! Percy Jones' bass retains all my focus, as I choose him to be my sonic conductor and there are few as exhilarating as him! The final segment morphs into out right symphonics , featuring some mellotronish string sweeps that are muscularly propelled by the furious rhythm. "XXL" is Goodsall's moment in the spotlight, a rifferama fest chock full of funk, groove and sass, disgorging a wide variety of tones, from clean rippling chords via some wah-infected stretches to some sitar-sampled forays, again forcefully anchored by some concrete bass and drum foundations. "The Worst Man" has Percy in fine disposition, doing perverse things to that bass, in more than one channel, Goodsall doing Andy Summers guitar imitations (this can sound like an instrumental the Police going prog) , flutist Danny Wilding blowing a few background wisps. The title cut is a traffic-jam improv that has all the lads blasting away uncontrolled, Goodsall and Wagnon flashing the nimble fingers, while the low spark is held masterfully by the high heeled Jones/Katz duo. John in particular unleashes a monstrous solo that sizzles with abandon while Jones gets into a jaw dropping high speed rumbling finale. "Five Drops" is a Wagnon comp that highlights the amazing acoustic guitar skills of Mr.Goodsall (hello Al, John and Paco), awash in a sea of Midi-vibe symphonics that gently flow towards some imaginary jazz-cool atoll, palm trees swaying in the breeze. "Drum Ddu" is a hodge-podge of burping and belching bass, whizzing oasis-borne guitar phrasings, dancing calypso-vibraphones and slap happy percussives, all coalescing in a fusion cocktail that typifies the Brand X style, controlled euphoria with a slight English humorous slant. A total winner that stops on a dime. "Operation Hearts and Minds" is another jubilant Goodsall piece, surely more structured that the preceding maelstrom, within a classic jazz-rock foundation where the guitar wailing mightily as it soars uncannily into the caravanserai-like universe of early Santana. Amazing, I say and certainly a highlight track here! "Mr.Bubble Goes to Hollywood" is a typical Brand X drum solo that pounds, grounds and astounds, both lightning quick and expressive, with that impeccable fretless kicking in, lending support. Some have inquired how can I , the melodious prog romantic be so enamored with Brand X . Well, above all, I consider myself a bass freak, following the magic spell in the lower end with dedicated severity and when one has a Percy Jones as leader, well you can take me to your planet anytime. This edition has 2 hidden bonus tracks featuring the sadly departed drum genius Pierre Moerlen, an occasional friend and amigo of the band, without a doubt a huge talent among a crew of immense abilities. Both tracks stretch well beyond the 8 minute mark, so this just may be the apex, talk about bonus!!!!! 4.5 nameless logos

At the time of this writing, John Goodsall has passed away and Brand X has ceased to exist. If there are no more recordings stashed away in a vault somewhere then this is indeed their final album, and a disappointing swan song it is. On about half of the tracks here the musicians mostly just seem to be rambling about, waiting for a groove to magically spring up out of thin air. The band's attempt to get with the times and try out some acid jazz on "XXL" (featuring barely audible R&B vocals from drummer Frank Katz) is only slightly less embarrassing and dull than one might think, and just what the hell is "The Worst Man" even supposed to be? It sounds like an AI's interpretation of funk music if you only fed it the dictionary definition. Some face is saved on "Drum Ddu" and the lengthy "Virus", both of which boast pretty powerful and memorable riffs, and the mysterious "Five Drops" which features some really impressive acoustic guitar and vibraphone licks over its ambient backdrop, but on the whole this has to be the least consistent album in Brand X's oeuvre. To have to close the book on such an amazing band with "Mr. Bubble Goes To Hollywood" (a weak two-minute drum solo) is a darn shame.

Brand X Modernizes?

Wow! These ratings by my fellow reviewers are... shocking...

GOODSALL and Co. playing virtual catch-up to then-modern styles and... phenomena... is not a good look. It just sounds tacky (mostly at the frontend of the album, by the way). Hear it for yourself: the cheesiest, faux-horror, MJ- calling synth-stabs on "Stellerator"(?!). The most workable of this is on one of the strongest tracks on the album, "Drum Ddu", but can I really recommend it?

The next track (from the top), "Virus", feels far more confident in itself. Still not anything of interest. If anything, I must say the production feels a little hollow (this is really the worst of this sin on the album). The disappointment continues on "XXL". We get a glimpse back into the band's regular confidence in the title track with spanky drums and the strange, virtuosic noodlings one would hope to get from Percy JONES. Really, after the first half of the album, thank God!

The second half continues with the beautiful, spacy "Five Drops", with ethereal vibes (by Marc WAGNON) and keys. And eventually, we're basically business as usual, with the very nice "Operation Hearts And Minds". Like, seriously. So thankful for what I'm hearing at this point in time. This album was all over the place. Totally inconsistent, especially as I'm now directly comparing it to their second-to-last, X-Communication.

Overall, just a sad final statement by, still, a great band. Best I can say is that, if they took the second half of the album and had released an EP of just that, it would be one of their best.

RIP John (1953-2021). Certainly no disrespect.

True Rate: 2.5/5.0