UNORTHODOX BEHAVIOUR

When I first heard this record the music seemed as mysterious as the cover, which seemed to suggest a secret or something special inside, perhaps either elitist or illegal. After all, there are no lyrics, and the music is quite a reach for someone expecting yet another rock excursion. Nonetheless, as time went by this relatively unknown has become a "desert island favorite" and always sounds fresh to these well-worn ears. Unorthodox Behaviour is one of the most important jazz-fusion offerings ever, and is as important as say Tony Williams Lifetime's Believe It!(or even Mahavishnu's Inner Mounting Flame).

At the time though, I was very skeptical when my brother tried to turn me on to this record, primarily because I knew that Phil Collins did the drum work. Well, was I ever wrong. The first Brand X album is some of the most sophisticated electric music ever recorded. It stands up very well against the test of time, and may still be their very best of all the many many albums Brand X have recorded (and continue to record right up to today). This is fantastic instrumental music, whether it is fusion or not I suppose some would argue with. All I can say to them is, "Check out Nuclear Burn".

That's a fretless bass that Percy Jones is playing. John Goodsall is on guitar and Robin Lumley is on keyboards. A very tight unit indeed! Along with Bill Bruford's One Of A Kind, this is the very best of British fusion