BRAND X

Brand X released four studio albums in the 70's. Their debut studio album "Unorthodox Behaviour" was released in 1976. Their debut live album "Livestock" and their second studio album "Moroccan Roll" were both released in 1977. Their third studio album "Masques" was released in 1978. Their fourth studio album "Product" was released in 1979.

Brand X is a British progressive rock band that was founded in London in 1975. Brand X was a jazz fusion band that was active between 1975 and 1980 and that had a hiatus from 1980 to 1992. The band was disbanded in 1999 and was reformed in 2016. Brand X was formed by Genesis' drummer Phil Collins and the Atomic Rooster's guitarist John Goodsall as a side project from their regular bands. Their initial line up also included keyboardist Robin Lumley and bassist Percy Jones. The band was lucky to have signed a recording contract with Island Records. As I said, Brand X's debut studio album, "Unorthodox Behaviour", was released in 1976 and their debut live album, "Livestock" and their second studio one "Moroccan Roll", were released in the following year. After that, Collins left Brand X to can concentrate on Genesis. For their third studio work "Masques" that was released in 1978, Phil was replaced by the Al Di Meola drummer Chuck Burgi, as well as the additional keyboardist Peter Robinson, who had played with Stanley Clarke.

So, "Masques" is the third studio album of Brand X that was released in 1978. The line up on the album is John Goodsall (guitar), Peter Robinson (keyboards), Percy Jones (bass), Chuck Burgi (drums) and Morris Pert (percussion and Fender piano).

"Masques" was released with the regular line up of the band with Goodsall, Jones, Lumley and Pert despite Lumley left for the producer's chair, and Robinson have replaced him. But, Phil Collins wasn't there for the first time. Burgi sat on the drums for replace him. Basically, I would say it's less important whether Collins was there or not. The pillars of the sound were, in my opinion, above all Jones and Goodsall. Pert also featured prominently on the album. Even without Collins, the band offered perfectly recorded jazz fusion, as always with light progressive parts. Some pieces gain an additional individual touch through the percussive inserts by Pert, including xylophone inserts. Most of the pieces convey, not least through the fragile synth sounds, the genre typical fusion light heartedness. Thus, we can say that "Masques" mainly contains not particularly original, but first class fusion music that is on par with their first previous albums in terms of memorable melodies and superlative playing. As a whole, "Masques" stays as a firm studio album.

"Masques" has seven tracks. "The Poke" opens the album with a memorable motive with its great blend of jazz breaks and progressive keyboard sounds. It's a rocking number with guitar parts mostly in unison with the synthesizers. It shows that Brand X could also act with some spirit. The title track "Masques" is a pastoral piece that is dominated by the bass. It retains the atmospheric and Eastern feel of their last two previous works. It features Jones' brilliant bass playing as is usual by him. I think that Percy was always the heart and soul of Brand X. "Black Moon" is a delicate piece with a catchy mid paced tune. It's a foray into the smooth jazz that stands out with its massive relaxing energy. This is a lovely piece, a great find for any Latin jazz lover, really. "Deadly Nightshade" is the longest piece with its more than ten minutes. It has a middle section with committed guitar solos and shrill keyboard sounds as well as a slightly bombastic progressive like ending. This is another foray on the album into the Latin fusion. "Earth Dance" has a funky Latin feel and some interesting progressive gimmicks. It has an amazing musical interplay of all the instruments used due to the excellent keyboard, drum, bass and percussion works. "Access To Data" has some nice instrumental complexity that also exudes a lot of Latin feeling. It's a joy to listen to. It's a very light song, another fine tune with some clear highlights in Goodsall's guitar solo passages and some enjoyable sequences. "The Ghost Of Mayfield Lodge" has a great tune that evolves through its many and multiple music parts. It's a well done mix of jazz fusion and progressive rock music. It represents one of the best moments on the album with its percussion, synths and bass guitar parts. It's a nice closer.

Conclusion: Compared to the two previous first albums of the band, probably due to the absence of Collins, you get the feeling that the band is more focused on the song than just instrumental parts. As a result, it seems more clearly structured, in addition to the often somewhat noncommittal, light West Coast like sounds. The liquid bass lines, percolating percussion, spacey synthesizers, fiery guitar work and forceful drumming create truly an exotic musical landscape that represents what's best about the progressive fusion from the 70's. So, "Masques" is a firm studio album that will keep listeners fascinated with the band. Definitely, it's one of many high water marks in the 70's jazz fusion style. In its own way, "Masques" turned out to be a great album, which I can see on par with their first two studio works.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Brand X is a British progressive rock band that was founded in London in 1975. Brand X was a British jazz rock fusion outfit formed by Genesis drummer Phil Collins and Atomic Rooster guitarist John Goodsall as a side project from their regular groups. Their initial line up also included keyboardist Robin Lumley and bassist Percy Jones. All over the years Brand X released some of the best works that belong to the jazz rock/fusion style. Brand X is considered one of best British representatives of jazz/fusion style and they're also considered one of the best acts on that style in the world.

"Macrocosm: Introducing?Brand X" is a compilation album with fourteen tracks that was released in 2003. It comprises tracks that belong to six albums of the band. So, from "Unorthodox Behaviour" we have "Nuclear Burn", "Euthanasia Waltz" and "Touch Wood". From "Moroccan Roll" we have "Hate Zone", "Sun In The Night", "...Maybe I'll Lend You Mine After All" and "Macrocosm". From "Masques" we have "Black Moon". From "Product" we have "Don't Make Waves", "Algon (Where An Ordinary Cup Of Drinking Chocolate Costs £8.000.000.000)" and "...And So To F...". From "Do They Hurt?" we have "Voidarama". From "Livestock" we have "Isis Mourning, Pts 1-2".

"Hate Zone" begins with a solo by Collins that kicks it for several seconds. Jones then joins in on the euphoric piece, followed by the rest of the band. This is a very hard grooving track that clearly moves towards the jazz rock style. "Sun In The Night" is a laid back piece, one of the few pieces of the band that has words. It's a very rewarding track with some pleasant sitar work and great spacey vocals from Collins. The intensity grows as the song progresses. This is a peculiar, but yet fascinating piece of music. "Nuclear Burn" is a great track where Collins and Jones erupt in unison. Phil and Lumley enter to introduce us to the song and Goodsall who, together with Lumley, exudes a wonderful solo. The 70's jazz fusion flavour is perfectly audible here. "Euthanasia Waltz" is a calm track. It follows the repertoire with a melodious and dynamic piece that finds Goodsall playing captivatingly and where the acoustic guitar is the dominant instrument here. Collins and Jones' cuts are stunningly precise. "Don't Make Waves" is a pretty bland pop/rock song that spreads a certain Genesis' atmosphere, especially through vocals and drums. They never sounded so like Genesis as on this song. It sounds like prog/pop/jazz rock. So, it wasn't a surprise that it was also released as a single. "...Maybe I'll Lend You Mine After All" is a brief piece, a slow track, a logical continuation of the previous track of "Moroccan Roll", "Why Should I Lend You Mine". It could well be the coda of that previous first track. It's a pity that both parts weren't chosen to be part of this compilation. Both give the real atmosphere to the piece. "Algon (Where An Ordinary Cup Of Drinking Chocolate Costs £8.000.000.000)" represents Brand X's fusion rock at its best. It's complex and eerily percussive, never forgetting the melodic line. It's not a Brand X's masterpiece but this is nice stuff. "Black Moon" is a rather generic and delicate piece with a very catchy mid paced tune. It's a foray into the smooth jazz that stands out with its massive relaxing energy. I think this is a lovely piece, a great find for any Latin jazz lover, really. "Isis Mourning, Pts 1-2" is a slow blues piece. It begins with relaxed drums and percussions, gently accompanied by the keyboards. The guitar joins them in the same laid back fashion while the bass holds everything together. It sounds incredible with the space they allow, room to breathe as it were. "...And So To F..." is a great song very well played, certainly one of the most rounded pieces from Brand X. The band plays it as if from a single mould. The piece experiences an almost unbearable climax and it's one of the perfect live favourites of the band. "Touch Wood" opens with intricate guitar as the piano comes in. It's a piece with a great delicacy where Lancaster's nuances with his soprano sax the Goodsall's acoustic guitar and the Lumley's keyboards, which fill us with warmth, especially at the end of it. "Voidarama" is a very guitar-oriented track. It begins with a nice and catchy relaxed melody. In the middle section Goodsall dares to play somewhat more complex parts. This track is a reminiscent of the Mahavishnu Orchestra style. "Macrocosm" is an energetic jazz rock piece, a celebration of the jazz/fusion, being intricate and uplifting and a showcase for the individual skills of all musicians. It shows why Brand X has been one of the jazz fusion bands with relevance for so many years.

Conclusion: "Macrocosm: Introducing?Brand X" is a 14-track budget-priced compilation of Brand X that covers their career between 1976 and 1980. It's a compilation album with a very decent appetite whetter, featuring three tracks from "Unorthodox Behaviour", four tracks from "Moroccan Roll", two tracks from "Livestock", one track from "Masques", three tracks from "Product" and one track from "Do They Hurt?". So, we can say this is a very good compilation album of Brand X that is very well representative of the band's career. However and despite what I said before, fans gain nothing by having this compilation album if they've already these original works from the band, except another sexually suggestive sleeve image by Hipgnosis. But we can't say the same for the newbies because this is a great intro to them.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Brand X is a British progressive rock band that was founded in London in 1975. Brand X was a jazz fusion band active between 1975-1980 and 1992-1999. The members included the noted Phil Collins (drums), Percy Jones (bass), John Goodsall (guitar) and Robin Lumley (keyboards), besides many other musicians that collaborated with the band all over the years. Brand X recorded and released their debut studio album "Unorthodox Behavior" in 1976. The album was positively received by the jazz/fusion fans worldwide. Afterward, the band hit the road for multiple tours in the UK. In 1977, Brand X recorded and released their sophomore studio album "Moroccan Roll", an album also very well received.

"Why Should I Lend You Mine" is a compilation album with thirteen tracks that was released in 1996. It comprises tracks that belong only to their first two studio albums. So, from "Unorthodox Behaviour" we have "Nuclear Burn", "Euthanasia Waltz", "Running Of Three", "Born Ugly", "Unorthodox Behaviour", "Smacks Of Euphoric Hysteria" and "Touch Wood". From "Moroccan Roll" we have "Hate Zone", "Sun In The Night", "Why Should I Lend You Mine (When You've Broken Yours Off Already)", "...Maybe I'll Lend You Mine After All", "Malaga Virgen" and "Macrocosm".

"Nuclear Burn" is a great track where Collins and Jones erupt in unison. Phil and Lumley enter to introduce us to the song and Goodsall who, together with Lumley, exudes a wonderful solo. The 70's jazz fusion flavour is perfectly audible here. "Touch Wood" opens with intricate guitar as piano comes in. It's a piece with a great delicacy where Lancaster's nuances with his soprano sax the Goodsall's acoustic guitar and the Lumley's keyboards, which fill us with warmth, especially at the end of it. "Hate Zone" begins with a solo by Collins that kicks it for several seconds. Jones then joins in on the euphoric piece, followed by the rest of the band. This is a very hard grooving track that clearly moves towards the jazz rock style. "Euthanasia Waltz" is a calm track. It follows the repertoire with a melodious and dynamic piece that finds Goodsall playing captivatingly and where the acoustic guitar is the dominant instrument here. Collins and Jones' cuts are stunningly precise. "Running Of Three" is a piece where the band makes a rhythmic melodic experience. It's a fast track where bass and drums play intriguing roles. Keyboards share the melodic work with a guitar solo of rock in the middle. The overall impression is a jazz jam piece. "Sun In The Night" is a laid back piece, one of the few pieces of the band that has words. It's a very rewarding track with some pleasant sitar and great, spacey vocals from Collins. The intensity grows as the song progresses. This is a peculiar, but yet fascinating piece of music. "Born Ugly" is a groovy number where the band shares a bit of funk without getting too far apart. It can be best described as improvisation session music with a structure. The middle part is a bit psych as the band weaves a large soundscapes with growing intensity. "Why Should I Lend You Mine (When You've Broken Yours Off Already)" is an excellent instrumental full of surprises ranging from its varied dynamics to the curious percussion and the always virtuous and extended sound of Jones's fretless bass. Lumley and Goodsall's solos move within an environment where everything seems to levitate, really. "...Maybe I'll Lend You Mine After All" is a brief piece, a slow track, a logical continuation of the previous track. It could well be the coda of the previous one. Both parts give a lot of atmosphere to the track. "Unorthodox Behaviour" is another piece that sounds like an improvised jam. It begins quiet and even hesitating and builds up a tension that it's broken up suddenly by Phil's drumming. A dialogue develops between the guitar and the keyboards and where bass and drums occasionally pop in. "Malaga Virgen" is one of Brand X's greatest tracks ever due to its complexity and the way it holds together as a piece. It switches between the fast and slow, and the loud and quiet parts. The interplay is exceedingly virtuosic, especially the solo segments by Jones and Lumley. "Smacks Of Euphoric Hysteria" is probably the least euphoric songs in the all repertoire of the band, but it's highly attractive too. It has a slow groove. There's an obvious intention to give to each musician the same time in the centre spot but Phil's drums are in the front, really. "Macrocosm" is a celebration of the fusion genre, being intricate and uplifting and a showcase for the individual skills of all musicians. It shows why Brand X has been one of the jazz fusion bands with great relevance for so many decades.

Conclusion: "Why Should I Lend You Mine" is a good compilation album of Brand X. It has some of thir best tracks. However and despite of that, we cannot say that "Why Should I Lend You Mine" is a compilation album very well representative of Brand X because, as I mentioned above, it has only tracks that belong to their first two studio albums. This is pretty evident if we look to title of it. Who are used to with the entire career of Brand X knows that Phil Collins only participated entirely on the first two studio albums of Brand X, "Unorthodox Behaviour" and "Moroccan Roll", due to his commitments with Genesis when he replaced Peter Gabriel in the vocal role. Anyway, "Why Should I Lend You Mine" is well representative of that period of the band and represents a great intro to the band and their great music.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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

I am definitely writing this review, a week or so following his untimely death, in honor of him and his great legacy. I'm terribly sorry I never got to see them/him perform in person. And what's most unbelievable about it all, is that he (I assume he) fell ill and they were then looking to postpone the show in my hometown just a month ago... Pretty surreal. Rest in Peace, sir. Rest in Peace, as Robin LUMLEY put it, to BRAND X.

X-Communication was released ten years after their last effort (and effort is a good enough descriptor of it, in my opinion), Is There Anything About? (1982). Interesting to think that there was a whole decade between it and this release. Then again, we are yet to see anything following their final studio album in 1997 today.

To a point above, I think this is the strongest effort the band has had since 1979's Product, a personal favorite of mine. It's relatively consistent, in feeling and, for the most part, in compositional knack. There's some really very interesting tracks on this, ranging from brooding to "Eastern" and exotic. My personal favorites are "Xanax Taxi", "Liquid Time", "Mental Floss" and "Kluzinski Reprise". To keep this shorter, I'll end this here.

True Rate: 3.5/5.0

What is NOT included in this boxset : 1:The complete "Is There Anything About" Album 2:Why Won't You Lend Me Yours? (BBC, Missing Period) 3:Tito's Leg (Live, Missing Period) 4:Pool Room Blues (Soho B-Side) 5:Genocide Of The Straights (X-Cerpts Promo EP) 6:Algon (Live, The Plot Thins - A History Of Brand X)

All of this would fit nicely as a disc 5 in this boxset Also non of the later archival/live stuff isnt here, but thats not that important

Nevertheless, The price for this boxset is nice, and you get 6 FULL Brand X albums and 35 minutes BBC Recordings