March 2004: The new official website has arrived! Check it out!
Mail me if you have questions or comments about this or anything else.
This is a collection of the earliest known Brand X recordings, made shortly before the release of Unorthodox Behaviour. Some of this material surfaced in 1989 on an "official bootleg" cassette called Live in Lybia. According to a representative from Pangea, the master tapes were unmarked, so "nobody really knows" the precise origin of these recordings.
Perhaps not, but fellow fan Martin Mycock in England found some compelling source evidence in his own tape collection, where the songs matched those on some radio sessions:
Rarely are loyal fans of an eccentric band so richly rewarded. Even though 4 of the 6 tracks are alternate versions of released tunes, there is nothing redundant here. These early renditions effectively document a significant and truly (previously) missing moment in the history of Brand X. Perhaps due to freshness, all of the tunes are just a bit more playful, more unruly, more relaxed and noisier than what settled on their respective LP releases. Here's the blow-by-blow:
This title can be purchased directly from Pangea Music for $15.
Tracks:
This is the first and probably the most jazz-oriented Brand X album. Goodsall's bewildering fingerwork and spaced-out effects play off Percy Jones' equally agile and bizarre fretless acrobatics for a shameless display of dextrous virtuosity. Phil Collins demonstrates an alacrity and diversity on percussion that was certainly hinted at in his Genesis work, but only to the devoted, studied listener. This is where his full range of chops comes through, with no-holds-barred kit coverage right in the front of the mix, or at other times a delicate, complicated pitter-patter with no compromise of sheer agility for the subtlety. The most likely turn-off here for newcomers to the '70s fusion sound is Robin Lumley's other-worldly electric piano and synths, but he somehow manages to blend them so well to the other sounds that they sneak up out of nowhere, and in no other rock-driven excursion have such noises sounded so at home.
Musicians:
Tracks:
Probably the best introduction to the band. It contains the first Brand X vocal track, "Sun in the Night," but even with Phil's radio-friendly voice the song comes across as too weird and spacey to be a contender for a hit single. This entire album has an extra-spacey tone that takes it further still from traditional jazz than the previous one. The extra-terrestrial mood is skillfully kept in check by constant reminders of the rhythmic invention and unparalleled musicianship lurking below the aural surface.
From the LP liner notes:
THANKS: to ... Peter Booth and Navel Nitram for limiting studio chaos; to the Ifield Male voice Girls Choir for excessive yodelling; to Richard and John of Portobello Weird Languages Ltd.; to Bill Bruford and Marty Scott. To Sarah, without whom several cars would have been towed away.
The Sanskrit lyrics sung by Phil on "Sun In The Night" mean:
Some CD releases include an alternate spelling, "Morroccan Roll". This is apparently a misprint.
Musicians:
Tracks:
Recorded live at Ronnie Scott's Club, London, Sept. 1976, Hammersmith Odeon, London and The Marquee Club, London, August 1977, this release was the required evidence that the first two albums weren't just a lot of studio trickery. It seems these hefty slices of performance were selected to make the next logical step in the creative progression after Unorthodox Behaviour and Moroccan Roll. Overall, probably the mellowest and spaciest Brand X album, though it still kicks pretty hard in a couple of spots.
Musicians:
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While some songs suffer from gratuitous protraction, the classic Brand X craftsmanship is still in abundant evidence here. What might have been called the "relaxed intensity" of Livestock or Moroccan Roll is here replaced by something equally intense but not often in danger of suggesting, or inducing, relaxation. The band, still heavily under the influence of Goodsall and Jones, certainly can't be faulted for a change of direction, and the addition of new talent adds some freshness that might not have been achieved with the same old lineup.
Musicians:
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This was the first Brand X LP to include a shameless bid for a hit single, with vocals by Phil. The two tracks in question, "Don't Make Waves" and "Soho," are both equally banal, repetitive toss-offs that marr an otherwise brilliant, expansive and diverse work of fusion. Sorry about the stab, John, but it had to be said. The instrumental work is at least as entertaining and well-conceived as any of the band's previous material, if not at times more so. Editor's Note
From the LP liner notes:
Thanks to [...] the invaluable Brian (Jaws) Murray hyphen Smith, Uncle Tony Cashflow-Smith and Hit and Run, [...] the Vibe Cats (Cloth Ears and Cuthbert), Occasional Title and Handclaps by Edward Carson, The Belvedere Airship Hangar, Ascot.
Ambushes furnished by Robinson/Lumley Ltd. Authentic Animal Noises by Authentic Animals Research for 'Soho' by B.M-Smith + J. Goodsall Entertainment by Basil, Sybil, Polly, Manuel, Linda Lovelace Costumes by I. Taked'Ehemupp WHAT THE CRITICS SAID.... "Fantastic, I laughed 'til I stopped!" (A. Whicker) "A fantastic year for sheep" (A. Sheep, [Min. of Certain Things]) "What a fine body of men they nearly are." (Mr. O. W. A. Giveaway) "GR ST " (Mr. Jo Sm) " EA UF " (Mr. Oh I) " T F" (Mr. Hn Th) "Eeeaaayyyeeeaaagh!" (E. Waring)
This is the long-awaited (by me) release of a performance from their 1979 US tour. The playing is slightly superior to that on several bootlegs from the same tour, particularly on the vocal track "Don't Make Waves," which comes as close to the realm of tolerable as this song ever could have done. Aside from that track, it's a great setlist, and a great choice of tours (Product) from which to draw a live release. The booklet includes a dingy B&W photo of the band (minus Robinson), a copy of the September tour itinerary, and the following generous liner notes by Robin Lumley:
Once upon a time, there was a little rehearsal band who got together every week at Island's Rehearsal Studios in Hammersmith to play the kind of music they liked best. All the members were into jazzy rock things and knew each other well from doing lots of sessions on other people's records. One day, the dummer (who was called Philip Collins and for a living, played in a famous rock group called Genesis) brought his manager (a Mr. Tony Smith) for a listen. Mr. Smith thought it all sounded quite original, and certainly very good fun, and suggested the band make a long-playing gramophone record. So, with Philip, the other players [Goodsall, Jones, Bass and Lumley] went into Trident Studios in London's busy West End and made Unorthodox Behaviour which was released on the Charisma label in 1976.
The band called itself Brand X, as that was the name used (jokingly) by the people running the rehearsal studio. So no deep meanings there! Nor were there ever such deep meanings in the titles of the tunes or the albums to come.
Anyway, to everyone's surprise and delight , the first record sold so well it entered the British top 50 album chart and managed to reach number 30. So the band started to do gigs and more gigs, quickly picking up a strong following. Bigger gigs happened, like international jazz festivals such as Antibes and Montreux. A second album, Moroccan Roll, came out in 1977, with the first of many American tours. And so the story continued, with more tours, more albums, more big and prestigious festivals... right through to 1981. Of course, Philip Collins wasn't always able to play with the band, as he was busy superstarring in Genesis. So, on parts of some albums and on some tour [sic], BRAND X recruited a selection of the cream of American drumming talent to replace him. Chaps like Mike Clark from Herbie Hancock's band... Chuck Burghi from Al DiMeola... and Kenwood Dennard.
The band cleaned up on music awards, too, being voted Best Jazz Act by Melody Maker readers three years in a row [1977/78/79], and individual awards going to Robin Lumley, Percy Jones and Morris Pert (who played percussion in the band for several years).
Eventually by 1981, although the band had always been 'a very Happy Show' (in luvvie parlance), the members drifted apart, thinking it better to quit whilst ahead, rather than drone on with nothing else to say musically. BRAND X preferred to remain a legend in its own lunchtime!
ABOUT THIS ALBUM:
The band has always recorded every show and indeed every rehearsal, on cassette tapes. These tapes were very handy as references later, when it came to seeing what needed fixing, or if the running order of the show was faulty. Most of these tapes were lost, recorded over or simply chucked out. But this one, recorded off the PA monitor-mix desk at the Roxy Theatre, Los Angeles, survived... more by luck than judgement! It remains, for any of its technical imperfections, a record of a typical BRAND X live show at the peak of the band's career, with all the jokes, silly sound effects, stage bantering, and of course, the demonic performances of those tunes in the company of a highly appreciative American audience.
This tape has not been remixed in any way in the analogue to digital process in order to preserve the original feel of the live performances.
Robin Lumley, September 1995
According to the liner notes of Missing Period, it appears that John and Percy, having legal rights to the Brand X name, did not approve or sanction this release. They apparently declare it "pirated," "of bad quality" and "best avoided," along with the following two albums and three compilations. It is now out of print and doesn't seem to be listed for sale anywhere.
This record ushered the band into the '80s with an appropriately neurotic mood, but the results are some impressively agile instrumentation and truly intense compositions. While entirely comprised of leftover material from the Product sessions, I would suggest that a certain nervous urgency combines with a tint of spooky dementia to set this record apart from its predecessor.
Several listeners have inquired about the lyrics to Act of Will, and the right honourable Mr. Scott McMahan has generously equipped me with the following effort:
See burning streets where you can't hide
A million fires must have (passed us by?)
A song of chaos on the other side
(The leap?) from far below your only guide
Don't be distracted from the act of will
Don't be distracted from the act of will
The stars are brighter than a factory site
The paper frantic with firelight
We see the world though the fast escape (or, through the fire escape?)
We never dreamed it was where (we'd be?)
Momentum (problem?) of a peice of dust
One never knew it (while they're doing it?)
Don't be distracted from the act of will
Don't be distracted from the act of will
Now you're ready for the final act
The lurking? fear is what you attract
Like a (turkey?) in a (frozen?) Mack
Your face (or, place?) is (firm?)
(when you can (or, can't?) relax (or, react?)?)
Act of will
Act of will
So there. Any further attempts or clarification are welcome.
With a couple of nice tracks, most of this album has evaded my every attempt at favorable description. The liner notes, however, are quite entertaining, so they are included here:
Anyone who doesn't like this record has far too much taste, and is obviously too sensible to remain at liberty, and therefore will be tied up with piano wire, and sentenced to five years listening to Demis Rousoss albums.
Sleeve notes perpetrated by Robin Lumley, of whom John Goodsall once said "I've played with some keyboard players in my time, and he was one of them".
PS- All complaints about this record should be addressed to: The Police (The Bill, not the Band) C/O "Hello Hello Hello", 75, Whatsgoin'on'erethen Avenue, Yeovil, Somerset
PPS- Some of the so-called humorous material was nicked from the best-selling book "HOW TO SPELL" by HM The Quoon.
Tracks:
A reasonable representation of the band's body of work. This marked a hiatus for the musical entity known as Brand X, during which time the members were working at various degrees of visibility on other musical projects.
This is Virgin CDVN 9005, out-of-print but questionably available from far-flung European sources. Tracks are as they appeared on the original releases with the exception of "Algon," which is apparently a live version of unknown origin.
This is Caroline (Plan 9) 1116. While this has been added to many retail databases as a reissue of The Plot Thins, the product itself does not bear that title. It is, nonetheless, much of the same material. Tracks are as they appeared on the original releases, with the exception of "Pool Room Blues" (the B-side from "Soho"), which is unavailable elsewhere. The photos of the band are pretty cool.
A triumphant return of the bizarreness of Brand X, now fully technologically updated, and possibly more distilled and energized than ever. Compared to older works, this one comes off a bit cold and at times unpleasantly obnoxious, but you can't call it dull.
This disc was engineered and mixed by Mick Cantarella at Grampa Studios.
Definitely an improvement over its predecessor (XCommunication), which over time I've found devotes far too much to being frenetic and abrasive. Most likely with some thanks to prog producer extraordinaire David Hentchell, Manifest Destiny is quite amiable fusion listening. While Katz is undeniably talented, I could do without the two tracks' worth of random puttering and pounding. Otherwise, the tunes are lively and sufficiently exploratory while still being fairly melodic.
Here is a review from Kevin Delgadillo:
Disc One:
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Disc Two:
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*Japanese release only
Appropriately titled, given that much of this material has eluded investigation by fans of the band. Even while spinning in the player it threatens a stealthy escape. Subtitled "A 20 Year Retrospective", a better phrase might be "Oddities and Tangents." It is an interesting exploration of Percy & John's wide-ranging exploits. Audiophile Imports sums it up thusly:
Recommended for fans of John & Percy's recent solo work. Reports vary on the exact differences between the US and Japanese releases. Please let me know if you have the Japanese one and can elaborate on this.
Disc One:
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Disc Two:
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*Japanese release only
This is indeed what many of us hoped The X Files would be. Both the US and Japanese releases are available from most vendors (like Audiophile):
The '77 material is from Schaumberg, 11/16/77 (an FM broadcast). Sound quality is a bit muffled in the lows at times, but generally well-balanced, very pleasant listening and certainly better than any bootlegs available from this period. The performance is of course fantastic, and the Japanese bonus track is the bulk of "Why Should...", while the part one piece (track 3) is only the brief intro of the song. Also, of minor note, the track list is a little mixed up on the insert (of the Japanese version, at least).
Disc two is from The Bottom Line, New York 6/21/93. Very enjoyable treatments of old and new, with lots of extra improv work. It's great to see these X-Communication performances finally captured and done justice in a release; those of us who couldn't attend these gigs obviously really missed out.
This is a compilation by EMI, all previously released material, nothing new. As the subtitle declares, it is intended as an "introduction", although many would question the value of that at this point in history. Nice cover though.
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Disc 1: Manifest Destiny
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Disc 2: X Communication
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Disc 3: Live in NYC September 27, 1979
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The official Brand X website is a welcome and promising arrival.
Send mail to the perpetrator with your comments, corrections, suggestions or recommended destinations.
