http://www.dangerdog.com/2014-music-reviews/brand-x-2013-reissues.php#.UuGv-RAo7IU
BRAND
X: 2013 RE-ISSUES
Brand X: Missing Period
Jazz/Rock Fusion
5.0/5.0
Brand X: Live at the Roxy LA
Jazz/Rock Fusion
5.0/5.0
Brand X: Is There Anything About
Jazz/Rock Fusion
4.0/5.0
If
you don't know Brand X, then you quite possibly don't know the roots of English
progressive jazz rock fusion. This seminal band featured, at the core, John
Goodsall on guitar, Percy Jones on bass, Robin Lumley on keyboards, and Philip
Collins on drums. Yes that Phil Collins of Genesis fame. These mates jammed on a
regular basis, if anything, for the shear pleasure of experimentation and
camaraderie. Then Collins brought manager Tony Smith to the gig, and he
concluded that they should record. The first album was 1976's quite
successful Unorthodox
Behavior. The rest, as the say, is history, with many more additional
albums with curious names (but no significant meaning to them.
I
was a fan back in the day and nearly every one of their albums. UK label Gonzo
Multimedia has seen fit to re-issue three recordings from the band's catalog:
one a prequel, so to speak, of their earliest stuff, another a live album, and
the third, a re-issue of the seventh album, last to have Phil Collins, Is
There Anything About?. I'll speak to each one briefly.
Missing
Period, as hinted to above, are the earliest recordings of Brand X,
beforeUnorthodox
Behavior, and recently recovered by Goodsall from family members. Perhaps
the most interesting thing about this album (and the others as well) is that
they are analog recordings set to tape, yet still have an amazing freshness.
Something to challenge our current digital world view. Regarding the musical
beginnings of Brand X, you'll discover some musicians deep into improvisation
and experimentation as the explore convergence of jazz and rock fusion. While
all track are entertaining and telling of the band's direction, my top picks
would be Ancient Mysteries and Miserable Virgin.
Live
at the Roxy LA, recorded in 1979, finds the band in high gear with some
commercial and popular success. Yes, the band did tour and successfully so. Not
unlike the those early recordings, this one is from the theater's PA
monitor-mixing board, in cassette form. Brand X recorded every show and
rehearsal the same way; many were lost, this one survived. Again, this all
analog stuff, a bit clumsy and muffled at times, but the music comes through.
There's also some quaint banter between the band, displaying more than a little
bit of Brit dry humor. Favorite tracks: all, but especially Disco Suicide and
Malaga Virgin.
Is
There Anything About is the re-issue of the 1982 album, the last to feature
Phil Collins. First, the re-issue does not follow the original song lineup from
vinyl, but I don't think it matters. It also includes some additional personnel:
John Giblin, bass, Peter Robinson, keyboards, Raf Ravenscroft, saxophone, and
Steve Short, syndrums. Excepting Jones, who plays bass on only one track, these
players aid rather than replace the core band. Is
There Anything About certainly stands in the Brand X tradition, offering
some new material, as opposed to the previous Do
They Hurt, which was merely out takes from Product.
That album, in my opinion, was their last best album. So this one finds the band
alive, yet fading. There's a piece called Swan Song that may have been more
prophetic than the band could know. Yet, Is
There Anything About is still entertaining and worth a Brand X fan's time.
Top picks: TMIU-ATGA ("they're making it up as they go along"), Modern, Noisy
and Effective, and the title track.
So
there you have it. Grab them while you can. Easily recommended.
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FROM GONZO
 | The X Files - A 20 Year Retrospective 2CD - £11.99 |
 | Is There Anything About? CD - £9.99 |
 | Live at the Roxy, LA 1979 CD - £9.99 |
 | Missing Period CD - £9.99 |
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