http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Rumbles_August_14.htm
Gonzo
Multimedia have been doing superb work of late, re-releasing a number
of rock and progressive classics from musical eras gone by. The latest
in this programme is a trio ofBrand X albums. Best known perhaps for including drum maestro and Genesis skins-basher Phil 
Collins,
the band in fact featured a massive roster of jazz rock talent,
including John Giblin (bass), Preston Heyman (percussion) and John
Goodsall (guitars). ‘Is There Anything About?’ features the final proper
line-up of the band, and will certainly appeal to lovers of Steps
Ahead, Jean-Luc Ponty et al. Although technically a ‘rarities’ (iecontractual
obligation) album, the musicianship is uniformly excellent and the
sounds really nice, albeit with a bit of an 'eighties glaze. 'A Longer
April' (sax ahoy!) and the bass-heavy and mightily groovy title track
are the standout cuts. ‘{Missing Period}’ is something special for Brand
X freaks, as it amounts to a never before released first album, thought
lost, recorded in 1975 and '76, but recently rediscovered in the family
vaults of John Goodsall.
Collins,
the band in fact featured a massive roster of jazz rock talent,
including John Giblin (bass), Preston Heyman (percussion) and John
Goodsall (guitars). ‘Is There Anything About?’ features the final proper
line-up of the band, and will certainly appeal to lovers of Steps
Ahead, Jean-Luc Ponty et al. Although technically a ‘rarities’ (iecontractual
obligation) album, the musicianship is uniformly excellent and the
sounds really nice, albeit with a bit of an 'eighties glaze. 'A Longer
April' (sax ahoy!) and the bass-heavy and mightily groovy title track
are the standout cuts. ‘{Missing Period}’ is something special for Brand
X freaks, as it amounts to a never before released first album, thought
lost, recorded in 1975 and '76, but recently rediscovered in the family
vaults of John Goodsall.
The sound is pretty good overall. 'Dead
Pretty' is a high-intensity opener with shed-loads of solos and a
sliding, growling bass, while the eleven minute 'Kugelblitz' features
some Ponty-esque synths and the kind of guitar solos Alan Holdsworth was
doing at the time; also hints of the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the
top/tail chord structures. Still loads of original stuff though. 'Why
Won't You Lend Me Yours?' brings in a little more variety - there's a
terrific strings/breakdown section in the middle powered in large part
by Percy Jones' bass - while concluding cut 'Tito's Leg' is just manic.
Sixty-odd minutes of the band at their live peak is what's offered on
‘Live At The Roxy LA,’ which dates from 1979 and features Robin Lumley
on keyboards. This is a previously unreleased soundboard recording. The
tracks are all quite long - typically twelve minutes - and allow the
band to breathe a little; witness the synth/drum opening, with the full
band coming in section by section. The audience is enthusiastic and the
improvised sections are great, with bassist Percy Jones on particularly
fine form. The album highlight for me is 'Malaga Virgin' which features
all those wibbly synth solos and fuzzed guitar scorches that you expect
from jazz rock. Much US-style whooping from the audience here! Finally,
something a little different is Percy Jones' solo album ‘Cape
Catastrophe,’ which dates from the late 'eighties and was recorded in
New York. Comprising eight tracks, the music is founded in a drum
machine and various synths, with Jones' bass added live during a digital
mixdown. The mood is distinctly cooler than the classic Brand X
material, with hints of techno (sampled rhythms and weirdness) and
electronica, all overlaid with bass 
parts
that sometimes you might count as solos, elsewhere as accompaniment.
parts
that sometimes you might count as solos, elsewhere as accompaniment.
The lengthier tracks are the standouts: 'Cape Catastrophe' (found sounds
and digital rhythms that hint at the ethnic dance music that was to
follow a few years later) and the twenty three minute 'Barrio,' which is
a weird amalgam of ethnic sounds, rhythmic glitches and sliding bass.
In places gothic, elsewhere a kind of trippy minimalism.
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AT 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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