Track Listing

1. Nuclear Burn
2. Euthanasia Waltz
3. Born Ugly
4. Smacks Of Euphoric Hysteria
5. Unorthodox Behaviour
6. Running On Three
7. Touch Wood

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15770 in Music
• Released on: 1989-05-02
• Number of discs: 1

CD Description
UNORTHODOX BEHAVIOR is a fitting description of the oeuvre of the British instrumental group Brand X. Featuring complextime signatures, adventurous arrangements, and experimentalsounds, the group was England's answer to the much-malignedAmerican fusion genre. This incarnation of the band is bestknown for featuring drummer Phil Collins of Genesis and later pop fame.
The music of Brand X borrows more from prog rock than jazz, although there's plenty of room for improvisation within the group's extended arrangements. Collins drives the band mercilessly throughout tracks like the opening firestorm "Nuclear Burn" and the rocking "Smacks of Euphoric Hysteria". John Goodsall's guitar is the primary melodic element in most works, alternately snaking mesmerising solo lines and jumping around intricate off-kilter themes on the mysterious "Euthanasia Waltz" or the bizarre title track. Bassist Percy Jones and keyboard player Robin Lumley add the mostunusual colours; Lumley, with his myriad of now-vintage keyboard sounds, and Jones with his signature fretless burps and glissandos.

Customer Reviews

Collins and crew
This album (along with Led Zeppelin vol 1) made me buy a drum kit - not that I ever reached the dizzy heights of excellence that Phil Collins reaches on this great album. This is jazz-rock fusion drum and bass that eclipses all in its wake. The tightest most expressive illustration of the gnre ever produced. The burbling basslines are mesmeric, and the guitar playing from the very top drawer - but its Collins, still ten years from becoming the housewives' favourite who shows that he is primarily a top notch musician - buy it and marvel

Heavy duty jazz-rock at its best
Recorded way back in 1975 this was the first Brand X release. It is certainly (with perhaps the exception of parts of Livestock) the loosest and most unstructured of their recordings. Highlights include the live favourite "Nuclear Burn" with its jagged raw beat, and my own favourite "Smacks Of Euphoric Hysteria" featuring Jones' rubbery Fender fretless bass. One criticism here is the mix which puts Collins' drums and Jones' bass very much at the front. This gives it a rather muddy feel. In fact all the Brand X Charisma recordings are long overdue for re-mastering. This record certainly set the tone for that Brand X weirdness that infected all subsequent releases, but this showcases them at the peak of their humour and "innocence".

Phil Collins Makes Decent Album Shock Horror
Phil Collins was obviously a bit bored with Genesis by the mid 1970's (lots of other people were also arriving at the same conclusion) and he had a sideline as a session drummer for rather more experimental people such as Brian Eno (e.g. the lovely Another Green World)

Having met Percy Jones on said album as well as John Goodsall & Robin Lumley on works for Eddie Howell & Jack Lancaster they became Brand X and released this album to a not tremendously excited world.

On relection, Brand X never really had a chance, it was 1976 and the floodgates of New Wave/Punk were about to break. Playing clever jazz rock was about to become extremely unfashionable.

To a teenage Gong/Soft Machine fan however, it seemed that not all was lost as 3 chords of unmelodic and moronic punk crap was unleashed on one side and the horrors of disco pap attacked from the other flank. Probably a mistake to have played it in its entirity to prospective girlfriends though... Hmmmm

Intelligent, amusing and even profound (e.g. Touch Wood) their debut album set the tone for their short career. No vocals & none needed, I could loop this album plus Livestock together & listen for quite some time.

It is an everlasting testament to how crass & useless the music industry is that Brand X never made it but Phil Collins 'soul' records sold millions to people who presumably had never heard the original source material.

Still... he is a damn good drummer and I don't have to play my wifes collection of his solo crap!

Enough already - at the price I paid for my copy it is dirt cheap and well worth 40 minutes of your time.......