Brand X is a classic jazz fusion band, noted for including Phil Collins in its ranks. Its original incarnation was active between 1974-80. Other important members were John Goodsall (guitar), Percy Jones (bass), Robin Lumley (keyboards) and Morris Pert (percussion). Jazz fusion (or jazz-rock fusion or fusion) is a musical genre that merges elements of jazz with other styles of music, particularly pop, rock, folk, reggae, funk, metal, country, R&B, hip hop, electronic music and world music. ... For other uses, see Phil Collins (disambiguation). ... John Goodsall is a British jazz fusion guitarist most noted for his work with band Brand X. He also started a more rock-oriented side project, Fire Merchants, with Doug Lunn and Chester Thompson, in 1989. ... Percy Jones is a British bass guitarist, and was a member of Brand X from 1976 to 1978. ... Robin Lumley is a British jazz-fusion musician. ... Morris Pert (born 1947 in Arbroath, Scotland) is a Scottish musical composer, drummer and percussionist who has played as a session musician with many big name artists, including Paul McCartney, Andrew Lloyd-Webber, John Williams, Kate Bush, Mike Oldfield, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins and the jazz-rock band Brand X...

In the 1990s, original members John Goodsall and Percy Jones formed a new version of Brand X. In 1999, Goodsall reformed Brand X with fretless bassist Mick Stevens replacing Percy Jones. This version of the band includes keyboardist Kris Sjobring who performed with the touring version of Brand X in 1997. For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Mick Stevens is a fretless bassist who currently plays with the revived form of Brand X. In the early 1970s, Mick was a sound engineer for Manfred Manns Earth Band, Soft Machine, Ronnie Lanes Slim Chance, Renaissance, Fusion Orchestra, Status Quo and Curved Air. ... Percy Jones is a Welsh bass guitarist, and was a member of Brand X from 1974 to 1980. ...

The liner notes to Missing Period, indicating that Goodsall and Jones have owned the Brand X name since 1978.

Image File history File links Brand_X-Missing_Period_Inside. ... Image File history File links Brand_X-Missing_Period_Inside. ...

1974-1980

Contrary to popular belief, Brand X was in existence long before Collins became involved. It started in 1974 as a "blowing" band which got together weekly at PSL, a rehearsal facility in the London suburb of Wandsworth. Keyboard player Robin Lumley (a one-time member of David Bowie's Spiders From Mars) and bassist Percy Jones (ex-The Liverpool Scene) had used the same studio with their previous band Karass (led by sax player Jack Lancaster) and one night were, explains Lumley, "asked along for a blow, as there was a vague possibility of getting a deal with Island. We trolled along to have a play, only to discover that the lead guitarist was something very special : John Goodsall, recently just out of Atomic Rooster". (Goodsall was known as "Johnny Mandala" during his stint with AR) David Bowie (IPA: []) (born David Robert Jones on 1947 January 8) is an English singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer. ... (The) Liverpool Poets refers to a number of influential 1960s poets from Liverpool, England, heavily influenced by 1950s Beat poetry. ...

When they started rehearsing at Island Studios, the label's A&R man (and ex-Melody Maker critic) Richard Williams took note of their music and wrote down "Brand X" in the studio diary, since the group lacked a name at the time. Original singer/percussionist Phil Spinelli and rhythm guitarist Pete Bonas quit the band after inconclusive sessions for an Average White Band-style album. The rest of the band decided to carry on as an instrumental, jazz-fusion style unit. Original drummer John Dillon left at that point, and Genesis drummer Phil Collins, who engaged in prolific session work during this period, agreed to take over in early 1975, feeling he could fit in time for recording and gigs with Brand X as a side project. In September 1975, Unorthodox Behaviour was recorded but was turned down by Island and eventually released on Genesis's label Charisma in early 1976. Regular gigging followed throughout 1976, working around Collins' commitments with Genesis. Percussionist and composer Morris Pert was added shortly before the late 1976 sessions for the follow-up Moroccan Roll. Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was (until its closure) the worlds oldest weekly music newspaper. ... The Average White Band (also AWB) is a Scottish funk and R&B band. ... For other uses, see Genesis (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Phil Collins (disambiguation). ... Brand X is a classic jazz fusion band. ... For other uses, see Genesis (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Genesis (disambiguation). ... Morris Pert (born 1947 in Arbroath, Scotland) is a Scottish musical composer, drummer and percussionist who has played as a session musician with many big name artists, including Paul McCartney, Andrew Lloyd-Webber, John Williams, Kate Bush, Mike Oldfield, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins and the jazz-rock band Brand X... Moroccan Roll (1977) is an album by Brand X. [edit] Track listing Sun in the Night (Goodsall) Why Should I Lend You Mine (When Youve Broken Yours off Already) (Collins) ...Maybe Ill Lend You Mine After All (Collins) Hate Zone (Goodsall) Collapsar (Lumley) Disco Suicide (Lumley) Orbits (Jones...

By early 1977, it became clear that Collins would be unavailable for much of the year, and Brand X decided to recruit a replacement drummer (although Collins rejoined for strategic dates the following summer). Their first choice, Joe Blocker, didn't work out (he joined Steve Hillage's band instead), and eventually American drummer Kenwood Dennard filled the spot, appearing on part of the live album Livestock. Meanwhile, Lumley was becoming more and more in-demand as a producer, which led to the recruitment of ex-Quatermass and Stanley Clarke keyboardist Peter Manning Robinson. 1978's Masques also introduced a new drummer, Chuck Burgi. For much of the band's touring that year, guitarist Mike Miller depped for Goodsall, and the "exploding drummer" syndrome continued leading to the recruitment of ex-Headhunters drummer Mike Clark. Steve Hillage is a English musician, associated with the Canterbury scene, who has worked in experimental domains since the late 1960s. ... Sheep are commonly bred as livestock. ... Stanley Clarke (born 30 June 1951) is an American musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and bass guitar as well as his numerous film and television scores. ... The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment which flourished in 16th and early 17th century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy. ... The Headhunters are a popular jazz-funk fusion band, best known for their albums they recorded as a backing band of jazz keyboard player Herbie Hancock during the 1970s. ... Mike Clark (October 3, 1946) is a jazz and funk drummer who is most noted for playing in the Headhunters band headed up by Herbie Hancock. ...

In 1979, Collins was temporarily free of commitments with Genesis, and re-joined Brand X for the series of recording sessions which would produce two albums, 1979's Product and 1980's Do They Hurt?. Two distinct line-ups operated on this occasion, as Jones later explained. "Our record and management companies were both complaining about poor record sales and telling us we had to make the music more accessible. Some of the guys agreed to go along with this but I felt that to do this would not generate a new audience but would probably just alienate the one that we already had. The only solution was to have two bands, one being more accessible and the other being more experimental or whatever. For my stuff the line-up was Robinson, Clark, Goodsall and me; for the other direction it was Lumley, Collins and Goodsall with John Giblin on bass. We recorded in shifts, ours was 8pm to 4am and the others 10am to 6pm. How Goodsall managed to do both is still a mystery to me !". For other uses, see Genesis (disambiguation). ... Do They Hurt? (1980) is an album by Brand X. Category: ...

Touring resumed in September 1979 for a North American tour which brought back together the original line-up of Collins, Goodsall, Jones and Lumley, albeit with Peter Robinson still on second keyboards. The dual keyboard formula had been established earlier in the year when Lumley and Robinson (along with fellow Brand X members Goodsall and Pert) both took part in the tour for Rod Argent's "Movin' Home" album. "Being a keyboard-player's album, it had tons of keys overdubs", Lumley recalled, "which meant more than one keyboard player if the tunes were to be performed live. So Pete and I formed a huge "castle" of keyboards at one side of the stage and played all the bits Rod couldn't do!... The twin keyboards arrangement worked so well, that we carried on with the idea for the 1979-80 Brand X tours". Image:Rod Argent. ...

A final UK tour took place in April-May 1980 (co-headlining with Bruford), for which Mike Clark once again took over the drum stool. The band disingrated at that point, with both Jones and Goodsall moving to America (Lumley eventually settled in Australia). In 1982, a final studio album, Is There Anything About?, was released, consisting of re-worked outtakes from previous sessions. (For instance "Modern, Noisy, and Effective" is simply the backing track to "Soho" with a new keyboard line.) Bruford was a band that former Yes, King Crimson, and Genesis drummer Bill Bruford formed and led in the late 1970s. ... Mike Clark (October 3, 1946) is a jazz and funk drummer who is most noted for playing in the Headhunters band headed up by Herbie Hancock. ... Is There Anything About? (1982) is an album by Brand X. Category: ...

Looking back on his Brand X years, Robin Lumley says:

Lumley addressed the reasons for the breakup as follows:

1992-present

Goodsall and Jones got back together in 1992 with drummer Frank Katz under the Brand X name again for the Xcommunication album. This version of the band featured Goodsall performing on guitar and MIDI-guitar. The 1996 album Manifest Destiny also includes Goodsall, Jones, and Katz, as well as Franz Pusch on keyboards and other instruments, Marc Wagnon on MIDI vibes and other percussion instruments, Ronnie Ciago on percussion, and Danny Wilding on flute. European and Japanese tours took place in 1997 with a revised line-up consisting of Goodsall, Jones, former Gong drummer Pierre Moerlen and keyboardist Kris Sjobring. Jones subsequently departed, leaving Goodsall to front a California-based version of the band with Sjobring, fretless bassist Mick Stevens and drummer John Holmes and Brand X touring keyboardist Kris Sjobring. The unreleased CD "X2K/live at the House of Blues" was recorded during their "X2K" U.S. West Coast tour. In 2004, veteran drummer Brock Avery joined the line-up who announced plans for their first new studio CD in almost 10 years, which was due to appear in 2007. Xcommunication (1992) is an album by Brand X. Xanax Taxi (Goodsall) Liquid Time (Goodsall) Kluzinski Period (Jones) Healing Dream (Goodsall) Mental Floss (Goodsall) Strangeness (Jones) A Duck Exploding (Goodsall/Jones) Message To You (Goodsall) Church of Hope (Jones) Kluzinski Reprise (Goodsall/Jones) (Danny Wilding on flute) Percy Jones - fretless bass... Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is a system designed to transmit information between electronic musical instruments. ... A gong is one of a wide variety of metal percussion instruments. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Mick Stevens is a fretless bassist who currently plays with the revived form of Brand X. In the early 1970s, Mick was a sound engineer for Manfred Manns Earth Band, Soft Machine, Ronnie Lanes Slim Chance, Renaissance, Fusion Orchestra, Status Quo and Curved Air. ... There are several people called John Holmes John Holmes (actor), pornographic film star. ...

Discography

Studio

• Unorthodox Behaviour (1976)
• Moroccan Roll (1977)
• Masques (1978)
• Product (1979)
• Do They Hurt? (1980)
• Is There Anything About? (1982)
• Xcommunication (1992)
• Manifest Destiny (1997)
• Missing Period (recorded 1975-1976, released 1998)

Brand X is a classic jazz fusion band. ... Moroccan Roll (1977) is an album by Brand X. [edit] Track listing Sun in the Night (Goodsall) Why Should I Lend You Mine (When Youve Broken Yours off Already) (Collins) ...Maybe Ill Lend You Mine After All (Collins) Hate Zone (Goodsall) Collapsar (Lumley) Disco Suicide (Lumley) Orbits (Jones... Masques is the 1978 album by Brand X. This was the bands first studio recording without drummer Phill Collins. ... Do They Hurt? (1980) is an album by Brand X. Category: ... Is There Anything About? (1982) is an album by Brand X. Category: ... Xcommunication (1992) is an album by Brand X. Xanax Taxi (Goodsall) Liquid Time (Goodsall) Kluzinski Period (Jones) Healing Dream (Goodsall) Mental Floss (Goodsall) Strangeness (Jones) A Duck Exploding (Goodsall/Jones) Message To You (Goodsall) Church of Hope (Jones) Kluzinski Reprise (Goodsall/Jones) (Danny Wilding on flute) Percy Jones - fretless bass...

Live

• Livestock (1977)
• Live at the Roxy LA (1979, released 1995)

Compilation

• X-Trax (1986)
• The Plot Thins: A History of Brand X, 1976-1980 (1997)
• X-Files: A 20 Year Retrospective (1999), compilation including side projects
• Timeline (2000)
• Trilogy (2003)
• Macrocosm: Introducing...Brand X (2003)

In popular music, a side-project is a project undertaken by one (or several) person already known for their involvement in another band. ...

References

External links

• The Official Brand X Website
• Brand X: The Annotated Discography