Brand X was some other 1 of those bands who were dearest of other musicians together with the to a greater extent than discerning of critics but which despite everything, never had the commercial success that it deserved.
They were a jazz fusion band active 1975–1980. Noted members included Phil Collins (drums), Percy Jones (bass), John Goodsall (guitar) together with Robin Lumley (keyboards). Not long later on jazz/rock fusion greats Brand X release their 1980 album, Do They Hurt?, the band members went their dissever ways (until their comeback inwards 1992, which solely featured Goodsall together with Jones).
However, they however owed their tape label 1 to a greater extent than album. The solution? Release a rarities album! The problem, though, was that Brand X hardly had whatever unreleased fabric inwards the vaults at all; close iii or 4 tracks at the most. But with a piffling doctoring & remixing of tapes, keyboardist Robin Lumley extended that issue to vi tracks (still scant, but improve than four), together with released Brand X's appropriately-titled collection, Is There Anything About?, inwards 1982.
It is the in conclusion album to characteristic Phil Collins on drums together with includes some absolutely gorgeous slices of Brand X at their real best. This is a peculiar album; at the fourth dimension many critics panned it, oft because it didn't audio anything similar the anodyne popular music that Phil Collins was making elsewhere inwards his career. However, inwards my sentiment together with that of thousands of fans worldwide, it acts every bit a satisfying coda to a trunk of move that has real few paralells inwards the Blue Planet of Jazz fusion.
The album has been panned ever since the twenty-four hours it was released (and judging past times the previous Amazon reviews, it's STILL beingness panned), but honestly, people, this album is nowhere close every bit bad every bit you've been led to believe. Is it a masterpiece? No. But is it bad? Absolutely not. "Is There Anything About?" DOES comprise some real cool Brand X nuggets. Even the "filler" tracks, inwards my opinion, are enjoyable. Let's banking concern fit out the material, shall we?:"Ipanemia": written past times guitarist John Goodsall, this spell is an first-class jazz/rock popper. Very cool together with breezy."A Longer April": this rail is just what it says it is---a longer version of "April," from 1979's "Product." Either this is how Brand X originally recorded the melody earlier having to edit it downwards for the "Product" album, or Robin Lumley extended the rail past times doing some re-mixing on it. Either way it's a real dreamy, pleasant piece, together with I similar it. I too similar the spacey piffling couplet department that's been added to it. "TMIU-ATGA": every bit the liner notes say, the championship stands for "They're Making It Up As They Go Along." Lumley, beau keyboardist Peter Robinson together with bassist John Giblin improvised this brusk spell inwards 1 take, together with Lumley stuck it onto the album. Filler? Perhaps. Instrumental noodling? Perhaps. But it's interesting."Swan Song": a fun, poppy, keyboard-heavy instrumental, with a big "Ohh-ohh" chorus at the finale. Some fans reacted to this rail with, "Oh my God, they've gone pop!" Chill out, you lot guys. I recollect there's ever been an oh-so-subtle popular influence to a *little bit* of Brand X's music (just a piffling bit, heed you), then I don't heed if the band larn whole pig together with gain a rare, full-on pop-music piece. And "Swan Song" IS a real expert pop-music piece."Is There Anything About?": Now hither is a Brand X instrumental no 1 should receive got whatever complaints about. I can't tell when the band truly recorded it, but it is a smokin' hot, jammin' piece, simply every bit non bad & funky every bit anything Brand X receive got recorded inwards the past. Brilliant."Modern, Noisy, And Effective": Brand X larn popular over again (gasp!) with a re-mixed, pop-flavored instrumental rendering of the vocal "Soho," originally from "Product." Extra keyboards together with handclaps are tossed into the mix. Again, I don't receive got a employment with it. It's a fun spell with a expert groove.And, to hand off the album, the band's performances are juuuust fine, give thank you lot you real much, with Lumley, Giblin, Goodsall together with ace drummer Phil Collins all getting inwards some tasty licks (as good every bit bassist Percy Jones on the outstanding championship track). So, if Brand X's "Is There Anything About?" must endure considered a throwaway album, it is a non bad throwaway album. I'm happy to receive got it sitting amongst classic Brand X albums similar "Unorthodox Behaviour," "Moroccan Roll," together with their first-class comeback free from 1992, "X-Communication." I give "Is There Anything About?" 3 1/2 stars, thus, 4 stars on the average curve. I know it's a pretty darn hard CD to larn a concord of these days, but gain essay it out. If you lot are a Brand X fan, PLEASE receive got an opened upwardly heed with "Is There Anything About?", together with I promise you lot similar it. I do!
Notes
This album is outtakes from the Product (1979) sessions.
TMIU-ATGA agency "they're making it upwardly every bit they larn along".
"A Longer April" is a re-engineered version of "April" from the Product (1979) sessions.
"Modern, Noisy, together with Effective" is a recycling of the backing rail of "Soho" from the "Product" album; that rail had been engineered past times Collins, who was described every bit "modern, noisy, together with effective." This phrase, inwards fact, starting fourth dimension appears inwards the celluloid "Three Dates with Genesis" (1978); the narrator describes the scene inwards which the phase has been torn downwards together with all the equipment loaded into trucks thus: "Like the stone band they service, the trucks are noisy, modern, together with effective; at 2:30 on a Fri morning, they larn out Mannheim to drive halfway across Europe to the Dutch border."
Tracks Listing
1. Ipanaemia (4:30)
2. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Longer Apr (7:00)
3. Tmiu-Atga (5:07)
4. Swan Song (5:30)
5. Is There Anything About? (7:52)
6. Modern, Noisy, together with Effective (3:56)
Total Time: 33:55
Line-up / Musicians
- Phil Collins / drums together with concussion (1-3)
- Percy Jones / bass (5)
- John Giblin / bass, Whitbread, vocal (1-4,6)
- Robin Lumley / keyboards together with vocal
- Peter Robinson / keyboards (6)
- John Goodsall / guitar (1-5)
- Raf Ravenscroft / saxophone (2)
- Stephen Short / syndrums together with vocal (4)
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