Brand X Discography
A progressive jazz-rock fusion supergroup of sorts featuring Phil Collins.
According to my theory of philativity, Phil Collins invents a time machine in the not-too-distant future and uses it to travel back to the 1970s. This results in multiple Phil Collinses occupying the same plane of time, and thus explains how the man could be the lead singer of Genesis, a member of Brand X and a busy session musician simultaneously (not to mention his coast-to-coast appearance during Live Aid some years later). By my calculations, there are no less than five Phil Collinses among us right now, seven if you count Bob Hoskins and Paul Carrack.
On a more serious note, Brand X was unfairly overshadowed by the moonlighting Genesis drummer. The band was really a supergroup of session musicians featuring guitarist John Goodsall, keyboardist Robin Lumley and fretless bass guitarist Percy Jones. Although the band released their first album in 1976, a precedent for Unorthodox Behaviour was already set on albums like Another Green World and Marscape, both of which featured the distinctive rhythm section of Jones and Collins. Goodsall’s interest in middle eastern melodies (supported by the addition of percussionist Morris Pert soon after) and Lumley’s spacey synthesizers gave the band an exotic sound that recalled Soft Machine or Camel on speed. The first three studio albums are fine examples of progressive fusion from the 70s.
Scheduling conflicts among the band’s primary members resulted in an ongoing auxiliary lineup that included various drummers (Chuck Burgi, Mike Clarke, Kenwood Dennard), bass guitarists (John Giblin) and keyboardists (Peter Robinson), with Goodsall the only constant. Brand X packed it up for good in the early 80s, but Goodsall and Jones revived the brand again in the 90s, releasing new material on Xcommunication (1992) and Manifest Destiny (1997).
The Discography
UNORTHODOX BEHAVIOUR (1976)
Nuclear Burn / Euthanasia Waltz / Born Ugly // Smacks of Euphoric Hysteria / Unorthodox Behaviour / Running on Three / Touch Wood. Originally released on June 18, 1976 on elpee in the UK (Charisma, CAS-1117), in the US (Passport, PPSD-98019), in Canada (Charisma, CA-1-2171), in Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal (Charisma, 6369 977) and in Japan (Charisma, BT-5198); reached #191 on the US charts. Re-released on elpee and cassette in the US (Passport, PB/PBC-8919), then repackaged on an extended cassette in 1983 with Moroccan Roll (Charisma, 109) and finally released on CD in 1989 in the UK (Virgin, CASCD-1117) and in the US (Caroline, 1387), and in Europe (Virgin, 787120).
MOROCCAN ROLL (1977)
Sun In The Night / Why Should I Lend You Mine (When You’ve Broken Yours Off Already) / …Maybe I’ll Lend You Mine After All / Hate Zone / Collapsar // Disco Suicide / Orbits / Malaga Virgen / Macrocosm. Originally released on April 1977 on elpee in the UK (Charisma, CAS-1126), in the US (Passport, PP-98022), in Canada (Charisma, 9211-1126), in France (Charisma, 9103 117) and in Germany and the Netherlands (Charisma, 9124 010); reached #37 on the UK charts and #125 on the US charts. Re-released in 1986 on elpee in the UK (Charisma, CHC-45), on elpee and cassette in the US (Passport, PB/PBC-9822) and in 1989 on CD in the US (Caroline, 1391), in Europe (Virgin, 787118), and in Japan (Virgin, VJCP-68783).
Sun in the Night (1977)
b/w Disco Suicide. Released on promotional 7-inch in 1977 in the UK (Charisma, BRAND-1).
LIVESTOCK (1977)
Live tracks: Nightmare Patrol / -Ish / Euthanasia Waltz // Isis Mourning Part 1 / Isis Mourning Part 2 / Malaga Virgen. Originally released on November 1977 on elpee and cassette in the UK (Charisma, CLASS-5), in the US (Passport, PB/PBC-9824), in Canada (Charisma, 9211-9824), in France and Germany (Charisma, 9124 017) and in Japan (Charisma, RJ-7361). Re-released in 1989 on CD in the UK (Virgin, CLACD-5) and in the US (Caroline, 1388).
MASQUES (1978)
The Poke / Masques / Black Moon / Deadly Nightshade // Earth Dance / Access To Data / The Ghost of Mayfield Lodge. Originally released in 1978 on elpee and cassette in the UK (Charisma, CAS-1138), in the US (Passport, PB/PBC-9829), in France (Charisma, 9103 125), in Germany (Charisma, 9124 030) and in Japan (Charisma, RJ-7521); reached #32 on the US Jazz charts. Re-released in 1989 on CD in the US (Caroline, 1391), in Europe (Virgin 787117) and in 2003 in the UK (EMI, CASCD-1138).
PRODUCT (1979)
Don’t Make Waves / Dance of the Illegal Aliens / Soho / …And So To F… // Algon / Rhesus Perplexus / Wal to Wal / Not Good Enough – See Me! / April. Originally released on September 1979 on elpee and cassette in the UK (Charisma, CAS-1147), in the US (Passport, PB/PBC-9840), in Canada (Charisma, CA-1-2209), and in Germany and the Netherlands (Charisma, 9124 045); reached #165 on the US charts and #28 on the US Jazz charts. Re-released on elpee on August 1982 in the UK (Charisma, CHC-3) and in Japan (Charisma, RJ-760), and in 1989 on CD in the UK (Virgin, CASCD-1147), in the US (Caroline, 1390) and in Europe (Virgin, 87119), and in 2003 in the UK (EMI, CASCD-1147).
Soho (1979)
b/w Noddy Goes to Sweden / Pool Room Blues. Released on 12-inch in 1979 in the UK (Charisma, CB340-12).
DO THEY HURT? (1980)
Noddy Goes to Sweden / Voidarama / Act of Will / Fragile // Cambodia / Triumphant Limp / D.M.Z. Originally released on May 1980 on elpee and cassette in the UK (Charisma, CAS-1151), in the US (Passport PB/PBC-9845), in Canada (Charisma, CA-1-2213) and in Germany and the Netherlands (Charisma, 9124 059); reached #30 on the US Jazz charts. Re-released in 1989 on CD in the UK (Virgin, CASCD-1151) and in the US (Caroline, 1389), and in Europe (Virgin, 787115), and in 2003 in the UK (EMI, CASCD-1151).
IS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT? (1982)
Ipanaemia / A Longer April / Modern, Noisy and Effective // Swan Song / Is There Anything About? / Tmiu-Atga. Originally released on September 1982 on elpee and cassette in the UK (CBS, 85967/40-85967), in the US (Passport, PB/PAS-6016), in Japan (Epic, 25-3P-408) and in the Netherlands (Vertigo, 6302 212); reached #93 on the UK charts.
X-TRAX (1987)
Don’t Make Waves / …And So to F… / Black Moon / Maybe I’ll Lend You Mine After All / Hate Zone / Collapsar / Malaga Virgen (live) / Soho / Nuclear Burn / Ipanaemia / Sun In The Night / Swan Song / Nightmare Patrol (live). Compilation released in 1987 on elpee and CD in the US (Passport, PB/PBCD-6054).
THE PLOT THINS – A HISTORY OF BRAND X (1992)
Nuclear Burn / Born Ugly / Why Should I Lend You Mine / Disco Suicide / Malaga Virgen / Isis Mourning, Part 2 / The Poke / The Ghost of Mayfield Lodge / Dance of the Illegal Aliens / Algon / Cambodia / Triumphant Limp. Compilation released in 1992 on CD in the UK (Virgin, CDVN-9005).
XCOMMUNICATION (1992)
Xanax Taxi / Liquid Time / Kluzinski Period / Healing Dream / Mental Floss / Strangeness / Duck Exploding / Message To You All / Church of Hype / Kluzinski Reprise. Released on July 9, 1992 on CD (Ozone, 001).
WHY SHOULD I LEND YOU MINE (1996)
Compilation released on December 15, 1996 on CD in the Netherlands (Disky, VI-867242).
MANIFEST DESTINY (1997)
True To The Click / Stellarator / Virus / XXL / The Worst Man / Manifest Destiny / Five Drops / Drum Ddu / Operation Hearts & Minds / Mr.Bubble Goes to Hollywood / Untitled / Untitled. Released on February 25, 1997 on CD (Cleopatra, 9940).
LIVE AT THE ROXY L.A. (1997)
Live tracks: Disco Suicide-Algon / Dance of the Illegal Aliens / Don’t Make Waves / Malaga Virgen / …And So To F… / Nuclear Burn. Released on 1997 on CD (ZOK, 010).
BRAND X: A HISTORY 1976-1980 (1997)
Nuclear Burn / Born Ugly / Why Should I Lend You Mine / Disco Suicide / Sun In The Night / Isis Mourning Part 2 / The Poke / Dance of the Illegal Aliens / Pool Room Blues / Cambodia. Compilation released on October 21, 1997 on CD in the US (Caroline, 1116). And, yes, it does look suspiciously like The Plot Thins.
MISSING PERIOD (1998)
Dead Pretty / Kugelblitz / Ancient Mysteries / Why Won’t You Lend Me Yours? / Miserable Virgin / Tito’s Leg. Released on May 5, 1998 on CD (Blueprint, 4196), (Outer Music, 1004) and in Japan (Pony Canyon, PCCy-1141).
THE X FILES: A 20 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE (1999)
X Files Theme (live) / True To The Click / Nuclear Burn (live) / Healing Dream / Thalidomide Squid (live) / Born Pretty in a Disco (live) / Noddy Goes To Sweden / Kugelblitz / Don’t Make Waves / John No Doe // Inseminator / World’s In Modulation / G Storm / Measure The Sky / Here I Am Now / Other Side of the World / Animal / The Ocean / $1000 Bookshelf / Finger Power / From A Mountain Top. Compilation released on October 1999 on double CD (Outer Music, OM-1011).
TIMELINE (2000)
Disco Suicide / Nightmare Patrol / Why Should I Lend You Mine / Access To Data / Nuclear Burn / Euthanasia Waltz / Malaga Virgen / Deadly Nightshade // Introduction / Duck Exploding / Guitar Concerto / Thalidomide Squid / Strangeness / Nuclear Burn-Cambodia / Drum Solo / Church of Hype / Healing Dream / Macrocosm. Compilation released on January 25, 2000 on double CD in the US (Buckyball, 6).
TRILOGY (2003)
Compilation released on June 24, 2003 on triple CD in the US (Buckyball).
INTRODUCING BRAND X (2003)
Compilation released on June 28, 2003 on CD in the US (EMI, INTROCD-2).
