Brand X were a
jazz fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...
band formed in London in 1974. They were active until 1980, followed by a reformation between 1992 and 1999, and were active following a 2016 reunion until 2021. Members have included
John Goodsall
John Goodsall (15 February 1953 – 10 November 2021) was a British-American progressive rock and jazz fusion guitarist most noted for his work with Brand X, Atomic Rooster, and The Fire Merchants.
Life and career
Goodsall was born in Middlese ...
(guitar),
Percy Jones (bass),
Robin Lumley
Robin Lumley is a British jazz fusion musician, keyboardist, record producer, and author who was a member of the band Brand X with drummer Phil Collins, guitarist John Goodsall, and bassist Percy Jones. He is a second cousin of the actress Joan ...
(keyboards), and
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...
(drums). Jones was the sole constant member throughout the band's existence until October 2020 when he left the band. Founding member Goodsall died on 10 November 2021.
History
1974–1980: First incarnation
![Up percy jones](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Up_percy_jones.png)
In 1974, rehearsals began for developing a five-piece instrumental
jazz fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...
group at
Island Studios
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
in London, which was set to include
Percy Jones on bass and Phil Collins (of
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
) on drums. They had secured a recording deal with
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
and prepared tracks for a studio album which originally included vocals. However, the vocals were negatively received from Island management, leaving the group to write new material,
at the suggestion of Island A&R man
Richard Williams.
[ With Collins tied up with other commitments, the band settled on a founding line-up of Jones, ]John Goodsall
John Goodsall (15 February 1953 – 10 November 2021) was a British-American progressive rock and jazz fusion guitarist most noted for his work with Brand X, Atomic Rooster, and The Fire Merchants.
Life and career
Goodsall was born in Middlese ...
on guitar, Robin Lumley
Robin Lumley is a British jazz fusion musician, keyboardist, record producer, and author who was a member of the band Brand X with drummer Phil Collins, guitarist John Goodsall, and bassist Percy Jones. He is a second cousin of the actress Joan ...
on keyboards and vocals, Pete Bonas
Girl were an English glam metal band formed in London in 1979. They split up in 1982 with band members going on to join Def Leppard and L.A. Guns, among others.
History
Girl were formed in 1979 by vocalist Phil Lewis, guitarists Gerry Laffy ...
on guitar, John Dillon on drums and percussion, and Phil Spinelli on percussion and lead vocals. Dillon had left by the end of 1974, and a newly available Collins took his place in 1975. The four recorded ''Unorthodox Behaviour
''Unorthodox Behaviour'' is the first album by British jazz fusion group Brand X. It peaked at 191 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in 1976, the same year it was released.
This album combines jazz fusion with progressive rock. It shows extensive use of im ...
'' in September and October 1975 at Trident Studios
Trident Studios was a British recording facility, located at 17 St Anne's Court in London's Soho district between 1968 and 1981. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield, drummer of the 1960s group the Hunters, and his brother Barry.
...
with Jack Lancaster
Jack Lancaster is a British composer, record producer and musician.
In the late 1960s, Lancaster co-founded the British rock group Blodwyn Pig with Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull guitarist Mick Abrahams and in the late 1970s he was a member of ...
on saxophone. They were named Brand X after Island Records staffer Danny Wilding wrote down "Brand X" to keep track of their activity on the studio calendar, and the name stuck. In preparation for their upcoming gigs, the four were joined by Geoff Seopardi on percussion by December 1975. Genesis manager Tony Smith became their manager.[
Brand X played their first gigs with a series of low key warm-up shows in November and December 1975. These were followed by a full-scale tour across the UK from February 1976, mainly on the college circuit. They had little funds, resorting to renting a synthesiser and PA system, operated with a small road crew, and often played support for the headlining act.][ '']Moroccan Roll
''Moroccan Roll'' (1977) is the second studio album by British jazz fusion group Brand X. The title is a pun referring to this being their second album: "more rock and roll", however, ''Moroccan Roll'' is not a step toward the rock & roll side of ...
'' was released in April 1977 and peaked at No. 37 in the UK and No. 125 in the US. With Collins leaving the group for other commitments, Kenwood Dennard of Pat Martino
Pat Martino (born Patrick Carmen Azzara; August 25, 1944 – November 1, 2021) was an American jazz guitarist and composer.
Biography
Martino was born Patrick Carmen Azzara in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, to father Carmen "Mickey" ...
's group was recruited in New York City in time for their 32-date US tour in May and June 1977. Collins briefly returned later in 1977 for a series of dates, including a spot at the tenth Crystal Palace Garden Party in London and the Fête de l'Humanité
The fête de l'Humanité (; ''English: Festival of Humanity'') is an event organised annually by French daily newspaper ''L'Humanité'' in order to fund itself. It is the largest popular gathering in France.
L'Humanité was created in 1904 by Fre ...
in Paris on the same day on a specially chartered plane, the latter attended by an estimated 200,000 people.
Following the 1977 tour, the band would recruit keyboardist Peter Robinson and Chuck Burgi on drums to record the '' Masques'' album. Released in 1978, it was the first and only Brand X album during the period to not feature Phil Collins on drums. The band would once again embark on a tour to promote this album in 1978, with a couple different drummers in place of Chuck Burgi. The next year, 1979, signalled the end of Brand X's recording sessions for over 10 years. It was in this time that they would record '' Product'' that same year, '' Do They Hurt?'' in 1980, and 1982's '' Is There Anything About?.''Following the completion of the recording sessions, the band embarked on a world tour, following which Collins departed for the final time. Clark returned to the drum stool, and the band toured the UK in April and May 1980 (co-headlining with Bruford).
With the passing of John Goodsall, Percy Jones and Robin Lumley confirmed on Facebook, on 14 November 2021, that the Brand X name is now officially retired. No further activity will be done under that name.
Discography
Studio albums
*''Unorthodox Behaviour
''Unorthodox Behaviour'' is the first album by British jazz fusion group Brand X. It peaked at 191 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in 1976, the same year it was released.
This album combines jazz fusion with progressive rock. It shows extensive use of im ...
'' (1976)
*''Moroccan Roll
''Moroccan Roll'' (1977) is the second studio album by British jazz fusion group Brand X. The title is a pun referring to this being their second album: "more rock and roll", however, ''Moroccan Roll'' is not a step toward the rock & roll side of ...
'' (1977)
*''Masques
The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masque ...
'' (1978)
*''Product
Product may refer to:
Business
* Product (business), an item that serves as a solution to a specific consumer problem.
* Product (project management), a deliverable or set of deliverables that contribute to a business solution
Mathematics
* Produ ...
'' (1979) - US No. 165
*'' Do They Hurt?'' (1980) - US No. 204
*'' Is There Anything About?'' (1982) UK #93
*'' X-Communication'' (1992)
*''Manifest Destiny
Manifest destiny was a cultural belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America.
There were three basic tenets to the concept:
* The special vir ...
'' (1997)
Live albums
* 1977 ''Livestock
Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...
'' - largely recorded at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959.
History
The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...
Aug/Sept 76 - US No. 204
* 1996 ''Live at the Roxy L.A.'' - recorded 23 September 1979 (taken from a band members' cassette from the venue's PA mixing desk)
* 2000 ''Timeline'' - live concerts 16 November 1977 Chicago & 21 June 1993 NYC
* 2017 ''But Wait... There's More! - LIVE 2017'' - recorded on 6 January 2017 at the Sellersville Theatre, PA
* 2018 ''Locked & Loaded'' - recorded live June 2017, Longs Park Amphitheater, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
* 2018 ''Live from the Rites of Spring Festival'' - recorded on May 6 2018 at the Majestic Theatre, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Members
Last members
*John Goodsall - guitars (2016–2021)
*Chris Clark – keyboards, synthesisers (2016–2021)
*Scott Weinberger – percussion (2016–2021)
*Kenny Grohowski – drums (2017–2021)
References
John Goodsall passed on November 10th 2021 at The Mayo Clinic Rochester in Minnesota from complications due to Covid-19.
External links
Brand X Performances
* ttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnSZoEZWTTed_QV6q5H4IjA/featured Brand X Official Store- Official YouTube channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brand X
Musical groups established in 1975
Musical groups disestablished in 2021
Musical groups from London
Jazz fusion ensembles
British jazz ensembles
1975 establishments in England
2021 disestablishments in England
Charisma Records artists
CBS Records artists
Columbia Records artists
Epic Records artists
Vertigo Records artists