UNORTHODOX BEHAVIOUR

Unorthodox behaviour certainly changed the way I was looking at Phil Collins' drumwork. I am quite the appreciator of fusion, since it gets out the most of all the participators. Unorthodox Behaviour is a good example of what fusion is about. It contains 8 songs about the 6 minute mark, a bit short for prog standards(what are those anyway), but involving enough evolution and inspiring things fit in that time.

Nuclear Burn starts off almost Mahavishnu like, with dexterous drums(thanks for that term, up above) and agile basswork. Here we hear the true potential of Collins' work already. It surprised me, for his Genesis work was to be honest a bit too bland. After a while a fast guitar riff comes in, during which that amazing bassplayer gets out more notes per second than I'll ever will. I love that kind of virtuosity, even more so when it fits into the song. I do have a slight problem with this song; it repeats too much. After 4 minutes, I could have called it quits with the song.

Euthanasia Waltz is a more laidback song. Featuring acoustic guitars, this song is more about the melody. The keyboards do a great job on that one, it makes me forget about the void created by lack of a singer. After 3 and a half minutes, a basssolo picks up. Wonderful! I, as a bassplayer, love the sound of that instrument, going around the board.

Born Ugly is a more uptempo, almost R&B like song. It contains a catchy riff in the melody played on piano and guitar. Working together with their sound to create a nice second voice effect. All in whole Born Ugly is just a catchy song.

Smacks of Hysteric Euphoria is a bit of a letdown to me starting off with that great riff. Sadly, after that, the music slows down and goes into a laidback groove. I also can't stand the descending guitar riff on this one. The sound of that guitar compared to a descending tune is not nice to my ears. But I guess that is taste. The end of the song does something to make up for it: it creates an almost wavelike motion, something I tend to flow along with.

Unorthodox Behaviour(song) is perhaps the most proglike, experimenting with a quiet athmosphere, throwing in some experimental keyboard sounds and some percussion. Again, the bass shines, lightning fast but not out of the song.

Now Running of Three is what I'm talking about! Uptempo, great riff. Sadly, in this song I found the ugly guitar sound returning. I just can't stand it. It is true, however, that in this song the contrasting timesignatures played by the guitar/keyboard and the rythym section are intelligent. Luckily, after a while this guitar sound ends and a great bass riff takes up. The guitar solo played here does not sound so ugly, but I still find it a bit too ordinary for my taste. I am of course not disputing that the player is quite good.

Touch Wood is a nice ending to this album, sounding almost like Mahavishnu's Lotus on inner Streams at first. The quiet athmosphere give this album a nice finale, contrasting to the general mood of it all. A great idea to be honest.

All in all, Unorthodox Behaviour is a nice example of fusion jazz. Sadly, the two guitar parts I mentioned are grating to my ears, and some of the songs are a bit repetitive. However, this is contrasted by the virtuous playing by the bassist, drummer and keyboard player. It does not make up to be a Masterpiece or a classic, but I recommend anyone to have this album: it is still a very fine example of fusion.