UNORTHODOX BEHAVIOUR

When it comes down to wide appealing consistency Brand X succeeded where other British jazz rock bands failed. Ian Carr struggled with the revolving band member door that was Nucleus as well as a bout of ill health somewhere in between, Gary Boyle's Isotope simply sucked, but Brand X had a chemistry and the added bonus of having Genesis drummer Phil Collins behind them. Collins was hardly the lead player in the band but his profile as both musician and a sometime producer was enough to help Brand X rise the ladder a few notches but regardless, Brand X were a group playing on the same page and possibly the most rewarding of all British fusion acts in terms of consistency in the music if never as free playing as Ian Carr's outfit Nucleus, but comparing both acts may be a little wide so I'll leave it at that. [i]Unorthodox Behaviour[/i] fits seamlessly into the swell of the jazz rock canon of the mid to late seventies. The album is smoothly produced, every instrument is clear and precise and evenly placed, tightly executed and the tunes are refreshing and vibrant, which is something, as by the late seventies jazz/fusion tended to become repetitive or just overblown with ego, but all credit to Brand X they made some well crafted music. John Goodsall played with Atomic Rooster but we'll forgive him for that as he lays down a fine fluid guitar sound on tracks with great titles including "Nuclear Burn", "Euthanasia Waltz" and "Smacks Of Euphoric Hysteria" which are thankfully as interesting as their titles. The band would stretch out on further releases, especially with the next album Moroccan Roll, but Unorthodox Behaviour is a a good start.