X-TRAX

This isn't a standard release,but more in the line of a "best of" type of collection. As with almost all best of albums,the cuts included may not be your choice as the" best of". With X - TRACTS by BRAND X it's no different. Some good natural choices include NUCLEAR BURN from the first lp UNORTHODOX BEHAVIOUR and NIGHTMARE PATROL from the live album LIVESTOCK. Other less interesting cuts such as DON'T MAKE WAVES and SOHO are also included. Maybe intending to feature more vocal oriented songs is a way to make BRAND X seem like a more commerical band than they really are. I have loved this band from the very start and I know they have a small but devoted following.I am not sure who it is that whoever put this collection together was trying to appeal to;the old fans,or maybe a newer,younger group of listeners. In any case,If I were choosing the material,I would be sure to include DMZ,one of my all time favorite BRAND X cuts.But still,how can any BRAND X release rate lower than three stars?

As far as I know, when this collection was released in 1986, there were no other Brand X recordings available on CD yet. So at the time it was a joy to have anything by the band in digital format. Now with thirteen tracks, they didn't do too bad a job selecting songs. They did, however, feel they had to include "Don't Make Waves", an only fair Goodsall composition, with Phil Collins an vocals, and the absolutely dreadful "Soho", a Collins waste of time that should have been on a Genesis album. And "Ipaneama" sounds like the music behind your local forecast on The Weather Channel.

But there are plenty of excellent tracks included here as well, "Nuclear Burn" and "Sun In The Night" are a couple of my favorites, and the live version of "Malaga Virgen" just cooks. Since just over 75% of this collection is worthwhile, I'll round the rating up to 4 stars.

A fine and dandy Brand X comp released in 1986 and as far as I know, the only one that wasn't a complete cash in on the immense popularity of Mr. Phillip David Charles Collins. X-trax was issued probably to sample out Brand X to potential fans with only the new state-of-the-art cd players and nary a crackly record player to shake their fingers to in good ole fifties style in sight.

I got my copy of X-trax for 89 cents (Plus, shipping and handling) and what a bargain it was, considering I had bought it for merely four songs at the time. (Swan Song, Ipaneama, "Nightmare Patrol", and "Malaga Virgen") The good news for second generation fans (such as myself) without the luxury of a '45 player, is that now you can get two of the best tracks from their final, (Most Brand X fans will have you believe it's a bowel) contractual album, "Is There Anything About", on cd considering the cd issue is near impossible to locate today without hiring the help of a private investigator and withdrawing a sizable bank loan. Yes, even I, a major fan of X, can understand that the record company is being smart rather than simply lazy, not reissuing that 'said' album but it had a few nice parts on it and "Swan Song" and "Ipaneama" are two of them.

With the only truly essential part aside to this comp, the track choice on here is pretty much ace. I've found that most of "Livestock" is quite a duffer with the exception of the live renditions of "Nightmare Patrol" and the absolutely soul destroying (on a jazz fusion level, that is) "Malaga Virgin", both of which are included on here. The pretty and celestial, "Black Moon", is by far the most worthy track for inclusion on a "best of" out of all the harcore jazziness on "Masques" with the possible exception of "Deadly Nightshade". And everything from "Unorthodox Behavior", "Morrocan Roll" and even the much reviled "Product" (Hey, I'm a Genesis fan who happens to appreciate some of their early pop period, so why can't I like "Soho" and "Don't Make Waves"?) is par excellence.

This is probably the best introduction to the band. Comps don't get much cheaper or better than the smartly economic and compiled, X-trax and please ignore the other three (!) Brand X "greatest hits" (Bwhahaha! Yeah right!) collections unless you're a dweeby collector of merchandise like meee!