UNORTHODOX BEHAVIOUR

I had read somewhere that Phil Collins was a fan of early MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA so it may have been a dream of his to do a Jazz / Fusion album. The timing had to be right considering he was already in a full time band with GENESIS. Obviously it all worked out as BRAND X came to fruition and they recorded this their debut album just before Phil went into the studio with GENESIS to record "Trick Of The Tail".

"Nuclear Burn" opens with Phil and his intricate drum patterns as keys and bass support.The guitar comes ripping in at 1 1/2 minutes. Great sound 2 minutes in,love the synths.The tempo starts to pick up. Collins is simply outstanding here. Check out the bass and drumming with background synths before 4 minutes.Incredible ! The guitar is back as we get a big finish. "Euthanasia Waltz" opens with acoustic guitar and drums as liquid keys and bass arrive a minute in. Guitar is back 2 1/2 minutes in and what follows is fairly laid back but intricate. "Born Ugly" is more uptempo and kind of funky. Lots of piano too. The calm 4 minutes in is cool as some nice guitar comes out of that. That is my favourite part of the song. Drums and keys after 6 minutes are impressive. Guitar is back before 8 minutes to end it.

"Smacks Of Euphoric Hysteria" is led again by Collins as liquid keys come in. Synths before 2 minutes then the guitar lights it up. "Unorthodox Behaviour" is restrained for the most part as it opens with Phil sounding like a clock ticking on the drums. Bass and guitar play lightly and keys arrive before 2 minutes. Vibes before 4 1/2 minutes. It starts to come to life 6 minutes in. It ends as it began. "Running On Three" is uptempo with some fabulous drumming and bass work. The guitar before 3 minutes really sets this song on fire. Bass 4 minutes in to end it. "Touch Wood" opens with intricate guitar as piano comes in. It starts to liven up before 3 minutes with a melody.

If you think Collins is just an above average drummer then you need to hear this album. He really steals the show here with an incredible performance. Great album all around.