Brand X (GB)

About

Brand X built their reputation on tight, restless jazz fusion that kept listeners on their toes, and the London band had a lineup that reads like a who's who of British prog and jazz. Guitarist John Goodsall, bassist Percy Jones, and keyboardist Robin Lumley were the core, but the drum seat became famous for its rotating cast, most notably Phil Collins, who was juggling Brand X alongside his Genesis commitments throughout the late 1970s. Their 1977 live album Livestock even won Best Live Recording in Melody Maker, with some tracks featuring Collins and others Kenwood Dennard. Across their original run from 1974 to 1981, Brand X put out a solid string of albums on Charisma Records, from the debut Unorthodox Behaviour through to Do They Hurt, each one showcasing their knack for complex, mostly instrumental grooves aimed squarely at the American jazz fusion market. They reformed twice after that, and a third comeback was in the works around 2020, but the deaths of Goodsall in 2021 and Lumley in 2023 brought the story to a close.