BRAND X — Masques (1978-2014) RM | Mini LP | SHM-CD | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Without the drumming of Phil Collins, who does appear on some of Brand X's albums, Masques still maintains a snug, jazzy-prog milieu and comes off clean and tight. Each song has a different beat, speed, and tempo with a satisfying assortment of keyboards and percussion instruments to keep the entire album afloat. Resounding xylophone and chimes outline the music on the seven tracks, with "Earth Dance" and "The Poke" coming up a little bit stronger than the rest. Most notably is the superb musical interplay of all the instruments used, and the way in which they enhance and benefit one another. The progressive rock sound does evolve by way of lengthy guitar passages from John Goodsall and accelerated keyboard fingering from Morris Pert, adding spice and vivaciousness while popping up when least expected. Masques is a firm studio album, and will keep listeners fascinated with the band. Mike DeGagne

Tracklist :

1. The Poke (5:06) 

2. Masques (3:17) 

3. Black Moon (4:48) 

4. Deadly Nightshade (10:54) 

5. Earthdance (6:10) 

6. Access to Data (8:04) 

7. The Ghost of Mayfield Lodge (10:08) 

Total Time: 48:27

Line-up / Musician 

- John Goodsall - Guitar 

- Percy Jones - Bass 

- Peter Robinson - Keyboards 

- Morris Pert - Percussion 

- Chuck Bergi - Drums

BRAND X — Product (1979-2014) RM | Mini LP | SHM-CD | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Brand X's most eclectic album to date, Product is perhaps most notable for its attempts at a pop crossover in the Phil Collins-sung "Don't Make Waves" and "Soho." The range of styles presented here -- hard and soft fusion, pop, progressive rock -- results from the now-interchangeable nature of the Brand X lineup, which, in addition to the returning Collins and Robin Lumley, is expanded to include bassist John Giblin and drummer Mike Clarke (Chuck Burgi having left after Masques). While the pop songs have a tart, new wave sound to them that is oddly ingratiating, they're likely to leave longtime fans scratching their heads. (Genesis fans may hear in "Soho" the musical inspiration for "Illegal Alien," and in Percy Jones' "Dance of the Illegal Aliens" its titular inspiration.) Despite the presence of the original quartet -- Collins, Goodsall, Lumley, Jones -- the four don't appear together on Product, although Goodsall is present for all but one song (the lone pairing of fretless bassists Percy Jones and John Giblin on "Wal to Wal"). Many of this album's tracks have found a place in the band's career retrospectives, including the airy fusion of "Dance of the Illegal Aliens" and the engaging "Algon." While Mike Clarke's impact on the music often goes unnoticed, John Giblin adds a new dimension to the band's sound with two soft, evocative songs: "Rhesus Perplexus" (in which Goodsall's acoustic guitar crosses into Pat Metheny territory) and "April." The remaining tracks, "Not Good Enough -- See Me!" and "...And So to F...," are pleasant instrumentals with a more prominent role for the percussion; Collins thought enough of the latter to include a live version of it on a couple of 12" singles from his subsequent solo career. By nearly doubling the band's size, Product is able to indulge in an interesting game of musical chairs that occasionally overshadows the music itself. The band clearly has talent to spare, but can't seem to agree where to strike. Dave Connolly

Tracklist :

1. Don't Make Waves (Goodsall) – 5:31

2. Dance of the Illegal Aliens (Jones) – 7:49

3. Soho (Goodsall, Collins) – 3:40

4. Not Good Enough-See Me! (Jones, Robinson) – 7:29

5. Algon (Where an Ordinary Cup of Drinking Chocolate Costs £8,000,000,000) (Lumley) – 6:08

6. Rhesus Perplexus (Giblin) – 4:00

7. Wal to Wal (Jones, Giblin) – 3:14

8. ...And So to F... (Collins) – 6:28

9. April (Giblin) – 2:08

Personnel :

except on "Dance of the Illegal Aliens"; "Wal to Wal"; "Not Good Enough - See Me!"

Keyboards, Sounds [Gunfire, Chainsaw] – Robin Lumley

Guitar – John Goodsall

Bass – John Giblin

Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Phil Collins on "Dance of the Illegal Aliens"; "Not Good Enough - See Me!"

Keyboards, Sounds [Gunfire], Vocals – Peter Robinson

Guitar, Vocals – John Goodsall

Bass – Percy Jones

Drums – Mike Clark

Percussion – Morris Pert on "Wal to Wal"

Bass – John Giblin

Bass – Percy Jones

Drums, Drum Machine – Phil Collins

BRAND X — Do They Hurt? (1980-2014) RM | Mini LP | SHM-CD | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Brand X is guilty of going through the motions on Do They Hurt? At this juncture in Brand X's career, John Goodsall and Percy Jones are the principal forces, with Phil Collins, Morris Pert, and Robin Lumley reduced to a couple of cameos. Peter Robinson, who adopts Lumley's role of providing dreamy keyboards, and drummer Mike Clarke pick up the slack well enough, though John Giblin appears only on one track (the solid if predictably Goodsallian "Voidarama"). The album's strongest track is Goodsall's "Cambodia," which features his mesmerizing arpeggios and heroic guitar leads in a solid progressive rock instrumental. Little else on Do They Hurt? sounds better than outtakes from previous efforts, however. "Noddy Goes to Sweden" and "Triumphant Limp" are under-inspired efforts from Percy Jones; "Fragile!" (cowritten by Jones and Robinson) lacks the marimba-laden magic that made "Disco Suicide" so interesting. The album's most intriguing, and in many ways frustrating, track is "Act of Will," another attempt at a pop crossover from Goodsall that squanders a good melody by employing heavily treated (and barely intelligible) vocals from the guitarist. The record's final song, "D.M.Z.," is little more than a case of noodling around in a familiar environment. Over the years, Goodsall and Jones have developed unique compositional styles -- one listen will reveal who wrote what. But it's all been done better on earlier albums; without the eclectic approach of Product, Do They Hurt? reveals itself to be little more than a retread of earlier ideas. Of minor interest, Monty Python alumnus Michael Palin provides mildly amusing liner notes. Dave Connolly 

Tracklist :

1. Noddy Goes To Sweden (4:30) 

2. Voidarama (4:25) 

3. Act of Will (4:44) 

4. Fragile! (5:26) 

5. Cambodia (4:30) 

6. Triumphant Limp (7:28) 

7. D.M.Z. (8:37)

Total Time: 39:40

Line-up / Musicians

Percy Jones - Bass on (1,3,4,5,7), Vocals on (1) 

Peter Robinson - Keyboards, tam-tam on (5,6) 

Michael Clarke / Dums on (1,3,4,5,7) 

John Goodsall / Guitar on (2,3,5,6,7), Vocals on (3) 

John Giblin / Bass on (2,6) 

Phil Collins / Drums on (2,6) 

Robin Lumley / Keyboards on (2,6)