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![Gazette Brand X Interview [subbed]](http://web.archive.org./web/20110630074345im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/90RsR7FD75s/0.jpg "Gazette Brand X Interview [subbed]")
| Name | Brand X |
|---|---|
| Background | group_or_band |
| Origin | London |
| Genre | Jazz fusion |
| Years active | 1975–19801992–1999 |
| Label | Charisma Records |
| Associated acts | Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins Genesis |
| Past members | Morris PertJohn GiblinPhil CollinsRobin LumleyPercy JonesMike ClarkJohn GoodsallFranz PuschJ. Peter RobinsonKris Sjobring |
Brand X was a jazz fusion band active between 1975–1980 and 1992-1999. Noted members included Phil Collins (drums), Mike Clark (drums), Percy Jones (bass), John Goodsall (guitar) and Robin Lumley (keyboards).
In 1992, original members Goodsall and Jones formed a new trio version of Brand X, with drummer Frank Katz.
Sometime in 1976, both John Goodsall and Phil Collins (along with Mike Rutherford and Anthony Phillips) assisted Peter Gabriel in the recording of demos towards his debut solo album after leaving Genesis. Goodsall also recorded experimental music with a band that included Bill Bruford, Bayete (Todd Cochran) and Doni Harvey on Bass, from Island label-mates Automatic Man, a San Francisco group led by Santana's drummer Mike Shrieve.
In early 1977, Brand X decided to recruit a replacement drummer for Collins due to conflicting schedules with Genesis (although Collins rejoined for strategic dates throughout the year) and Kenwood Dennard of Pat Martino's group was recruited in New York, making his debut on the band's US tour (a 32-date affair in May and June 1977) and appearing on part of the live album Livestock. Collins came back to the fold for a series of dates in September 1977 including two appearances on the same day in London (Crystal Palace garden party) and Paris (Fete de l’Humanite) - the first time ever a band played two open-air shows in different countries on the same day. A second US tour followed late in the year, again with Dennard on drums.
In 1979, Collins re-joined Brand X for part of the series of recording sessions which would generate enough material for two albums, 1979's Product and 1980's Do They Hurt?. These took place at Startling Studios, located in Ringo Starr's countryside home (formerly owned by John Lennon), with two distinct line-ups operating in alternation (the amazing Mike Clark (mikeclarkmusic.com)provided drums on the other tracks), as Jones later explained. "Our record and management companies were both complaining about poor record sales and telling us we had to make the music more accessible. Some of the guys agreed to go along with this but I felt that to do this would not generate a new audience but would probably just alienate the one that we already had. The only solution was to have two bands, one being more accessible and the other being more experimental. For my stuff the line-up was Robinson, Clark, Goodsall and me; for the other direction it was Lumley, Collins and Goodsall with John Giblin on bass. We recorded in shifts, ours was 8pm to 4am and the others, 10am to 6pm". Many fans consider the tracks with Jones and Clark to be the more fascinating and creative material.
A UK tour took place in April and May 1980 (co-headlining with Bruford), for which Mike Clark once again quite ably took over the drum stool.
In recent years, Goodsall has recorded with Franz Pusch and performed regular solo concerts with guest musicians. Jones and Katz formed Tunnels (1993-2006), releasing five albums. Goodsall played guitar on Tunnels:Progressivity (2002).
After Brand X's 1979 world tour (the last with Collins), Goodsall moved to Los Angeles and worked as a session musician, and as a member of the band Zoo Drive (1980-1987), which included Doug Lunn, Paul Delph and Spinal Tap drummer Ric Parnell. Goodsall has also performed and/or recorded with Bill Bruford, Desmond Dekker, Peter Gabriel, Billy Idol, Bryan Adams, Toni Basil and Mark Isham. Goodsall released two albums with his band Fire Merchants, before reforming with Brand X and recording Xcommunication and Manifest Destiny. Several bootleg compilation albums have surfaced without Brand X's consent and continue to be sold illegally, many of these are listed below.
Category:Musical groups established in 1975 Category:1970s music groups Category:1980s music groups Category:1990s music groups Category:2000s music groups Category:Jazz fusion ensembles Category:British jazz ensembles Category:Phil Collins Category:Charisma Records artists
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