Brand X: Morris Pert, John Goodsall, Percy Jones, Phil Collins, Robin Lunmley.
Forget the lush pastoral-isms and wondrous progressive rock of Genesis--Phil Collins' other band, Brand X, were really the ones subverting jazz-rock in the late '70s. This still fiercely loved cult band provided Collins the opportunity to flex his fusion muscles, and flex them he does. Together with bandmates Percy Jones, Robin Lumley, guitarist John Goodsall and Morris Pert, he injects a degree of whimsy into complex instrumental arrangements the likes of which had not been seen since National Health.
"Why Should I Lend You Mine (When You've Broken Yours Off Already)…" isn't as goofy as it sounds; it's 10-plus minutes of furious guitar riffing mixed with probing drums, ruminative Fender Rhodes, synth fills, and a mosaic of engaging rhythms. "Disco Suicide" is a slice of highbrow, British jazz-funk. But at the epicenter of all this is the superb "Malaga Virgen," with Collins whipping up a percussive windstorm around which Goodsall's lightning fretwork, Lumley's waxy keys, and Jones's heavy-as-lead bass all orbit.