Reunited Brand X surveys its influential past MUSIC
During the mid-’70s, some of England’s best jazz and rock session players got together to blow off some steam. And 40 years later, the reunited members of Brand X can finally appreciate the influence they’ve had.
“We’ve done pretty well for a bizarre offbeat fusion, crazy experimental prog band,” guitarist John Goodsall said this week. “Van Halen and Rush both said we influenced them. The Phish people love us, because we’re the grandfathers of their scene. And Andy Summers told me that we influenced the Police, just like they influenced us. This reunion had to happen because we weren’t done yet. We’d never played the songs correctly live, because we were too free-spirited and too busy jamming. Now we can do it right, and still give you the jamming on top.”
Brand X never had a steady lineup, but Goodsall and bassist Percy Jones (perhaps better known for a stack of Brian Eno albums) were the two constants. Both are in the current lineup at the Regent Theatre in Arlington Sunday night.
“We welcomed unusual guys with vastly different experiences,” Goodsall said. “I hate categories like fusion, but we really did fuse a lot of different styles. We even had a classical composer (the late Morris Pert) playing percussion. That boy was a genius. Listening to the old stuff now, I can even hear a Latin element. All of Percy’s basslines sound like twisted versions of salsa and cumbia.”
Other notable former members include keyboardist Robin Lumley (cousin of Joanna Lumley of “Absolutely Fabulous”) and Billy Joel’s current drummer Chuck Burgi. The drummer on most of their ’70s albums was Phil Collins, between Genesis sessions.
“It’s good to see our old drummer having a little success,” Goodsall said. “Have to hand it to him: How many people can sell out Wembley Stadium in a wheelchair?”
Goodsall played one of his best-known solos while Brand X was on hiatus: That’s him on Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell.”
Recalling that session, he said, “I’d been sitting there all night and they finally say, ‘Now do a guitar solo.’ And the first take was magic, right? That first time I just nailed it. But then they move a couple of mikes around and they say, ‘Now recreate what you just did.’ And I always hate that, I’m more of a first-take guy. They asked me to play something melodic, but I’m so ticked-off that I smash my knuckles on the guitar and make it sound like a machine gun. Then I look up and they’re all high-fiving, they love it. So I think, great — what you call melodic is me beating the daylights out of my guitar.”
‘We welcomed unusual guys with vastly different experiences. I hate categories like fusion, but we really did fuse a lot of different styles.’ — JOHN GOODSALL Guitarist for Brand X