Phil Collins was a busy little body in 1976! Trick Of The Tail and Wind & Wuthering with Genesis, and this opus de fusion.
It’s funny, because, apart from Phil Collins the other players – John Goodsall (guitar), Robin Lumley (keys) and Percy Jones (bass) – aren’t exactly household names. And yet they play with the fire, chops and intensity of jazz-rock-fusionistas of the first rank.
Perhaps the biggest and most obvious potential criticism might be that at numerous points the influences are very transparent. It’s a heady mix of Weather Report, Mahavishnu and suchlike. The thing is, it’s so well done, that I don’t frankly care about this. It simply means if you like that other stuff – and I do – here’s more, in a similar vein.
In fairness to these guys, however, I should add that despite wearing their inspirations on their sleeves, this still remains a unique, or rather, more accurately, a spirited enough combination to stand on its own.
The intensity levels are sky high, stratus-pheric, one might even say. Part of me feels, listening to it now, aged 49, that this level of energy really makes this young man’s type music. And I think to some degree that holds. But then again, Brand X are still going! And they – any surviving original members, that is – must all be late 60s, early 70s?