Label: Virgin Records (UK), CASCD1117
Style: Jazz Rock, Instrumental, Progressive Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 41:05
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 221 Mb
The
70’s jazz fusion flavour is audible right away when Nuclear Burn (6:23)
begins. You hear and feel that the bass is not played by an ordinary
bass player. Percy Jones has his very own sound and he plays quite fast.
Guitar and keyboards only accompany him until the chorus (if you can
speak of a chorus in an instrumental) when Goodsall (guitar) and Lumley
(keyboards) take over the track! Collins’s drum sound is quite different
from his Genesis sound. He works the snare and the hi-hat a lot and not
so much with the toms. You can hear it here in the opening track what a
fantastic and sympathetic drummer he used to be. The track ends in what
seems to be a jam, but probably was written like that. You can hear the
influence of Pat Metheny and Weather Report. It is jazz, but it is also
rock – jazz rock or fusion music.
Euthanasia Waltz (5:42) is much
calmer. An acoustic guitar is the dominant instrument before a
well-rounded solo on the electric piano comes in and leads the track
into a seemingly improvised jam before the track returns to the electric
guitar. Phil whirls across the snare and adds highlights on the ride
cymbals. The remarkable bass comes in only in the second third of the
track and plays a solo. In the end the contemplative initial motive
returns on the acoustic guitar.
Born Ugly (8:18) is the second
longest track on the album. A very groovy number. It is best described
as a session with a structure. The middle part is a bit psychedelic as
the band weave a large soundscape with growing intensity. Phil then
destroys this calm with his drums. The guitar solo may have been
influenced by Indian music; in fact, it even sounds like a sitar in
places. The track sounds like a complete improvisation by musicians who
already rely blindly on each other on this their first album.
Smacks
Of Euphoric Hysteria (4:30) is one of the shorter tracks. It has a slow
groove. Phil’s drums are in the front; he plays a number of riffs on the
toms. There is an obvious intention to give each musician more or less
the same time in the centre spot. The album does not contain any track
that is dominated by just one instrument.
The title track is the
longest on the record (8:29). It begins quiet and even tentative and
builds up a tension that is broken up suddenly by Phil’s drumming. A
dialogue develops between the guitar and the keyboards; bass and drums
occasionally pop in. Collins and Jones work together marvellously. This
is another track that sounds like an improvised jam that all the
musicians really enjoy. Some listeners may find the track too long with
too many repetitions. The band really let down their hair on this one!
Running
On Three is a shorter, fast track in which bass and drums play
intriguing roles. The keyboards share the melodic work; a guitar solo
rocks the middle bridge. The overall impression is a jazz jam.
The
final track of the debut album is called Touch Wood. It begins with some
(seemingly) chaotic acoustic guitar over ethereal piano sounds. Half
the track passes before something like a structure emerges. A soprano
saxophone comes in. The bass is played like a percussive instrument.
There are no drums. The only percussion instrument you hear – briefly –
is a shaker that oscillates between the left and right speakers. The
track fades after 3:04 minutes and leaves the listener with silence.
(Full version: www.genesis-news.com/c-Brand-X-Unorthodox-Behaviour-Album-Review-s742.html)
01. Nuclear Burn (06:23)
02. Euthanasia Waltz (05:42)
03. Born Ugly (08:15)
04. Smacks Of Euphoric Hysteria (04:30)
05. Unorthodox Behaviour (08:29)
06. Running Of Three (04:38)
07. Touch Wood (03:04)
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