Unorthodox Behaviour

The Artist

Brand X emerged from the mid-1970s British jazz-fusion scene as one of its most technically formidable and adventurous outfits. Formed in London, the group brought together a rotating cast of elite musicians — most notably drummer Phil Collins, before his Genesis fame consumed everything — alongside keyboardist Robin Lumley, guitarist John Goodsall, and bassist Percy Jones. Their sound sits at the intersection of jazz improvisation, progressive rock complexity, and funk-inflected groove, refusing to settle into any single genre comfort zone. Unorthodox Behaviour is their debut, and it announced them immediately as a serious force in the fusion world.

The Album

Recorded and released in 1976, Unorthodox Behaviour arrived at a moment when jazz-fusion was pushing into increasingly sophisticated and electric territory. The album was produced with a crisp, dynamic clarity that lets each instrument breathe while still serving the ensemble's intricate interplay. Percy Jones's fretless bass is a production centerpiece — fluid and melodic in a way that blurs the line between harmony and rhythm. Thematically, the album is less about lyrical content than about mood and texture, each track exploring a different emotional and rhythmic state through pure instrumental invention.

Listen For

Percy Jones's fretless bass. On nearly every track, Jones's bass functions as a lead voice rather than a supporting one — listen for the way it weaves through "Running On Three" with an almost vocal expressiveness.

Phil Collins behind the kit. Collins plays with a ferocity and precision here that surprises listeners who know him only from his pop era — "Nuclear Burn" opens the album with an immediate demonstration of his jazz-fusion chops.

Rhythmic complexity and odd meters. The band shifts time signatures with unsettling ease; "Euthanasia Waltz" is a masterclass in making irregular meter feel organic and even dancelike rather than merely academic.

John Goodsall's guitar textures. Goodsall moves fluidly between biting, distorted leads and cleaner, atmospheric chording — notice how his tone shifts across "Smacks Of Euphoric Hysteria" to push the track's emotional arc forward.

The arc from chaos to stillness. The album earns its closer; "Touch Wood" brings a relative calm after the intensity that precedes it, making the sequence feel like a deliberate emotional journey rather than a collection of unrelated pieces.