Brand X

I used to have the UK vinyl edition way back when. The narrator on that edition was Viv Stanshall of Bonzo Dog, Tubular Bells, etc. fame.
The album was a bit weak in my opinion. If I had to chose between this or Marscape, Marscape would be the easy choice.

 

Thankfully, mine is in English!

 

I agree.

 

http://www.spincds.com/sings-christmas-carols-cd-43610

 

Bump

 

Well the price looks right for a 4xCD set...
Going by the track listing, they've left off one album track.. tracks 8-10 on CD1 are from the BBC. Then the last track on that CD is the first track from Livestock ("Euthanasia Waltz")... then they skip the track "Ish". Maybe it's tacked onto the previous track index.
Then all of Moroccan Roll is up next, followed by a bonus track of "Malaga Virgen" (live recording, not sure from where), then Masques, Product and Do They Hurt are included in full.

 

Thanks for the BBC info, I'm guessing you mean ("Nightmare Patrol") - having just bought some of the new SHM-CD titles I'm left wondering what the masterings are all about, curious.

 

Anyone been picking up any of the recent "Official Bootleg Series" titles? I'm always interested in any archival releases from Brand X.... the Ronnie Scott's volume looks a little skimpy (less than 30 min).... but the other two look pretty good:

Brand X - Live in Chicago 1978 - Amazon.com Music »
http://www.amazon.com/Ronnie-Scotts...TF8&qid=1456549151&sr=8-6&keywords=brand+x+cd
http://www.amazon.com/Live-San-Fran...TF8&qid=1456549151&sr=8-7&keywords=brand+x+cd

A fourth volume is on the way in March:
Brand X - Stockholme March 30th 1978 - Amazon.com Music »

 

... and a fifth volume is coming in April:
Buy Live in Rochester 1977 by Brand X CD DVD from Gonzo Multimedia »

 

Thanks for the heads up! I love Brand X! Have been listening to them since 1976 when I purchased an import lp of Unorthodox Behaviour

 

Before anyone gets too excited, this is NOT a DVD release. If only it were... there is no live video footage of classic Brand X, except a short segment from the Old Grey Whistle Test, where they play "And So To F...". But I'm hoping that someday something is unearthed.
BTW, this show from Rochester is excellent. It's a radio broadcast that has circulated for a long time. Gonzo is releasing a bunch of old radio broadcasts (and maybe a couple of soundboard recordings), and finally Percy and Goodsall (maybe others - not Phil though ) will get some $.

 

Hmm, that's strange... I didn't even notice that the link I posted shows up as "CD/DVD"... very odd.
The actual page just lists the product as a CD, and none of the previous entries in the series have included DVDs either, so hopefully no one got their hopes up.

 

I got my hopes up but I've squashed them down again now.

 

I got Morrocan Roll when it came out and I was into prog and the like. Thought the album was OK.

 

Big, huge monstrous fan of Brand X and I want to be in this thread for future consideration.

 

If you like Brand X I recommend Wilding/Bonus's Pleasure Signals which features many Brand Xers:
Amazon.com: Pleasure Signals: Wilding & Bonus: MP3 Downloads »

Also check out Eddie Howell's Man From Manhattan
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/offer-l...8&qid=1459781763&sr=8-1&keywords=eddie+howell
NOTE: There is an ep cd which only includes the titles track and a few others that feature the members of Queen. Make sure you get the full length version which features Brand X as backing band!
Eddie Howell »

 

I have the original CD release of "Man From Manhattan" by Eddie Howell, it was originally released on Warner Brothers in the UK as "The Gramophone Record", and didn't feature the track "Man From Manhattan", which was a tune featuring Queen and produced by Freddie Mercury. I guess it was added to all the CD releases to capitalize on the Queen connection... for best sound, check out the original LP:
The Gramophone Record

The one Brand X related project I would recommend above all others is "Marscape", an album credited to Jack Lancaster and Robin Lumley . It features the original BX lineup of Robin, Phil, John & Percy... a bit of a fusion space odyssey... Marscape

 

Jack Lancaster - Topic »

 

Yeah Marscape is terrific! Whatever happened to Robin Lumley?

 

I just recently finished my complete Brand X classic lineup vinyl collection. They are great albums indeed.

 

I'm surprised there hasn't been more discussion of the recent "Official Bootleg Series"... I've picked up the first 3 volumes so far.

 

Let's start it then. Here is a list of the official live documents of Brand X shows released by Gonzo:

• Live from Ronnie Scott's, London, Sep ??, 1976
• Live from Rochester, New York, Sep 28, 1977
• Live from Old Waldorf, San Francisco, Nov 28, 1977
• Live from Karhuset, Stockholm, Aug 30, 1978
• Live from Park West, Chicago, Nov 11, 1978
• Live at the Roxy, LA, Sep 23, 1979

Artist page for on Gonzo Multimedia - Biography, Discography, Photos and more »
Brand X Performances »

For the moment I have only picked the Roxy '79 gig, which predates the "official bootleg series" on the label. The performance itself is spirited, with the setlist drawing heavily from the just released Product album and Phil Collins joking with the audience. Unfortunately the sound quality is very far from stellar and it could be qualified as a decent audience tape at best. For completists only I am afraid.

Buy Live at the Roxy, LA 1979 by Brand X from Gonzo Multimedia »

 

I bought that turkey the week that it came out. I returned it a few days later.

At the time, I thought that it was the worst sounding "legit release" that I ever heard. Then I came to release that it was not a "legit release". If someone was going to release a live Brand X show with sketchy legal authority, why would they choose this show?

 

They've all been in circulation for decades.... Live at The Roxy did have a previous "official" release, on Zok records (I believe Robin Lumley ws behind it). Terrible audience recording, although there is a good soundboard recording, of at least some of it... The compilation CD "The Plot Thins" has a version of Algon from The Roxy, and it's sounds excellent....
Anyhow for good performance and sound, I recommend the Rochester '77 show, and the show from The Waldorf in SanFrancisco is not bad either... although I haven't heard the Gonzo releases and don't know what sources they used. If they sound better than what I already have, I'll buy these.

 

I agree about the "less than stellar" sound of the Roxy disc.... luckily the recent "Official Bootleg Series" discs are much better quality. (The ones I've heard so far, anyway).