From Percy Jones: Rob Lumley's health took a sudden turn for the worse a week ago. He went into hospital in Derriford, near his home in Tavistock, Devon, UK, for a quick operation, which had been scheduled, when he had heart failure. The bad news came in that same afternoon on March 9 th. We've lost a friend and a great composer, and one of the main reasons that Brand X actually existed. Pete Bonas often referred to him as a “little instigating monkey”, who got the band to regroup as a four piece and part company with Island records. Even John, who had initially wanted to stick with the holdovers at Island, eventually was convinced to move when he realized that Rob had Phil Collins by his side, and was determined to make a deal over at Charisma records. Rob was good at wheeling and dealing, much better than John or I. He had a good business sense when it came to protecting the band's interests. Robin had been living in Perth, Australia for decades with his wife Debra. He eventually moved back to the UK to retire on Dartmoor, and be near his daughter Jo. Still we never lost sight of each other over the years. Those of you who have followed the band's recent struggles know that Rob and I got together to publicly call an end to Brand X and retire the band after John Goodsall died. Recently a few people have asked me to reconsider that decision, but I know in my heart that it was the right call. On that note I want to ask you all to join me in denouncing the tasteless and disrespectful abuse by the band's former managers who are continuing to steal our name and reputation on Facebook. It's illegal and needs to stop. Rob and I, in the past couple of months, have filed detailed legal documents to secure the status of Brand X with respect to what can or cannot be done with our work in the future. I wish things hadn't come to this but they have. Please join his lifelong friend and collaborator Jack Lancaster, our friend Danny Wilding, Rob's wife Debra, his daughter Jo, his friend Joe Whittaker, and myself, in paying our final respects to Robin, the musician, band mate, friend and creator. Our Brand X website will be telling his story for his fans. www.therealbrandx.com. Robin Lumley 1948-2023.
Based on tracks like "Algon" and "Disco Suicide," I'd say that Lumley was the best composer in Brand X. A lot of the witty titles were also his.
RIP Disco Suicide is a great tune. I'm glad I got to hear it live back in 2017. I can't believe that John Goodsall is gone too.
Heart failure. Bummer. Just played Unorthodox Behaviour. "Nuclear Burn" is one insane cut. Percy's bassline is mondo. Then Robin executes that crazy Moog solo. Perfection. (Some guy called Phil Collins played drums...heard of him?) The title track, the longest cut on the album, is sheer bliss. Nice use of panning: Goodsall's guitar solo on the left, Lumley's Moog dance on the right. I think that's my favorite track on the whole thing, though the whole album is superb (and produced & mixed so well). R.I.P. Robin.
Thank you Robin Lumley. As others have suggested, I think Robin was probably the main player in the Brand X sound. Also another idiosyncratic player in a band full of such instrumentalists. Never an over-reliance on Rhodes, string synth or MiniMoog, always moving effortlessly between keyboards and peppering their sound so tastefully. Robin was also a technically gifted player. He had a great look and always thought he would be a real cat. I would have loved to hang with those guys, it always looked like they were having a fun time. Searched out anything he played on, Marscape being the best of the bunch, aside from Brand X. I should see if there's any Lumley music I'm unaware of. Is There Anything About is a Brand X album that seldom gets mentioned, but it is as good as their best for me. Robin really shines on this album, it doesn't sound dated and there's a bunch of really tasty synth sounds and playing. It will get played this weekend.
Another goodbye to another great musician, really... Here my Robin Lumley related records and CDs There's a hidden gem, a fantastic masterpiece with very special guests... "Peter and the Wolf" produced by Robin, with Jack Lancaster and Dennis McKay
This is my Brand X collection today. Sorry to say I lost some original cassettes. This was a hugely influential music for me.
Wow.... this hurts. Amazing keyboard player, writer, and producer... he was the producer of the early Brand X albums. I also have the Peter & The Wolf and Marscape records, both essential for fans of this kind of music. My favorite Brand X tune that he wrote is probably Disco Suicide. So melodic and catchy, and great playing by all.
