To many, Brand X was either a source of great inspiration or great consternation. Either way, the band was never boring. With DO THEY HURT? Brand X further explores the far reaches of musical experimentation to create thei... more »r unique fusion. The core members of bassist Percy Jones and guitarist John Goodsall are present, with drummer Mike Clark replacing Phil Collins on most tracks. Also making only a brief appearance,having been mostly replaced by Peter Robinson, is original keyboardist Robin Lumley. As usual, the music herein is often of a bizarre, if not downright weird, nature, yet not without its own intriguing charm and nuance. Odd time signatures, unexpected turns, and unique sounds pepper the music with a characteristically avant-garde flair. The one exceptionwould be the most radio-friendly cut, "Act of Will", which,save for its robotic vocal sound, could have fit right intothe early '80s pop charts. The rest of the works are an adventure in exploration, always developing into something new and unexpected.« less
To many, Brand X was either a source of great inspiration or great consternation. Either way, the band was never boring. With DO THEY HURT? Brand X further explores the far reaches of musical experimentation to create their unique fusion. The core members of bassist Percy Jones and guitarist John Goodsall are present, with drummer Mike Clark replacing Phil Collins on most tracks. Also making only a brief appearance,having been mostly replaced by Peter Robinson, is original keyboardist Robin Lumley. As usual, the music herein is often of a bizarre, if not downright weird, nature, yet not without its own intriguing charm and nuance. Odd time signatures, unexpected turns, and unique sounds pepper the music with a characteristically avant-garde flair. The one exceptionwould be the most radio-friendly cut, "Act of Will", which,save for its robotic vocal sound, could have fit right intothe early '80s pop charts. The rest of the works are an adventure in exploration, always developing into something new and unexpected.
CD Reviews
My favorite album of theirs...
R. Recchia | blodgett mills, ny | 10/21/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I can't say that I'm too familiar with the other Brand X albums, though what I HAVE heard didn't really impress me that much. This album, however, is different! I don't think I've ever found them so likeable! Released in 1980 and featuring Genesis drummer Phil Collins on two tracks( what a busy year for him!), "Do They Hurt" consists of seven songs...the three quirky jazz fusion songs were written by bassist extraodinaire Percy Jones and the remaining four tracks, which are more progressive and some of them hard rocking in parts, are written mainly by guitarist John Goodsall. The liner notes on the back are written by Michael Palin and are absolutely hilarious and would still be worth picking the album up for if the music was terrible, but it's just the opposite! The back cover, which depicts an alligator walking up a woman's sidewalk( she has an alligator purse), is also quite funny. I just picked this up on CD last week and was very disappointed to find out that the liner notes are not included, nor is the entire back cover. I'm very curious as to why these were not included, as they really add to the overall enjoyment of the album. I'd say my two favorite tracks are "Cambodia", which is one of the heavier tunes on the album and has some heavy metal guitar riffing in it and "Triumphant Limp", the second to the longest track on the album and not surprisingly the most progressive. There are no real bad songs on the album and most of it is very pleasant to listen to, like Goodsall's "Act Of Will"( which has some vocals sung through a vocoder). Percy Jones' tunes all have some incredible bass playing in them and are fun to listen to. THIS IS A VERY GOOD ALBUM!"
Masterpiece
Tall Paul | San Diego, CA United States | 03/11/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is my personal favorite Brand X album mainly because of the unbelievable bass performance by Percy Jones on DMZ. Instead of copying the fusion sound of American bands, Brand X created their own sound and held on too it. John Goodsall the most underrated fusion guitarist ever contributed the masterpieces Voidarama and Cambodia. Percy customed tuned his 4 string fretless bass and made the masterpiece DMZ. A bass performance that pushed the envelope further than Jaco and Stanley did.~Paul M.~"
Last of the six great recordings from Brand X
Tall Paul | 05/08/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Like the preceding Product, this recording is more of a Progressive-Rock recording than a fusion album. Where the collective musicianship of this outfit is always outstanding the compositions are consistently impressive as well. Vocals through a vocoder on one number, otherwise they are all instrumentals. None of which succumb to the typically needless directionless noodling that was typical of many a fusion outfit. Highly recommended...Simon"
There's something for everybody here!
Lorenzo Thurman | 02/04/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD is one of the most musically explorative offerings that any band has offered. Percy Jones is at his best in the comical "Noddy Goes To Sweden." "Voidarama" is a busy, but laid back song featuring guitarist John Goodsall. "Act Of Will" features lyrics that are almost impossible to discern, but that's the point! "Fragile" is a very ambitious ad-lib with constant clashing sounds. "Cambodia" is a very powerful guitar feature that is the closest thing to standard popular music as this album has to offer. Even its quiet sections are intense. "Triumphant Limp" seems to be a hold-over from the "Unorthodox Behaviour" album. It has a similar sound, which explores more territory than most of their other albums, and is written by the original four members. Finally, "D.M.Z." again shows off the impossible abilities of Percy Jones on the fretless bass. Do not be fooled by the title! It has a bit of a comical feel to it. This album has it all for the open-minded listener. Buy it, and it won't hurt!"
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1