1974-1981

The liner notes for The Plot Thins: A History of Brand X, 1976-1980, as written by Chris Welch and reproduced on the Phil Collins official web site ^[1], state that the band was formed in 1974 when guitarist John Goodsall met keyboard player Robin Lumley, who had been rehearsing an album project with bass player Percy Jones. When they started rehearsing at Island Studios, ex-Melody Maker critic Richard Williams took note of their music and wrote down "Brand X" in the studio diary, since the group lacked a name at the time. Their first drummer, Phil Spinelli, quit the band to work on a singing career. Drummer Phil Collins sat in for some guest sessions and eventually decided to join the band. He was already committed to Genesis, but he felt he could fit in time for recording and gigs with Brand X as a side project. Bill Bruford was also involved in the band's early days, but never recorded with the band. Goodsall, Jones, Lumley and Collins all also appeared on 1976's Marscape, released by Jack Lancaster and Robin Lumley and recorded around the same time as the first Brand X album, Unorthodox Behaviour.

1992-1998

Goodsall and Jones later got back together in 1992 with drummer Frank Katz under the Brand X name again for the Xcommunication album. This version of the band featured Goodsall performing on guitar and MIDI-guitar. The 1997 album Manifest Destiny also includes Goodsall, Jones, and Katz, as well as Franz Pusch on keyboards and other instruments, Marc Wagnon on MIDI vibes and other percussion instruments, Ronnie Ciago on percussion, and Danny Wilding on flute.

Discography

Studio

• Unorthodox Behaviour (1976)
• Moroccan Roll (1977)
• Masques (1978)
• Product (1979)
• Do They Hurt? (1980)
• Is There Anything About? (1982)
• Xcommunication (1992)
• Manifest Destiny (1997)
• Missing Period (recorded 1975-1976, released 1998)

Live

• Livestock (1977)
• Live at the Roxy LA (1979, released 1995)

Compilation

• X-Trax (1986)
• The Plot Thins: A History of Brand X, 1976-1980 (1997)
• X-Files: A 20 Year Retrospective (1999), compilation including side projects
• Timeline (2000)
• Trilogy (2003)
• Macrocosm: Introducing...Brand X (2003)

1. ^ Welch, Chris. Brand X - A Brief History. Phil Collins - Official Site for Phil Collins. Retrieved on 2006-07-25.