Brand X
Masques

Third album, the first without Phil Collins who will return to the lineup in the subsequent "Product." So, without Phil, and honestly, his timbre seems to be missing, an atypical rhythm for a typically rock drummer who, in Brand X's early works, had "created" a stunning rhythm section alongside the ever-praised Percy Jones, a group’s indelible characteristic. Masques appeared to critics as an intermediate work, a watershed between the first two albums with clear expressive and emotional impact, and the subsequent Product and Do They Hurt? certainly still solid but definitely noticeably "weaker" works compared to Moroccan Roll and Unorthodox B. Yet Masques, in my opinion, is the most mature and complete work from this fantastic group, with Goodsall and Jones decidedly above the norm and the two session musicians of the moment, Burgi (drums) and Robinson (keyboards), holding their ground. Most of the tracks are penned by Pert, but the gems of the album are the intimate Masques and the extraordinary Deadly Nightshade. More than just jazz fusion, this is also rock, and progressive, and showcases a lot of technical skill on display. Certainly, a lot of Wheater, a bit of Soft and Mahavishnu, but there's no doubt that Brand X will be remembered for an innovative sound, emotionally very engaging and technically perfect. We are in 1978, a time of incredible changes on the musical level...well, I remember them as a pleasant surprise and even today the vinyl, when spinning, has more than one reason. A solid 5!