Back in late 1973, a gifted young guitarist by the name of Gary Boyle, who had played with various bands, most recently Stomu Yamashta’s East Wind, decided that he had to form his own band to further explore the fusion to which he was drawn. He heard jazz keyboard player Brian Miller and recruited him, along with jazz bassist Jeff Clyne and drummer Nigel Morris, and Isotope were born. Despite having created the band, Boyle had very little material for them to play, so Miller wrote almost everything on the first album, which was released in April 1974.
Isotope was firmly rooted in jazz, but pushed very much in the fusion direction, with certain similarities to Mahavishnu Orchestra or Return to Forever, but Isotope had their own personality right from the start. This is no laid back fusion noodle fest; the band attack their music savagely. The energy of these young players is immediately obvious. Clyne and Morris produced a tight rhythm section, full of verve and invention, whilst Boyle and Miller traded solos so intricate it’s quite breathtaking. Boyle’s guitar style is exploratory and unpredictable, while Miller plays natural jazz runs with speed and precision, matching Boyle’s passion and bravado. Then There Were Four opens their account as they mean to continue, at a furious pace and full of virtuosity from all four. Morris even manages to squeeze in a short drum solo.
Numbers such as Do The Business, Bite On This and Upward Curve all underline how talented this band were, how full of energy and confidence they were, and they are a joy to listen to. Between the frantic jazz fusion improvisations, there are a couple of more reflective moments, such as Sunshine Park and the delightful Windmills and Waterfalls, allowing the listener some respite from the busyness elsewhere. The first album closes with the only Boyle composition, but it’s a great one. It’s the curiously titled Honkey Donkey, and is another fusion blow showing the guitarist at his best as he and the rest of the band race to a breathless crescendo.
This marvellously curated box set adds three selections from Isotope’s Radio One In Concert performance from October 1973, a few months before the first album was released. If anything, it shows the band were even hotter live than in a studio. Upward Curve is a perfect summation of what the band were about, and Miller’s electric piano playing on Do The Business is just sublime. Isotope then stretch out a bit more on a medley of Retracing My Steps, Bite On This and Honkey Donkey. Incendiary stuff.
The second disc comprises their second album released later in 1974 called Illusion. Arguably their career highlight, it is a definite step forward, whilst maintaining their identifiable style, even though there were significant personnel changes. With an apparent desire to pursue a slightly rockier direction, Brian Miller and Jeff Clyne left the band. Gary Boyle didn’t have much trouble recruiting a bass player however, as he had played with Hugh Hopper in East Wind, and Hugh was leaving Soft Machine, so joined Isotope. The line up was completed by keyboardist Laurence Scott, and Illusion was released in November 1974. This time around, the music was composed by all band members, and what emerged was still jazz fusion, but with perhaps a slightly rockier and experimental edge. The change in emphasis is particularly noticeable with Hugh Hopper’s famous fuzz bass which growls and weaves its way throughout the album. His compositions too are interesting, especially Sliding Dogs / Lion Sandwich and Golden Section which have a more textural and avant garde edge. Laurence Scott’s Rangoon Creeper is a playful piece with a mid-section jam, and his Temper Tantrum provides a terrific album climax, but it’s perhaps Spanish Sun written by Boyle and Morris which is the album highlight. It has an extended Spanish flavoured intro, which gradually develops into a wonderful showcase for the band, especially Boyle’s guitar improvisations. Morris’s drumming is tight and relaxed all at once, and Hopper underpins everything with his authoritative fuzz rumblings. Scott proves himself no slouch on keys, despite not actually being a professional musician! (Before Isotope, he was a dentist!) Illusion has two more live tracks as a bonus, this time from the original band from March 1974 which were recorded for Old Grey Whistle Test.
The third disc in this set is the band’s third album, Deep End, from 1976 and followed another change in personnel. Hugh Hopper wanted to pursue other projects, and Laurence Scott returned to dentistry, and they were replaced by Dan K Brown on bass, and two keyboard players, Zoe Kronberger and Frank Roberts. The style shifted slightly again as a result, with a rather slicker sound, and more melodic emphasis over a funk backing. It’s still very much Isotope, but to my mind, rather less interesting than the first two albums. The musicianship is still first class of course, and it’s still an entertaining listen, but less essential. Having said that, Fonebone is a leftover from the Hopper era and is a highlight, whilst the title track Deep End is a really good Boyle composition, and a worthy sign off to a hugely talented band. The album has four additional tracks, being remixes from 2001 of four of the songs from Deep End.
I have to say that exploring this Upward Curve box set has been an absolute joy. I didn’t take much notice of Isotope back in the Seventies, being more interested in the heavy rock or prog of the day, but I can now appreciate what a fabulous band they were. It seems punk sort of killed them off to some extent, but the legacy presented here is excellent. The discs come with card sleeves recreating the original artwork, and the booklet is informative and detailed, as is always the case with Esoteric / Cherry Red releases. For anyone into their jazz fusion, this is an essential re-release.
TRACK LISTING
Disc 1: Isotope (April 1974)
01. Then There Were Four (4:09)
02. Do The Business (4:39)
03. Oh Little Fat Man (5:21)
04. Sunshine Park (3:53)
05. Bite On This (2:24)
06. Upward Curve (5:43)
07. Retracing My Steps (4:59)
08. Windmills and Waterfalls (3:29)
09. Honkey Donkey (6:07)
10. Upward Curve (5:32) *
11. Do The Business (7:32) *
12. Retracing My Steps / Bite On This / Honkey Donkey (12:51) *
* Bonus tracks recorded live for BBC In Concert 12/10/73
Disc 2: Illusion (November 1974)
1. Illusion (3:56)
2. Rangoon Creeper (5:59)
3. Spanish Sun (7:50)
4. E-Dorian (2:03)
5. Frog (2:31)
6. Sliding Dogs / Lion Sandwich (6:01)
7. Golden Section (5:14)
8. Marin County Girl (2:09)
9. Lily Kong (2:35)
10. Temper Tantrum (3:51)
11. Bite On This (2:20) **
12. Upward Curve (4:45) **
** Bonus tracks recorded live for The Old Grey Whistle Test (26/3/74)
Disc 3: Deep End (June 1976)
01. Mr. M’s Picture (4:53)
02. Crunch Cake (3:56)
03. Another Side (4:00)
04. Black Sand (5:44)
05. Pipe Dream (6:30)
06. Attila (4:27)
07. Fonebone (4:26)
08. Deep End (8:23)
~ Bonus tracks
09. Mr. M’s Picture (2001 remix) (4:53)
10. Crunch Cake (2001 remix) (3:55)
11. Black Sand (2001 remix) (5:53)
12. Deep End (2001 remix) (8:16)
MUSICIANS
Gary Boyle – Guitars (Discs 1,2 & 3)
Brian Miller – Keyboards (Disc 1)
Jeff Clyne – Bass (Disc 1)
Nigel Morris – Drums, Percussion (Discs 1,2 & 3)
Laurence Scott – Keyboards (Disc 2), Additional Synthesizer (Disc 3 [7])
Hugh Hopper – Bass (Disc 2), (Disc 3 [7])
Zoe Kronberger – Piano, Fender Rhodes, Synthesiser, Clavinet, Vocals (Disc 3)
Frank Roberts – Piano, Fender Rhodes, Synthesiser (Disc 3)
Dan K Brown – Bass (Disc 3 [except 7])
Morris Pert – Percussion (Disc 3 [except 7])
Neville Whitehead – Acoustic Bass (Disc 3)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Cherry Red Records | Esoteric Recordings
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 15th May 2026
LINKS
Isotope – Cherry Red Records Boxset Info
