The long-awaited re-release of the entire Planet X catalog has finally arrived, in the form of one lavishly bundled digipak. This 4CD set has been re-mastered by Simon Phillips and includes a twenty-page booklet packed with photos, liner notes, and a detailed history of the band and the music.

Packaged in deluxe O-Sleeve, in a world of recycled or transient musical ideas, it is rare for any band to be truly ground-breaking and innovative. Too often, acts merely create poorly executed retrograde musical concepts that could never be classed as genre-leading.

There are, of course, a few exceptions, many of whom are more familiar names to the uninitiated than Planet X. Yet this band was able to accomplish what others merely dreamed of - inventing their own genre and leaving a high watermark for others to attempt and equal.

Featured artists include Derek Sherinian, Virgil Donati, Brett Garsed, Allan Holdsworth, Jimmy Johnson, Tony MacAlpine, Dave Larue, and Tom Kennedy.

Disc 1: Universe (2000)
1. Clonus
2. Her Animal
3. Dog Boots
4. Bitch
5. King Of The Universe
6. Inside Black
7. Europa
8. Warfinger
9. Chocolate
10. Poos Of Trance
11. 2116

With all these musicians being worldly renowned, and each rightly acknowledged as being amazing in their own right, the album kicks off with the frenetically charged Clonus and the groovy Her Animal, and then brings us the bass and drum-inspired Dog Boots, before unleashing the gripping Bitch and the simply glorious King Of The Universe.

This highly imaginative, heavy when required, intensely impassioned, talented, and creative musical showpiece rolls on with the soaring Inside Black and the deliriously delicious Europa, before they are in turn followed by the strident Warfinger, the decadent (no pun intended) Chocolate, the album rounding out on the emphatic Poos Of Trance, closing on the furiously obsessive 2116.

Disc 2: Moonbabies (2000)
1. Moonbabies
2. The Noble Savage
3. Ataraxia
4. 70 VIR
5. Micronesia
6. Interlude in Milan
7. Digital Vertigo
8. Ground Zero
9. Midnight Bell
10. Ignotus Per Ignotium

Releasing just a few months after Live From Oz, the all-star instrumental progressive rock / fusion outfit continue onward on their sophomore album with the rocking jazz tendencies found within both the titular Moonbabies and bass / piano-led The Noble Savage and the propellant Ataraxia, and backs those up with the flightly Tonaz and the frenetically-precise Micronesia.

For me, MacAlpine is a magician, often stealing the show with his inspired solos and soaring lead lines, even at times recalling Allan Holdsworth in his prime, and he is again brought to the fore on the graceful Interlude in Milan, which is itself followed by the triumphantly towering Digital Vertigo, the racing heartbeat felt within Ground Zero, the album rounding out on the funky bass lines within Midnight Bell, closing on the melodic phrasing found within Ignotus Per Ignotium.

Disc 3: Live From Oz (2002)
1. Ignotus Per Ignotium
2. Inside Black
3. Dog Boots
4. Atlantis: Apocalypse 1470 BC
5. Atlantis: Sea of Antiquity
6. Atlantis: Lost Island
7. Derek Sherinian Solo
8. Warfinger
9. Virgil Donati Solo
10. Warfinger Reprise
11. Tony MacAlpine Solo
12. Her Animal
13. Europa
14. Pods of Trance
15. Clonus

Recorded on June 13th, 2001, in Melbourne, Australia (the hometown of drummer Virgil Donati), and packing tons of energy throughout, and with all these tracks giving each musician the most perfect chance to flex their considerable chops, the band open on the diligently melodic phrasing of Ignotus Per Ignotium and the soaring Inside Black and continue merrily onward with the bass and drum-inspired Dog Boots, the stunningly-ornate, one minute, full blown and seemingly out of control the next Atlantis trilogy: Apocalypse 1470 BC, Sea of Antiquity and Lost Island, before we get a blistering Derek Sherinian Solo.

With the crowd being very responsive throughout, and with each member of the group getting their own moments in the spotlight, and being warmly welcomed into doing so by the adorning crowd, next up is the strident Warfinger, before we are given a Virgil Donati Solo, a short Warfinger Reprise, and then a Tony MacAlpine Solo, the recording rounding out with the massively groove-laden Her Animal, the deliriously delicious Europa, coming to a close on the liquid tension free flowing within Pods of Trance and a frenetically charged Clonus.

Disc 4: Quantum (2006)
1. Alien Hip-Hop
2. Desert Girl
3. Matrix Gate
4. The Thinking Stone
5. Space Foam
6. Poland
7. Snuff
8. Kingdom Of Dreams
9. Quantum Factor

With new members Brett Garsed on guitar and bassist Jimmy Johnson quickly showing from the off that they are mighty fine additions, up first we get the metrically solid Alien Hip-Hop and the tonal mastery of Desert Girl and they are followed by the technically emotional Matrix Gate, the guitar alighting, simply sensational The Thinking Stone and the star tripping Space Foam.

With the album mixing everything perfectly together, to enable it to feel as true to the other Planet X albums as one could only hope, they continue onward with the drum-tastic Poland which is in turn backed by the joyously fervent Snuff, the album rounding out on a track where, to my ear, Virgil decided to add a whole new time signature to his work, Kingdom Of Dreams, coming to a close on the tremendous Quantum Factor.

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