It is advised that anyone wanting to “get into” the strange and perplexing world of Italian soundtrack kings Goblin (AKA The Goblins) should tread into this land with caution. It is not unlike drug addiction: you know it’s bad for you, it costs loads, but sometimes it’s so good you’ll do anything to get it. And strangely enough, just like crystal meth, Italian prog puts a hole in your brain as well.
Starting out life as a conservatory-formed free jazz-fusion type thing in the early 70’s, Goblin was then called Cherry Five. Their was little hope for Italian artists to get their music heard because of the dominance of western artists in their country, a shaky political landscape, the lack of money and, incidentally, the lack of record labels in Italy willing to put out anything from any natives that wasn’t a sure-bet macchina denaro..
Fortune smiled on the members of Cherry Five (Claudio Simonetti, Fabio Pignatelli, Agostino Marangolo, Maurizio Guarini and Massimo Morante being the nucleus, for the record) when surrealistic, visual-mastermind (read: bad writer), Hitchcock wannabe director Dario Argento became a fan and enlisted them to score his films (notably Profondo Rosso 1975 CE, Suspiria 1977 CE, and the Argento produced, George Romero directed, Dawn of the Dead 1978 CE). Soon, Goblin was seemingly scoring everything put to film in Italy, doing close to 100 scores for film and TV through to their demise in the late 1980’s.
Admittedly, most of Goblin’s work is, if not horrible, then horribly dated. Some, though, is amongst the greatest music the pre-punk generation spawned (at least you’ll think so if you’re not quite right in the head). Take the amazing theme to Dawn of the Dead (L’alba Dei Morti Vivente) for example, which sounds like Pink Floyd and Kraftwerk jamming whilst high on mescaline. Or take the clanging and child-like music from Suspiria, the perfect soundtrack for remembering early childhood nightmares. Basically: you have to wade through loads of shit to find the brilliant, sparkling diamonds from this wildly, uneven band. But, oh yes, they are there.
Goblin, after finding out they could make a living doing soundtracks, all but abandoned making unattached original albums. In fact, they only made two: 1976’s “Roller” and the next years “Il Fantastico Viaggio Del Bagarozzo Mark” (which I’ve never heard, as it is rare, but I know it’s the only Goblin record that features vocals and it’s a concept record. Beware.).
For this review I will tell you of the magic terrain of Goblin’s “Roller”, a cheesy, guilty pleasure to be enjoyed alone, like gorging unhealthily after every one else has gone to bed. This was a record made when, not only was it okay, but it was “cool” to name songs things like “The Barbarian” or “the Minstrel.” Yes, it was the time of PROG. Classical musicians exploding onto the Rock scene like surgeons working at a butcher’s shop. For a while, the animalistic, heathen branging of real rock and roll was supplanted by people who wore lacy shirts, read Tolkien and Piers Anthony, and thought it was cool because they were high.
Roller starts out with the song, uh, “Roller”. It kind of sounds like Alan Parsons’ rhythm section with some lunatic playing a blaxploitation theme on a church organ AND it has some of the cheesiest guitar of the 70’s. Wait, don’t rush out to purchase yet, I’m not through. In fairness the song “Roller” somehow surpasses the sum of its parts. It ends up seeming charming and almost quaint to modern ears, but it’s really just trash. The next song, “Aquaman” (maybe something was lost in the translation of these titles…er, I hope so), is absolute drivel. It’s 5 minutes of water sounds mixed with shy boy, bedroom acoustic guitar and TV science-program Moogs moaning away endlessly. Then, something weird happens. “Snip-Snap” appears from the ether and blasts you with 4 minutes of prime, insane, cop-show funk mixed with piecing and gurgling analog synth and an unbelievable wah-wah clav!!! Cheesy? Yes, but also great. “Goblin”, the 11 minute prog epic (including obligatory “look at me, I am a bad-ass 70’s drum solo) starts as an enjoyable medieval, melancholic and mystical romp (with a truly gorgeous, unadorned Moog line) before segueing into a slow build that, if it didn’t lead to the most amazing European funk workout of all time, would be disappointing. Thankfully it does, and it makes you feel like you’re 20 feet tall and writhing under the twisted influence of horse crank! The live bit on the record, a piano and oboe and gong composition called (wait for it) “The Snake Awakens” is pleasing enough: all pretty melody and light, limber musicianship but it almost sounds as if it could have influenced Greek, New Age © powerhouse Yanni. Scary. Then another winner comes along, the closing “Dr. Frankenstein”. Finally, an instrumental about the doctor and NOT his damn monster. I’m sure the world breathed a sigh of relief at that one. It is a good piece, though. More gangster interrogation room style cop show stuff starts it, but this time it’s damaged and evil. The song transforms (violently) mid-way through with psychotic drums and wheezing synth to turn into, seriously, what must have been the blueprint for all video-game music of the 80’s. You have to hear it to believe the freakish prescience Goblin conjured on this one, a true cheese (minor) classic. Go, Mega Man, go!!!.
So, that’s all. I recommend “Roller” for those with a high lactose-tolerance. It’s kind of like when Julian searched for the Guess Who recordings: I know there’s kack all over Goblin’s records but I cannot rest until I’ve found all the good material. Remember: I warned you