The Fantastic Voyage of Goblin

Goblin came to my attention when I first saw George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead in the theatre. It must have been 1978 when my friend Jim and I headed from the suburbs into the city to see what we hoped would be an extremely cool film. After all, the script excerpt that was published in Heavy Metal looked more than promising. What can I say, Romero delivered with his story of survivors taking refuge in a shopping mall from the mass zombie uprising. Then there was the attacking Biker gang. Yes, there was something for everyone.

It didn't take long for me to order a copy of the soundtrack on Varese Sarabande and that LP has remained one of my prized possessions. When I came across a copy of Goblin's score for Dario Argento's Suspiria, buying it was a no-brainer. This soundtrack was even better and came across as a nightmarish version of Tubular Bells. Yes, Goblin was a progressive rock band, but don't let that put you off. If anything, they could be filed next to Van Der Graaf Generator in the Non-Guilty Pleasure/Non-Cape Wearing branch of of the prog-rock world. Like VDGG, Goblin's music was more intense than most and lacked the muso noodling that made progressive rock so damn fussy sounding.

If you're interested in delving into the world of Goblin, may I suggest The Fantastic Voyage of Goblin: The Sweet Sound of Hell [Bella Casa/Cherry Red Records CASA1CD]. It's a 19 track compilation of their better known themes from Profondo Rosso, Suspiria and Dawn of the Dead among others, as well as a couple of cuts from their non-soundtrack albums. Special mention should be made of the funky "Snip-Snap" (from the score for Patrick) and the space-age bachelor pad sounds of "Sicilian Samba" from Squadra Antigangsters.

If more is desired, track down a copy of Goblin: Their Hits, Rare Tracks & Outtakes Collection 1975-1989 [DRG Records 32904].

To round out this post, here is the trailer for Dawn of the Dead and a TV spot for Suspiria: