Customer Reviews

Best of Goblin 1

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Anyone familiar with the Italian horror movie scene knows about Goblin. They composed music for a number of well known Italian horror movies. Being a fan of Italian horror movies and progressive rock music myself, I stumbled upon Goblin. Based on descriptions I read of their elaborate past and influence in the Italian horror movie scene, I picked this CD up. It seemed to be the most appropriate starting point for my venture into Goblin`s music, which was an experience that could be best described as finding a long lost treasure. In the end, Goblin is exactly that -- a long lost treasure that is almost never mentioned outside of its circle of expertise. These guys put the "supposedly" Gothic rock bands of today to shame.

To my utter delight this CD does indeed contain "scary" songs. It was everything I expected Goblin to be and more, although I never had any doubts that they wouldn't be "good" from a certain vantage point. Surprisingly, this CD sounded more contemporary than I imagined. I could trace Goblin's influence in the music of Malice Mizer, Cradle of Filth, Christian Death, and beyond. However, Goblin does not sound like many other bands; they are unique in their own way and stand alone. In this day and age when creating spooky music is a stellar selling point to prepubescent teens, Goblin still remains relatively unknown, and the obscurity that shrouds their music is yet another reason why I was attracted to them. There is a certain charm in the esoteric nature of their music, as if it relishes the fact that it is eerie, spooky, and disturbing in nature. Do not forget, most of the songs on this CD were made for the silver screen, so much of the music is based solely upon mood as its major transcendental theme. Atmosphere is obviously essential to Goblin. Unlike many of their predecessors, however, Goblin places an emphasis on the exploration of sound, as well. After all, they are a progressive band.

Without a doubt this record is essential to anyone's collection. It does not matter whether you are a prog-head or just a music enthusiast, Goblin is one of those bands that deserves a place in your music collection. For anyone who is tired of the banal, uninspired music of today, then Goblin is a band that is worth at least giving a spin. If want to listen to music where you just sit back and feel the atmosphere surround you, then Goblin is definitely the band to check out, because there is no doubt that their music is rich in atmosphere.

Goblin (singular, by the way ;)) is the rare rock group that makes equally compelling music for the silver screen as well as the concert stage. This anthology is dedicated to their collaboration with Dario Argento; Profondo Rosso (Deep Red), Suspiria, Tenebre, and Phenomena. Here is the track listing:

From Profondo Rosso: 1. Profondo Rosso 2. Death Dies 3. Mad Puppet 4. Profondo Rosso (Re-mix)

From Suspiria: 5. Suspiria 6. Sighs 7. Witch 8. Markos Note: Cinevox amusingly mixes up tracks 6 and 7

From Tenebre: 9.Tenebre 10. Flashing 11. Waiting Death 12. Tenebre (Reprise)

From Phenomena: 13. Phenomena 14. Sleepwalking 15. The Wind

For those who don't have the four soundtracks this CD makes a nice introduction to Goblin's film scores for Dario Argento, although you may also want to consider Music Composed And Performed By Goblin: Their Hits, Rare Tracks & Outtakes Collection, 1975-1989 (DRG Series) as it covers other films and directors besides Dario Argento.

For those who have the soundtracks, the reason you'll want this package is that the second CD contains a live concert from 1979 that was in the Cinevox vaults! A 45 minute set that includes Aquaman and Snip Snap from "Roller"; the title track of "Profondo Rosso"; and Mark Il Bagarozzo, Notte, Opera Magnifica, Le Cascate Di Viridiana, and Un Ragazzo D' Argento" from "Il Fantastico Viaggio Del Bagarozzo Mark". An exciting performance that is hampered somewhat by the sound quality. It is often edgy and at times (i.e. Profondo Rosso), it resembles a bootleg recording. Still, it gives you a chance to hear what Goblin is capable of doing onstage. For that alone it's worth the price of admition.

Keep an eye out for volume two!

Highly recommended.

2-disc set.
Disc #1 - same material you already have. No surprises, good choice-cuts for the most part. Over an hour long, very good quality.
Disc #2 - the reason you're thinking of buying this set. Contains 2 "Roller" tracks, 5 "Mark the Cockroach" tracks, and a take on the "Deep Red" theme. The quality on this disc veers from horrible sub-bootleg depths (on the opening track) to very good quality (by the time they're knee-deep in the "Mark"-tracks, the sound seems perfect). Where the sound is muffled and the low-end limits the volume for the first couple of tracks, it really does get better. Shame that it isn't perfect throughout, but I guess we fans have to take the scraps we are offer'd. Note that the songs are a little different to their studio-counterparts, with a few tracks taking on a mini-jam feel to them. It's nice to hear variations on the same themes we've heard again and again. "Deep Red Theme" is the most-faithful of all the tracks, while the others are improvised a bit.
Overall I highly recommend this set to fans. Yes, you already have the songs for the most-part, but the live disc is interesting. And hey, it's an Italian import--- the price is pretty damned reasonable!

"The Best of Goblin Vol. 1" is an essential mix for those who like Goblin, but don't want to hunt down the individual soundtracks available only as expensive imports. You get nothing but the finest selections from Goblin's very best soundtracks - Profondo Rosso, Suspiria, Tenebre, and Phenomena - plus a bonus disc of a rare live performance featuring some of their non-soundtrack music.

I'm sure there are plenty of Goblin fans out there who want the classics, but don't need the 19-track Tenebre soundtrack complete with up to FIVE versions of some songs. This is a great way to get only what you need.

The live disc is interesting, but probably not worth the price of this CD if you already have the material from the first disc. It depends on if you're a huge fan, or a raving fan. I'm not sure who was on vocals for this particular performance, but he was not up to the job. Picture a middle-aged Italian guy eating a big plate of spaghetti, then jogging a mile, and then trying to sing. Believe it or not, that's actually what it sounds like - pretty offensive on the ears. At the same time, raving fans such as myself will enjoy hearing this, because - hey - it's Goblin live.

Hardcore fans will probably want to own the individual soundtracks, so this isn't the best purchase for them, but for everyone else, this is a very nice collection.

Track selection - ***** (5 stars)
Live performance - **1/2 (2.5 stars)
Value - **** (4 stars)
Overall - ***.83 (3.83 stars) - rounds up to 4 stars