Bring It On

Gomez

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 8, 1998)
• Original Release Date: May 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B00000AETS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,148 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #51 in	Music > Pop > Britpop
  #90 in	Music > Alternative Rock > British Alternative

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Recorded in the north of England in a cold garage by a batch of 20-year-olds before they'd ever played a lick live, Bring It On displays a remarkable maturity, quoting from a musical source that only folks twice their age are privy to. The insularity of the remote garage removes these lads from the territory of their bombastic Brit-rock peers, freeing them to seek inspiration beyond the shores of their isle. Strains of American groove rock (think Little Feat or Dr. John) run throughout: the opening track, "Get Miles," lopes along on a bourbon-infused jam and Ben Ottewell's deep, gravelly voice, and "78 Stone Wobble" sounds like a long-lost Doobie Brothers hit. But Gomez aren't mere revivalists. Their take on American boogie provides a stale genre with youthful verve. --Tod Nelson

No Depression

...Bring It On is much more than a mere amalgam of blues, country, Tex-Mex and rock.... [T]his record couldn't have been made before acid house swept Britain ten years ago; Gomez lays down rhythmic patterns and beats that complement the rootsy influences rather than quash them.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kinda like Tom Waits on acid, May 28, 2001

By	Jeremy Young (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The first song I heard by Gomez was "Bring it on", from their second album "Liquid Skin". It didn't do much for me. Then a friend bought me "Liquid Skin" for a present, and although it has several fantastic songs on it, it didn't do as much for me as their debut album, also called "Bring it on".

Gomez are one the few bands of the 90's who manage to fuse blues and rock into a unique sound, without sounding like try-hard Bob Dylan immitators. And in the process, they released this fantastic album, an arty offering featuring a superb collection of songs.

The hardest thing to get used to with Gomez is the voice of lead singer Ben Ottewell. Ottewell sounds like the kind of guy who has smoked one too many cigarettes and listened to one too many Tom Waits albums. But like all great blues singers, Ottewell has the kind of voice that suits the music so well, you'd wonder what the lyrics would sound like if they were sung by anybody else. Several other band members also take turns at singing, but in the end its Ottwell's voice which shines through and it's pretty bloody hard to avoid.

The songs on this album range from traditional blues offerings ("Get Miles"), beautiful ballads ("Tijuana Lady", "Free To Run"), weirdo-pop compositions ("Whippin' Piccadilly", "78 Stone Wobble"), funk ("Love Is Better Than A Warm Trombone"), epics ("Rie's Wagon") to traditional pop songs ("Get Myself Arrested"). Despite its diversity, listening to this album from start to finish sounds nothing less than brilliant.

Subsequent listens only add to the enjoyment of this album. You start to hear new sounds that you've never noticed before and hear instruments you never thought could be played together. And in the process you'll discover, like I did, what a throughly compelling, unique, and appealing album Gomez have released.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gomez started a brilliant career with this one, December 15, 2004

By	Billy Shears (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

"Bring it on" wasn't recorded in a big studio. Gomez didn't have any celebrity treatment making this album. They were just high school kids making a phenomenal rock album in a garage.
It opens with the keyboard drone of "Get Miles" and gets started with the acoustic, even reggae sounding "Whippin' Picadilly" which explodes in bursts with a sing a long chorus. "78 Stone Wobble" is one of the best songs on the album, with the throaty voice of guitarist Ben Ottewell acing the lead vocal. "Tijuana Lady" is far and away the best song on the disc, it has spanish influences and creative lyrics. "Get myself arrested" is a hilarious story about a kid and his car. It ends with the long "Rie's wagon" and "The Comeback", which top off a terrific album. This first album set Gomez on a road to make great albums like "Liquid Skin" and recently the incredible "Split the Difference" Get this one, it's terrific.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really cool psychedelic sound mixed with a bluesy sound, June 7, 2004

By	"soonerfrog" (Norman, OK) - See all my reviews

This CD has flavors of the late 60s/early 70s psychedelic sound incorporated into some modern alternative music. The first track Get Miles reminds me a little of the sound of Strawberry Alarm Clock's Incense & Peppermints, while Make No Sound, The Come Back and 78 Stone Wobble could have been extra songs from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Tijuana Lady and Bubble Gum Years reminds me a little of the old Pink Floyd sound when Syd Barrett was the lead signer. Tracks like Get Myself Arrested, Free To Run, and Rie's Wagon have a bluesy sound to them.

And finally, Whippin' Picadilly is just plain cool.

I am beginning to wonder if we are about to have another British/U.K. Invasion (I wasn't alive for the first one, but I do know my music history), as there is a lot of cool music coming from England again. Gomez is definitely included in that statement, as are bands like South London's The Koreans, Jem Coldplay, Supergrass, Snow Patrol, etc.