01	Mark Il Bagarozzo						05:06
	02	Le Cascate Di Viridiana						05:49
	03	Terra Di Goblin						04:41
	04	Un Ragazzo D'argento						04:50
	05	La Danza						05:23
	06	Opera Magnifica						04:03
	07	Notte						02:51
	08	......E Suono Rock						04:36

Enhanced CD containing video interview and live recording (Non ho sonno)

IL FANTASTICO VIAGGIO DEL "BAGAROZZO" MARK

Side One
1. Mark il Bagarozzo
2. Le Cascate di Viridiana
3. Terra Di Goblin
4. Un Ragazzo D'Argento

Side Two
1. La Danza
2. Opera Magnifica
3. Notte
4. .....E Suono Rock
Release Year: 1978

Label(s): Cinevox Record LP (Italy), Crime CD (Japan)

Personnel: Agostino Marangolo (batteria gretsch, piatti ufip, percussioni), Massimo Morante (chitarra elettrica 6 e 12 corde, chitarra acustica 6 e 12 corde, voce solista, pedaliera effetti speciali, chitarra slide, amplificazione acoustic, chitarra con archetto su "Notte"), Fabio Pignatelli (basso elettrico fender con e senza tasti, chitarra acustica su "Le Cascate di Viridiana"), Claudio Simonetti (roland sinthetizer system 100, mini moog, mellotron, organo elka x 55, hammond B3, omni arp, gran piano stenway, piano fender, tastiera elex, logan string orchestra, voce su "Notte")
Il sax su ".....E Suono Rock" e di Antonio Marangolo






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Contained below are the lyrics translated into English. Often the lyrics read awkwardly in English due to discrepencies between the two languages. Special thanks to Max Della Mora for the translation.
MARK THE COCKROACH

The flower is there, the pollen is there
Dew falls on the grass,
Eight velvet paws
Crawl, find, enjoy its life
That dust you love
Come on, the beginning, it's not so bad.

That Mark told me one day
The voyage is tough, but I've some orange juice
Drink, but stay in your world
What's it worth?
That is bad
Where you do things you don't like and then
Mark helps me, take me away


I'm voyaging with him because
He's fast with wings, one, two, one hundred, frrr...
The warm is strong in Goblin's land
But he's sure, has eight black paws, is Mark is Mark.

Cockroach Mark, Cockroach Mark
Fly fast and don't stop
The streetlight is green, there's no traffic
The eight black paws are a symbol of that peace
That you want in this your world
Where homes, without windows are
Aid people alone as animals
Fight, love, scream and die
Where sex is only fashion
It's there where violence reigns supreme
Violence, and violence again
There's no pity in the land of Goblin.


LAND OF GOBLIN

Land of Goblin
Dream or reality
Mark and me, only heroes
A liquid voice that screams,
Look around you, what do you want?
To learn to live from us?
Life and death are the same you know.
Live and die and then you'll know, go!


Land of Goblin
Violent and punk you are
Mark is strong and you know
Has eight paws, he never dies!


Land of Goblin
Is it day or night on you?
Soul and heart, you'll never have
Violent and hard, forever you'll stay.


A SILVER BOY

Water mirror reflects him
Silver color, is now his face.


Outside air and a grey sky
Mixed together, mixed together with him
With the silver boy who is thinking to
When he will never be a soul.


Nobile spirit, lowlife man
Born by chance, as years ago.
He needs few things
There's no happiness in doom

For the silver boy who is thinking to
When he will never be a soul.

THE DANCE

Blue wings, colored and dark, fly wild
Black eyes and strange antennae here upon me
Don't know where I am
If in the middle of a valley or in madness
Cockroaches of the world
Run and laugh, escape away! away!

You know that there were strange smells
People having fun watching those crazy dark
All together the cockroaches
Form a circle and start to dance
Slow, fast, goofy, and then
Dance, sing, play music, love you too!


MAGNIFICENT OPUS

How many times I listened to songs and then
I asked myself what is going to be of us
Watch the others up there!

All the sounds that live in us
All the dreams that concretize outside
Could be many more if you want


To listen to those "pretty bands" that
Every day air on the radio
It's funny only for some minute
But now listen to this notes are


An opus, and listen to this opus,
Live, live here
Your moments together with us
Every instant of your life that you're
Not willing to throw to the wind
Dedicate it to us, to us, send this music in you
An opus, and listen to this opus
Sweet sounds and melodies
Get together in the air
To give a music nobody gave you
Isn't need a magician, but leave the past.


Come on, don't listen to them anymore
And high the volume to listen to the chorus of
This magnificent opus
Relax, and listen these notes are
An opus...

This worths also for those who exhaust in
The home reunions
Those who aren't with us.


NIGHT

The night! Is there room for me too?
Come, come, I've understand everything.
Nothing happens here with us
But I've the "sugar" (drug), oh that yes, will help you

Which do you prefer? A cream cake, an apple cake,
A sanguinaccio* or a sword**?

I've everything. Come to me, you'll like it.
But don't forget, that beyond your body
You'll offer me the soul, that your soul
And remember that at three quarters past nine
Before the cock sings 235 times, you'll give it to me.
What? Oh, of course: The soul, your soul...

*- sanguinaccio: An Italian sausage made with pig's blood
**- "sword": a syringe for the heroin addicted, an Italian slang word.










"Goblin: Mystery, Magic and Madness" - From DIABOLIK #1 (written by myself)

If you were to mention the name Goblin to the average music lover on the street, you would likely be greeted with a questioning stare. In reality, Goblin has never been a household name outside of their native Italy, though through the years they have received enormous respect from many fans of Italian trash cinema and progressive rock. Through constant changes in sound and personnel, the band has always remained unique, and it is for that quality that their fans are some of the most passionate one could hope to find. More than twenty years after their initial formation, the band still remains an enigma to their fans. Though a few articles on the band pop up here and there, there is still little printed information on the band in comparison to other progressive heavyweights, and often the information that is made available is sadly incorrect and misleading. With this article, the author hopes to shed some well-needed light on the history of Goblin and its members.
The story of Goblin's formation differs depending on who the storyteller is. According to Daria Nicolodi, it was she who heard an album by the band Cherry Five and suggested that Dario Argento use the members to provide a soundtrack for his upcoming film. It was true that Argento needed someone to score his PROFONDO ROSSO, as it was determined that composer Giorgio Gaslini would be out of the project. By the film's completion in 1975, Goblin had been formed to perform much of Gaslini's original music for the film as well as providing some of their own. Goblin had then begun as Claudio Simonetti on keyboards, Massimo Morante on guitar (both from Cherry Five), Fabio Pignatelli on bass, and Walter Martino providing all percussion. These four original Goblin members were also part of the very short-lived band Blue Frog*, a pre-Goblin incarnation which also included Nicola Di Staso along with Morante on guitars.

The Cherry Five album that apparently spawned the career of The Goblin was a thrilling journey into the realms of progressive rock. The charm of the music mostly came from the well-arranged vocal harmonies as well as the aggressive, intricate style of the sounds included. The style and sound of the bass guitar was quite comparable to that of Yes' bassist, Chris Squire, who also played with an aggression and energy that influenced many progressive rock bassists. The lyrics nearly suffered from an obvious struggle with the English language, though dark themes were apparent throughout, foreshadowing the dark style that was to provide Goblin their reputation as fine horror film soundtrack composers. An eerie transition in the middle of "The Swan is a Murderer" was later used by Argento for the PROFONDO ROSSO soundtrack.

With their PROFONDO ROSSO soundtrack, Goblin had immediately been launched into popularity. The title track from the film and corresponding LP, composed in Simonetti's wine cellar according to Walter Martino, found its way into the number one spot in the Italian charts where it had remained for many weeks. Already Goblin had redefined the barriers of film scoring, since rock music as incidental music in Italian cinema was either non-existant or heavily restrained. Goblin's score for PROFONDO ROSSO was surely not restrained, being a mixture of heavy rock and jazz that kept the audience's attention on the music in the scenes where it was present.

Later that same year, Walter Martino had parted from the band and was to be replaced by Agostino Marangolo, formerly of the bands Flea and Etna, which had both contained the same members. With Marangolo and second keyboardist Maurizio Guarini, the band began work on their second LP, ROLLER. This was to be one of the few LPs by the band not originally intended to be a soundtrack album. It is this album that seems to be the most popular among the current progressive rock enthusiasts, though the band members themselves expressed displeasure with the final product. Regardless, ROLLER fails to disappoint true Goblin fans, as it is consistant with the band's uniquely progressive style. The title track was the follow-up single to "Profondo Rosso", and was quite similar in composition. Whether this similarity was intentional or not is unknown. Pignatelli's driving bass is always present, underlining a delicate riff on Morante's guitar and Simonetti's synth. Once the track kicks in, we are greeted once again with Simonetti's haunting church organ as we were in "Profondo Rosso". This is perhaps one of the very few times that Goblin's music was reminiscent of earlier recordings, as the band constantly found themselves taking new musical directions and searching out new sounds.

Following a third single, this one for the theme to the television programme "Chi?", the band provided an excellent score for the film LA VIA DELLA DROGA (also known as THE HEROIN BUSTERS), which starred David Hemmings and Fabio Testi. Guitars seemed to be the main instrument in this soundtrack rather than Simonetti's usual keyboards, which is what gives this work its charm. The first four minutes of the film play almost like a Goblin music video, with only their music on the soundtrack backing up several clips of the doings of drug dealers. It was clear that director Enzo Castellari knew the power of Goblin's music and used it quite to his advantage. The result is a highly interesting action film with above average acting from its stars.

The band was then acquired by Dario Argento to provide the score for his next feature, SUSPIRIA. Though previously Argento would allow his film scores to be written around the scenes he was filming, this time he had Goblin compose and perform the score first which he then used for inspiration during the filming. SUSPIRIA is undoubtedly the most unique of the band's work, making it surely one of the most interesting film soundtracks of its type. Synthesizers were now more apparent than initially in PROFONDO ROSSO, and numerous electronic effects were used to keep the sound eerie, haunting, and sometimes downright unnerving. Goblin's music made SUSPIRIA an incredibly loud film, with strange percussive effects and manic screaming in the popular reoccuring theme "Witch" and multi-tracked moans and out-of-tune guitars in "Sighs". A shortened version of the film's theme was another single for the band, with its enchanting melody working along with various unintelligable whispers and cries of "Witch!" to add to the incomparable atmosphere. The match of Goblin's fascinating music with Argento's beautiful cinematography in the film was fantastic. One wonders what Argento's vision of SUSPIRIA would have turned out to be had Goblin not been the ones to provide the film score.

Time again came for the band to record another LP, this time being IL FANTASTICO VIAGGIO DEL 'BAGAROZZO' MARK. IL FANTASTICO VIAGGIO was a concept album with lyrics written and sung by Morante. The story follows a distraught boy caught in the violent, cold world of the Land of Goblin. He leaves with the flying bug Mark, searching to find his true soul. In the album's finale, the boy continues his search in the wrong direction and finds himself at the mercy of a drug pusher who promises to take his soul with his offer of a heroin-like drug. A bizarre story indeed, sung against some more of Goblin's excellent blend of progressive rock and Italian pop. Unfortunately, though IL FANTASTICO VIAGGIO allowed Goblin to find themselves and be free to make the music they wanted to, the album failed to sell well despite the overall quality of the music. The band performed at least a few live shows to support the album's release, yet not much of these performances have been documented. Goblin's main output usually found itself on LP or on film soundtracks and not in live format, with the faint exception of these BAGAROZZO shows and a few TV appearances.

The more casual Goblin fans moreso celebrate the band's first few albums as their best and would consider their next venture, DISCOCROSS, to be the beginning of their downfall. DISCOCROSS contained Goblin's least interesting music, being a collaboration between the band and composer Giorgio Farina apparently for the soundtrack to another Italian television programme. In fact, it may even be fair to say that DISCOCROSS is not a Goblin album, as the band name does not appear anywhere on the LP likely due to contractual obligations. None of the music was written by Goblin, instead written by Giorgio Farina who the album is solely credited to. The sounds were pure instrumental disco with sound effects overtop, sadly lacking the incomparable style that earned Goblin their reputation. DISCOCROSS has become the Goblin's rarest LP in recent years, merely being a piece of interest for pure Goblin fans who wish to follow the band's work from beginning to end.

It was around the same time that the band were also composing their far more characteristic work for George Romero's film DAWN OF THE DEAD, released as ZOMBI in Italy. Whereas the Goblin sound was always filled with variety from soundtrack to soundtrack and LP to LP, the soundtrack to DAWN OF THE DEAD itself contained quite a bit of variety, from playful light-hearted music to somber piano pieces back to the band's trademark aggressive electric sounds. Sadly, director Romero was said to have not enjoyed Goblin's spectacular music enough to include all of it in his edit of the film, so the complete Goblin score only exists on the European version of the film.

Regardless of the overall quality of the band's work on ZOMBI, Massimo Morante soon parted ways with the Goblin and was to later record a few solo albums of his own, such as the pop-rock CORPO A CORPO and his emphatic ESCLUSIVO EP. Goblin was then shortly to perform as a three-piece, as they appeared on the soundtrack to AMO NON AMO, recorded at the close of 1978. This trio of Goblin members can also be heard on their "Yell" single of the same time, another characteristic work which was written as the theme to yet another television programme for Italian viewers. Though Goblin's sound often relied on keyboards, the band obviously needed a replacement guitarist, so Carlo Pennisi was quickly recruited. Drummer Agostino Marangolo and Pennisi had previously made up one half of the bands Flea and Etna, which specialized in deafeningly heavy progressive rock and instrumental jazz-fusion respectively. Pennisi performed on much of the AMO NON AMO soundtrack and became a full-time Goblin member shortly after.

The next Goblin work was again a soundtrack, this time for the film SQUADRA ANTIGANGSTERS, also known as THE GANG THAT SOLD AMERICA. This was again another uncharacteristic work for the band, as the nature of the film required playful disco music instead of Goblin's usual dark progressive sound. This was the band's first attempt at scoring a comical film, and for the most part their work was right on the money, though the more common Italian pop sounds of the music often leave those familiar with Goblin's more popular works with an odd feeling of betrayal. Even in such an odd setting, the band's musical talents were still undeniable. Pignatelli played a funky bass that was always working alongside Marangolo's skilled drumming. Pennisi's guitar licks were often quite impressive and Simonetti was nothing less than an expert. Yet the Goblins were soon to find themselves without a keyboardist, as Claudio Simonetti ventured further to front the band Easy Going and then to later find a prolific solo career.

Easy Going followed in the direction that SQUADRA ANTIGANGSTERS and the earlier DISCOCROSS traveled in, a disco-pop sound that was undeniably catchy and intriguing. Original Goblin drummer Walter Martino again played with Simonetti when he found himself as temporary member of the Easy Going band. For Easy Going, Simonetti himself wrote most of the songs, playing guitars as well as displaying his expected keyboard talents.

While Simonetti followed a more disco-pop direction with Easy Going and then with his own solo career, Goblin continued with PATRICK, a score the band had written specifically for the Australian film for the Italian market. The band had also been called on to do the same for WAMPYR, the 1978 Italian release of George Romero's MARTIN, when they needed to provide a score to replace the less-marketable score originally included in the film. In the case of WAMPYR, previous Goblin music was used along with one original theme, whereas PATRICK was assembled of mostly new music. The soundtrack was more restrained than ZOMBI or SUSPIRIA, as it centered more on haunting synthesizer sounds (apparently now provided by Maurizio Guarini) rather than the pounding rock sounds that Goblin often provided for horror films. Still, the band was now back to providing their trademark style of incidental music in the horror genre, despite having lost the talents of original member Claudio Simonetti.

Through 1979 and 1980, the Goblins were kept busy providing music for Joe D'Amato's BUIO OMEGA (BLUE HOLOCAUST) and Luigi Cozzi's CONTAMINATION. Music from both films was culled to form the CONTAMINATION LP, released in 1980. Much of the music heard on CONTAMINATION could easily fit alongside the band's first few LPs to represent the band's best works. The music recorded during the period of 1979-1980 found itself subject to reappearance in two films by director Bruno Mattei, THE OTHER HELL and VIRUS (HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD). These appearances were a testament to the marketability and popularity of the band, as it almost seemed to be a surefire way to breathe interest into a film by allowing Goblin to handle the score. The members had little or no say in the music included in the films as the rights were sold to Mattei by the Goblins' record company. Though it is often assumed that Mattei used the band's work without proper permission, Mattei maintains that the rights were paid to the publishers for the band's prior works. It is true that Goblin's music breathed life into Mattei's films, as THE OTHER HELL is otherwise a slow-moving film about demonic possession and VIRUS is a simple ripoff of the popular European zombie films. Nevertheless, with Goblin's music behind the films, they become quite watchable as the driving rock music assists well in holding the viewer's interest.

1981 provided Goblin with a scarce attempt at scoring a completely American-made film,. ST. HELENS. The film was an impressive character study story centering on a small town preparing for destruction by Mount St. Helens. Goblin's music was amazingly appropriate, including subtle incidental music and funky pieces for the adventurous scenes. Unfortunately, ST. HELENS did not provide Goblin with a new career in the United States, and the band was approaching very erratic years as they neared their end as prolific soundtrack composers.

During the next year, the band's VOLO album was recorded and released, this being a poppy venture once again including lyrics, their only other album to do so besides IL FANTASTICO VIAGGIO. Goblin's sound is unrecognizable on this LP, despite it containing catchy melodies over Pignatelli's always noteworthy bass lines. This may have been due to the changeover in band members, as Goblin no longer included either Carlo Pennisi nor Agostino Marangolo as they headed off to the band New Perigeo, almost an early 1980's incarnation of Etna with a mixture of jazz fusion and disco.

Around the time of VOLO, Dario Argento called upon the Goblin members to score his next film, TENEBRE. Original members Claudio Simonetti and Massimo Morante were reunited with Pignatelli, though they were unable to use the Goblin moniker as Pignatelli was already using that name with the new members on VOLO. However, the incarnation of Simonetti-Pignatelli-Morante can be easily identified as Goblin, as even through their early-eighties techno sound they carried the same unique style that made so many of their works instantly fascinating upon first hearing. The trio's near-perfect scoring helped to make TENEBRE one of the most fascinating of Argento films.

Unfortunately, TENEBRE would be the last time the three original members would perform as Goblin. Claudio Simonetti returned to his solo career, recording LPs such as SANREMO DANCE and EVERGREENS, as well as scoring countless films on his own. Massimo Morante again continued to pursue solo works, though his career was far more short-lived than Simonetti's who still performs even today. Fabio Pignatelli returned to the new incarnation of Goblin, this time with Maurizio Guarini and Antonio Marangolo, another member of Flea and Etna who often provided his brilliant sax lines for Goblin's prior LPs.

In 1983, this next incarnation of Goblin recorded music for the films NOTTURNO and IL RAS DEL QUARTIERE. The music for NOTTURNO, a high-paced adventure flick starring Tony Musante, relied heavily on Maurizio Guarini's electric piano and synthesizers. This work fit in well with the other opuses of Goblin, producing one of the most comprehensible soundtrack albums of their career. The music could have standed on its own as a progressive rock record, never having to rely on the images on the screen to provide its effectiveness. Goblin's music for the apparent comedy IL RAS DEL QUARTIERE did not fair as well as NOTTURNO and did not have a corresponding LP. This film is seldom seen today.

Though after 1983 Goblin did not record as such with the exception of a few sporadic appearances for films produced by Dario Argento, it is difficult to say that the band truly broke up. Claudio Simonetti and Fabio Pignatelli returned in 1985 to provide music for Argento's film PHENOMENA, resurrecting the Goblin name. Again the name Goblin appeared on the scene much to the delight of fans for Michele Soavi's LA CHIESA in 1989, though this time the music was performed solely by bassist-turned-keyboardist Fabio Pignatelli. It is clear that these two members wish for their audience not to forget the valuable music that Goblin gave the world over the years. During his solo career, Simonetti has since released three albums that contain newly recorded versions of Goblin classics as well as other related themes. Both Simonetti and Massimo Morante have said that they do not dismiss the idea of a Goblin reunion for the '90s, so it is quite clear that Goblin fans will have new music by the band members to enjoy for years to come.

It is clear that Goblin's music had power - a power not only to make listeners perk up their ears when Goblin's music was played, but also to inspire other contemporaries. Composer Fabio Frizzi, after breaking off as one-third of Bixio-Frizzi-Tempera/Magnetic System, wrote a few film soundtracks for director Lucio Fulci that had a Goblin-like edge to them. Most of Frizzi's music from these films, ZOMBIE (notably an unofficial sequel to DAWN OF THE DEAD in Italy), CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, and THE BEYOND, blended haunting incidental music with driving bass guitar lines and manic keyboards. The similarities between the title theme of CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD and Goblin's own slow march from DAWN OF THE DEAD are undeniable. But Frizzi wasn't the only composer who may have been influenced by the Goblins. Composer Stelvio Cipriani, who worked with Goblin earlier on the film SOLAMENTE NERO, gave us his excellent soundtrack to Umberto Lenzi's NIGHTMARE CITY in 1980. Whereas Cipriani's earlier works were mostly highly restrained, far too joyous orchestral music, his soundtrack to NIGHTMARE CITY contained the same dark rock style that Goblin had been famous for. It wouldn't even come as a major surprise if Cipriani admitted to having at least one member of Goblin perform on that soundtrack as well.

With only Simonetti still in the spotlight with his respectable solo career and Pignatelli's sporadic appearances on Simonetti's albums and his own soundtracks, one wonders what the 1990's holds for the many other past members of Goblin. Both Walter Martino and Agostino Marangolo have attempted to pass on their drumming experience and talents to others, as Marangolo has formed a school for drumming in his native Italy, as well as Martino recently released a drum clinic video, complete with a rendition of "Profondo Rosso". Though the public has not been treated to a solo album by Massimo Morante in over ten years, he makes it clear that his interest is still in music when talking of the possible plans to reunite with the other members.

Sadly, much of Goblin's output has been subject to small pressings on compact disc in Japan, with very few albums still available in Italy. The enigmatic presence of the band is even moreso complicated with such hard-to-find releases. However, it is quite apparent that the band's work deserves to be heard, as there have even been several bootleg releases of their previously available works. In fact, very few Italian bands can say that even a bootleg manufacturer could profit by releasing their works in America and the UK. Many of the bands original albums have been reproduced for bootleg release, as well as music from the Simonetti Horror Project LPs made well after the band's demise. It was said before that the fans of Goblin are most passionate about their admiration for the band, and it is surely so when their original LPs command up to $100 American dollars and the aforementioned below par bootlegs also sell well despite being far overpriced.

As further example of the passion felt for the band, there is even a full-blown Goblin home page on the Internet (located at http://www.voicenet.com/~goblin for all of you Internet junkies) as well as there being a proposed Goblin tribute CD hopefully to be prepared and released in mid-1997. For many years to come, Goblin shall remain one of the most important of Italian progressive rock bands, as unlike so many of their contemporaries, the power of their music has spanned far beyond their native country. We only hope that soon the Goblin name shall be resurrected by its members once again.


- Ian Zapczynski
* - After the publication of this writing, I learned that Blue Frog was not indeed a band containing the members of Goblin. It was instead a title of an LP by Nick Vincenti which included the participation of the members mentioned.








"To Score the Gore" - From Fangoria #127




Walking through the Acquario Recording Studios, one is hit by an uncomfortable yet nostalgic feeling of deja vu. Posters for such horror classics as Deep Red, Suspiria and Dawn of the Dead hang in an orderly fashion along the red-carpeted walls. The studios are unusually quiet today, as a non-musical event is scheduled for the afternoon. Two members of Goblin, the band that scored the aforementioned fright flicks and numerous others, are here to answer Fango's questions. So, alas, we'll only be hearing their words, not their music.
Massimo Morante (lead guitars and vocals) and Claudio Simonetti (keyboards) have come a long way since forming Goblin with Walter Martino (drums) and Tony Tartarini (lead vocals) back in 1972. Bearing the silly moniker Cherry Five at first, the band set out to capture the hearts of progressive rock fans with extensive tours and an album clearly inspired by Britlsh trailblazers Genesis and King Crimson. But their self-titled debut effort went virtually unnoticed on the local music market, throwing the band into a confused limbo. Months later, however, Cinevox, the group's record label, was offered the chance to work on Dario Argento's chiller Deep Red; the company's assignment was to provide the director with an immediate replacement for composer Giorgio Gaslini, who had resigned after a conflict with Argento.

"At first," begins Simonetti, "we were caught off balance by Dario's interest in our music; he had actually been impressed by the Cherry Five album. He was a very hot name then and, of course, we were tremendously nervous. Hell, we had no idea how to score a film. Deep Red was a real challenge for us."

"First of all," continues Morante, "we all concurred that Cherry Five was a rather inappropriate name for a band that played very dark music. Then someone came up with Goblin, so Deep Red is the very first Goblin album. Our musical approach was totally different, mostly because we had to interpret Giorgio's original score which had a jazz component that Dario didn't like much."

Argento selected a minor portion of Gaslini's score to keep, ignored the rest and seemed genuinely thrilled by Goblin's main theme. The band added 20 minutes of additional music, which virtually comprises Side One of the Deep Red soundtrack album. 'There were radical differences between our score and Gaslini's," says Simonetti. "Dario loves rock music and Goblin was essentially a rock band, and I've always felt that he wanted Deep Red to be sort of a primordial video clip."

The film, released in Italy in 1975 and the U.S. the following year, was a huge success all over the world, and the soundtrack album topped the Italian charts for months. As of this date, more than 3 million copies have been sold; it's no wonder Morante considers working with Argento to be a good investment.

Despite the promise of prosperous times to come, two members of the five-man band quit shortly before the start of a Deep Red minitour, leaving the door wide open for talented drummer Agostino Marangolo to join up. His entrance, not so coincidentally, marked the real kick-off of Goblin's intensive career. "Agostino allowed us to explore new musical ground," says Morante. "His percussive style added a lot of creepiness to our music. The four albums that followed represent the peak of Goblin's creativity."

Despite the strength of Goblin's subsequent accomplishments, the road hasn't always been pleasant. One of the low points occurred in 1976, when Goblin took advantage of the break between the making of Deep Red and Suspiria to record Roller, a non-soundtrack instrumental album that no one was particularly satisfied with. "Roller was heavily inspired by the funky trends of that period," Simonetti admits. "Even so, and considering that our label did nothing to promote the album, we sold more than 100,000 copies of it."

Goblin was once again on the verge of a premature split-up, and it was only due to Argento's patient mediation that Cinevox kept the band together. A new contract was signed, and the musicians soon entered the notorious Trafalgar Square Studios to record what was to be their hottest album yet.

Their score for Suspiria, Argento's shocker about witches at a German dance academy, is arguably Goblin's definitive masterpiece, a patchwork of different styles molded with the band's habitual sinister touch. The final effect is a devastating combination of experimental techniques as well as a source of inspiration for many a musician to come. John Carpenter and such metal bands as Cathedral and Skyclad have openly paid homage to the band's work. "Our pioneering vision is largely displayed in Suspiria, which is certainly my favorite Goblin album," Morante says. "Curiously enough, the main theme is now a cult hit in some of the dance clubs that play underground/house music. An extravagant DJ recently remixed it with lots of dubs and an infernal rhythm. So now it's a dance song - unbelievable." He shakes his head, laughing.

Suspiria's success strengthened the relationship between band and director, as the record soon became an international hit, following the fortunes of Argento's acclaimed chiller. Goblin's recording career finally reached a level of stability - but nonetheless, keyboardist Simonetti has his complaints. "We always got along very well with Dario," he says. "There has been, of course, some controversy - different opinions - but generally, we were granted total control over the musical productions. However, I was fairly dissatlsfied by his decision to give himself an additional composer credit on Suspina. Goblin wrote and performed that music. Dario's cooperation was purely cerebral, as he only offered ideas, some good, the others bad. That's about it."

Morante nods in agreement, but immediately clears up any doubts about his opinion of Argento's talents. "He is certainly one of the most important and innovative contributors to the genre since Alfred Hitchcock and Brian De Palma," the musician states. "He's a genius in his field, and working with him is stimulating, to say the least. I personally prefer his early gialli, Bird With the Crystal Plumage and Cat o' Nine Tails especially. Lately, he's gone a bit too far with the violence.

"Exactly," adds Simonetti. "Phenomena [Creepers] and [Terror at the] Opera are visually impressive, butthey both lack logic and depend too much on the effects. Like De Palma and Carpenter, he should move to something lighter, or at least different. With his talent, he could succeed in any other field."

After Suspiria, the band turned a deaf ear to more than one scoring request, opting instead to pursue the dream of a lifetime. Following Morante's insistent pleas, Goblin eventually chose to record a concept album. The new songs were based on the Kafkaesque musings of Mark the Bug, an allegorical figure who meditates on the key social and political events of the late '70s. The resulting album, Il Fantastico Viaggio Del Bagarozzo Mark, is indeed Goblin's most intriguing project. The band temporarily abandoned the instrumental emphasis that characterized their previous works, introducing lyrics and Morante's nasal but powerful voice. The record gained favorable reviews, although several critics accused the band of becoming cerebral and pretentious.

"Some journalists had a hard time trying to figure out the music," explains Simonetti. "They said we sounded like Tangerine Dream or Kraftwerk; others mentioned echoes of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. But you see, these are the same critics who prefer a bad Fellini movie over a good horror film."

"We knew that another horror movie was on its way," Morante continues, but we wanted to do something totally different first." Mark Il Bagarozzo was meant to show our fans another expression of our musical background. The experiment was only partially successful, since we discovered that adding vocal harmonies to our music was far from easy. In addition, the Italian language is not suitable for progressive rock."

In 1978, while Goblin toured Italy with a brand new show, Argento met with George A. Romero and offered to co-produce the zombie epic Dawn of the Dead ("a hell of a movie," chuckles Simonetti). Argento collaborated on the script, and cemented the band's involvement with the project. "Dario and Romero wanted a loud and hysterical score," Simonetti says. "So we came up with a hard rock soundtrack. 'Zaratozom,' for example, is a powerful piece with a very aggressive riff. The music indicates that something extreme is happening on screen."

"Dawn of the Dead is a story about dead people coming back to life to stalk the living," continues Morante. "It's the apocalypse. The producers must have thought that violins and arcs* were too sentimental for zombies."

Despite Romero's initial enthusiasm, Goblin's vigorous score was drastically reduced in the film's U.S. version. The director inserted library music and toned down the volume, while Argento's personal Italian cut, relieved of a good 15 minutes of dialogue, boasts an uninterrupted aural attack in the style of Suspiria. (Note: the Varase Sarabande soundtrack album of Dawn of the Dead erroneously credits keyboardist Maurizio Guarini, a popular session musician who had previously performed on the Roller album.)

"Dawn of the Dead was a big hit, and I'd guess the American audience knows us especially by virtue of that soundtrack," says Morante. "I personally repudiate Romero's version, which is incomprehensibly filled with pompous orchestra music. I suppose he wasn't very satisfied with our score...and that upsets me, since everyone else thought we did a terrific job. All in all, I consider it a wonderful experience, even if I'm not particularly fond of horror films. Some are very good, like Dawn of the Dead or Inferno, but the genre is inflated - too much crap being made."

While Morante's tastes run more toward adventure films and thrillers like Die Hard, Simonetti persistently declares his love and respect for the horror genre. One of the most prolific film composers in Italy, he boasts a resume that includes work on Umberto Lenzi's Welcome to Spring Break, Lamberto Bava's Demons, Lucio Fulci's Conquest and some minor films by Ruggero Deodato. He was also responsible for the Horror Project series, three compact discs in which the musician reinterprets major cult soundtracks like Halloween, Escape From New York, and The Exorcist.

Dawn of the Dead was a major success, selling all over the world and leading to the reissue of the group's previous records. But then, quite unexpectedly, Morante quit the band. He would later produce three solo albums, none of which were half as successful as any of Goblin's records. Simonetti deserted a year later, but not before adding the final touches to Goblin's most obscure soundtracks: I Love You I Love You Not, a romantic turkey starring Jacqueline Bissett and Terence Stamp, and the comical Squadra Antigangster, with Tomas Milian. With its two leaders gone, Goblin struggled to maintain its credibility with both fans and the press. The lineup underwent several changes, touring was abandoned and Argento virtually ignored them.

"When Massimo and I left the band," recalls Simonetti, "Fabio Pignatelli took over. They scored Luigi Cozzi's Alien Contamination, Joe D'Amato's Buio Omega [Buried Alive] and the Italian release version of Patrick. The original film score for that film was composed by Brian May, but the Italian distributors wanted to exploit the band's name, so they opted for a new, typical Goblin score." There was precedent for such a change: Argento had similarly altered the score when he handled the release of George Romero's Martin. In Italy, the film was given a new title [Wampyr] and the print shortened and revised. Old Goblin material, including songs from the Roller and Il Fantastico Viaggio albums, were used for the soundtrack, along with a brand new Simonetti theme. Quite fairly, no album was released.

This wasn't the only time Goblin's music was recycled. "In Bruno Mattei's awful Night of the Zombies, they used excerpts from our Dawn of the Dead soundtrack," says Morante. "The record label did nothing to prevent this form of exploitation. In some films, the band's logo was printed in huge letters, at times bigger than the movie's title itself! Goblin had become a sort of guarantee stamp for horror fans."

In 1982, Argento made the first of numerous efforts to reassemble the original Goblin lineup for his giallo shocker, Tenebrae. Drummer Marangolo declined, and a drum machine - "an archaic Drumulator specimen," grins Morante - was employed instead. Due to contractual rights, the name Goblin was set aside, and the score is simply credited to Morante, Simonetti, and Pignatelli.

"Tenebrae is a cold, hi-tech electronic score," Morante explains. "The film is not as claustrophobic as Dawn of the Dead or Suspiria. The idea was to create a disturbing wall of sound, in open contrast with the apparent quiescence of certain images. While watching the film in the editing room, I was absolutely stunned by the magical atmosphere Argento had conceived. Tenebrae gives you an idea of how the Goblin sound was changing. If we were to score a horror film now, you probably wouldn't recognize the band."

Morante goes on the suggest that a reunification might possibly occur, while Simonetti candidly admits he's been writing some new songs with Goblin in mind. Argento himself was recently counting on the band's resurrection to work on his new film Trauma, as this project was supposed to mark his return to the giallo atmosphere of the early '70s. The director tried to persuade his American financiers, Overseas Film Group, of the necessity to go with the band's dark, clamorous sound. Instead, the score was assigned to Pino Donaggio, an expert in the field as well as a popular name that Overseas' international sales department could rely on.

"Dario likes his guitars loud and rocking, so it's no wonder he likes us," says Morante. "We've momentarily lost the opportunity to work with him, but I'm confident we'll collaborate again in the future. Right now, it looks like we might be scoring Umberto Lenzi's new film, so our fans, if any, shouldn't despair."

Simonetti is aware of the enormous success the recent CD rereleases of Deep Red, Demons and Dawn of the Dead have achieved, especially in Germany and Japan. The Contamination soundtrack is also a major best seller now, but the keyboardist prefers to propagate his solo career, which, in his mind, deserves more attention. "No one knows that I wrote and performed Phenomena's main theme," he says. "Fabio Pignatelli and I also played on Opera, a beautiful score."

"Whatever happens in the future," insists Morante, "we'll have to deal with being best-known for our old work, because everyone will remember us for the Argento soundtracks; they're not easy to top. Look what happened to Tangerine Dream: They just sort of got lost along the way, and they scored dozens of films. Goblin is different; we have a legacy with horror fans, and I know that our names will never be forgotten."

- by Loris Curci

* - This reference is probably meant to be ARPs, which was a popular synthesizer that Simonetti used at the time.











"After Argento: A Young Person's Guide to the Rest of Goblin" - From Video Watchdog



Central to last issue's survey of the film music of Dario Argento were the contributions of Goblin and its keyboard wizard, Claudio Simonetti. Many of Goblin's now-classic recordings have been issued on compact disc - haphazardly and often only in Japan - but the band, despite the seminal role in the integration of the rock idiom into film music, has remained something of an enigma.
The persistent myth is that Goblin was a construct of Argento's imagination, if not a front for his own musical talents. In fact, the band rose out of the Italian progressive rock movement of the early 1970s as a "supergroup" in the tradition of Blind Faith and Emerson Lake & Palmer. Before there was Goblin, there was Ritratto di Dorian Gray, a keyboard-driven band featuring Claudio Simonetti (who earlier had performed with I Rogers) and drummer Walter Martino. From Era di Acquario came guitarist Massimo Morante and, from Rivelazioni, the prodigious bass guitarist Fabio Pignatelli - and Goblin (sometimes called "The Goblins" in motion picture credits) was born.

Goblin catapulted to fame when it supplanted jazz great Giorgio Gaslini on PROFONDO ROSSO ("Deep Red," 1975) - a soundtrack whose Italian liner notes refer to "music by" Gaslini and "ideas, arrangement and execution by" Goblin. By this time, Walter Martino had left the group to form his own band, I Libra, and was replaced by Agostino Marangolo, formerly of Etna and Flea, a progressive fusion band whose album TOPI O UOMINI is available on CD (1989, Fonit Cetra CDM 2030, Italy, approx. $23.99, 36m 59s). Maurizio Guarino briefly provided additional keyboards for Goblin in the mid-1970s and returned as principal keyboardist when Simonetti later departed on a solo career.

Although Goblin is best known for its work with Argento, the band recorded eight singles, twelve albums (with a thirteenth "greatest hits" package) and worked on a variety of projects in and out of film. Thus, in 1975, Simonetti and Morante joined forces with the creators of OPERA PRIMA (1991, RCA Italiana ND 74115, Italy, approx. $22.00, 40m 49s) under the name Cherry Five. Their sole, eponymous album is available on Japanese CD (1986, King/Nexus K32Y 2054, Japan, 3,200 Yen, 43m 13s) and songs like "Country Graveyard" and "The Picture of Dorian Gray" emphasize the Gothic predispositions of the performers. The 1976 Goblin studio album ROLLER (1987, King/Nexus European Rock Collection K32Y 2053, Japan, 3,200 Yen, 34m 22s), including themes for Wampir (Germany's re-edited, rescored version of George A. Romero's MARTIN), while in 1977, the band recorded both SUSPIRIA and the "concept album" IL FANTASTICO VIAGGIO DEL "BAGAROZZO" MARK (1992, King/Crime European Rock Collection KICP 2213, Japan, 2,200 Yen, 37m 07s), which included vocals by Morante.

As the '70s ended, however, Goblin was composing and performing almost exclusively for film - especially the horror film. The distinctive sound that haunted Mario Bava's last feature, BEYOND THE DOOR 2 [ SCHOCK, 1977], fueled persistent rumors that the soundtrack artists were Goblin [see VW 22:59], but the score was in fact composed by former member Walter Martino. The soundtrack for Antonio Bido's Solamento Nero (1978), although credited to Stelvio Cipriani, spawned similar rumors... which were true. Goblin composed the score, but when legal difficulties torpedoed the band's performance, Cipriani arranged their music, added some of his own, and produced the recording used in the film.

In 1978, Richard Franklin's PATRICK was released in Europe, and the suddenly popular Goblin were invited to replace the orchestral score by Brian May (the Australian film composer, not the lead guitarist of Queen). The result, boasting Pignatelli's unmistakable bass and Simonetti's synth sequences, is available on Japanese import CD (1992, Soundtrack Listeners Communication SLCS-7150, 2,500 Yen, 31m 32s), as is the superb Goblin score - argubly their best non-Argento performance - for Luigi Cozzi's Contamination (aka ALIEN CONTAMINATION; 1992, Soundtrack Listeners Communication SLCS-7151, 2,500 Yen, 32m 23s).

Soon the band was recording for a diverse array of film and television productions, including the likes of Disco Cross and Squadra antigangsters (1979). Goblin's score for the Jacqueline Bisset vehicle Amo Non Amo ("I Love You, I Love You Not") - perhaps their least characteristic work - is available on Japanese CD (1992, Soundtrack Listeners Communication SLCS-7151, 2,500 Yen, 35m 22s), its brief playing time padded with various Argento themes. The CDs of both AMO NON AMO and PATRICK also include "Yell", the striking main title for the Italian television anthology SETTE STORIE PER NON DORMIRE ("Seven Stories to Keep You Awake").

Unfortunately, except for Argento-related projects, Goblin's post-1980 work is scarce on CD (with, for example, the 1982 album VOLO unavailable). Enthusiasts must be satisfied, at least for the moment, with GOBLIN GREATEST HITS (1987, Cinevox CD F 0002, Italy, approx. $21.99, 58m 46s), which follows their most renowned cues with themes for Notturno (1983) and Mount St. Helens (1987).

In recent years, while Claudio Simonetti has pursued a solo career that has included some notable film music, Fabio Pignatelli has become the driving force behind Goblin [VW 25:58]. Simonetti's DAYS OF CONFUSION (1991, Discomagic CD 634, Italy, approx. $18.95, 48m 09s), which features new compositions as well as innovative cover versions of themes from BLADE RUNNER, HALLOWEEN and THE EXORCIST, has recently surfaced in America, while a new compilation, THE SIMONETTI PROJECT: MYSTERY, MAGIC & MADNESS (1994, President PCOM 1137, England, approx. $18.95, 49m 43s), merges five cuts from DAYS OF CONFUSION with seven tracks from his MUSIC FROM DARIO ARGENTO'S HORROR MOVIES [see VW 25:59].


- By Douglas E. Winter






"Goblin -Music to Bleed By" - From Deep Red #6

First coming to attention in the early 1970's, the Italian group Goblin managed to succeed in two different realms of the music world, both as a popular rock group and as a composing team for various horror films (particularly those of Dario Argento). Like Ennio Morricone, who will be forever remembered as a composer of western scores (although his works have covered all categories of film), Goblin will be fondly recalled foremost for their contributions to the world of splatter films. Since the group has been disbanded, their presence is even more sorely missed, although they are still around working as individuals.
To be certain, Goblin was unique, offering a strange assortment of chimes, groans, unharmonious, garbled sounds and high-pitched wails with tremulous, blaring, heavy metal music. While the two seemed uncompatible together, the arrangement worked, not just once, but repeatedly. Looking like throwbacks to Woodstock, the longhaired hippies known collectively as Claudio Simonetti, Massimo Morante, Fabio Pignatelli, and Agostino Marangolo completely captivated Europe, then with the film Deep Red, the world. Marangolo was the drummer and percussion expert; Morante the guitar; Simonetti the organ, piano, and string instruments; and Pignatelli the precision instruments. Composition was a team effort.

Even though Goblin itself is no more, many of their albums may still be found in the soundtrack or import sections of large record shops. Most of their films are also available on video; so those of you unfamiliar with their weird brand of music are still able to check them out with relative ease. They are well worth the listening pleasure (picture the strange scores of Ennio Morricone or John Carpenter with a Pink Floyd rock beat and you get some initial idea of what they are like). For the uninformed, a list of their best efforts in the horror line follows.

DEEP RED - A release made by Dario Argento prior to his THREE MOTHERS series, this psycho story involved David Hemmings trying to track down a hatchet-swinging killer (revealed to be an old woman at the end, who aptly gets beheaded herself). Argento, who had made a habit of using Ennio Morricone to score the films he'd done earlier, used Goblin this time around. From the onset, when the opening credits came on amid a blood red background, people were fascinated. The strange, instrumental hard rock seemed inappropriate at first; but it blended well with the mood of the film as the story progressed, rising and falling with the action. The group proved their variety; for along with their ear-splitting rock scores, they also played a childish lullaby type of melody, enhanced by voices of choirboys and chimes. Whenever "flashback" sequences were shown, this irritating "jump rope" music would be heard, grating on your nerves, but creating unbelievable tension.

SUSPIRIA - With the positive effect Goblin had upon DEEP RED, Argento reused the boys for SUSPIRIA, the first of his MOTHERS myths, involving witches at a German dance academy. The opening song, heard throughout, consisted of weird chimes (few people noticed the melody to be a twisted version of the old children's church song, "Jesus loves me this I know. For the Bible tells me so...") creating subliminal messages within the brains of the viewers and making them all the more aware of "something evil" in the dance hall, even before the killings and satanic rituals start. In this masterpiece, a hissing "devil voice" is also heard at points "singing" in time to the music with a wicked La-La-La-La-La-La-La. Added background voices, dubbed into the score (possibly a tactic copied from Ennio Morricone or suggested by Argento) included a repeatedly cry of "witch!" and the "devil voice" muttering barely audible blasphemies about Jesus Christ. The tone of this powerful main theme, one of Goblin's most popular creations, completely overshadowed all other lesser pieces of music in the film.

DAWN OF THE DEAD - The Dario Argento/George Romero slaugherfest about a group of humans making a last stand against the rest of the world, which has become a zombie-infested snake pit (ZOMBIE was the original title of the film in Europe), makes for plenty of gore, spills, and thrills. Goblin is right there again, only this time they get to show a wide variety of musical scopes and talents. The album is still circulating in some stores. The film score ranges from a slow, ambling march at the beginning and end to match, presumedly, the walk of the lumbering undead scattered throughout the movie. Other variations include a slow saxaphone melody during romantic moments; a lampoonish Keystone Kops type of melody for when a group of bikers are picking off zombies and even hitting some in the face with pies; and overall, only remote similarity to the pounding songs heard in previous credits. Certainly this would be the film in which Goblin showed the audience its wide variety of composing talents.

TENEBRAE - While Argento used Keith Emerson for INFERNO, he had Goblin back for TENEBRAE, a psycho-killer story involving a razor-slicing, woman-hating maniac at loose in Rome. Since the plot was somewhat similar to DEEP RED, so was the music. Loud, blaring rock scores at the beginning, end, and in-between sequences where the killer arrived on the scene; an annoying flashback theme, which (instead of the choirboy song from DEEP RED) offered an assortment of strange sounds, much like a worn out music box; and heavy reliance on keyboards made this a classic in European slasher films. The poetic, flowing music matched well with Argento's poetic, flowing spurts of blood. As in his other works, the Argento/Goblin connection was a marriage made in heaven.

PATRICK - in the United States the greatest controversy surrounding this film, which dealt with a comatose villain who possessed psychic powers, was not whether it was any good or not but exactly who composed the score. While the American version of the movie credited music to Brian May (as did a soundhrack album), a series of records came out in Italy, which were imported into the USA, carrying the same logo and film credits, except with Goblin listed as the composing artists. This mystery of duo composers took quite some time to answer, although die explanation was simple. Italian distributoes reportedly did not like the soundtrack accompanying the original film (keep in mind just how heavy the emphasis on film scoring is in Italy with the likes of Ennio Morricone, Francesco De Masi, Nino Rota, Nora Orlandi, Bruno Nicolai, and such employing more popularity than many actors or directors). Thus, Goblin was hired to rewrite the score and their adaption was used throughout Europe in places where Patrick played. Rather bland as compared to SUSPIRIA, DEEP RED, and so on, this was not one of their best musical scores.

BURIED ALIVE - An absolute shocker, combining a psychotic killer with a mother fixation and a liking for dead bodies, with bringing stiffs back to life via a shot (as would later be seen in RE-ANIMATOR), the film received little play in the USA until it came out in video form. The heavy metal, typical Goblin score blended well with the heavy duty violence of the film. The chimes, the hypnotic rhythm, the odd assortment of Morricone-type sounds all molded and shaped to cause the right effect at the right time. In all, the film score was better than the actual film.

While the aforementioned are the major horror films scored by this group, others exist which offer equally interesting musical highlights, but have far less impact on the fans of splatter. These include:

CREEPERS - A more recent chiller by Dario Argento, which featured Jennifer Connely, Donald Pleasence, and a host of killer bugs. Goblin only composed a portion of the music for this utilizing instrumental scores, heavy rock music and chimes as in SUSPIRIA or DEEP RED. Other bands and musicians involved with this flick include Simon Boswell, Motor Head, The Andi Sex Gang and Bill Wyman. As with BURIED ALIVE, the film soundtrack was better than the actual film.

STORIES TO KEEP YOU AWAKE - Only sparce information is available. Evidently, this was an Italian television program like "Night Gallery" or "The Dark Room," called "Sette Storie Per Non Dormire." The theme song they composed, aptly titled "Yell," was a big hit as a single and sold on 45's throughout Europe.

WAMPIR - By accounts, a vampire flick that may or may not have been released in America under a different title. Only one song from the film has been released in record form, "Roller," which has appeared on various Gobin albums. Regrettably, this correspondent has been unable to find other details. The title song is indeed chilling. It starts off with the DEEP RED/SUSPIRIA rock sound then stops and an organ solo is heard, like something out of the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland, before the song comes to a close with the rock melody resuming. Wild, to say the least, and unfortunately more details haven't cropped up about the film.

During Goblin's reign there were other film scores and monumental works not related to the horror category but, nonetheless, efffective. These scores include SQUADRA ANTIGANGSTERS, a crime drama which used disco beat music for most of the scenes where music was required and I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU NOT, a tear-jerker starring Maximilian Schell, Terrence Stamp, and a then-unknown Jacqueline Bisset.

In summing up, fans might be unaware of the Goblin logo (a demon in a crouching position playing on a violin) and what it means. This symbol, adorning their records and merchandise, came from an old painting titled The Devil and Tartini, based upon a European horror tale. Supposedly, the devil appeared one night, slouching over the bedposts of this man named Tartini, playing a violin. As the story has it, the devil wished this man to realize he could become a great composer and thus should take up music as an art. How to story ends is beyond me.

Whether or not the members of Goblin saw the devil at their bedside playing a guitar or set of chimes in like fashion is not known, but the greatness they achieved in the world of horror film, with or without Satan's help, goes without saying. It is only hopeful that one day they will band together again, particularly if Argento finally puts together the final part of his Three Mothers series, sending The Mother of Tears on a terror spree through Rome. If such ever transpires, than no one better than Goblin could conceivably give her music to create mayhem to as she goes about making life miserable for mankind.

Hopefully, Argento will take the hint!


- By Dale Pierce






Goblin [Italy]

Discography
Profondo Rosso (75, Soundtrack)Roller (76)Suspiria (77, Soundtrack)La Via Della Droga (The Dope Way) (77, Soundtrack)Il Fantastico Viaggio Del Bagarozzo Mark (78)Zombi (78, Soundtrack)Squadra Antimafia (78)Amo Non Amo (79)Patrick (79, Soundtrack)Squadra Antigangster (79, Soundtrack, same as Squadra Antimafia?)Wampir (Vampire) (79)Goblin Greatest Hits (79, Compilation)Contamination (82)Volo (82)Tenebre (82)St. Helene (82, Soundtrack)Notturno (83, Soundtrack)Phenomena (Creepers) (85, Soundtrack)La Chiesa (The Church) (89, Soundtrack)Goblin : Their Hits, Rare Tracks, Out Takes Collection, 1975 -1989 (95, Compilation)Other albums - re-releases of earlier material, some with extra tracks

Reviews
Beginning with their first Profundo Rosso Goblin were obviously better suited to soundtrack music than as a studio offering and the majority of their work was in this vein. One of the exceptions, their excellent second Roller is a great blend of symphonic progressive and horror-movie themes best on the lengthy track "Goblin." Their best soundtrack Suspiria was also a good movie and may be the best one to start with mixing a variety of effects into a progressive whole - interesting music. Later efforts, although I haven't heard their rare and unreissued 4th Il Fantastico Viaggio Del Bagarozzo Mark were rather average including the soundtracks Zombi and Dawn Of The Dead. Most of their works are short however, rarely going over 30 minutes.
Italian band from the 70s/80s that did mostly (or maybe only) soundtracks for grade-B horror movies. Most of their stuff is really heavy and moody, with a Floydian progressive feel, and generally pretty good. All are fairly short albums (like 25-30 min.) and most of the CDs are all pricey japanese imports.
They are famous for the soundtrack of the Dario Argento's films. They sound like an experimental, vangard band where only the lp Il Fantastico Viaggio Del Bagarozzo Mark and the last two albums are not instrumental.
Goblin were a very prolific band from Italy, who injected much of the "progressive" idiom into their music, most of which was in the form of horror movie soundtracks. Il Fantastico Viaggio Del Bagarozzo Mark was not, though, but showcases their aggressive guitar/drums/keyboard style very well. Their compositional style was quite unique, combining diminished chord textures with processed vocals, and from passages on this CD, this "horror movie style" can be felt. This, recorded in 1977, along with Roller and Suspiria are probably the "essential" Goblin works. Tenebrae is another somewhat obscure soundtrack by the kings of the Italian horror movie score team, with a large variety of the darker style of music that has always made its way into their more accessible prog rock releases.
I heard some of the Suspiria soundtrack: eerie, dark, fascinating music, quite different from the LP I have by them: Il fantastico Viaggio del "bagarozzo" Mark. This album has vocals, and is heavily synth-orientated prog. There is even judicious use of sequencers here, fortunately they don't dominate. Except on the ethereal "Notte," there really isn't any of the horror-movie aspect so prevalent in their other work. The instrumentals "Le Cascate di Viridiana" and "...E Suono Rock" are the best tracks. "Opera Magnifica" has a nice classical-type melody with some keyboard fanfares that (surprise!) don't sound too hokey. All in all, good, but not great. -- Mike Ohman
The only time I have heard Goblin is when I made a point of watching Dario Argento's "Suspira" horror movie to listen to the soundtrack. By today's standard's, the movie proper is b-rate suspense at best. But the suspense was heightened greatly by Goblin's frightful backing music. Very eerie and capable of causing great tension. Very good. -- Mike Taylor



Goblin - Il Fantastico Viaggio Del 'Bagarozzo' Mark

Released: 1978/2003
Label: M2U Records Korea
Cat. No.: M2U-1001
Total Time: 37:21


Reviewed by: John "Bo Bo" Bollenberg, January 2004
Formed by ex-Ritratto Di Dorian Gray, ex-Cherry Five and ex-Rogers keyboard player Claudio Simonetti, the band started out writing and recording a fair number of soundtracks for films from the Cinevox roster. In 1975 Goblin almost had an album of its own, yet the band was once again asked to write a filmscore, this time for the successful film Profondo Rosso. On this, their 1978 album Il Fantastico Viaggio Del 'Bagarozzo' Mark, Goblin leaves the textures of the lengthy keyboard tracks in favour of band oriented material, which at times evokes some strong Yes resemblances. However, a piece like "Le Cascate Di Viridiana" still contains those long, dynamic stretches one would/could associate with authentic drama as seen in many films. With this album the band nevertheless goes back to their intention of composing the material as a true progressive rock outfit. Having written so many soundtracks, Goblin most certainly knows how to deliver visual music with ear for detail, as the sequencing in "La Danza" illustrates. In a way this song also reminds me of early day Renaissance.

No doubt Simonetti is the main asset, here so if you're a fan of keyboard driven symphonic rock, you have found the ideal place. "Opera Magnifica" is, as its title implies, a classic piece of work, yet arranged in a modern kind of way. However, it gives a perfect image of the talents of Simonetti. The storytelling during "Notte" again illustrates the band's strength in accompanying the spoken word, whether on the screen, on stage, or "simply" on album. Having mainly written scores for horror movies, the "spooky" element is also contained here, even sounding a little like the main theme from Tubular Bells! On this album Simonetti fully experiments with sequencers, as he also illustrates during the jazzy "E Suono Rock," the closing section of this fine album. To my ears this track sounds as if you were to merge Deep Purple with Triumvirat. Pity it stops so abruptly!

I believe Il Fantastico Viaggio Del 'Bagarozzo' Mark had already been released on CD, sporting two bonus videotracks. Here the label has taken great pride in issuing it the same way as its vinyl original so many years ago. As an extra, you not only get the miniature album sleeve in thick cardboard quality, but together with the obi strip, you also get a tiny 16 page booklet in Korean lettering and very small photographs. Yet another quality release.

Limited edition of 2000 numbered copies


More about Il Fantastico Viaggio Del 'Bagarozzo' Mark:

Track Listing: Mark Il Bagarozzo (5:00) / Le Cascate Di Viridiana (5:45) / Terra Di Goblin (4:35) / Un Raggazo D:argento (4:43) / La Danza (5:17) / Opera Magnifica (3:55) / Notte (2:45) / ... E Suono Rock (4:33)

Musicians:
Massimo Morante - guitar, vocals
Agostino Marangolo - drums
Fabio Pignatelli - bass
Claudio Simonetti - keyboards

Contact:

Website: www.goblin.org/
Note: will open new browser window

Discography

Profundo Rosso (1975/1996)
Roller (1976)
Susperia (1977/1997)
Il Fantastico Viaggio Del 'Bagarozzo' Mark (1978)
Zombi/Dawn Of The Dead (1978/1998*)
Amo Non Amo (1979)
Squadra Antigangsters (1979/1999*)
Patrick (1979)
Greatest Hits (1979)
Contamination (1979)
Goblin (1982)
Volo (1982)
Tenebre (1982/1997)
Notturno (1983/1999*)
Phenomena/Creepers (1984)
Greatest Hits (1987)
La Chiesa (1989)
The Goblin Collection 1975-1989 (1995)
Phenomena (1997) (reissue w/bonus)
Buio Omega (1997)
Eccitante! Goblin (1997)
Soundtracks Vol II (1998)
Soundtracks Vol III (1998)
Italian Horror Showcase (1998)
Original Remixes Collection Vol 1 (1998)
La Via Della Droga (1999)