My fascination with Italian Prog-Rock band Goblin (and film scores in general) began right after my first viewing of Dario Argento's Tenebre. The giallo was pretty good, but I couldn't get the dramatic, porno-disco theme out of my head. I kept going back and rewinding the first few minutes of the tape. It didn't take too long to realize that I would be Goblin's skeazy bitch for life.
Goblin is and will always be associated with Italian horror auteur Dario Argento. In 1975, he offered an unknown Cherry Five the opportunity to replace composer Giorgio Gaslini on the excellent film Profondo Rosso. With a slight line-up change and a new moniker, they went straight to the top of the charts for 56 weeks. In their short three-year existence, they would also score Argento's much beloved Suspiria and Zombi, his cut of Dawn of the Dead.
Through the 80s, bassist Fabio Pignatelli continued to work on soundtracks under the Goblin name -- with and without any of the original band members. Keyboardist Claudio Simonetti encountered success in composing and producing dance music. Some credit him as one of the founders of the somewhat hated Italo Disco movement. He also scored a number of horror films, including all of Argento's most recent projects.
In 2000, Dario Argento managed to reunite Pignatelli and Simonetti with guitarist Massimo Morante and drummer Agostino Marangolo for Non ho Sonno. The soundtrack, while a little heavier than expected, was a really good surprise. The band planned to perform live for the first time in decades at Cult Con 2000 in Tarrytown, NY. Unfortunately, someone got a little pissy and a threat of a lawsuit was thrown around. Hence, only Simonetti and his band Daemonia showed up. The hate was back on!
But, that wasn't quite the end for Goblin. Five years later, Pignatelli, Morante, and Marangolo would hook up with Goblin's other keyboardist, Maurizio Guarini, and release Back to the Goblin 2005. Admittedly, I tend to favor their work with Simonetti, but this is a pretty classic Goblinesque affair. No complaints from me.
annoyed by time constraints, Cristina
