Gobblinz - S/T CD

Gobblinz - S/T CD

Label: Nat Records; Year: 2006; Format: CD

This is a real mixed bag of a CD, compiling all the recorded material by UK band Gobblinz from Peterborough. Until I was given this CD by a friend of mine I knew very little about this band, and looking at forums and groups on the net I discovered that their two original 7"s that came out in '78 and '79 respectively are sought after records. But no worries, Nat Records also reissued those in their original artwork, and the five songs to be found on those two platters are the best this band recorded, and I mean by miles. And that's where I question a release such as this one, consisting of thirteen songs, of which two are pure disaster and could have been recorded by Queen for all we know, while the other six pass as okay, but not really worth the time. On a positive note though, and if you don't care whether you have their good songs on vinyl or CD, then the CD will save you some of your hard earned money.

So, those five songs I have been mentioning, being "London", "Women in Love", "Love me too", "Communique" and "All this and more" are damn fine powerpop/punk tracks, without a shadow of doubt. These guys came together as a band in 1975 and played in other bands before, which one can clearly hear as they are seasoned musicians by the time they start Gobblinz, and the influences range from glam rock to pub rock eventually incorporated into a New Wave leaning sound. An interesting release for sure, but I would have been perfectly fine with just about half of the songs on the CD. Last but not least it might be worthwhile to mention that singer and guitar player Ian Graham went on to form The Name in late 1978, a band well known in the revival Mod scene of the late '70s. End and over.