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Rating: Cinephiles, prog enthusiasts, metalheads, or whatever you may be, gather around! The show that took place at Magnolia in Milan, the Arci club nestled within the Idroscalo, is truly one not to be missed. To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of "Profondo Rosso", one of the great classics of Italian "horror" cinema and beyond, the wonderful Claudio Simonetti, someone who knows a thing or two about "horror music", has been touring with his personal tribute to the film that, besides leaving a mark on Italian cinema, also launched the Goblins, still today one of the most popular bands in the rock scene of those years.
To confirm the group's constant popularity, just take a look around and see who's flocked to the evening: old lions of the prog era, twenty-somethings obsessed with the Seventies, and assorted metalheads, clear evidence that the music of Simonetti and company continues to thrill, now as it did then.
The event is also a chance to recap the current situation of the Goblin band, or rather, one might say, of the "many Goblin bands". The group, which has dissolved and reformed several times, has always had an extremely fragmented discography, sometimes with individual musicians effectively using the historic name to present what were essentially solo works. To this mix are added various groups, each led by some of the historic members, who over the years referenced within their names the legendary Roman formation, like Back To The Goblin or New Goblin, all groups that regularly held concerts and recorded albums. For those not terribly familiar with the affairs of the "Profondo Rosso" musicians, the situation might already seem rather confusing, as there are currently three groups using the name Goblin: Goblin 4, consisting of Massimo Morante, Maurizio Guarini, Fabio Pignatelli, and Agostino Marangolo, effectively a reunion sans Simonetti of the lineup that recorded "Roller" in '76; Goblin Rebirth, a parallel project of the Goblin 4's rhythm section; and finally, these Claudio Simonetti's Goblin, with whom Simonetti has been continuing his career for a couple of years now. Confused enough? No surprise there.
Adding to this, the Goblin, in all their incarnations, rarely perform on stage, and when they do, it's usually on an American or Northern European stage. Tonight features the live performance of the entire "Profondo Rosso" film soundtrack, making it clear that this is an event not to be missed. Bruno Previtali and Titta Tani, previously with Simonetti in the days of Daemonia and New Goblin, complete tonight's performing lineup. The show, by its nature, might be more suited to a theater or cinema hall, but complaining would be beside the point. The images roll, and Simonetti and "his" Goblin accompany the sequences, just like in 1975, without changing a single note. Though the musicians' interventions are necessarily concise, it's still clear that even back then, the group had a very varied style, alternating more atmospheric pieces with more frenetic ones, but nonetheless recognizable, with pieces oscillating between dark and horror-filled atmospheres and others leaning more towards funky sounds, showcasing the talent of the artists involved at the time, all individuals who, after the disbanding of the original group, had no trouble carving out a place in the national music scene.
If the final scene of "Profondo Rosso", the one with the elevator to be clear, is greeted with a general ovation, demonstrating how successful the music/image pairing was, it's worth mentioning that our artists certainly don't stop there, delighting us for another good hour with various classics of Simonetti's career, with or without the Goblin. They revisit "Roller" and "E Suono Rock", from the album of the same name and "Il Fantastico Viaggio del Bagarozzo Mark", among the few vintage Goblin works not tied to films, as well as "Suspiria", another classic from the Roman band. The soundtrack pieces, in keeping with the evening's theme, are of course accompanied by collages of scenes from the original films: thus, the notes of the aforementioned "Suspiria" accompany the sinister happenings of the ballet school from the film of the same name, and "Zombi - L'alba dei Morti Viventi" offers the chance to see some excerpts from George Romero's masterpiece. "Tenebre", with its "paura-paura-paura" theme, takes us to the Eighties, as electronics began to dominate, while "Demoni" delves into Simonetti's solo production. The grand finale is entrusted to "Phenomena", one of the last works under the Goblin name before their long "hibernation" in the Nineties. It's precisely to the notes of "Phenomena" that one realizes that, between the film's soundtrack and the concert proper, Simonetti and his band have delivered a show nearly three hours long, filled with suspense and passion, precisely what one expects from a historic brand like that of the Goblin.
The evening was also the occasion to premiere the fortieth-anniversary celebratory box set of "Profondo Rosso", containing, in addition to the original work, the reinterpretation by this version of the Roman band. While Dario Argento's film soundtrack is now a classic, and a tribute was more than appropriate, there's curiosity to hear new music from these Goblins, just as has happened with excellent reviews from critics and audiences in recent months with Goblin 4 and Goblin Rebirth, both fresh from new record productions. In the meantime, as usual, the advice remains the same: if Claudio Simonetti and his band perform near you, don't miss them, also because, given the few concerts always scheduled, their live performance is truly a rare event.
Claudio Simonetti's Goblin:
- Claudio Simonetti, keyboards
- Bruno Previtali, bass and guitar
- Titta Tani, drums
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