GOBLIN – PROFONDO ROSSO – 1975 (IT) progressive rock

The fact that Goblin was an Italian progressive rock band already makes them somewhat unique, but they also pursued an intriguingly unorthodox career path, recording the majority of their music for horror film soundtracks, many with director Dario Argento. Internationally, they're probably best-known for their work on the Night of the Living Dead sequel, Dawn of the Dead (where they were credited as the Goblins), though their work on Profondo Rosso (aka Deep Red) and Suspiria is generally more acclaimed.

Formed in 1972, Goblin's roots lie in several other Italian prog-rock bands of the time. Keyboardist and bandleader Claudio Simonetti and original drummer Walter Martino both played in Ritratto Di Dorian Gray; guitarist and sometime vocalist Massimo Morante was part of Era di Acquario; and bassist Fabio Pignatelli had been in Rivelazioni. With vocalist Tony Tartarini, the group initially dubbed itself the Cherry Five and played British-style progressive rock in the vein of Yes, Genesis, and ELP. They signed with the Italian Cinevox label, and issued a self-titled debut in 1975, which performed disappointingly. However, it caught the ear of film director Dario Argento, who contacted Cinevox after growing dissatisfied with the jazzy work being done on his Profondo Rosso by composer Giorgio Gaslini. The Cherry Five rechristened themselves Goblin (in keeping with the horror movie theme), kept a small portion of Gaslini's work, and completely redid the remainder of the score in a heavier, harder-rocking style. The results helped make the film a hit, and the soundtrack album topped the Italian charts. Just as the group was about to begin a supporting tour to consolidate their unexpected success, Martino and Tartarini departed, the former to start his own band (Libra); he was replaced by Agostino Marangolo, who had previously drummed in Flea and Etna.

The quartet's next project was a non-soundtrack album, titled Roller, released in 1976 featuring a more traditional prog-rock sound, as well as second keyboardist Maurizio Guarini. The group, however, was unhappy with both the results and the label's promotional efforts, and nearly disbanded. Intervention by Argento smoothed things over, and he put Goblin to work creating a new soundtrack; this time, he shot the film only after hearing the music. The result, 1977's Suspiria, became Goblin's most acclaimed work, combining the band's heavy riffing and busy drum work with more eerie electronics than ever before, plus sinister, experimental vocal effects. The film and soundtrack were both hits once again, and the Goblin/Argento partnership was firmly established. The band worked on over a dozen film soundtracks over the next two years, and in 1978 used that momentum to record a non-soundtrack concept album in the archetypal prog-rock vein. Titled Il Fantastico Viaggio del Bagarozzo Mark, it told the story of a young boy searching for meaning in life with the help of a philosophical insect named Mark; it also broke with the Goblin norm by featuring lyrics sung in Italian.
Of Goblin's subsequent projects, the most significant was undeniably their work on 1978's Dawn of the Dead (known as Zombi in Italy), the sequel to Night of the Living Dead, co-produced by George Romero and Dario Argento. One of their heavier, more rock-oriented works, the soundtrack appeared in two different versions: one as the complete Italian version used by Argento, and the other as the Romero/American version, which cut down the band's contributions to include stock orchestral music. Regardless, the film and soundtrack were both worldwide successes. In spite of all that, guitarist Morante abruptly left the group for a solo career. Goblin continued as a three-piece for a short time, then added Marangolo's former bandmate, Carlos Pennisi, on guitar. Several more scores followed before keyboardist Simonetti, the driving force behind the band's sound, also departed to become a soundtrack composer in his own right. Bassist Pignatelli took over leadership of the group, but without its two most prominent members, work was suddenly hard to come by. Session keyboardist Maurizio Guarini returned to the fold, but by the time Goblin managed a new studio album, 1982's Volo, both Pennisi and Marangolo had jumped ship as well. Dario Argento attempted to reconvene the original group for the soundtrack of 1982's Tenebre, but Marangolo declined to take part; the presence of Morante, Simonetti, and Pignatelli made the largely electronic Tenebre a Goblin album in all but name (since Pignatelli was leading the official band), and the three went their separate ways afterwards. Pignatelli, Guarini, and Marangolo's saxophonist brother Antonio continued Goblin into 1983, upon which point the group simply faded away. The Goblin name was occasionally resurrected for an attractive project during the rest of the '80s, and rumors of a full-fledged reunion surfaced in the late '90s.

Of Goblin's subsequent projects, the most significant was undeniably their work on 1978's Dawn of the Dead (known as Zombi in Italy), the sequel to Night of the Living Dead, co-produced by George Romero and Dario Argento. One of their heavier, more rock-oriented works, the soundtrack appeared in two different versions: one as the complete Italian version used by Argento, and the other as the Romero/American version, which cut down the band's contributions to include stock orchestral music. Regardless, the film and soundtrack were both worldwide successes. In spite of all that, guitarist Morante abruptly left the group for a solo career. Goblin continued as a three-piece for a short time, then added Marangolo's former bandmate, Carlos Pennisi, on guitar. Several more scores followed before keyboardist Simonetti, the driving force behind the band's sound, also departed to become a soundtrack composer in his own right. Bassist Pignatelli took over leadership of the group, but without its two most prominent members, work was suddenly hard to come by. Session keyboardist Maurizio Guarini returned to the fold, but by the time Goblin managed a new studio album, 1982's Volo, both Pennisi and Marangolo had jumped ship as well. Dario Argento attempted to reconvene the original group for the soundtrack of 1982's Tenebre, but Marangolo declined to take part; the presence of Morante, Simonetti, and Pignatelli made the largely electronic Tenebre a Goblin album in all but name (since Pignatelli was leading the official band), and the three went their separate ways afterwards. Pignatelli, Guarini, and Marangolo's saxophonist brother Antonio continued Goblin into 1983, upon which point the group simply faded away. The Goblin name was occasionally resurrected for an attractive project during the rest of the '80s, and rumors of a full-fledged reunion surfaced in the late '90s.

This 1975 soundtrack made an impressive debut for Goblin, a legendary group of Italian soundtrack specialists. Originally known as "the Cherry Five," this quintet was commissioned by Italian director Dario Argento to create a soundtrack for his terrifying thriller Profondo Rosso. The resulting album took the group to the top of the Italian charts and helped them build a worldwide cult reputation. Profondo Rosso is an ambitious affair that blends jazz, prog rock, and heavy metal into an effective and totally distinctive style. The title track is an impressive exercise in dynamics, building tension as it moves back and forth between a quiet, intricate riff doubled on acoustic guitar and keyboard, with a full-blooded variation of that theme led by surging, gothic-sounding organ. Other highlights include "Death Dies," a frantic piece of jazz whose pounding piano riff was later sampled by Beck, and "Mad Puppet," an atmospheric excursion that slowly adds layers of keyboard to a hypnotic, serpentine bass riff. However, the cut that prog buffs will probably like most is "Deep Shadows," a frenetic slice of King Crimson-style jazz-rock that slows down midway for a dazzling mid-tempo section where a mesmerizing rolling piano line duels it out with snaky solos from the bass and electric guitar. All in all, Profondo Rosso is a powerful album that will appeal to both soundtrack fans and prog rock addicts.

Massimo Morante (guitar, vocals)

Claudio Simonetti (keyboards)

Fabio Pignatelli (bass)

Walter Martino (drums, percussion)

1 Mad Puppet's Laugh (Opening Intro) (Bonus Track) 0:21
2 Profondo Rosso (Album Version) 3:44
3 School at Night (Lullaby - Music Box version) 2:51
4 Death Dies (Album Version) 4:43
5 School at Night 0:54
6 School at Night (Lullaby - Child Version) 2:19
7 Mad Puppet 5:49
8 School at Night 2:31
9 School at Night (Lullaby - Instrumental Version) 2:16
10 Death Dies (Film Version Part 1) 2:45
11 Profondo Rosso 1:01
12 Gianna (Alternate Version) 2:14
13 Profondo Rosso 0:41
14 School at Night (Lullaby - Celesta Version) 2:31
15 Death Dies (Film Version - Part 2) 2:45
16 Profondo Rosso 0:38
17 Wild Session 5:00
18 Profondo Rosso 0:46
19 Deep Shadows (Film Version - Part 1) 1:56
20 Deep Shadows (Film Version - Part 2) 1:49
21 Deep Shadows (Film Version - Part 3) 0:35
22 Death Dies (Film Version - Part 3 2:21
23 Gianna (Album Version) 1:52
24 School at Night (Lullaby - Echo Version) 2:27
25 Deep Shadows (Album Version) 5:48
26 School at Night (Album Version) 2:09
27 Profondo Rosso (Re-Mix Version) (Bonus Track) 5:14
28 Profondo Rosso (Original Sound Effect) (Bonus Track) 4:02


Profondo Rosso is really the gem among Argento'a work, a film that managed to revolutionize the giallo and at the same moment become the ultimate giallo at that. You may ask what is a giallo? Well, it is basically a genre that combines mystery and horror, so it is basically a violent triller. It is the most plausible and well written film of his career to date and is the film that introduced us to the music of Goblin, a group that has become world renowned for their work on such classics as Suspiria and Dawn of the Dead. But what is really brilliant about Profondo Rosso is that it is the first film we see Dario experiment and gain more confidence. His camera becomes more fluid and gains more movement and elegant, while the angles he chooses become more strange. He begins to pay more attention to color, submerging the film in deep reds and greens which makes this one a feast for the eyes. It is truly a beautiful film to behold, even when the killer's victims are been stabbed and whatever else. Dario in this film also pays attention to architecture. Helga Ulmann's apartment is lushly decorated in black and white marble, plants and also a star shaped table (we later learn she is Jewish so the star is in fact the Star of David). But the true masterpiece of the sets in Profondo Rosso is Dario's replica of the bar in Edward Hopper's Nighthawks. This is in a sense a homage to Edward, as is the school in the film which is called the Leonardo da Vinci. Dario incorporates the style of art nouveau into this film predominantly, which can be in seen the windows of the villa and Giordani's apartment. And I'm not forgetting the black gloves, one of Argento's trademarks. The Performances in Profondo Rosso are very good. David Hemmings and Dario Nicolodi provide great performances. Their chemistry is very evident and they are very believable. Hemmings is able to get across his character's insecurities, especially in the scene where he arm wrestles Daria's character. It is very clear that he is insecure about his masculinity, which is evident in the scene in Gianna's car where the seat breaks and drops and so it seems that Gianna has become the bigger person, much to Marcus' embarrassment. Daria puts in an excellent performance considering this was about only her third or fourth film. She definitely gets across Gianna's independence which provide the film with some comedy. Gabrile Lavia is also good as the alcoholic Carlo, clearly getting across Carlo's drunkenness with his constant movements, such as stumbling. Meril I found fantastic in the conference scene, especially when she says the line: "You have killed and you will kill again." When she revolts back it is so realistic and her hand movements really make us believe she can sense evil in the room, like as though she is feeling the presence. This is Goblin's first score and it is truly a masterpiece. The theme is brilliant and is really driving and fits the film perfectly. It is a really mesmerizing as is the infamous lullaby, a disturbing piece. Profondo Rosso is truly a brilliant piece of art. A great plot, fantastic music, breath-taking visuals, great performances and perfect direction.

Highly recommended! Great soundtrack to a great movie!!!
Rip from CD 256@ (full artwork included)

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