I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – Gomez fans are the luckiest fans in the world. After only four months since the release of their last EP Machismo, the British group is back with a whole new 15-track album. But true die-hard Gomez followers will recognize most of the tunes, because the album is made up of B-sides and rarities that were only released in the U.S. as imports over the past few years. All the songs are B-sides, re-mixed B-sides and outtakes except for one. The last track is the highly anticipated, full-length version of the Beatles’ “Getting Better” that they recorded a few years ago at Abbey Road Studios for a Phillips television ad.
Despite the treasure waiting at the final track, the rest of the album is diverse and sounds so experimentally Gomez. The CD has a live quality, as though the band were jamming in your living room, just screwing around with their guitars and equipment. But that quality might be because three of the songs are live versions that Gomez cut for the BBC, which are “78 Stone Shuffle” (an adaptation of “78 Stone Wobble”), “Steve McCroski,” and “Rosemary.”
Some of the tracks are quickies but have really solid beats wrapped into about 30 seconds like, “Hit on the Head,” “S**tbag 9,”S**tbag,” and the “Cowboy Song,” which was on Gomez’ first CD single “Get Myself Arrested.” Other tracks include upbeat pop tunes like “Flavors” and “Buena Vista,” which feature Ian Ball singing the lead. But the raspy and gruffy-voiced Ben Ottwell brings his trademark sound forward for the leads in “Bring Your Lovin’ Back Here,” “Rosemary,” and “Getting Better.”
So after all that money spent on imports, the band has pretty much just put the best B-sides together on a single CD. But at least the band is finally cutting their American fans a break, because the U.S. version of Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline will be available in a limited-edition package that will include a free copy of the five-song EP, “Machismo,” recorded at Peter Gabriel’s RealWorld Studios in the U.K. The limited version is available at Tunes in Hoboken, and other fine CD stores. – Louise Thach