Goblin are an Italian progressive rock band known for their soundtracks for Dario Argento films (including Deep Red of 1975, also known as Profondo Rosso, and Suspiria of 1977).

They were initially named Cherry Five and were influenced by Genesis and King Crimson. Their early work spawned one eponymous progressive rock record. The band were then called in as replacements for composer Giorgio Gaslini, who had left the film Profondo Rosso after a conflict with director Dario Argento. They changed their name to Goblin and rewrote most of the score, including the famous main theme. The film, and the soundtrack album, were huge hits.

A reshuffle in their line-up followed, and they put out an instrumental progressive rock album Roller, before they got the chance to work with Argento again for Suspiria. The score's nerve-jangling experimental sounds and bizarre vocals have since become legendary. Other film soundtracks and a concept album (Il Fantastico Viaggio Del Bagarozzo Mark) followed, then the score for the European version of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978) (credited as "The Goblins").

Despite their success, more members of the band left. The line-up was altered again, but this time they struggled to maintain their credibility. What was left of the band continued to work on further soundtracks, but there was a partial reunification for Argento's Tenebrae (1982) (although they were credited separately, not as Goblin). They are no longer working together, although CD re-releases of their soundtracks have performed well, especially in Germany and Japan.

Between 1972 and 1973 Claudio Simonetti (keyboards) and Massimo Morante (guitars), aided by Fabio Pignatelli (bass guitar) and Walter Martino (drums), recorded some demo tapes of their compositions using the name Oliver. Their music was inspired by groups like Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Gentle Giant and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

On a trip to London, while looking for contacts, the band bumped into Eddie Offord (then producer of Yes); after listening to a demo tape, the tycoon producer showed some interest and asked them to move to England. By then, Fabio Pignatelli had become a steady member and the band found a regular drummer (Carlo Bordini) and an English lead vocalist (Clive Haynes). After many months of rehearsing, they unfortunately returned to London while Eddie Offord was on tour with Yes in the United States; after many performances and various attempts at striking deals with record houses, they were forced to go back to Italy, due to lack of funds.

Back home, they signed for Cinevox, Clive Haynes was replaced by Tony Tartarini, and their name was changed to Cherry Five. This was done by the label, for no apparent reason, according to Claudio Simonetti; they had intended to continue as "Oliver." Their first LP, however, was definitely intentionally titled Cherry Five, whatever debate about the band's name there may have been. Cinevox Records were active mainly in soundtrack publishing; due to their peculiar sound, the band was frequently called to perform and arrange famous musicians' compositions. This helped them better understand the world of soundtracks and its particular techniques.

Their final act as Cherry Five was to drop Carlo Bordini and bring back Walter Martino on drums.

At the beginning of 1975, the band began a cooperation with Giorgio Gaslini on the Profondo Rosso film project. The band replaced Walter Martino (who went on to join the band Libra) with Agostino Marangolo in this period. Martino recorded all but two cuts of Profondo Rosso.

By chance, after three or four days of recording activity, Dario Argento decided to try the band's hand at composing: one night to write a score, one day to record it. To distinguish this new release from their first LP which was just about to be marketed, they changed their name again, this time to Goblin.

Their success exceeded all expectations; more than one million copies sold, enjoying 52 weeks on the Italian hit parade and ranking first in both the singles and LP categories. It launched a highly successful period for the band, which came to an end in 1978 when the band split after the recording of Zombi (also known as Dawn of the Dead).

In 1976, they collaborated with Willy Brezza to compose the soundtrack to Perché Si Uccidono - La Merde. For the first and only time, Goblin used the name of Il Reale Impero Britannico. This was due to the controversial subject matter of the movie. Willy Brezza wrote the original soundtrack and the remaining tracks were written by the band together with Fabio Frizzi.

Between 1978 and 1979, the band's core musicians recruited many new members consecutively. Fabio Pignatelli, Agostino Marangolo, his brother Antonio Marangolo (a saxophonist who contributed to several albums) and nephew Carlo Pennisi (a session man who often played in place of Massimo Morante when he was absent), cooperated from 1980 to 1982 in a band (Flea On The Honey) which managed to record several LPs. Fabio Pignatelli took part in all the recordings, with Agostino Marangolo ranking first for number of performances. Over time, it was three of the "founding fathers" (Pignatelli, Simonetti and Morante), plus Agostino Marongolo, who became synonymous with the name Goblin.

In 2000, the group reformed to score the new Dario Argento thriller entitled Nonhosonno (Sleepless). After over 22 years of absence, their return was spectacular. The soundtrack was a great success and showed the group could still compose after such a long time apart, much to the fans' delight. The group were lined up to preform in Terrytown, NY for for the infamous Cult-Con, but the group failed to appear. Claudio Simonelli informed fans that the old wounds were reopened during their brief reunion, Instead, Simonelli, with with his tribute band, Deamonia, preformed a 9 song Dario Argento movie themes. The group later officially disbanded. Nevertheless in 2005, with the release of the official Goblin biography by Giovanni Aloisio and the opening of the official website, Back to the Goblin, Massimo Morante and Fabio Pignatelli may be reforming the group once again.

In 2006 the components of the band released the new album BackToTheGoblin 2005 under the independent label BackToTheFudda. The lineup is Fabio Pignatelli, Maurizio Guarini, Massimo Morante, Agostino Marangolo. The album is available only through the official site store and at the moment is not distributed in regular stores.

The "Founding Fathers":

* Claudio Simonetti - Electronic keyboards, synthesizers, organ * Massimo Morante - Guitars, vocals * Fabio Pignatelli - Bass and acoustic guitar * Walter Martino - Drums (Oliver, Cherry Five, Goblin)

Other members:

* Maurizio Guarini - Piano and keyboards * Agostino Marangolo - Drums and percussion * Carlo Pennisi - Guitars * Antonio Marangolo - Saxophone, piano

* Carlo Bordini - Drums and percussion (Oliver, Cherry Five) * Clive Haynes - Lead vocals (Oliver) * Tony Tartarini - Lead vocals (Cherry Five, Goblin) * W. Charlie Cannon - Lead vocals (Goblin) * Roberto Puleo - Guitars (Goblin) * Mauro Lusini - Lead vocals (Goblin) * Marco Rinalduzzi - Guitars (Goblin) * Derek Wilson - Drums (Goblin)

* The unofficial Goblin site * The official Goblin site 2005 * All Music Guide: Goblin * * The official Claudio Simonetti site * Daemonia * Cinevox Records * Gruppo Editoriale Bixio * GOBLIN la musica>la paura>il fenomeno * Dark Dreams: the Films of Dario Argento