The first song I heard by Gomez was "Bring it on", from their second album "Liquid Skin". It didn't do much for me. Then a friend bought me "Liquid Skin" for a present, and although it has several fantastic songs on it, it didn't do as much for me as their debut album, also called "Bring it on".

Gomez are one the few bands of the 90's who manage to fuse blues and rock into a unique sound, without sounding like try-hard Bob Dylan immitators. And in the process, they released this fantastic album, an arty offering featuring a superb collection of songs.

The hardest thing to get used to with Gomez is the voice of lead singer Ben Ottewell. Ottewell sounds like the kind of guy who has smoked one too many cigarettes and listened to one too many Tom Waits albums. But like all great blues singers, Ottewell has the kind of voice that suits the music so well, you'd wonder what the lyrics would sound like if they were sung by anybody else. Several other band members also take turns at singing, but in the end its Ottwell's voice which shines through and it's pretty bloody hard to avoid.

The songs on this album range from traditional blues offerings ("Get Miles"), beautiful ballads ("Tijuana Lady", "Free To Run"), weirdo-pop compositions ("Whippin' Piccadilly", "78 Stone Wobble"), funk ("Love Is Better Than A Warm Trombone"), epics ("Rie's Wagon") to traditional pop songs ("Get Myself Arrested"). Despite its diversity, listening to this album from start to finish sounds nothing less than brilliant.

Subsequent listens only add to the enjoyment of this album. You start to hear new sounds that you've never noticed before and hear instruments you never thought could be played together. And in the process you'll discover, like I did, what a throughly compelling, unique, and appealing album Gomez have released.

"Bring it on" wasn't recorded in a big studio. Gomez didn't have any celebrity treatment making this album. They were just high school kids making a phenomenal rock album in a garage.
It opens with the keyboard drone of "Get Miles" and gets started with the acoustic, even reggae sounding "Whippin' Picadilly" which explodes in bursts with a sing a long chorus. "78 Stone Wobble" is one of the best songs on the album, with the throaty voice of guitarist Ben Ottewell acing the lead vocal. "Tijuana Lady" is far and away the best song on the disc, it has spanish influences and creative lyrics. "Get myself arrested" is a hilarious story about a kid and his car. It ends with the long "Rie's wagon" and "The Comeback", which top off a terrific album. This first album set Gomez on a road to make great albums like "Liquid Skin" and recently the incredible "Split the Difference" Get this one, it's terrific.

This CD has flavors of the late 60s/early 70s psychedelic sound incorporated into some modern alternative music. The first track Get Miles reminds me a little of the sound of Strawberry Alarm Clock's Incense & Peppermints, while Make No Sound, The Come Back and 78 Stone Wobble could have been extra songs from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Tijuana Lady and Bubble Gum Years reminds me a little of the old Pink Floyd sound when Syd Barrett was the lead signer. Tracks like Get Myself Arrested, Free To Run, and Rie's Wagon have a bluesy sound to them.

And finally, Whippin' Picadilly is just plain cool.

I am beginning to wonder if we are about to have another British/U.K. Invasion (I wasn't alive for the first one, but I do know my music history), as there is a lot of cool music coming from England again. Gomez is definitely included in that statement, as are bands like South London's The Koreans, Jem Coldplay, Supergrass, Snow Patrol, etc.

i had bought this CD a long time ago when i heard one of its songs on public radio. i was thoroughly intrigued and subsequently purchased the rest of the then available Gomez cds. i recently rediscovered it while transfering part of my cd library to my ipod and must say that this album fits together more cohesively than the vast majority of modern studio releases. it is a truly fantastic studio album, ranking, in my humble opinion with Coldplay's A Sudden Rush of Blood to the Head and Phish's Billy Breathes. i definately recommend this, as well as all other, Gomez albums.

Gomez is a strange group to describe. They don't just reach out and grab you like some bands. They have a laid-back style that requires the listener interpret the music how he/she likes. I think most people could dig these guys, but I could see how some people wouldn't think too much of them. Personally, I liked them from the first song I heard, 78 Stone Wobble, and I'm getting more and more into them every day. Bring It On has several enjoyable tracks, including Whippin Piccadilly, Tijuana Lady, and Get Myself Arrested, to name a few, but all the songs are good. In my opinion, their second album, Liquid Skin, is even better than Bring It On, and I just bought Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline, which is good so far. Gomez was influenced by so many styles that the music could sound like a rip-off of other artists, but they're truly unique and I can't think of a single band that they sound like.