Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline
England's critically acclaimed quintet Gomez create music steeped in rock, pop, blues, funk, soul, and just about anything else they can get their crafty hands on. The use of three lead singers never varies the sound by much--they mostly recallEddie VedderandJoe Cockerwith a pinch ofTom Waitson the rough end.Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotlineis a compilation of oddball tracks that have been accumulating as import single B-sides and outtakes. "Shitbag 9," the opening track, is a spontaneous studio field holler, whereas "Buena Vista" is an atmospheric nine-minute psychedelic suite. Two BBC live recordings ("78 Stone Shuffle," "Steve McCroski") feature the band in a refreshingly loose groove, stumbling around with a sense of mischief and energy absent from their carefully considered studio productions. Perhaps, most intriguingly, the band's included their version of theBeatles' "Getting Better," (recorded by Gomez at Abbey Road Studios), which became familiar to most of us as part of Phillips Electronics ad campaign.--Rob O'Connor