Label: Virgin Records
Released: Oct 10, 2000 |
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What could England’s Gomez possibly have left to put on an album of unreleased tracks? This is a band that has, in the past three years, put out two critically acclaimed full-length albums, released a good half dozen singles, with at least two exceptionally good B-sides on each, took home the Mercury Prize (Britain’s Grammy) for best album for their mostly home-recorded debut, and have spent the rest of the time touring the world, gaining a wide and well-deserved fan base. Before taking a well-earned break, Gomez decided to release Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline, a collection of live radio tracks, unreleased tracks and other bits they found lying around, so they can have a “fresh start” when they go back to recording. There are, unsurprisingly, a few failed attempts at songs, but there’s also a lot of gems for Gomez fans, especially their cover of The Beatles’ “Getting Better”, which was included by fan request. Their live, alternate, BBC radio version of “78 Stone Shuffle” easily outshines the version on their debut, and songs like “Flavors”, “Buena Vista”, and “Bring Your Lovin’ Back Here” would have been welcome additions to either of their studio albums. Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline is by no means a place to start if you’re new to Gomez, but for their avid fans, it’s a necessary addition to their collection.
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