VWMusic

All images courtesy of Glass Onyon PR

By Andrew Daly
andrew@vinylwriter.com

Thirty years ago, former Trapeze and Uriah Heep vocalist Peter Goalby walked away from music.

After decades of ups and downs in the music business, for Goalby, priorities shifted, and a decision to see what else life had to offer had to be made. With no regrets, and a resolute disposition, one of rock music’s most soaring vocalists faded into the sunset like a shadow lost in time.

After years spent in silence, no one could have envisioned Goalby returning to music with the focus and the vigor of a man half his age. But that’s precisely what Goalby did as he resurfaced in 2021, with a record containing long-lost and often bootlegged material, Easy with the Heartaches.

Some thirty years after he had stepped out of the limelight, an adoring cult fanbase received Goalby’s message, and to the veteran vocalist’s surprise, his fans had not forgotten him. The success of the unearthed recordings proved bittersweet for Goalby but ultimately assured him of what he knew all those years ago – that these recordings were good enough.

With the success of Easy with the Heartaches, Goalby knew he had to shake the cobwebs out of the rest of his treasure trove of buried musical memories, which leads us to I Will Come Runnin’. The record follows in the footsteps of Easy with the Heartaches, but what the tracks also most likely represent is the 72-year-old singers’ final recordings.

Finally able to bask in the spoils of sweet victory, Goalby took a moment with me to recollect the origins of I Will Come Runnin’, if he regrets walking away from music, and if he plans to take the stage once again in the future.

Andrew:
Last time we chatted, you had just released your long-lost and also long bootlegged solo album, Easy With The Headaches. It seems you’ve got more music you’ve pulled from the vaults.

Peter:
It is my pleasure. Thank you for supporting my work. I have indeed got more songs that were written at the same time as the material on Easy With The Heartaches. The new album is almost part 2. It carries on where Easy With The Headaches finishes. It is in the same style, same players, and everything fits nicely together.

Andrew:
As I understand it, you wrote these tracks in the wake of leaving Uriah Heep. How did that chain of events lend itself to the subject matter?

Peter:
Yes, all of these songs I wrote after leaving Heep, so between 1986 and ’92. I had a publishing deal, which allowed me time in the studio to record my demos, which is the result.

Andrew:
Were any of these tracks slated to be released on your last album with Uriah Heep, Equator?

Peter:
No, they came after I left the band. It would be fair to say had I stayed with the boys, these songs would have ended up as Heep songs. They would have been heavier versions, of course. In fact, I have asked Mick [Box] to get the current lineup to do They’ll Never Find Us from Easy With The Headaches. They would make a splendid version, as they did with my “Blood Red Roses.” They smashed it. Great version.

Andrew:
Given the personal nature of “Little Piece of Heaven,” paint a picture of the initial writing of it.

Peter:
It was the very last song I wrote before quitting music. I felt I needed to enjoy my life. There had to be more in life, and you know what, I was right. It’s weird because I nearly did not record it at all. It is not what you would call a rock song. I love it, but I thought it would not be welcome. Paul Hodson said we must do it. I am now glad he pushed me into it. People are really loving it, maybe because it’s different from any of my other stuff.

Andrew:
What was the state of the recordings when you came back to them, and what sort of mastering was required?

Peter:
Well, first off, we could not find the tapes. Mad Hat studio had closed years ago. Mark, who ran the studio, had moved to a new studio. When he moved, he went through all the old recordings. Some threw out some he liked, so he kept that stuff. He looked for days searching through reels of tapes but nothing. He then looked through some Betamax tapes, and all my songs were there, totally intact and playable. I went to the studio and sat and played the songs. I thought, “Wow, is that me?” It had been so long; it was like me listening to someone else. I was shocked in a great way. We got the whole lot digitally remastered; it sounded fantastic. I felt I had come to life a great feeling.

Andrew:
Were any overdubs required in terms of vocals and instrumentation? Or are these all original performances?

Peter:
We did not touch a thing. I insisted on that. Everything was as we left 30 years ago. Remember, all of these tracks are demos of my songs, but they all have a magic about them. They are from the ’80s, and they captured a moment in time. Featured on the recordings are Paul Hodson (keyboards/bass/drum programming), Eddy Morton (guitar solos), and Robin George played all the instruments on “Dancin on Water” and “Rock’ N’ Roll Crazy.” I did all other guitars on all other tracks and did all vocal work.

Andrew:
Before the success of Easy With the Heartaches, did you have any intention of releasing these tracks?

Peter:
I chose the running order of Easy With the Heartaches, and we all realized there were easily enough songs for a follow-up album. I was not keen on the idea but agreed that if the first album was a success, we would release the rest of the songs, so here it is, my second solo album, I Will Come Runnin’.

Andrew:
Given the success of Easy With the Heartaches, do you have any regrets about not releasing these songs sooner and walking away from music? What does the success of the record mean to you now?

Peter:
As I have said, I could not wait any longer, there had to be more fun in life, and there is. I tried as long as I could, doing the best I could. I was just not lucky. But hey, now I am, and I love it. I am gobsmacked. I looked back to those days 30 years ago; I was right all along; I knew they were good enough.

Andrew:
Given the success of these recordings and an apparent captive audience, would you consider performing live in the future?

Peter:
Andrew, I want to quit while I am ahead. I am thrilled that people get it; they really do get it. Thank you all so much. I am a very happy man.

– Andrew Daly (@vwmusicrocks) is the Editor-in-Chief for www.vwmusicrocks.com and may be reached at andrew@vinylwriter.com