Summer Holiday
Studio album by Ian Gomm
Released 1978
Recorded 1978
Genre Rock
Length 30:56
Label Albion
Producer Martin Rushent
Summer Holiday is the first solo album by Ian Gomm, previously the rhythm guitarist of Brinsley Schwarz.
Professional ratings
allmusic 4.5/5 stars
Review by Dave Thompson of allmusic:
The British version of the U.S. Gomm With the Wind album, Summer Holiday boasts one of the best sleeves on the era, a collection of happy snapshots presumably taken on the Gomm family's last summer vacation, and alive with all the thrills and spills of a couple of weeks at Butlins.
The music, too, has a bright, summery feel. Gomm's past as a member of Brinsley Schwarz is seldom far from view, as he drives down the same pop-rocking avenues as that band was wont to, and which fellow refugee Nick Lowe was now perfecting. But, whereas both of Lowe's albums to date labored ever-so-slightly beneath their maker's reputation for "clever" songwriting and sneaky pilfering, Summer Holiday remains radiant throughout. And, just in case any last doubts should still be lingering, one of the album's most powerful numbers answers any questions that the Lowe comparisons might raise -- "That's the Way I Rock 'n' Roll."
Elsewhere, Gomm's take on the Beatles' "You Can't Do That" rates among that song's most inspired retakes, and inspired what would become his own best-loved recording, a similarly rearranged rendition of Chuck Berry's "Come On." Issued as a single shortly after the album appeared, "Come On" came so close to landing Gomm a major hit single that it was hastily added to the album; oddly, however, the sleeve was never updated to reflect the change, rendering the addition a shade redundant, to say the least. But that really should be beside the fact. With or without "Come On," Summer Holiday remains a terrific album, one of the best of all fruits of the original Schwarz cabal.
Review on allmusic:
Gomm's recording debut with Brinsley Schwarz, Nervous on the Road, was one of the group's best albums and featured one of Gomm's strongest songs, "It's Been So Long." He stayed with the band until the group folded in 1975. Gomm then moved to Wales, where he built his own studio and recorded sessions by the Stranglers, Amon DŸŸl, and Alexis Korner. He also worked on his own material and signed to Albion, who released his solo debut, Summer Holiday, in 1978. The following year, Stiff/Epic issued the album as Gomm with the Wind in America, where the single "Hold On" reached number 12 in the Hot 100 and led to a gig supporting Dire Straits on their Sultans of Swing tour. Subsequent solo albums included What a Blow, The Village Voice (which included "Louise," a song that became Phil Everly's first solo hit) and 1986's Images, his final release of the '80s. Gomm spent the rest of the decade building a new studio, Mountain Sound, and writing more songs. Producing and engineering also kept him busy until 1997, when he released Crazy for You, and Rock 'n' Roll Heart (2002).
Biographical info from wikipedia:
Ian Robert Gomm (born 17 March 1947, Chiswick, West London) is a British singer-songwriter, who was the rhythm guitarist for Brinsley Schwarz from 1970 to 1974. He was named "Best Rhythm Guitarist" by NME in 1971.
After Brinsley Schwarz folded, Gomm moved to Wales, where he built his own recording studio and recorded sessions by The Stranglers, Amon DŸŸl, and Alexis Korner. He also released his own solo debut album, Summer Holiday in 1978. The following year, Stiff/Epic issued the album retitled as Gomm with the Wind in the United States. From it he scored a Top 40 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1979, with the song "Hold On" which reached #18 in the autumn of that year. This led to a gig supporting Dire Straits on their Sultans of Swing tour. Gomm also co-wrote with Nick Lowe the song, "Cruel to Be Kind", which reached #12 in both the US and UK for Lowe also in 1979.
"Hold On" has been featured as bumper music on the Coast to Coast AM radio show.
Subsequent solo albums included What a Blow, The Village Voice (which included "Louise," a song that became Phil Everly's first solo hit) and 1986's Images, his final release of the 1980s. Gomm spent the rest of the decade building a new studio, Mountain Sound, and writing more songs.
Producing and engineering work kept him busy until 1997, when he released Crazy for You. In 2000, he returned to the studio with Jeff "Stick" Davis of the Amazing Rhythm Aces, plus Pat McInerney of Nanci Griffith's Blue Moon Orchestra, to record Rock 'N' Roll Heart. It was released in 2002.
Ian has finished a new 2010 album project ÒOnly Time Will TellÓ with American singer/songwriter Jeb Loy Nichols for the Relaxa Records label. They have recorded 14 new tracks together at Gwyn JonesÕs Bos Studio in Llanferfyl, Mid Wales. Nashville musicians Clive Gregson and Pat McInerney also dropped by to help out in between UK touring commitments. It was mixed at The Butcher Shoppe, Nashville, Tennessee, USA by David Ferguson and mastered at Foxwood Mastering, Nashville, Tennessee, USA by Dave Shipley.
LP track listing
All songs written by Ian Gomm except as noted.
Side One
1. "Hooked On Love" - 2:13
2. "Sad Affair" - 2:45
3. "Black And White" - 1:50
4. "Come On" (Chuck Berry) - 2:40
5. "Hold On" - 2:44
6. "Airplane" - 2:05
Side Two
7. "24 Hour Service" - 3:07
8. "That's The Way I Rock 'n' Roll" - 2:34
9. "Dirty Lies" - 3:12
10. "You Can't Do That" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 2:50
11. "Chicken Run" - 2:36
12. "Another Year" - 2:20
Personnel
* Ian Gomm - guitar, vocals
* Herbie Flowers - bass guitar
* Chris Parren - keyboards
* Barry deSouza - drums