Practically found in a rubbish skip, somewhere in Europe, this was an album recorded by former Uriah Heep and Trapeze frontman Peter Goalby back in 1987 when he was signed as a songwriter to Mickie Most’s RAK label.

As such it’s apparent many of these tracks could’ve seen Goalby becoming the new Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman writing guru for Most during the late 80s into the 90s, but that wasn’t to be. A couple of singles got released, but didn’t make too much of a noise. Business deals in the States led to a scuppering of the album’s release and with it, Goalby walked clean away from live performance and the recording studio.

Recent years have seen a trio of records released into the wild through Cherry Red Records, a plethora of AOR material that were practically nothing more than demoes caked thick in dust but sounding fresh as a daisy. Reviews were positive, internationally, not only reminding old fogeys what they’d been missing out on but surprising those from newer generations too.

We thought that was it, but as its says on the tin: Don’t Think This Is Over – A recording of its time true, but again it’s a stroke of luck we’ve got it at all. What’s more, Mr. Goalby has overhauled these original nine recordings, getting the whole caboodle mastered by Mike Pietrini.

Inherent within, we find Goalby in fine fettle on lead and backing vocals, and again playing most of the guitars, plus the favoured pairing featured on his other solo releases of keyboards, drum and bass programming from Paul Hodson of Hard Rain renown, and assorted guitar solos performed by Eddy Morton. He’s also got Pete Kent soloing on the final track, plus we’ve also got a couple of heavy-hitters on board, by way of former Uriah Heep compatriots.

There was no need for a call-to-arms on ‘The Sound Of A Nation’, guitarist Mick Box heard it and asked to be involved. Whereas ‘I Don’t Wanna Fight’ (that also features Kent) gets a near-complete makeover courtesy of the former Heep/Heavy Metal Kids keyboard player John Sinclair’s arrangement compared to its original single version. But the whole package is timeless, in that push or shove manner that could find many of these songs in a different pocket or musical genre if performed or arranged by external hands.

The brisk chiming power chords on opening number ‘I’ll Be The One’ take a few bars to come in and by then, you’re mostly noting the melodic arpeggios but the song if given another guitarist you can feel where else it might head; be that harder rocking, power-popped new wave or part of that Celtic-centric big music ethos, depending on the year and location of whoever covered it (And I do suggest some up and coming acts and/or producers consider doing so if looking to make a few bob for all concerned). ‘Don’t Think This Is Over’ and ‘The Sound Of A Nation’ are embracing arms raised high scarf-waving anthems to get us in the mood, each one getting us progressively more so before we begin raising lighters (or their modern mobile phone facsimiles) come ‘Another Paper Moon’, that’s a true tear jerker of a number.

Throughout, Goalby is in fine voice, emotional delivery counting with machismo bravado set to one aside (albeit you feel it’s there if required). There are also clear verbal deliveries throughout from one of the Black Country’s finest whereas too many of today’s modern singers’ voices are buried, sitting within the mix indistinct, failing to offer much in the way of personality aside from angst.

‘It’s Just Another Breaking Heart’ is at once big and bouncy and a dreamy-eyed swaying groove, either way it’s a carefree dancefloor bopper – Most could’ve offered this to Hot Chocolate or – as with few of the other numbers, you could picture it beefed-up to suit Goalby’s old mates in Heep. Despite which, I’d also say it would’ve ended up as an actual Rainbow hit single had his stint with Blackmore have proved not so brief.

Another ballad in ‘Show Some Emotion’ screams out in hope beyond the pathos of its lyrics, Goalby’s own backing vocals acting as curative contrast in their adding warmth, and the guitar solo by Ed Morton – as with many featured throughout the album – is precise, bitingly sincere in its delivery without an extraneous overuse of notes.

In the wrong hands ‘Heart? What Heart!’ could have come over as distinctly cheesy yet quite frankly still a big hit back in the days when MTV ruled the pop music world. Give it a go today and a more serious rendition by the likes of Boyzone acting all mature could do similar business. As it stands, I like the way it rocks out here: Bold chords, a signature guitar hook, and a strong happy-voiced delivery from the main man should also please listeners playing this album track by sequenced track, as one should be.

‘Fallin Apart’ – previously covered by Smokie – has us veering into slow dance eventual-smooching mode again, and demonstrates Goalby’s songsmith ability to make a play on sayings that have become cliches into something more relevant again (even if composed a few decades back). That leaves us with ‘I Don’t Wanna Fight’ – Now, your ears might prick up and consider the broken-chord intro and subsequent chipping away on guitar somewhat reminiscent of John Waite’s ‘Missing You’ but Goalby’s vocal articulation sees the song grow manly hairs on its chest while Sinclair’s tender keyboard embellishments take on the role of string quartet, supporting and gently prodding, preparing the way for Kent’s wiry climactic guitar solo. Fittingly, CD ended here, one’s left satisfied.

We’re now beyond a quarter of the way into the 21^st century, but music can prove to be timeless. The nine tracks featured on this album were recorded in the late eighties, as the music industry was once more about to tell us what new genres and styles that we should be buying instead of more of the same in our favoured record collections.

I’ve offered a splattering of off-the-wall suggestions of who could’ve covered some of the tracks featured here as time marched forward, opportunities missed frankly. It’s just as easy to slip back and imagine one or two of these songs suiting earlier times and fitting on an Elton John or Leo Sayer album, better still Roger Daltrey when he was knocking out classy hit solo singles. The reason they work is because Peter Goalby had honed his craft and become a strong songwriter.

Let’s not cry over spilt milk and what might’ve been. It’s too late for Don’t Think This Is Over to change the world, but it bloody makes me happier as I look round the door to what 2026 may have to offer us.

Is it completely over? We’ll see. Fingers crossed it’s not.

• Reviewed by Paul H Birch.

• Don’t Think This Is Over is available via Explore Rights Management/Cherry Red Records here: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/peter-goalby-don-t-think-this-is-over-cd

Track List:

1.  I’ll Be The One

2.  Don’t Think This Is Over

3.  The Sound Of A Nation

4. Another Paper Moon

5.  It’s Just My Heart Breakin’

6.  Show Some Emotion

7.  Heart? What Heart!

8.  Fallin’ Apart

9.  I Don’t Wanna Fight