The “Golden Hits Of The 70s”
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IAN GOMM
“HOLD ON”
(IAN GOMM)
Stiff/Epic 50747
No. 18 October 27, 1979
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For four of the band’s five years, Ian Gomm (b. Mar. 17, 1947, Ealing, England) was a member of Brinsley
Schwarz with Bob Andrews, NICK LOWE, Billy Rankin, and Brinsley Schwarz himself. “The Brinsleys
were intimate, alright,” Gomm told Trouser Press’ Dave Schulps. “They not only worked together but
lived communally in the same house, families and all. Ugh, it was awful… It had nothing to do with the
music, nothing to do with the group. Everybody’s personal life just became jumbled together. Maybe if
we’d split into separate flats we might still be together today. That, plus our never being able to break
through commercially, finished the group.” Gomm left the group, depressed, and lazed around. In the
meantime, Andrews and Schwarz achieved some success backing GRAHAM PARKER in the Rumour;
Lowe went on to establish himself as a top-notch producer and ONE-TIMER, with “Cruel To Be Kind.”
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In the mid-’70s, Gomm revived him self. Hanging out at the 16-track Foel Studios near Welshpool in
Wales, Ian learned the technical side of recording from Buzzcocks/Stranglers producer Martin Rushent.
Ian produced some sides for the Stranglers, Van Der Graaf, Plummet Air lines, Brit-blues legend Alex
Korner, and the bagpipe-blowing Second Battalion of the Scots Guard.
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“I wanted to do something with my hands, to erase my mind of what had gone before,” said Gomm to
Steve Clarke, the New Music Express. In his off-time, he compiled some solo demos. “I took them
around and got rejected by everyone,” Gomm lamented to Schulps. “It’s the old story, but even worse.
I’d go into the offices and they’d say, ‘Face it, Ian, not only are the tunes awful, but you can’t even sing.
Why bother? Get a day job.’ I began to think they might be right.” Only months before the release of
Gomm With the Wind (1979) and “Hold On”–one of those “awful tunes”–Ian’s mom took him aside and
told him to stop all of this rock’n’roll nonsense and get a real job.
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