ZOMBIE HEAVEN |
released November 1997 on Ace/Big Beat Records in the UK and USA, and on Vivid Sound in Japan
by Alec Palao
|
I interviewed all the chaps in the Zombies for the booklet, as well as
many of their friends and colleagues like Jim Rodford, Gus Dudgeon,
Terry Quirk etc. And there's a chronology based around a list that Paul
Atkinson has of almost every gig the band ever did! Finally, I'm putting
together a separate scrapbook of press clippings, "Zombiemania" that
people can mail in for once they've got the box.
"Zombie Heaven" is scheduled for release in October, and though it is
officially issued on Ace/Big Beat Records of England, it will be
available throughout the world. So now you know what to ask for a Xmas
present!
Here follows the tracklisting, which is 90% correct at this time - I'll
let you know if there are any changes - and the press release for the
box set. Feel free to ask if you have any more questions, and keep up
the good work with the page!
All the best
ALEC
THE ZOMBIES - BOX SET (ACE/BIG BEAT RECORDS)
* PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED
ZOMBIE HEAVEN - PRESS INFORMATION
The Beatles rated them highly. John Lennon wanted to produce them. Pete
Townshend was an admirer, Jimi Hendrix a besotted fan. Dusty Springfield
liked them so much she asked them to write a song for her (which they
did). Perhaps the most significant accolade the Zombies received at the
time was the respect accorded them when they shared bills with by the
black acts they admired so much themselves, such as the Isley Brothers,
Chuck Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Little Anthony & The Imperials and many
others.
In the years since their demise the Zombies influence has continued to
spread. Musicians as diverse as Pat Metheney and Tom Petty have revealed
their deep admiration for the band. “She’s Not There” has been covered
countless times, by everyone from Santana to the UK Subs, yet it is the
remarkable original that we all go back to, as fresh sounding today as
the day it was recorded, thirty-three years ago. “Well, no-one told me
about her” is still one of the most recognised opening lines in pop
history.
The Zombies were one of the few English bands of the 1960s that enjoyed
true global popularity, with two American number ones, chart records
throughout the rest of the world and a deep and lasting affection for
their music. In early 1967, at a time when ironically their career had
almost ground to a halt in the UK, the band played to crowds of over
30,000 in the Philippines. Even more ironic is the fact that after the
band had split their last single “Time Of The Season” became their
biggest hit. Airplay for the song on American radio recently passed the
two million mark.
Beyond the statistics the Zombies had several remarkable attributes that
set them apart from other artists. The sheer consistent quality of Rod
Argent and Chris White’s songwriting is rivalled only by Lennon and
McCartney. Building upon the standard R&B and rock’n’roll influences,
the Zombies introduced class and sophistication into a genre not noted
for either, and in the most natural, unselfconscious way possible. And
the songs were lent an extra dimension by the voice of Colin Blunstone,
widely acknowledged as one of the finest singers Britain has ever
produced. Rod Argent’s keyboard work is regarded as some of the most
accomplished and inventive in rock. Fellow Zombies Paul Atkinson and
Hugh Grundy should not be maligned, Grundy in fact being amongst the top
three drummers to emerge from the beat boom. As a whole, the ensemble
chemistry of the band is unsurpassed.
The Zombies canon belongs on the same shelf as the other major players
of the mid-1960s such as the Kinks, Yardbirds and Animals. While their
singles for Decca and CBS became progressively less successful after
“She’s Not There”, there was never at any point a drop in quality. The
Zombies records are some of the best produced and distinctive in all pop
music. Of their two long-playing albums, the second, 1967’s Odessey &
Oracle is oft referred to as a work of genius.
Finally, there is the fairy-tale element to the Zombies story. They came
together as school friends in the sleepy Hertfordshire town of St.
Albans, purely for the love of beat and R&B music. About to pack it all
in for work and college, they took a shot at a talent contest and won,
after which the band were offered record contracts. They opted to sign
with the independent Marquis Music, one of the few honest companies of
the time. This stood them in good stead when their first single became
first a top twenty hit in the UK, and then a smash all over the world in
late 1964. While their career failed to return to such heights they
split, only to see their final single become their biggest record. The
Zombies have always received their royalties, and they are now one of
the few groups of the time that own and benefit from their own
catalogue.
This the first time that catalogue has been given the respect it
deserves.
Major sales points:
1. The bands catalogue is one of the few in 1960s pop that fits in its
entirety into a boxed set in such a perfect, symmetrical fashion, with
an unrivalled consistency of quality. Indeed the weakest R&B cover the
group recorded is stronger than the entire output of many bands from the
same era.
2. The background archive research has been the most exhaustive and
thorough afforded any Zombies package. Here everything will be presented
as originally issued, in mono or stereo, where appropriate. A
considerable amount of the Zombies original singles mixes have actually
never appeared on CD before (previous reissues of the have utilised
inferior remixes). Carefully mastered to Ace’s exacting standards, the
Zombies work will never have sounded as good as it will here.
3. Perhaps the most exciting prospect for the legions of Zombies fans
across the globe will be the inclusion of over an hour of previously
unissued material. The band’s archives have been combed to reveal an
embarrassment of riches, ranging from their legendary first session,
through rehearsals, studio outtakes and alternate versions, ads and live
material recorded for the radio, to most significantly of all, demo
recordings that include previously unheard songs. A veritable bonanza of
new material from a band whose vaults many believed had been exhausted.
4. The accompanying booklet and essay will become a future reference
book of Zombiedom, based as it is around a remarkable day-by-day diary
of the band’s hectic mid-1960s career. All five members of the band have
co-operated in full throughout, providing the most comprehensive
analysis of their music and career yet published. The booklet will also
feature a visual feast of Zombies ephemera, based largely on the
untouched-until-now personal archives of the band members.
5. As a final bonus, aficionados will have the opportunity to receive a
free promotional-only scrapbook of cuttings and additional ephemera
entitled Zombiemania, available exclusively to purchasers of the box
set. All in all, this project is the last word on the fabulous legacy of
the Zombies. |
I'm the chap
putting together the ZOMBIES box set that Rod speaks of ... and I thought
Zombies fans might want some more
information on it. The working title is "Zombie Heaven" and that's just
what it is, featuring pretty much every note the band recorded, spread
over 4 CDs, with over an hour of unissued material! I've been careful to
make sure the original mono single versions were included, as they often
had backing vocals or extra instruments that aren't on the stereo mixes
(the stereo versions are the ones on most Zombies CDs currently
available). And the unreleased stuff is fantastic, with many songs you
won't have heard before, plus different versions of your faves. And in
addition to the following tracklisting, there will be lots of little
surprises like radio ads and studio chat all over the box set.