In my opinion, The Zombies were one of the most talented
of the British Invasion bands. They had great pop tunes and excellent recordings but were almost completely ignored while they were together. “She’s Not There” was a big
hit, and “Tell Her No” did OK. But after that, there was little to no interest
until the band broke up and “Time of the Season” was issued posthumously.
In between the band’s first album, Begin Here, and its second (and last), Odessey and Oracle, the group issued a lot of singles. There was a
compilation album issued in 1966 called I Love You (with a silly cover) that included many
of the singles, but also included songs that had been on Begin Here. It was issued in The Netherlands and Japan only.
I’ve taken the track list for the I Love You album, removed the songs that had already been included on Begin Here, and then added the missing tracks to complete what could have been The Zombies’ second album, which I’m
titling Return of the Zombies. All but two of the songs had been issued on
singles in the U.K., U.S. or both.
SIDE A
1. Tell Her No
2. How We Were Before
3. Is This the Dream
4. Whenever You're Ready
5. She’s Coming Home
6. I Want You Back Again
7. I Must Move
8. You Make Me Feel Good
SIDE B
1. Gotta Get A Hold of Myself
2. Indication
3. Don't Go Away
4. I Love You
5. Leave Me Be
6. Goin’ Out of My Head
7. She Does Everything for Me
Songs removed: "The Way I Feel Inside," "Woman" and "She's Not There."
The following songs were added: "Tell Her No," "She's Coming Home," "I Want You Back Again," "I Must Move," "Goin' Out of My Head," and "She Does Everything for Me."
Songs removed: "The Way I Feel Inside," "Woman" and "She's Not There."
The following songs were added: "Tell Her No," "She's Coming Home," "I Want You Back Again," "I Must Move," "Goin' Out of My Head," and "She Does Everything for Me."
The result is what could have been a great followup to Begin Here, and shows the band's progress before Odessey and Oracle. All tracks are available on the box set Zombie Heaven. The cover is another simple whip-up by me, taking the band's existing art and adding a title and record company logo.
Here's a YouTube Playlist of the album.
I agree that The Zombies are one of the most under-rated bands around, even after 'Oddessy and Oracle' started to top best albums polls. If you are a fan then check out 'R.I.P.' which is a collection of later period songs, and also 'Into The Afterlife'. 'Early Days' is a similar collection to this one, and don't forget their new stuff - the last two albums are excellent, and having seen them live a few years ago, they've still got it.
ReplyDeleteI've heard some of the band's newer stuff, but I need to take a closer listen. I'm a bit leery of a band that only includes two original members (ahem, Who).
DeleteHey! Great work as usual, was planning on tackling something of the sort someday. Seems you beat me to it again, ahahah. Anyway, I put a great deal of thought into a double LP Led Zeppelin III, and came up with a different playlist. I included everything that was written or begun in Bron Yr Aur or the III sessions, and two II outtakes that would've probably have made it. Separated into a first electric side and second acoustic, just like the original. Anyway, here it is:
ReplyDeleteSide One - Electric:
01 We're Gonna Groove - intended for LZ II
02 The Rover - written in Bron Yr Aur, 1970
03 Sugar Mama - intended for LZ II
04 St. Tristan's Sword - recorded during LZ III sessions, Plant would add lyrics
05 Down By the Seaside - written in Bron Yr Aur, 1970
Side Two - Acoustic:
06 Hey Hey, What Can I Do? - recorded during LZ III sessions
07 Poor Tom - recorded during LZ III sessions
08 Over the Hills and Far Away - written in Bron Yr Aur, 1970
09 Bron-Yr-Aur - recorded during LZ III sessions
10 Stairway to Heaven - begun in Bron Yr Aur, 1970
Sorry to change the subject, thought it would be better to post here than on an older essay. I'll probably post it, one of these days. Anyway, keep up the good work!
Separating electric and acoustic is certainly an intriguing idea, and makes for a nice listening experience.
DeleteI've been procrastinating on posting this, but the Zombies could've released five great studio albums of twelve tracks each. That does include some demos recorded right before Odessey, though.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, but UK bands at the time typically issued albums of 14 tracks as "Begin Here" does. This has 15 because otherwise I'd have an orphan track from this period. So if you include this album, you'd have "Begin Here," "Return of the Zombies," maybe contributions to a "Bunny Lake is Missing" soundtrack, "Odessey and Oracle" and "RIP."
Delete