Search - Zombies :: Into the Afterlife

Zombie Heaven part 2

Mark A. Frumento | Cherry Hill, NJ USA | 08/19/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here's my review from an upcoming issue of Shindig Magazine:



The Zombies may have one of the few catalogues in the history of 60s pop music to be treated with the full and proper respect it deserves. This comes down partially to the fact that the band themselves own the material but it's largely due to the caretaking abilities of compiler, writer and Zombies historian Alec Palao.



Alec made it easy for both super-fans and novices to collect the Zombies when he dreamed up Zombies Heaven, the 4 CD set of all of their studio recordings. There are side trips along the way with releases containing alternate mixes and rarities but owning the band's complete output is as easy as that one purchase. Now, 10 years since the release of Zombie Heaven Palao has given us one of the finest encores we could have imagined with Into the Afterlife.



Compiling 20 post-Odessey & Oracle tracks, Afterlife, like the box set before it, is another carefully compiled and well documented package. In this one collection you get the complete recorded output of Colin Blunstone's alter ego Neil MacArthur, a handful of excellent Rod Argent and Chris White demos, alternate mixes of later Zombies recordings and a few other oddities.



The proceedings kick off with the Neil MacArthur recording of She's Not There. The liner notes tell us that producer Mike Hurst coaxed Colin Blunstone away from his day job as an insurance salesman to make a return to the studio. The first number they tried together was this trippy version of the old Zombies hit. Luckily for us Blunstone stayed with Hurst for two more excellent singles, the Billy Vera penned blue-eyed soul track Don't Try to Explain, Nilsson's Without Her and the big production of 12:29 and It's Not Easy. We're also treated to a few rare MacArthur recordings including a breathy version of Stephen Stills' Hung Upside Down. The MacArthur tracks alone make this CD worth the price of admission.



Rod Argent and Chris White are represented by 6 demos, the highlights being Unhappy Girl and To Julia (for When She Smiles). Both of these demos would have fit nicely on Odessey & Oracle and are easily up to the standards of that album. Telescope (Mr. Galileo) is another fantastic number, very much in a pop psych vein. A completed studio recording of Telescope by an early incarnation of Argent is also included.



Rounding out the collection are 3 Zombies tracks, Walking in the Sun, I Know She Will and If It Don't Work Out, all remixes of tracks that appeared on Zombie Heaven. The mixes on Afterlife highlight the orchestral bits that were added as an effort to eek another hit out of the band. If anything could be considered filler on this CD it would be these tracks. More than anything the orchestrations prove to be bloated and overbearing when they are separated from the Zombies' original recordings.



Finally, we are presented with a rare live recording of the Zombies from 1966. On Going to a Go Go we get to hear just how much the band could rock in front of an audience and it's a shame more of these performances aren't available. While the not so excellent sound quality on this track breaks the mood it is among the most interesting artifacts on the CD.



Afterlife is packaged with the same quality we've come to expect Big Beat/Ace. A nice, fat booklet, filled with all the necessary details, band quotes, photos and memorabilia is housed artfully in an Odessey & Oracle part 2 cover. It may have taken 10 years to round this material up into one package but the wait was worth it. Palao and Big Beat have produced a Zombies collector's dream and one the best 60 reissues so far this year.

"

JUST WHAT A REAL ZOMBIES FAN HAS BEEN HOPING FOR

Rick Holly | Lafayette, NJ. USA | 07/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a big ZOMBIES fan and bought quite a bit of Colin Blunstone solo stuff over the years as well as Rod's ARGENT albums. Over the years I was only able to get two of Colin's Neil MacArther 45 singles and they were used and beat up by the time I got them. Having these crystal clear tracks is quite a treat. The Rod and Chris demos show just how much quality material was on hand for more Zombies albums had their career not ended so prematurely. This album is for fans of the Zombies who are already familiar with the bulk of their work. If you had never heard any Beatle records before the Anthology collection, the Anthology material would not have turned you into a Beatles fan. Likewise, if you are not a Zombies fan already, this collection is not a good starting point. It is filled with solo material and (great) demos. If you are a fan, this CD is a five star effort."

Great Stuff

Matthew Rabin | Los Angeles, CA | 07/19/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Demos + Previously released but hard to find singles. Definitely worth purchasing. Stand-out cuts include "If Never My Love," the Vanilla-Fudgey cover of "She's Not There," demo version of "She Loves the Way They Love Her," and a version of Buffalo Springfield's "Hung Upside Down" that bests the original. No mean feat.



None of these tracks are available on the essential Big Beat set, Zombie Heaven."