April

The Zombies – Begin Here (Beechwood Park)

Marking its 60th anniversary last year, the Zombies’ 1965 debut album is now remastered in mono in the month of its original release as the band always intended it, which follows on from the reissue of the critically acclaimed ‘Odessey and Oracle’ in mono last year, with ‘Begin Here’ now the second of four remastered albums the band is reissuing. This definitive new edition also combines all 17 tracks from the UK and US version track lists.

Overseen by Matthew and Jamie White (sons of founding member Chris White) and mastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, the band have been remastering their back catalogue since they took back control of the master tapes in 2023, through their own label Beechwood Park records. The main difference in mono sound quality is a less spread surface noise that is more focused, deeper and finessed, mostly noticeable in lead singer Colin Blunstone’s vocals as heard in ‘I Can’t Make Up My Mind’, ‘The Way I Feel Inside’ and ‘Can’t Nobody Love You’, although listeners may prefer the various stereo versions instrumentally for having more breadth despite this not being the original intention.

The Zombies released ‘It’s Alright with Me’ as the lead song from this album, but its true single ‘She’s Not There’, is softer than the original single version released in 1964; its sister single (from the US album version) at the end of the track list ‘Tell Her No’ also sounds less harsh than the original version, making it debatable whether those versions are preferred. The track list is also extended with the incorporation of the band’s 1965 debut self-entitled EP, featuring the songs ‘Sometimes’, It’s Alright with Me’ and George Gershwin cover, ‘Summertime’.

‘Begin Here’ remastered in mono is out now on vinyl, CD and digitally.

Cabaret Voltaire – But What Time is it Really? (Mute)

The industrialist pioneers reformed last year with founding members Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson continuing the band’s legacy of half a century following Richard H. Kirk’s Cabs studio and drone releases in 2020/1, who sadly passed away shortly after. The band’s recent tour is commemorated in this live album, featuring tracks from their most productive years from 1978 through to 1984.

The track list starts on their 1983 sixth studio album, ‘The Crackdown’, with the Kraftwerk computeronics of ’24-24′; Mal singing in gruff vocals and dedicating the next track, ‘Animation’, to Kirk, its funky rhythm sealed with their trademark brassy synth guitar infusion. It’s perhaps unsurprising that much of the live material is taken from this album being a turning point in their experimental sound developing into more melodious funky dance rhythms. ‘Why Kill Time (When You Can Kill Yourself)’, also from the same release, uses a sampler and hits with punchiness.

Moving forward with new material, the band premiere ‘Tinsley Viaduct’, written by sound recorder Watson that also formed part of an installation in their hometown of Sheffield, full of whizzing, howling and racing underground pyrotechnics amongst a deep, cavernous setting. Fan favourites from the Cabs’ popular studio releases ‘Red Mecca’ and ‘Micro-Phonies’ arrive in the way of ‘Landslide’, ‘Spies in the Wires’ and ‘Just Fascination’, but are performed in a basic manner, perhaps leaving a little wanting in further tenacity. 1983 single ‘Yashar’ from ‘2×45’ echoed with its infamous sample, “The 70 billion people of Earth – where are they hiding?’, with barking vocals and Kraftwerk inspired song ‘Sex Money Freaks’ is one of the best sounding on the release.

The track list ends on the funky ‘Do Right’, noise piece 1979 debut single, ‘Nag Nag Nag’, opening on organ chimes with Mal singing the lyrics relentlessly and the bracketing drumbeats of ‘Sensoria’. Well produced from its live recording with added vocal effects but in performance left wanting of more push to meet the demand of the original tracks.

‘But What Time is it Really?’ is out now on vinyl, CD and digitally.