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 rough and ready stereo versions of garage cover songs ‘Road Runner’, the instrumental ‘Work ‘n’ Play’ and ‘Sticks and Stones’ for having more breadth. ‘Woman’, written by Rod Argent, is similar sounding in both stereo and mono versions.

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, making it debatable whether the original 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 CD and digitally and on April 24th on vinyl.