Customer Reviews

The Zombies - Greatest Hits

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To say that the Zombies have "several" Greatest Hits compilations would be understating it just a tad; that's like saying the Who milk their fans for cash "every once in a while." This late in the game, if another entry is going to be made in the Zombies Greatest Hits pantheon, it ought to have *something* special about it and offer something previous sets haven't; otherwise, another "Great Pop Bands of the 60s" set doesn't really have an audience. Thankfully, The Zombies Greatest Hits from Audiofidelity *does* have several things going for it.

For one, these twenty tracks have never sounded better. Barring some dropouts inherent in the source material, this really sounds stellar, easily beating even the Decca Stereo Anthology on some tracks (although to be fair, that set attempts to duplicate the EQ and 'verb of the original mono mixes, whereas many of the stereo mixes presented here are under no such illusion).

For another, this disc is an SACD hybrid (meaning it plays on almost all regular CD players--some DVD players have trouble with hybrid discs--as well as on SACD players), and is cheap, to boot. Now, granted, many people have troubled discerning a huge "night and day" difference between the high resolution and CD layers, but it's still a nice thought, and who'd have thought the Zombies would ever be considered for a SACD entry?

So yes. Enough with audiofetishism for now, and on to the music. Unfortunately, the main failing of this set is its slightly uninspired track selection. The compilers were clearly more fond of the earlier, British-invasion stylings of the group as opposed to their more developed Odessey and Oracle vibe; consequently, the vision presented of the group is a bit skewed (although in all honesty almost every Zombies comp has the same problem). I love "I Don't Want To Know" and "It's Alright With Me," but I can't help feeling that they're not necessarily the best tracks for a "Greatest Hits" compilation.

Indeed, the tracklisting is very, very similar to this disc's predecessor, the DCC "Greatest Hits" compilation. However, whereas that disc actually had a unique track (the "organ intro" version of Imagine the Swan), this disc doesn't actually have anything unavailable elsewhere. Collectors who're satisfied with the quality of the DCC disc thus don't "need" this, as all of its tracks and mixes do appear elsewhere.

The verdict? If you're just getting into the Zombies, I humbly suggest that one pick up a slightly more comprehensive collection. The Big Beat discs, for example, are far more attractive in track selection, cover art, and liner notes. However, the sound on this disc just can't be beat, so for the "experienced" Zombies listener, this is one Greatest Hits compilation that shouldn't be idly passed over.

The Zombies only had a few hits, but they released a series of singles, EPs and two albums with a consistent quality that guarantees their place in rock history. Their entire studio ouput (if one ignores mono/stereo/alternate mix variations) can be found on the box set Zombie Heaven.

The most obvious advantage of this CD is its astounding sound quality. Steve Hoffman has proved again what can be done with old and sometimes problematic tapes. Here, the voices sound crystal clear, the instruments full and the air and ambience of those recordings is still present. No noise reduction, no apparent digital manipulation has been done. It sounds like 1964/1965, but as if you listened to it live in the studio during the recording. Whenever there was a choice for one of the songs, the stereo mix was used for this compilation.

The track selection is not without fault. While the big hits are all presented here (She's Not There, Tell Her No, Leave Me Be, Time Of the Season), some of their minor single successes (She's Coming Home, Whenever You're Ready, Is This The Dream) are not included. Also, only one song from their masterpiece "Odessey & Oracle" means that the "British Invasion" aspect of their earlier songs is emphasized, while their later "psychedelic" era is left out. But let us simply hope that a second Zombies CD/SACD from Audio Fidelity will solve this problem.

It should be noted that this disc does NOT require SACD compability. A regular CD player is sufficient in order to play the CD layer.

Resumee:
Recommended both for new fans (who will get the big hits plus some B-sides and album tracks) and for experienced collectors (who will get upgraded sound quality).

One thing's for sure: you've never heard anyone like the Zombies. This early British group came and went like a flash, but they left a plethora of haunting, completely original-sounding songs in the wake of all the other British soundalike groups. You can't really compare them to anyone.

On this cd, you get just enough to satisfy the "casual" Zombies fan and to whet the appetite of a potential Zombies maniac. Songs like "Time of the Season" and "Tell her No" are here, but folks, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Listen to "I Can't Make Up My Mind" or the just plain eerie "Imagine the Swan". This is weird stuff, but it's good weird stuff: just formulaic enough for pop radio, but just edgy and dark enough to satisfy those of us who find the Beatles a little, well, blase. The Zombies are way out there, and once you listen to them, you'll be glad you went along for the ride.

I ordered this CD a few days after I saw them Live in Manchester N.H. Aug. 4th 2005. With the lead singer and keyboards being such a huge part of the Zombies sound, we were just amazed to see and hear them perform with Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone leading the band. After having such a great time at the concert, I just had to buy the CD. The CD is all of what you'd want to hear and much more. If you miss hearing the songs on the radio from The Zombies that you grew up with, this CD is the one to have. Well done, a 10, and top of the list of CD's that "take you back in time".

First off, this is mastered by Steve Hoffman from the original master tapes. The sound quality is outstanding. However, as this is a compilation, and different tracks come from different master tapes, some tracks sound better than others. Some tracks are in mono, while some are in stereo.

The disc has the Zombies' three biggest hits, "Time of the Season," "She's Not There," and "Tell Her No." I was not a big Zombies fan before I bought this, but I am now! The songs that weren't hits are great, too.

This is a hybrid disc with SACD stereo and redbook CD layers. This disc will play in all CD players and all SACD players. The SACD layer is otherworldly. The CD layer, CD having somewhat less resolution and narrower soundstage than SACD, is obviously inferior to the SACD layer, but the best Zombies redbook material EVER! The best of both worlds at a great price. Don't be surprised if this disc goes out of print in the not so distant future, so get 'em while you can!

I was very impressed by both the sound quality and the music. I knew a couple of Zombies songs from a while back, but the sound from LP's and tapes was never good. The sound on this SACD remix is vastly superior. It's not perfect, with still a little hiss, but there is much less distortion than the original mix. Also most of the recordings were apparently done with excellent recorders (for the time) because the high-end frequencies are all there! The sound is nearly transparent, like you're actually there in the studio. Back to the music itself, I discovered several great songs that I didn't expect to find. It's quite a blast from the past, and well worth the money.

The Zombies had many hits and most are on here. If you like British invasion music, this CD is for you. "Time of the Season" is a great love song and "Tell Her No" and "She's Not There" are great as well. A good collection of his from a good band.

This, along with "Reggae in High-Fi" was my first purchase of an Audio Fidelity disc. I was very much looking forward to hearing the Zombies (without question one of the greatest Sixties bands) in the SACD format. I have the fantastic 4-disc "Zombie Heaven" box set (Big Beat Records, UK import) which, though it's Redbook and uses the original mono mixes for most of the material, sounds really, really good, and I thought, "well now, the Zombies in stereo, and in Super Audio! It'll be fantastic, even though I've already got all the songs."

Well, unfortunately I confess to some disappointment. The first thing I thought when opening up the package was how cheesy the artwork was. I mean, SUPER AUDIO CD in big alyoominium-type shiny caps across the top, a fuzzy out-of-focus band photo, and some swirly stuff in the background. It looks like the artwork for a Spinal Tap bootleg. Let's put it on and see how it sounds, that's what matters, I thought, so I did. While it is nice to hear these songs in stereo, the mixes seem a bit off (the drums sound muffled to my ears, and the guitars a little tinny) compared to a couple of other Zombies discs I've got (OK, besides the ZH box I've got "The Zombies Collection" from Castle which is in stereo) and the vocals seem to suffer from some sort of compression, EQ, I don't know what. But they're rather flat (as in lifeless) sounding somehow compared to the ZH box. In fact after another couple of listens there's not much doubt in my mind that the ZH box set is much superior to this Audio Fidelity release, sound-wise. Which is somewhat surprising, given that ZH is "only" Redbook audio. (For that matter, it's vastly superior packaging-wise as well.)

Just goes to show that just because it's SACD doesn't mean it's going to blow your mind with it's sonic quality. And all the raves I've read about the genius of audiophile remastering engineer Steve Hoffman now seem somewhat suspect. So I guess the cheese-flavoured amateur-style artwork suits the product within perfectly, after all. Put the cash you were thinking of spending on Audio Fidelity's "Greatest Hits" toward a copy of the Big Beat "Zombie Heaven" box instead (if you can find it). Sorry Steve.

I don't know who influenced them more: Dave Brubeck or the Hollies. At any rate, one of the best bands ever, and "Time of the Season" is a true classic.

I absolutely love "Time of the Season" -;). One can melt w/ that every day (of every season). Too bad they didn't have nearly enuf hits. The songs (noise pollution) today suck.