Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees and “British Invasion” pioneers, The Zombies, recently announced the forthcoming re-release of their debut album Begin Here (Mono Remastered) via their own label Beechwood Park Records on April 17th. #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos has the scoop.
The album, the second of four definitive physical reissues from their catalog, follows the release of Odessey & Oracle (Mono Remastered) and includes the classic songs “She’s Not There,” “Tell Her No,” “It’s Alright With Me,” “The Way I Feel Inside,” and their beloved version of George Gershwin’s “Summertime.” This definitive new edition combines all 17 tracks from the UK and US versions of The Zombies’ 1965 debut album, remastered in its original mono mix. The release is again being overseen by Matthew and Jamie White (sons of founding member Chris White), mastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, and brand-new liner notes by the legendary David Fricke. The album will be housed in a single pocket jacket with poly-lined sleeves and an insert.
Begin Here (Mono Remastered) is available for pre-order on all formats here.
Colin Blunstone shares about the release, “Thinking of The Zombies first album Begin Here immediately triggers wonderful memories of late-night sessions in Decca’s West Hampstead studio fueled by pure excitement and adrenaline. These tracks changed all of our lives forever and I am forever grateful. I look back on them with wonder and a great deal of affection!” Rod Argent of the band also adds, “The Zombies’ Begin Here re- release basically follows the American original, which adds the E.P. which came out in the UK soon after “She’s Not There” in the UK, but was never released in the US. Unbelievably, as was the way in those days, we had a day and a night only to Record, and generally the songs were recorded as first takes!”
The band today also share the mono remastered version of “It’s Alright With Me” along with a lyric video for the song. Listen to “It’s Alright With Me (Mono Remastered)” here and watch the lyric video here.
The album also includes new liner notes from famed writer, David Fricke. Read an excerpt below:
Begin Here, the British debut album by the Zombies, was released by Decca Records on April 9th, 1965. The LP, issued only in mono, was 14 tracks of beat-boom R&B and dynamic songwriting by one of the hottest young groups in the country. And it was born here: Watford Town Hall in the county of Hertfordshire on May 10th, 1964. Singer Colin Blunstone, keyboard player Rod Argent, bassist Chris White, guitarist Paul Atkinson and drummer Hugh Grundy were from the nearby city of St. Albans and one of ten bands in the final round of the Herts Beat Competition, a battle of the combos sponsored by the London Evening News.
The Zombies – all in their teens except for White, who was 21 – got the closing slot and won the grand prize, £250 (about $3300 today), with a set that included their jazz-waltz twist on George Gershwin’s “Summertime” and a breakneck rocker, “It’s Alright With Me,” Argent’s first, original tune. “When we won, my overriding feeling was ‘Maybe there is a way forward for us,'” Blunstone recalls. “I never dared to think that before.” Grundy remembers feeling nervous but confident: “We stood a good chance of winning. We knew we were that little bit different.”
The Zombies recorded Begin Here on two days in late November and a third day in December before flying to New York where they opened at the Brooklyn Fox Theatre on Christmas Day with R&B idols Chuck Jackson, the Shirelles and Ben E. King, part of DJ Murray the K’s Big Holiday Show. But the album did not come out in Britain for four months. And it never charted. Begin Here would be the Zombies’ only Decca LP.
The Zombies’ four surviving founding members, lead singer Colin Blunstone, keyboardist Rod Argent, bassist Chris White, and drummer Hugh Grundy, along with Helen Atkinson, the widow and Estate Trustee of late guitarist Paul Atkinson, acquired the rights to their catalog in 2023 from Marquis Enterprises Ltd., the independent UK production company they originally signed with as teens in 1964. Q Prime is managing all aspects of manufacturing, distribution and licensing for The Zombies’ new label imprint Beechwood Park Records, with a catalog that includes the timeless hit singles “She’s Not There,” “Tell Her No,” and “Time of the Season.” Of the partnership, Q Prime co-founder Cliff Burnstein says, “There’s a very narrow window in a Venn diagram where love, admiration and business overlap. That’s what the deal is all about.” Q Prime boasts full label creative and digital marketing teams have offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Nashville and London.
Additionally, Primary Wave Music has formed a strategic marketing alliance with the band which will see the publisher provide marketing support alongside the team at Q Prime. The Zombies and their team will now have access, not only to Primary Wave’s marketing team but also their branding, content, digital, and sync departments.
The Zombies publishing catalog is represented by Wise Music Creative. Hung Up On A Dream: The Zombies Documentary is now available globally for rent and download at Apple TV, Amazon Prime and Altavod here.
Begin Here (Mono Remastered) Tracklisting
CD/ Digital
1. Road Runner (Mono Remastered)
2. Summertime (Mono Remastered)
3. I Can’t Make Up My Mind (Mono Remastered)
4. The Way I Feel Inside (Mono Remastered)
5. Work ‘n’ Play (Mono Remastered)
6. You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me/Bring It on Home to Me (Mono Remastered)
7. She’s Not There (Mono Remastered)
8. Sticks and Stones (Mono Remastered)
9. Can’t Nobody Love You (Mono Remastered)
10. Woman (Mono Remastered)
11. I Don’t Want to Know (Mono Remastered)
12. I Remember When I Loved Her (Mono Remastered)
13. What More Can I Do (Mono Remastered)
14. I Got My Mojo Working (Mono Remastered)
15. It’s Alright with Me (Mono Remastered)
16. Sometimes (Mono Remastered)
17. Tell Her No (Mono Remastered)
Vinyl
Side 1
1. Road Runner (Mono Remastered)
2. Summertime (Mono Remastered)
3. I Can’t Make Up My Mind (Mono Remastered)
4. The Way I Feel Inside (Mono Remastered)
5. Work ‘N’ Play (Mono Remastered)
6. You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me (Mono Remastered)
7. She’s Not There (2:26)
8. It’s Alright With Me (1:52)
9. Sometimes (2:05)
Side 2
10. Sticks And Stones (Mono Remastered)
11. Can’t Nobody Love You (Mono Remastered)
12. Woman (Mono Remastered)
13. I Don’t Want To Know (Mono Remastered)
14. I Remember When I Loved Her (Mono Remastered)
15. What More Can I Do (Mono Remastered)
16. I’ve Got My Mojo Working (Mono Remastered)
17. Tell Her No (Mono Remastered)
