Nine timeless Zombies songs from their eponymous 1964 album and 1968’s Odessey & Oracle (including “She’s Not There”, “Tell Her No”, “The Time Of The Season” and “A Rose For Emily”) nestle comfortably alongside songs from Colin Blunstone’s solo albums (including “I Don’t Believe In Miracles” and his beautiful signature solo song “Say You Don’t Mind”), the rockier Argent songs (including “God Gave Rock & Roll To You” and “Hold Your Head Up”), the 1981 Blunstone / Dave Stewart recording of “What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted” and the 1982 Alan Parsons Project ballad “Old and Wise” sung by Colin.

In March 2008, 40 years since the release of the Zombies’ swansong Odessey & Oracle, the original members of The Zombies reunited to perform three special live concerts at The Shepherds Bush Empire in London. A super-group of musicians, including Paul Weller, Robert Plant, Robyn Hitchcock, Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody and members of Garbage queued to witness the premiere performance of the 1968 album, that has inspired so many and has become a cult classic.

At the time of the release of Odessey & Oracle, the Zombies had already split up. In the 70s Rod Argent enjoyed international success as Argent (with “Hold Your Head Up” reaching the top 5 in America and Britain) whilst Colin Blunstone’s first solo album ‘One Year’ which housed the songs “Say You Don’t Mind” and “Caroline”, and was produced by Rod Argent and Zombies bass player Chris White, was released in 1971. His sophomore album ‘Ennismore’ saw Colin writing more material including “I Don’t Believe In Miracles” which is also included on this new collection.

In 2004 Colin and Rod reunited to record the album ‘As Far As I Can See’ – with the songs “I Want To Fly” and “Southside of The Street” – and to tour together. Throughout May and June the “touring Zombies” will play a run of 30 UK dates supported by The Yardbirds.

Reviews of the Shepherds Bush Empire gigs:

“As their voices soar in the middle of “Hung Up On A Dream”, it’s real shivers-down-the-spine stuff…timeless” – The Independent

“‘You could hardly credit it had taken 40 years to reach this seminal moment, which deserves to be ranked beside Brian Wilson’s remarkable comeback for its impeccable artistry and uplifting power” – The Scotsman

“Odessey and Oracle sounds fantastic. Some of it even gains in translation. Live the surging harmonies of Care Of Cell 44 knock you sideways…As Time Of The Season draws to a close, they get a standing ovation. It is the triumphant reception Odessey And Oracle always deserved, 40 years after the event.” – The Guardian

The Zombies – a brief biography:

Many current stars have professed admiration of The Zombies. BADLY DRAWN BOY cited the band in NME’s poll of the most influential artists of all time; TOM PETTY said: “If a group like The Zombies appeared now, they would own the world”. THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH, recorded “This Will Be Our Year” for their current ‘Golddiggers’ CD. Even BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN turned up at a New York concert a couple of years ago.

In their heyday the band enjoyed massive hits such as the Argent-penned ‘She’s Not There’ (a major hit several years later for SANTANA) and ‘Time of the Season’. Indeed, America took them even more to their hearts than Britain; ‘Time of the Season’ is one of only a handful of UK hits to have been certified as receiving 4 MILLION plays on US radio, while the LA Times named them as one of the all time top ten British bands. ‘Vanity Fair’ magazine in 2002 chose the bands’ second album ‘Odessey and Oracle’ as being the defining pop album of the sixties! Even ELVIS had Zombies singles on his juke box at Gracelands, while their cds still sell a cool 100,000 a year.

When the group split in 1968, ROD went on to form his eponymous band – former Verve frontman RICHARD ASHCROFT declared himself a major fan – and score hits with such rock anthems as “Hold Your Head Up” and “God Gave Rock n Roll To You” (covered by KISS, amongst others), and has since achieved huge success in the fields of record production, television and stage musicals. Along with drummer PETER VAN HOOKE (MIKE & THE MECHANICS), Rod produced three albums for TANITA TIKARAM, including the massive ‘Ancient Heart’ album which included the world-wide hit singles, “Twist in My Sobriety” and “New Tradition”.

COLIN, meanwhile, remained a familiar chart presence through hits like “Say You Don’t Mind”, a cover of the Motown hit “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” with Dave Stewart and highly rated solo albums such as ‘One Year’ and ‘Ennismore’. He also achieved huge success as featured vocalist on a string of albums by the ALAN PARSONS PROJECT – brainchild of the former PINK FLOYD engineer.

The Zombies on amazon.co.uk

‘The Very Best Of The Searchers’ is the definitive compilation of one of the UKs finest and most enduring bands, showcasing all of their UK hits and more. The compilation will be released in the UK by Universal Music TV on May 12th, 2008.

Named after the classic 1956 John Wayne movie, The Searchers were, along with The Beatles, one of the most influential groups to emerge from the heady days of the Mersey era, and notched up a run of over 18 hit records, including three #1 hits.

They came together in the early sixties and like their fellow Liverpudlians, The Beatles, they headed for the revered ‘Star Club’ in Hamburg, where they developed their repertoire and unique sound; playing alongside such US greats as Ray Charles and Gene Vincent.

In a remarkable career now spanning five decades, The Searchers are still led by John McNally and Frank Allen from those glory days and now aided by Spencer James and Ed Rothe. They have continued touring the world, thrilling audiences of all ages with some of the greatest and memorable songs ever recorded.

This definitive CD contains all their hits including: Sweets For My Sweet (No. 1 Jun 1963), Sugar And Spice (No. 1, Oct 1963), Needles And Pins (No. 1, Jan 1964), Don’t Throw Your Love Away (No. 1, Apr 1964), Someday We’re Gonna Love Again (No. 1 Jul 1964), When You Walk In The Room (No. 3, Sep 1964) and Goodbye My Love (No. 4, Mar 1965).

‘The Very Best Of The Searchers’ tracklisting:

1. Sweets For My Sweet
2. Sugar And Spice
3. Needles And Pins
4. Don’t Throw Your Love Away
5. Someday We’re Gonna Love Again
6. When You Walk In The Room
7. What Have They Done To The Rain
8. Goodbye My Love
9. He’s Got No Love
10. ‘Till I Met You
11. Take Me For What I’m Worth
12. Take It Or Leave It
13. Have You Ever Loved Somebody
14. Saturday Night Out
15. Hearts In Her Eyes
16. Sea Of Heartbreak
17. Twist And Shout
18. Where Have All The Flowers Gone
19. Love Potion No. 9
20. Ain’t Gonna Kiss Ya
21. Farmer John
22. Money (That’s What I Want)
23. Four Strong Winds
24. Hungry For Love

The Searchers on amazon.co.uk

The Searchers

With the first two albums selling over 350k copies between them, UMTV have put together another brilliant album of the best songs of the year – ‘Essential Songs 2008′, set for release in the UK on 3rd December 2007.

Now that the end of the year is in sight, it’s time to sit back and reminisce about the good times of 2007 and get ready to see in the New Year. What better way to do this than by listening to the biggest essential songs of the year?

The track list reads like a who’s who of pop royalty. From the shiny new, to the classic greats. Starting with the come back kings Take That and their massive new hit “Rule The World” (from the hit movie Stardust), moving onto the collaboration between modern day diva Amy Winehouse and superstar producer Mark Ronson with the track “Valerie”. With new blood from the Coronation Street heartthrob Richard Fleeshman, and classics from legends Oasis, The Cranberries and Paul Weller, CD 1 really does have something for everyone.

The second CD opens with the exclusive of pop prince Mika’s new track “Happy Ending” and carries on with an eclectic mix of songs from artists old and new, with girl power being added by Feist and her catchy “1234″ and Mutya Buena with “Real Girl”.

If that isn’t enough to entice you, ‘Essential Songs – 2008′ also includes tracks from some of the finest artists in the world including The Killers, Nelly Furtado, Embrace and Pop royalty Elton John.

Track List – Provisional:

CD1

Take That – Rule The World
Amy Winehouse – Valerie
Kate Nash – Foundations
Maroon 5 – Makes Me Wonder
Nelly Furtado – Say It Right
James Morrison – The Pieces Don’t Fit Any More
Richard Fleeshman – Coming Down
New Radicals – You Get What You Give
Hoobastank – The Reason
Razorlight – Somewhere Else
The Feeling – Sewn
Train – Drops Of Jupiter
Paul Weller – Changingman
Lighthouse Family – High
Cast – Walk Away
Cardigans – Erase/Rewind
Jamie Scott & The Town – When Will I See Your Face Again
Ocean Colour Scene – The Day We Caught The Train
Stereophonics – Dakota
Oasis – Stand By Me

CD2

Mika – Happy Ending
Keane – Somewhere Only We Know
Timbaland – Apologize
Paolo Nutini – New Shoes
Amy McDonald – Mr Rock & Roll
Mutya Buena – Real Girl
The Twang – Either Way
Travis – Sing
Feeder – Just The Way I’m Feeling
The Killers – Somebody Told Me
Embrace – Ashes
Gabrielle Feat. Paul Weller – Why
Nick Drake – Northern Sky
Cure – Just Heaven
Ian Brown – FEAR
Cranberries – Dreams
Dodgy – Good Enough
James – Sit Down
Aztec Camera – Somewhere In My Heart
Shed 7 – Chasing Rainbows
Elton John – Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me

Essential Songs 2008 on amazon.co.uk

Universal Music TV is set to release a stunning 3CD collection to mark the 25th Anniversary of Blade Runner on December 10th, 2007. Featuring previously unreleased music from the film, bonus tracks and a brand new album of Vangelis material inspired by the film with sleeve notes written by Ridley Scott.

Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, with its apocalyptic depiction of LA in 2019, has become one of the most celebrated sci-fi releases of the 20th century. It’s one of those films where all of the constituent parts – the set, the lighting, the characters, the sparse dialogue and of course the music – work uniquely together to produce a cult masterpiece.

The music has always been a key element of Blade Runner and there have been various versions of the soundtrack over the years, some ‘official’ and some bootlegs. But they have all either been incomplete or have suffered from poor sound quality, until now. Blade Runner Trilogy: 25th Anniversary is a 3CD set which – for the first time – puts all the pieces together, providing the complete music from the film and a lot more besides.

CD 1 features the original and remastered soundtrack as it first appeared in 1994, twelve years after the film was released. The second CD contains all the remaining music from the film that did not appear on the original 1994 soundtrack, plus two bonus tracks (“One Alone” and “Desolation Path”). None of this material has been released before.

The third and final disc will be of real interest to Vangelis fans – as it contains an entire album of newly written material composed by Vangelis to mark the 25th anniversary of Blade Runner. The music is strong and flowing, and retains the dark, atmospheric sense of the original score. There are some intriguing spoken word contributions too, from Ridley Scott, Roman Polanski, Oliver Stone and a host of distinguished actors, personalities and world dignitaries.

Full track listing details:

CD 1: Blade Runner Original Soundtrack Album

Track 1: Main Titles (3:42)
Track 2: Blush Response (5:47)
Track 3: Wait For Me (5:27)
Track 4: Rachel’s Song (4:46)
Track 5: Love Theme (4:56)
Track 6: One More Kiss, Dear (3:58)
Track 7: Blade Runner Blues (8:53)
Track 8: Memories Of Green (5:05)
Track 9: Tales Of The Future (4:46)
Track 10: Damask Rose (2:32)
Track 11: Blade Runner (End Titles) (4:40)
Track 12: Tears In Rain (3:00)

CD 2: Blade Runner Previously Unreleased and Bonus Material

Track 1: Longing (1:58)
Track 2: Unveiled Twinkling Space (1:59)
Track 3: Dr. Tyrell’s Owl (2:40)
Track 4: At Mr. Chew’s (4:47)
Track 5: Leo’s Room (2:21)
Track 6: One Alone (bonus track) (2:23)
Track 7: Deckard And Roy’s Duel (6:16)
Track 8: Dr. Tyrell’s Death (3:11)
Track 9: Desolation Path (bonus track) (5:45)
Track 10: Empty Streets (6:16)
Track 11: Mechanical Dolls (2:52)
Track 12: Fading Away (3:32)

CD 3: BR 25

This is the album with the new music, composed by Vangelis for Blade Runner’s 25th anniversary.

Track 1: Launch Approval (1:54)
Spoken word: Scott Bolton, Bryce Bolton

Track 2: Up and Running (3:09)
Spoken word: Sir Ridley Scott

Track 3: Mail From India (3:27)
Ney: C. Lambrakis

Track 4: BR Downtown (2:27)
Spoken word: Oliver Stone, Akiko Ebi, Cherry Vanilla

Track 5: Dimitri’s Bar (3:52)
Spoken word: Akiko Ebi, Oliver Stone, Saxophone: Dimitris Tsakas

Track 6: Sweet Solitude (6:56)
Saxophone: Dimitris Tsakas

Track 7: No Expectation Boulevard (6:44)
Spoken word: Rutger Hauer, Wes Studi, Bhaskar Balakrishnan (Executive Director of the Asian Heritage Foundation), Shobhana Balakrishnan, Laura Metaxa, Sir Ridley Scott, Zhao Yali (Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Cyprus)

Track 8: Vadavarot (4:14)
Spoken word: Irina Valentinova, Florencia Suayan Tacod

Track 9: Perfume Exotico (5:19)
Spoken word: Edward James Olmos

Track 10: Spotkanie Z Matka (5:09)
Spoken word: Roman Polanski reciting excerpts from the poem “Spotkanie z Matka” by Konstanty Ildefons Gaczynski

Track 11: Piano In An Empty Room (3:37)

Track 12: Keep Asking (1:29)
Spoken word: Bryce Bolton

All music composed, arranged, produced and performed by Vangelis.

“One of the great experiences of my directing career was working on the music for Blade Runner with Vangelis at his Marble Arch studio in London where he would perform rough demo film cues for me on the fly, obsessing over every detail and capturing every moment with exceptional beauty…the final result took us far beyond my expectations.” – Ridley Scott, sleeve notes

This CD release ties in with some significant DVD products launched to coincide with the 25th anniversary. On December 3rd, 2007 a 5 DVD set ‘Final Cut: Ultimate Collectors Edition’ is released, which contains all 5 versions of the film, plus interviews, a documentary on the making of the film and a letter from Ridley Scott.

Blade Runner The Movie Official Website

Blade Runner Trilogy: 25th Anniversary Edition Soundtrack on Play.com

Universal Music TV

Since exploding onto the global stage in 1993 with the multi-platinum ‘Tuesday Night Music Club’ album, Sheryl Crow, the one-time music teacher and studio vocalist from Kennett, Missouri has forged a career to become the finest female singer/songwriter of her generation.

Read the ‘Sheryl Crow Hits and Rarities’ album review!

Working at a breakneck pace, the release of each new album led immediately to the road. The next two albums, 1996’s ‘Sheryl Crow’ and 1998’s ‘The Globe Sessions’ allowed her to further hone her musical talent while spawning classic hit songs (“If It Makes You Happy” and “My Favorite Mistake” to name a couple) and earning legions of new fans. She recorded her triumphant 1999 Central Park Concert for Sheryl Crow and Friends: Live from Central Park, which included duets with some of music’s true luminaries including Stevie Nicks, Eric Clapton and Chrissie Hynde.

The new millennium saw Sheryl’s resurgence with 2002’s ‘C’mon,C’mon’, which featured the summertime smash “Soak up the Sun.” In late 2003, Sheryl released her first greatest hits album, ‘The Very Best of Sheryl Crow’. The retrospective set included her cover of Cat Steven’s classic “The First Cut is the Deepest,” and propelled the album’s sales to over 5 million copies worldwide.

After an extensive international tour, Sheryl took a well-deserved rest, from which came 2005’s poignant ‘Wildflower’. In early 2006, Sheryl was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer. The event changed her life, and her recovery has reinforced her zest for a full, joyful life.

Over the course of her career, Sheryl has collaborated with everyone from the Rolling Stones to Kid Rock to Willie Nelson. She has won countless awards (including 9 Grammy Awards) and she has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Sheryl Crow continues writing new music and through her strength and perseverance, she continues to be an inspiration to cancer survivors everywhere.

Now UMTV brings you ‘Sheryl Crow Hits & Rarities’ set for UK release on November 12th 2007. This new album will feature notable differences to last collection, none more so than “Tomorrow Never Dies” from the James Bond film, the Guns N Roses cover “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, and the duet with Sting “Always On Your Side”.

The release will be available with a CD LTD version which will feature a mixture of b-sides, rarities and live performances. Highlights of which include “Run Baby Run” with Eric Clapton & Orchestra. Outstanding!

Sheryl Crow Hits and Rarities tracklisting as follows:

CD1

1. All I Wanna Do
2. My Favorite Mistake
3. Soak Up The Sun
4. Always On Your Side Featuring Sting
5. The First Cut Is The Deepest
6. Everyday Is A Winding Road
7. Try Not To Remember
8. Leaving Las Vegas
9. Strong Enough
10. If It Makes You Happy
11. Run, Baby, Run
12. I Shall Believe
13. Light In Your Eyes
14. C’mon C’mon
15. A Change Would Do You Good
16. Wildflower
17. Sweet Child O’Mine
18. Tomorrow Never Dies

Bonus Disc

1. Run, Baby, Run (live w/Eric Clapton & orchestra)
2. Chances Are
3. You’re An Original – Live From Budakon
4. The Difficult Kind – Live From Budakon
5. Where Has All The Love Gone – Acoustic Version
6. Steve McQueen – Live Radio Portugal
7. Riverwide – Live For Wise Buddah
8. Everyday Is A Winding Road – AOL Live
9. Leaving Las Vegas – Live From Budakon
10. Safe And Sound – Live From Budakon
11. Keep On Growing

Sheryl Crow Hits & Rarities on play.com

Sheryl Crow Official Website