‘Heaven’ Great Zombie Set

Sun., March 22, 1998

Philadelphia Inquirer

The Zombies

“Zombie Heaven” (Big Beat) ****

A four-disc set devoted to a band that had a few big hits (“Tell Her No,” “She’s Not There”) and a few lesser ones? Have the gods of the vaults gone mad? Not this time: “Zombie Heaven’s” mission is to re-establish the importance of one of the British Invasion’s criminally underrecognized outfits and offer newcomers the chance to hear one of the great “lost” albums of the ‘60s, “Odyssey & Oracle,” in its entirety.

The set is organized thoughtfully: Disc one has early Decca singles and several illuminating covers (including Solomon Burke’s “Can’t Nobody Love You”). Disc two offers ” Odyssey & Oracle” and tracks from the Zombies’ last sessions. Disc three is devoted to rare and unissued studio tracks. Disc four has live performances from the band’s 20 BBC appearances, including previously unissued covers of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “The Look of Love” that showcase the wistful, understated phrasing of vocalist Colin Blunstone.

- Tom Moon

Robbie Robertson

“Contact From the Underworld of Redboy” (Capitol) **-1/2

Robbie Robertson deserves props for going out on a limb on his first album since his 1994 Native Americans project. “Contact” stirs it up: Inuit throat singers, wailing guitars, and techno grooves courtesy of Howie B. and Marius de Vries.

But as daring as much of the album is, it’s burdened by its creator’s burnt-out voice and his constant striving to say something important. Thankfully, a good deal of the time, Robertson seems to realize he’s at his best when he keeps his mouth shut.

- Dan DeLuca

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