The Zombies - Begin Here (1965) {2001, Reissue}

Short of buying Big Beat's four-CD Zombie Heaven box, this disc and Repertoire's companion expanded reissue of Odessey & Oracle are probably the simplest and handiest way to plunge into the Zombies' history, or at least the best of it. Using the original 14 songs off their debut album -- one of the strongest British Invasion debuts -- as a jumping off point, this disc adds 17 more songs from adjacent sessions before and after. The latter include single A- and B-sides ("Tell Her No," "Leave Me Be," etc.), EP cuts that never made it onto their original LPs, and odd outtakes like "I'm Going Home." One of the factors that helped place the Zombies in the front rank of British Invasion bands was the quality of their work, which was so high that even their outtakes are worth hearing multiple times, as is borne out on this disc. The music itself is primarily R&B-based British pop/rock, similar to the Beatles, the early Moody Blues, and, to a lesser degree, the Hollies at their most soulful, and as inventive, entertaining, exciting, and original as any material of this era in history. There isn't any sessionography or discography information included on this release, which makes it a little less than ideal for completists, but the material itself is so carefully chosen as to make this the strongest possible cross-section of the first half of the group's history, from July of 1964 through May of 1966.