Live on the BBC

While this compilation of 14 BBC airshots has barely different versions of their self-penned singles "Tell Her No," "Just Out of Reach," and "Whenever You're Ready," it concentrates on their covers of a surprisingly wide array of soul and R&B standards that the group never released on record. Unlike, say, the Stones, the Zombies were much more noted for their compositional prowess than their original interpretations of American rock and soul; the group's tasteful, melodic restraint could make them sound twee and out of their depth when they tackled chestnuts like "I've Got My Mojo Working" on their first LP. But the covers here, emphasizing the band's harmonies and Rod Argent's keyboards, are reasonably well done. Includes songs originally performed by the Isley Brothers, Aretha Franklin, Gene Vincent, the Supremes, Curtis Mayfield, and others, some of them quite obscure even in their original incarnations. Excellent sound rounds off an album that gives some unexpected insight into the Zombies' influences.