They say that you should never return to the scene of past triumphs - but Andy Fairweather Low does just that on his latest album, The Very Best of Andy Fairweather Low: Low Rider (Proper Records) released this week. But instead of putting out a compilation of past hits, Low has re-recorded the songs that made him famous - and added a few tracks that are favourites with his live audience. Now, I'm a bit uncomfortable about this - after all the original (If Paradise Is) Half as Nice, which Low recorded with Amen Corner, would be one of my desert island discs. However, the version on this collection works, even if it does lack a bit of the fizz of the original. Over the years, Fairweather Low has played with rock royalty, including Hendrix, George Harrison, Dylan, Clapton and The Who, to name but a few. But he largely remains an unsung hero, despite penning such hit tunes as Wide Eyed and Legless, Bend Me Shape Me, Hello Susie and Natural Sinner. If you don't know him, this collection is a good place to start.
f=Zapf Dingbats noThere are more timeless hits on The Zombies and Beyond (UMTV), which features songs recorded by the band, plus tracks from former band members Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent - including I Don't Believe in Miracles and God Gave Rock and Roll To You. For collectors, it includes Blunstone's collaborations with Dave Stewart - a cover of What Becomes of the Broken Hearted - and the ballad Old and Wise, which Blunstone performed with The Alan Parsons Project. Zombies fans should also look out for the live recording of the band's recent reunion gigs at Shepherd's Bush Empire back in March, when the original members of the band reunited to perform the complete 1968 Odessey & Oracle album.
Bringing things up-to-date a little, fans of the Afro-Celt Sound System should check out an album from former band member N'Faly Kouyaté called Tunya (Galileo) due to be released in August. Choirs and clasical strings mix with African rhythms and electronic sounds to create a fantastically diverse and entertaining album.
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