In The Zombies: Hung Up On A Dream novelist and musician Claes Johansen follows the band from their suburban beginnings on an adventure through a pop industry that was still very much in its infancy. Surviving relatively unscathed through gruelling package tours of the US, even escaping a promoter's dispute in the Philippines, they carefully avoided many of the pitfalls of their contemporaries. As a result all the band members have remained friends to this day - a rare thing in the pop music world.

The band have many current fans including Paul Weller and Badly Drawn Boy, and echoes of the Zombies' innovations can be heard in the Doors, the Byrds, the Left Banke, the Kinks, and the author asserts from the musical connections that Nick Drake was probably a fan too.

Concisely pieced together from interviews with all members, this book fully uncovers the motivations behind Odessey and Oracle. It is also the intriguing story of the evolution of a unique and highly influential band and their struggle to balance artistic integrity against the often fickle and sometimes conflicting demands of commercial success.

ISBN: 0 946719 34 9
224 pages (illustrated). Hardback

This book will be published as a limited edition, collector's hardback and is published in June 2001

THE ZOMBIES
HUNG UP ON A DREAM

Claes Johansen

It was a great pleasure to read Claes Johansen's book "The Zombies - Hung Up On A Dream".

Firstly it read like a novel - something rare in the field of pop biography. This different approach made it as irrepressible as the Harry Potter books are, in style and interest. Secondly, Claes takes a very specialised, personal viewpoint in his examination of the songs in the Zombies short, but lasting career. This personal analysis is quite fascinating because it even made me go back and listen to the songs again just to see how they appear to another musician's 'eye' and ear. It is also humbling and gratifying to read about our influence on other artists and writers, people for whom I have the greatest respect and admiration.

In short, I've read it through three times now and still find his viewpoint refreshing and irritatingly accurate.

Chris White, founder member, The Zombies

£16.99 plus postage