FORTY years ago next month, the entire country was waiting with bated breath for the release of the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album.

Since the June of that fabled love summer, millions of words have been expended on the most influential record of all time. However, there are those among us who might still argue that the success of the Fabs' creation could so easily have been eclipsed by a rival masterpiece in sound recorded at the same time.

The Zombies' Odessey and Oracle - crassly misspelled by a sleeve designer - never really got off the ground. Singer Colin Blunstone was back to flogging insurance within weeks. But then disc jockeys picked up on Time Of The Season and the track found itself hanging in the rock hall of fame. The Zombies had a curious career and this concert at the hall merely added to the mystery of why the architects of such intelligent pieces as She's Not There were not elevated to the greatness they deserved.

Keyboards man Rod Argent and his old mucker Blunstone are still absolute magic together. Unlike so many 1960s tunes, finely cut gems such as A Rose For Emily still glitter and shine. There is no modern equivalent to such rock royalty.

John Phillpott