Three bites of the Zombie, by Jim Irvin.

PSYCH! The Zombies ★★★★★ Odessey And Oracle (CBS, 1968)

Conceived as a showcase for this musically ambitious bunch after years of dues-paying around the world. Blunstone’s bravura leads were supported with ripe harmonies on poignant, characterdriven songs as quirky as its misspelt, busy sleeve: Care Of Cell 44, Friends Of Mine and the evergreen Time Of The Season. But by the time it was entering the US charts a year later, Blunstone had a new job as an insurance claims clerk.

STRINGS! Colin Blunstone ★★★★★ One Year (EPIC, 1971)

A daring and enduring meld of ’70s rock and chamber orchestration, in arrangements by the late Chris Gunning, Tony Visconti and co-producer Rod Argent. Its uniquely elegant mood has entranced the likes of Robert Pollard, Robert Fripp and Jeff Buckley (inspiring the strings on Grace). Highlights: Tim Hardin’s Misty Roses, Blunstone’s own Caroline Goodbye written for ’70s star model Caroline Munro, and the hit cover of Denny Laine’s Say You Don’t Mind.

SIGHS! Colin Blunstone ★★★★ Ennismore (EPIC, 1973)

Opening with the stately and shivery hit I Don’t Believe In Miracles, his second solo album (named after the address of his Knightsbridge flat-share) is a soft-rock masterpiece, largely self-composed. His vocal delivery is a stunning lesson in poise and delicacy, cooling the R&B phrasing into a style all his own. Neil Tennant called it “the missing link between Dusty Springfield and Nick Drake.” Gorgeous from beginning to closing ballad How Could We Dare To Be Wrong.