THE ZOMBIES

“Has he taken any time,

To show you what you need to live?

It's the time of the season for loving” 

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"D"

Main Decade: 60's

Main Eras:

Rock & Roll II, Early Sixties (1960-1966)

Psychedelia (1966-1969)

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Key Members:

Colin Blunstone – Vocals

Rod Argent – ​​Keyboards and vocals

Chris White – Bass and backing vocals

Paul Atkinson – Guitar and backing vocals

Hugh Grundy – Drums

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Key Songs:

Shes’ Not There, Time Of The Season, Summertime, Tell Her No, A Rose for Emily, Maybe After He's Gone, Imagine The Swan, Brief Candles, This Will Be Our Year, Butcher’s Tale, Whenever You're Ready, I'll Call You Mine, I Remember When I Loved Her, You Really Got A Hold On Me

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This must be the case of the most unfairly underrated and forgotten band in history. And the one with the most inappropriate name in the whole wide world. When you hear The Zombies mentioned, you'd expect a Metal, Hardcore, or Punk band, or in the context of the Early Sixties, at least something like The Troggs. But no, even now the band's name still seems contrasting and unexpected to me for what they do. The Zombies were a very fine band… exquisite is the best word that comes to mind to describe them. They are one of the gourmet dishes of the 60s, with one of the most delicate and beautiful voices in Rock, incredible melodies, complex vocal harmonies, revolutionary keyboard arrangements, and a bassist capable of anthology-worthy lines. They have at least a couple of songs that would make my Top 30 or 20 of 60s songs.

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How could such an incredible band, with virtually no filler other than the fact that R&B isn't their strong suit, with that amazing blend of jazz, art rock, baroque, and classical, who released a psychedelic song as early as mid-1964, with such a revolutionary keyboardist, with bass lines that still blow me away, with one of the most complete and beautiful albums of the '60s, have gone almost unnoticed at the time? I don't know. Maybe the terrible choice of name. No, I really can't explain it…

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The Zombies barely had three hit singles: “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No,” which propelled them to the forefront of the British Invasion in 1964. But after that, despite releasing excellent material for years, no single reached the Top 40, the media forgot about them, the screaming girls went to scream for other bands, and even Decca, their record label, sidelined them until their contract expired. They then signed with CBS and were able to release their legendary second album, *Odessey and Oracle*, in 1968. The single “Time of the Season” would be another massive hit. Ironically, the Zombies didn't live to see this success as a band, having broken up in December 1967 due to internal pressures and because they weren't even making enough to eat. To add insult to injury, CBS contacted them to try and release a third album in 1969, but Paul Atkinson had already signed a separate contract with Columbia, and they ran into serious legal trouble. As a result, they were only able to release a couple of tracks as singles from what they had recorded for a third album, and the rest remained as incomplete demos. This led to their definitive breakup, and in the 70s, Rod Argent would go on to create the pseudo-prog band Argent, which you might remember for "Hold Your Head Up."

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Wait, no! There's more to this tragic story. As if that weren't enough, several bands throughout the 70s and 80s tried to exploit the Zombies' name, impersonating them. The truth is that the original lineup never accepted offers to reunite, nor did they perform the songs on their own, nor were they involved in any of the fake bands. It was always opportunists who took advantage of their name and tried to make money off them. It wasn't until 1991 that they finally reunited, and since then they've released three more studio albums. To be honest, I haven't listened to them. But I hope to do my research. If they're worthwhile, I'll review them when the time comes, but for now, I'll only be considering those two albums they gave us in the '60s, during their original period.

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Fortunately, with the passage of time, and I suppose thanks to new technology that allows for wider distribution, the Zombies have gained more critical acclaim and built a fanbase. They're still far from the status of bands like the Beach Boys, but they are undoubtedly a cult band, captivating at first listen, and in this respect, they surpass other cult bands like Love or The Left Blanke. The reasons why they were ignored after their first singles will remain one of the great mysteries of the universe. Overall, they released some very good songs, some of a higher quality, but I consider them a superior band to, for example, The Hollies, at this stage. As a special mention, I must emphasize that "She's Not There" was composed by Argent in mid-1964 specifically for his audition with Decca. It's only his second composition. It's 1964!!! 1964, for God's sake!!!! These sounds were at least three years ahead of their time. When I heard this song for the first time, I was blown away. I swear I even thought it had to be among the best songs of 1967. It has that aura, that vibrancy. But it's from 1964. Now I think it's the best song of the Summer of Love not written in 1967. The rest of the songs from '64-'67 aren't as great, but they're very good, far superior to those of an average band of the time. However, R&B wasn't their thing; they're too artsy for the fury that R&B requires, and perhaps that was their problem: trying to release songs in this genre following trends when they should have been setting them. But in the pop realm, their territory, Rod Argent and Chris White were absolute geniuses, capable of creating melodies and hooks of the highest caliber, I'd say on par with the Beatles or the Kinks, and in a much more complex and sophisticated way. The intricate harmonies they create in the background rival any of the Beach Boys. Individually, Colin Blunstone has one of the most beautiful voices of his generation, and he immediately creates a connection with you, even though his vocal range isn't very wide. Rod Argent is a genius, the creative engine of the group and a truly revolutionary keyboardist for rock, along with Alan Price, restoring the keyboard to its rightful place as a leading instrument in riffs and solos. I'd bet my right hand that he was a major influence on a young Ray Manzarek. Chris White is a very good bassist; in songs he's very practical and understated, but when he wants to, he can create otherworldly lines, seemingly easy, but which made me spend hours trying to decipher them—much more complex than they appear. A very underrated bassist who was already working magic with the four strings when McCa was still just playing fingerpicking. Paul Atkinson on guitar and Hugh Grandy on drums are effective, without being overly prominent, occasionally adding jazzy touches and other nuances that complement the songs well, but leaving the spotlight to the others.

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Overall, they were a band ahead of their time, with a refined, baroque, elegant touch… Nothing similar would be seen until Procol Harum and the Moody Blues, but at the same time, the Zombies are much more emotional, fun, catchy, and fresh than the serious pretensions of those bands. They have truly moving, beautiful compositions, simple yet complex at the same time. It's a real shame they weren't appreciated in their day because in just two albums they released a number of great songs that takes many bands decades to produce. Let this, then, be a small tribute to a band that gave so much to Rock, receiving practically nothing in return…

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By Corvan

Jan/18/2013

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