The Zombies
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The Zombies (formed in 1961 in St. Albans, England) were a British pop-rock band.
Led by Rod Argent's flashy, jazzy piano and Colin Blunstone's sweetly melodic voice, the band scored hits in the mid-1960s with "She's Not There," "Tell Her No," and "Time of the Season." Although they never rose to the prominence of other British invasion bands, The Zombies are a favourite of music critics for their complex musical arrangements and vocal harmonies. Their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle is now considered one of the best of its time.
Line-up
- Rod Argent - born Rodney Terence Argent on 14 June 1945, in St Albans, Hertfordshire - (keyboards)
- Paul Atkinson - born Paul Ashley Warren Atkinson on 19 March 1946, in Cuffley, Hertfordshire - (guitar)
- Colin Blunstone - born 24 June 1945, in Hatfield, Hertfordshire - (lead vocals)
- Chris White - born Christopher Taylor White on 7 March 1943, in Barnet, Hertfordshire - (bass)
- Hugh Grundy - born Hugh Birch Grundy on 6 March 1945, in Winchester - (drums)
History
The group formed in 1961 in St Albans, England, and gained their initial reputation playing the Old Verulamians Rugby Club in that town. After winning a beat-group competition sponsored by the London Evening News, the Zombies signed to Decca and recorded their first hit, "She's Not There" (Argent's second song, written specifically for this session), which was released in mid-1964. The minor-key, jazz-tinged single was first played in the United States during the first week in August 1964 on New York City rock station WINS by Stan Z. Burns, who debuted the song on his daily noontime "Hot Spot" segment during which new songs were played. The tune began to catch on in early fall and eventually reached the Top 10.In 1965, "Tell Her No" also became a huge seller in both England and the United States. Although subsequent recordings such as "I Love You," "Indication," "Whenever You're Ready," and "Is This the Dream" were of uniformly high quality, none achieved the success of the previous two singles.
In 1967, the Zombies signed to CBS Records for one final LP, only the second of their career and the first one produced as a single unit. Their previous LP, Begin Here (1965), was a collection of early singles, half a dozen original songs combined with several R&B covers. The resulting album, Odessey and Oracle, was one of the very first to utilize a Mellotron keyboard, as the band's budget did not allow for the hiring of session musicians.
By the time Odessey and Oracle was released in April 1968, the band had broken up. The album sold little, and was only released in the US because musician Al Kooper vouched for it. An album track called "Time of the Season" was released as a single and later (1969) it became a huge hit when a DJ discovered it and put it in rotation. Since the group refused to re-form, various concocted groups tried to capitalize on the success and falsely toured under the band's name.
After The Zombies, Rod Argent formed a band called Argent, while Blunstone eventually launched a solo career. In 2003 Blunstone and Argent reunited to record and tour, and released an album in 2004 credited to the Zombies (As Far as I Can See...), which received generally poor reviews. A 120-track compilation of the original band's work, Zombie Heaven, was much better regarded.
Guitarist Paul Atkinson died in Santa Monica, California, on April 1, 2004.
Quotation
- "Over the course of the ensuing decades, [The Zombies'] final album...Odessey and Oracle - a beautifully arranged, harmony drenched pristine pop paean to memory, the changing seasons, the passage of time and lost love - slowly began to be recognised as one of the greatest albums of the 1960s." New York Times, 1998
Discography
- The Zombies (Featuring "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No") (US) (1965)
- Begin Here (UK) (1965)
- Bunny Lake Is Missing - An Original Soundtrack Recording (1965) (contributed tracks)
- Odessey and Oracle (1968)
- [[The Zombies: Time Of The Zombies]](A 28 song compilation from 1965-1968) (1972)
- New World (1991) (featuring Blunstone, White, Grundy, and Sebastian Santa-Maria. Rod Argent appears on "Time of the Season" remake.)
- Zombie Heaven (1997) (4CD comprehensive compilation with rarities and live recordings)
- As Far as I Can See..... (2004)
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