“We’re incredibly fortunate to still be playing at this time in our lives,” says Zombies singer Colin Blunstone, calling from his home in England. “It’s come as a wonderful surprise for Rod [Argent] and me. We both thought touring was a thing of the past, and it just grew very naturally.”
Blunstone and pianist/songwriter Argent lead the modern incarnation of a band that’s been on an incredible journey since forming in St. Alban’s, England, in 1961, a career filled with highs, lows, decades of inactivity and just about everything in between.
Rounding out the current lineup are drummer Steve Rodford, bassist Søren Koch and guitarist Tom Toomey. Original bassist/songwriter Chris White and drummer Hugh Grundy have retired, while original guitarist Paul Atkinson passed away in 2004.
Credit: ALEX LAKE
Credit: ALEX LAKE
The pandemic delayed concert plans for the Zombies, so the singer is anxious to finally hit the stage again. “Obviously we’ve had over two years now where we haven’t been able to tour, and we really are a touring band,” he notes. “We’re one of those bands that plays concerts all the time, so all of us have really missed it.”
The Zombies perform at Center Stage on Thursday, April 7, with an opening slot from veteran singer/songwriter Bruce Sudano. In addition to a lengthy career both solo and with the group Brooklyn Dreams, Sudano has written songs for artists such as Dolly Parton and spent decades collaborating with, managing and writing for his late wife, Donna Summer.
Arriving in this country in the first wave of the British Invasion in 1964, the Zombies struck gold with their first single, Argent’s hypnotic “She’s Not There,” a hit in the UK and later in the U.S. (reaching #2 in the charts). “Tell Her No” made the Top 10 in 1965, the same year the group appeared in Otto Preminger’s film “Bunny Lake Is Missing” performing several songs, including Blunstone’s “Whenever You’re Ready.”
“I found it quite an enjoyable experience, really, to see how that sort of thing [a film] comes together,” notes Blunstone. Working with Preminger, though, was a challenge. “He was an extremely demanding man,” the singer acknowledges. “We noticed that his assistant, he was shouting at her so much that she was actually in tears, this poor woman.”
The band’s next run of singles made little dent in the charts, and a move to CBS Records resulted in an album later (rightfully) deemed a chamber pop masterpiece, “Odessey and Oracle” (artist and group friend Terry Quirk inadvertently misspelled the first word when painting the cover). Recorded in 1967 at a smaller studio within the same Abbey Road facility used by the Beatles and released the next year, “Odessey” boasts a sterling collection of songs and arrangements from Argent and Chris White, from the euphoric “Friends of Mine” and “This Will Be Our Year” to the melancholic “A Rose for Emily” and World War I as Vietnam War-referencing “Butcher’s Tale.” Blunstone’s favorite is melodic opener “Care of Cell 44.”
White’s “Changes” features layered vocals, bongos and finger cymbals. “That’s the only track that we ever all sang on,” says Blunstone, noting they needed Atkinson and Grundy to join the chorus. With budgetary constraints, the group suffered the indignity of having studio workers move out a piano in the middle of recording the song. “It was unbelievable! We just kept singing,” adds Blunstone with a chuckle. “I’d like to think that’s the take that you can hear on the album. I can’t say absolutely it is, we might have had to do it again.” It was to be the last time the classic lineup recorded together.
The album and its initial singles, unbelievably, sold poorly. With the non-songwriting 60% of the group in a tough financial position, the Zombies — still friends — reluctantly called it a day. Surprisingly, the record’s “Time of the Season” soared to #3 in the U.S. in early 1969 (and today is a song practically synonymous with the 60′s), but Argent had already formed the group of the same name, White had become a producer and Blunstone soon launched a solo career.
After decades apart and a 1991 White/Blunstone/Grundy album, it was Argent filling in for a departed keyboardist on some turn-of-the-century Blunstone solo dates that ultimately led to the return of the Zombies, using the name with the blessing of the other original members. In the meantime, “Odessey and Oracle” had gradually earned a deserved second life, drawing accolades from everyone from Paul Weller to Dave Grohl. Grundy and White later came out of retirement to join the touring band for three North American tours playing the album in full, a deserved victory lap that culminated in the band’s 2019 Rock and Rock Hall of Fame induction (“Wonderful occasion, just incredible,” says the vocalist).
Crucially, the Zombies’ lineup continues to move forward as a writing and recording unit — still playing many of the group’s 60′s songs, but certainly not a nostalgia act. “Still Got That Hunger” (driven by single “Moving On”) reached the Billboard charts upon release in 2015, and a new release is imminent. “The album is just finished,” enthuses Blunstone. “It’s been sent to the States — it’s going to be mastered in America.” Argent wrote the material, and Blunstone’s early favorites include “Merry Go Round” and “Different Game.” The songs are so new that a few titles are still in flux: “There’s one that I’m not actually sure what it’s called,” he laughs.
The band strikes an effective balance between classic and new material. “It’s quite an art putting that set together so that we can play some new songs and all of the hits and perhaps some deep cuts,” Blunstone says. “I think we are one of the few ‘60s bands that has original members that’s still recording new material and still touring on a fairly constant basis.” In addition, a live CD/DVD release recorded at Abbey Road during lockdown, “The Zombies Live From Studio 2,” will be available exclusively on the tour.
Blunstone continues to look forward in his solo career, too, with plans underway for a new record. “We’re going to try and expand some of the demos that are on the 50th anniversary version of [debut solo album] ‘One Year,’” he says. “We thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to try and expand some of those song ideas and see if we can actually get some masters from those songs?” Producer Jon Sweet, multi-instrumentalist Christian Phillips and Blunstone will resume work on that just days after he returns from the current tour.
With fifty-five-year-old hits nestled alongside brand new songs, Thursday’s concert will showcase the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers’ variety of sounds fueled by two years of pent-up energy. We’re “looking forward to coming down to Atlanta and playing,” concludes Blunstone.
CONCERT PREVIEW
The Zombies with Bruce Sudano
8 p.m. April 7. $40-$50. Center Stage, 1374 W. Peachtree St., Atlanta. centerstage-atlanta.com.
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