The Zombies

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For the undead creature of Vodou lore, see zombie. For other meanings, see Zombie (disambiguation).
The Zombies
The Zombies.jpg
The 2008 touring version of the Zombies (L to R Airey, Blunstone, Rodford, Rodford and Argent)
Background information
Origin St Albans, Herts, England
Genres
Years active 1962–1967, 1990–1991, 1997, 2004–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website http://www.thezombies.net
Members Rod Argent
Colin Blunstone
Jim Rodford
Steve Rodford
Tom Toomey
Past members Keith Airey
Paul Arnold
Paul Atkinson
Hugh Grundy
Sebastian Santa Maria
Chris White

The Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent (piano, organ and vocals) and Colin Blunstone (vocals).

The group scored British and American hits in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the US two further singles, "Tell Her No" in 1965 and "Time of the Season" in 1969, were also successful.[1] Their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle is ranked number 100 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[2]

History

1961–1964

The Blacksmiths Arms public house in St Albans, Hertfordshire, where the Zombies first met

Three members of the group, Rod Argent, Paul Atkinson and Hugh Grundy, first came together to jam in Easter 1961 in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. Argent wanted to form a band and initially asked his elder cousin Jim Rodford to join. Rodford was in successful local band The Bluetones at the time so declined, but offered to help Argent (Rodford would later join in 2004 when the band reformed). Colin Blunstone and Paul Arnold joined the other three to form the band in early 1961 while all five members were at school.[3]

Some sources state that Argent, Atkinson and Grundy were at St Albans School, while Blunstone and Arnold were students at St Albans Boys' Grammar School (since renamed Verulam School). However, both Bluntstone and Grundy came from Hatfield and both sang in the choir there at St. Etheldreda's church.[4][5] Argent was a boy chorister in St Albans Cathedral Choir. They held their original rehearsals at The Pioneer Club, then situated in Hatfield Road, using equipment lent to them by local band The Bluetones. They met outside The Blacksmiths Arms pub in St Albans before their first rehearsal, and gained their initial reputation playing the Old Verulamians Rugby Club in the same city.

Their original name was the Mustangs, but they quickly realised that there were other groups with that name. It was Arnold who came up with the Zombies, according to Blunstone.[6] When Argent was asked about the origins of the band's name in a 2015 interview with PopMatters journalist J.C. Maçek III, Argent said, "Well, we chose that name in 1962 and, I mean, I knew vaguely that they were: sort of, you know, the Walking Dead from Haiti and Colin didn't even really know what they were." Argent explains, "It was [original bass player] Paul [Arnold] that came up with the name. I don't know where he got it from. He very soon left the band after that." However, Arnold also left his mark with the name. "I thought this was a name that no one else is going to have. And I just liked the whole idea of it. Colin was wary, I'm sure, at the beginning, I know, but I always, always really, really liked it."[7]

Arnold lost interest in the group and chose to leave to become a physician; he was replaced by Chris White.[8] After winning a beat-group competition sponsored by the London Evening News, they signed to Decca and recorded their first hit, "She's Not There." It was released in mid-1964 and peaked at number 12 in the UK, becoming their only UK Top 40 hit. The tune began to catch on in the United States and eventually climbed to number 2 in early December. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.[9]

1965–1968

Like many other British Invasion groups, the Zombies were sent to the United States to tour behind their new hit single. Among their early US gigs were Murray the K's Christmas shows at the Brooklyn Fox Theatre, where the band played seven performances a day. On 12 January 1965, the band made its first in-person appearance on US television, on the first episode of NBC's Hullabaloo. They played "She's Not There" (and their latest single "Tell Her No") to a screaming, hysterical audience full of teenage girls.[1]

After the follow-up single to "She's Not There", "Leave Me Be", was unsuccessful in the UK (and was not issued as a single in the US, although it was on the B side of "Tell Her No"). Argent's "Tell Her No" became another big seller in the United States in 1965, peaking at No.6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March. "Tell Her No", however, failed to make the Top 40 in the UK. Subsequent recordings such as "She's Coming Home", "Whenever You're Ready", "Is This the Dream", "Indication" and "Gotta Get a Hold of Myself" failed to achieve the success of the previous two singles (although the Zombies had continued success in Scandinavia and the Philippines, which led to a series of concerts in 1967).[1] A song by The Zombies released only as a B-side (to "Whenever You're Ready") in the US and the UK in 1965, "I Love You" subsequently became a sizeable hit for the group People! in the United States in 1968.

The Zombies's first UK LP, Begin Here (1965) was an equal mix of original songs and R&B covers. While continuing recording in 1965–66 and trying to achieve chart success, they recorded enough material for a follow-up album, but the lack of chart success kept most of those tracks from being issued.[10]

In 1967 the Zombies signed to CBS Records for whom they recorded the album Odessey and Oracle (odyssey was accidentally misspelled by Terry Quirk, an art teacher who designed the cover).[11] Because the band's budget could not cover session musicians, they used a Mellotron. As another concession toward the limited budget, Argent and White (who, due to their songwriting royalties, had earned more than the rest of the members) personally paid for the stereo mixes.[11]

By the time Odessey and Oracle was released in April 1968, the group had disbanded (in December 1967). The album sold poorly and was given a US release only because musician Al Kooper, then signed to Columbia Records, convinced his label of the album's merits. One of its tracks, "Time of the Season", written by Argent, was released as a single and eventually (1969) became a nationwide hit (Billboard Hot 100 peak position: No.3).

In 1968 Argent and White began working on material for a possible new band when they were approached by CBS to do another Zombies album. Several new tracks were cut with a line-up of Argent, Hugh Grundy, Rodford (bass) and Rick Birkett (guitar), and were combined with some old Decca out-takes and demos. The album, scheduled for release in 1969, was cancelled and only a couple of the songs, "Imagine the Swan" (one of the newly recorded songs) and "If It Don't Work Out" (a demo of a song that Dusty Springfield recorded and released in 1965), were put out as singles instead. (Some of this material was released on several compilation albums during the 1970s and 1980s, and the album, titled R.I.P., was finally released in Japan in 2008.)[10]

Post-Zombies

After the Zombies disbanded, Rod Argent formed a band called Argent in 1969, with White as a non-performing songwriter. Atkinson worked in A&R at Columbia Records and Grundy joined him there after a brief spell in auto sales. Blunstone started a solo career after a brief period outside the music business, including working in the burglary claims section of an insurance company. Both Argent and White provided him with new songs. He also did studio vocals for The Alan Parsons Project.[1] Atkinson retired as a performer, and worked as an A&R executuve for many years.[12]

The band's original line-up declined to regroup for concerts, so various concocted groups tried to capitalise on the success and falsely toured under the band's name. One such group toured in 1988, going so far as to trademark the group's name (since the band had let the mark lapse) and recruit a bassist named Ronald Hugh Grundy, claiming that original drummer Hugh Grundy had switched instruments.[13]

1990–1999

In 1990 Blunstone, Grundy and White briefly reunited as the Zombies with keyboardist/guitarist Sebastian Santa Maria and recorded the album New World (1991). Argent, Atkinson and a host of guest guitarists also made appearances on this album.[1]

A 1997 120-track compilation of the original band's work, Zombie Heaven, was released on UK Ace/Big beat.[1] The compilation contains all the band's Decca/Parrot recordings (in mono), the entire Odessey And Oracle LP (in stereo), the material that would have made up the unissued R.I.P. LP, several unissued recordings and a disc of recordings made for the BBC. On 25 November 1997, all five Zombies reunited at the Jazz Café in London's Camden Town as part of a solo show by Blunstone to perform "She's Not There" and "Time of the Season" to promote the release of Zombie Heaven.

Blunstone and Argent did not play together again until late 1999. Argent spotted Blunstone in the audience while performing at a charity concert for jazz musician John Dankworth and invited him onstage for an impromptu reunion. This positive experience set the stage for further collaborations to come.[14]

2000-present

The twosome reunited to play shows together in 2000 under the Colin Blunstone & Rod Argent moniker and came to the US in 2001. They recorded an album, Out of the Shadows (2001), and continued playing live shows together into 2004 when they began going out under the name "The Zombies" again.[15] The new line-up included Rod's cousin Jim Rodford (formerly of the Kinks and Argent), his son Steve Rodford on drums and Keith Airey (brother of Don Airey) on guitar.

In 2002, Ace/Big Beat released the 48-track The Decca Stereo Anthology, which, for the first time, mixed all the Decca/Parrot recordings into true stereo. An album of new material released in 2004, As Far as I Can See..., received poor-to-scathing reviews from both Pitchfork and AllMusic.[1]

In January 2004 guitarist Paul Atkinson received the President's Merit Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences at a benefit concert at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. The Zombies reunited for the event.[12] Atkinson died later that year on April 1, 2004, in Santa Monica, California, USA, from liver and kidney disease.

In 2005 Blunstone and Argent released a DVD and 2-CD album (Live at the Bloomsbury Theatre) and continued touring with The Zombies. To mark the 40th anniversary of Odessey & Oracle, the four surviving original members of The Zombies participated in a three-night series of concerts at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire Theatre between 7 and 9 March 2008.[16][17][18][19] [20] Blunstone and Argent's respective websites had advertised that the concert of 8 March was recorded for a CD and/or DVD release later in 2008, and the CD was officially posted by Amazon.com to be pre-sold for a release of 1 July 2008. Both CD and DVD were officially released in the UK and several countries around the world.

In 2010 Ace Records released a series of six 7-inch vinyl EPs. All the tracks were new to vinyl, with some rarities taken from the Zombie Heaven box set, as well as previously unreleased material. Also in 2010 Tom Toomey replaced Airey on guitar. In 2011 "The Zombies featuring Colin Blunstone & Rod Argent" released their new studio album Breathe Out, Breathe In. Reviews were generally strong,[21] and included 4-star reviews from publications including Record Collector, Q, Uncut, the Daily Mirror and The Independent. The band set out to tour annually in the US, UK, Canada and Netherlands. The 2011 tour schedule included Japan, France, Germany, Greece and Israel.

In 2012 band members participated in the unveiling of a Blue Plaque at The Blacksmith’s Arms, a St. Albans pub where the Zombies met for their first rehearsal.[22]

On 19 July 2013 it was announced that the band would be appearing on the second annual Moody Blues Cruise,[23] 2–7 April 2014 on the cruise ship MSC Ship Divina. On 16 October 2013, The Zombies were announced as nominees for inclusion to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,[24] the first nomination for the group since coming into eligibility in 1988.

In 2014, The Zombies performed in festival circuits including the Austin Psych Festival and San Francisco Stern Grove Festival. The next year, the band announced that it would embark on a 2015 American tour of the Odessey and Oracle album with White and Grundy returning.[25]

The Zombies' sixth album, Still Got That Hunger, produced by Chris Potter, was announced for a release date of 9 October 2015.[26] The album's recording was successfully funded by crowdfunding service PledgeMusic during August 2014.[27] The Zombies toured the US in the fall of 2015 to promote Still Got That Hunger and were again joined by surviving former members White and Grundy, along with Darian Sahanaja and White's wife Viv Boucherat (on backing vocals) to play the entire Odessey & Oracle album. On 30 October 2015, the Zombies made a guest appearance on the The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[28]

Line-ups

  • Founding members and members of the "classic lineup" are in bold.
The Zombies line-ups (by year)
The Zombies
(1961–1962)
The Zombies
(1962–1967)
1968–1990

Band Split
The Zombies
1990-1991
1992–1996

Band Split
The Zombies
(1997)
1998–1999

Band Split
Argent & Blunstone
(1999–2004)
The Zombies
(2004–2010)
The Zombies
(2011–present)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

  • Live at the BBC (2003)
  • Live at the Bloomsbury Theatre, London (2005) (also on DVD)
  • Odessey and Oracle: 40th Anniversary Live Concert (2008) (also on DVD)
  • Live In Concert At Metropolis Studios (2012)
  • Live in the UK (2013)

Compilation albums

  • I Love You (1965) (released by Decca in the Netherlands and Japan)
  • Early Days (1969) (Collection of their early singles; of the 12 tracks, only two appeared on LPs)
  • The World of the Zombies (1970)
  • The Beginning (1973) (Vol 9 of "The Beginning" series on Decca, a selection from Early Days and The Zombies)
  • Time of the Zombies (1973) (Contains hit singles, "Odessey & Oracle" and tracks from their unreleased LP) No. 204 US
  • She's Not There (1981) (LP on Decca)
  • The Best and the Rest of the Zombies (1984) (8-song record on Back-Trac/CBS Special Products)
  • The Zombies (1984) (LP on See for Miles)
  • The Zombies:The Collection (1988) Castle Communications
  • Meet the Zombies (1988) (LP on Razor)
  • Zombie Heaven (1997) (4CD compilation with rarities and live recordings)
  • Absolutely the Best (1999)
  • Decca Stereo Anthology (2002)
  • The Singles: A's and B's (2005)
  • The Ultimate Zombies (2007)
  • Into the Afterlife (2007) (compilation of post Odessey and Oracle recordings)
  • Zombies & Beyond (2008) UK #43
  • R.I.P. (2014)[29]

Contributions

Singles

Release date Title Chart positions
UK[30] AUS[31] Canada US US Cashbox[32]
August 1964 "She's Not There"/"You Make Me Feel Good" 12 11 2 2 1
November 1964 "Leave Me Be"/"Woman" (UK/AUS/CAN only single) — 81 – NR –
December 1964 "Tell Her No"/"What More Can I Do?" ("Leave Me Be" in US) 42 60 6 6 6
March 1965 "She's Coming Home"/"I Must Move" — — 21 58 48
June 1965 "I Want You Back Again"/"Remember When I Loved Her" (US/CAN only single) NR NR — 95 92
August 1965 "Whenever You're Ready"/"I Love You" — — — 110 –
September 1965 "Just Out of Reach"/"Remember You" — — — 113 –
February 1966 "Is This the Dream?"/"Don't Go Away" — — — — –
June 1966 "Indication"/"How We Were Before" — — — — –
September 1966 "Gotta Get a Hold of Myself"/"The Way I Feel Inside" (UK only single) — NR NR NR –
March 1967 "Goin' Out of My Head"/"She Does Everything for Me" (UK only single) — NR NR NR –
October 1967 "Friends of Mine"/"Beechwood Park" (UK only single) — NR NR NR –
November 1967 "Care of Cell 44"/"Maybe After He's Gone" — — — — –
April 1968 "Time of the Season"/"I'll Call You Mine" — NR NR — –
June 1968 "I Love You"/"The Way I Feel Inside" (UK only single) — NR NR NR –
July 1968 "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)"/"This Will Be Our Year" (US/CAN only single) NR NR — — –
March 1969 "Time of the Season"/"Friends of Mine"(US only single) — 43 1 3 1
May 1969 "Imagine the Swan"/"Conversation Off Floral Street"(US only single) NR NR 59 109 77
July 1969 "If It Don't Work Out"/"Don't Cry For Me" (US only single) NR NR — — –

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Darian Sahanaja (Wondermints / Brian Wilson Band) served as guest player covering the Mellotron parts on the album.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Official Zombies Newsletter.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Other sources

External links

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