The Zombies in concert (review)

[Rich Panteluk]

I saw the Zombies in concert March 9th, 2007 here in Calgary.  The venue was a bit weird - Frank Sisson's Silver dollar casino and bowling alley in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  Great show, well worth the $30.  I got the set list from the stage, autographs (both my Odyssey and Oracle cd as well as the bands new 2 cd live set) and perhaps a photo (if it turns out).  Only two of band are original Zombies but it is the two most important ones (IMHO) - Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent.  I am happy to report that Colin Blunstone's voice which is/was one of the Zombie biggest selling features is still a powerful instrument.  It sounded great and retained most of the breathy boyish tenor of the original recordings. Rod Argent was also in great voice but it was his mad scientist keyboard skills that grab the most attention.  The man can play.  The rest of the band was top drawer too.  The were loose and in very good spirits.  They didn't follow their set list and made choices to suit the moment.  Jim Rodford on bass and bvs who was the band Argent's bass man as well.  His son Steve Rodford played the drums.  Keith Airey handled guitar duties as well as bvs.  The song selection had alot of solo material as well as Argent stuff mixed in.  I could have used a bit more early Zombies material or more from Odyssey and Oracle but that is only a minor complaint.  The highlight for me was the 5 songs from Odyssey And Oracle.  That album is in the same league as Pet Sounds.  I like it a fair bit better than Love's Forever Changes anyway.  Go check them out if they are in your area.  I don't think you would be disappointed.  The set list (what they actually played not what was written on the set list):
1. Sticks and Stones
2. Can't Nobody Love You
3. Mystified
4. What Becomes of the Broken Hearted
5. I Love You
6. She's Coming Home
7. Keep On Rolling
8. Hold Your Head Up
Intermission
second set
1. As Far As I Can See
2. Care Of Cell 44
3. Beechwood Park
4. This Will Be Our Year
5. A Rose For Emily (My favourite of the night)
6. Time Of The Season
7. Misty Roses
8. Going Out Of My Head
9. Indication
10. Tell Her No
11. She's Not There
Encore
12. God Gave Rock n' Roll To You
13. Summertime
Any other Zombies fans out there?

[Daniel S.]

I LOVE the Zombies. I have Odessey & Oracle and I have the Zombie Heaven boxset which I listen to everyday. Are their concert dates on Ticketmaster? I'm going to do a google search, I didn't know they were touring.

[Rich Panteluk]

Hey Heywood,
Yeah the concert snuck up on me.  If my parents hadn't let me know that they were going the DAY before the show I would have missed it.  It was fun going to see the show with my parents (I'm 33 and my parents are 58 and 59).  My dad got me into the Zombies, I can remember singing She's Not There with my dad in the car on the early 1980's.

Not sure about where to find their concert dates but at the concert Rod Argent said that they were getting back together with the rest of the surviving Zombies and playing the whole Odyssey and Oracle album in London (and possibly more) for the 40th Anniversary.  I would fork out big coin for that.  At the concert the five O&O tracks were definitely the highlight.  A Rose for Emily was done with just Rod on piano, Colin singing lead and Rod and Jim doing harmonies (the others left the stage).  Colin struggles just a bit with the high notes but the sparse beautiful but fragile delivery of the haunting song just about made me cry (maybe it did but I wouldn't want to seem un-manly).  Care of cell 44 sounds less angelic live but I agree it is sooooo underrated.  And just watching the beginning of Time of the Season with that killer bass line and the band clapping and "ahhhing" into the mic got everyone on its feet before the lyrics started.
great stuff...

[Guy]

I've recently discovered The Zombies. I LOVE the Cd's I have so much I want to get my hands on more. All I have so far is a singles (A's and B's) collection of their career and the Decca stereo anthology.

To have everything would Zombie Heaven and the Decca anthology be enough? I'm aware of reissues of Begin here and O&O with bonus tracks and a BBC-sessions collection, are these obsolete if I get the box set?

Many thanks!

[Daniel S.]

As far as I know the Zombie Heaven boxset has every song they ever recorded. They weren't together for very long. Also, Rod Argent has mentioned in interviews that he wants to get together with the surviving Zombies for a 40th anniversary tour of Odessey & Oracle, which they would perform in its entirety.

[donald]

Now, THAT I'd like to see.

[SG7]

AND our own Darian Sahanaja will be playing vibraphone for it too 

[Daniel S.]

Where did you hear that? Do you know when the tour will start?

[Guy]

So far, only two shows are slated to take place in London on March 7 and 8 2008. These have been announced a while back which makes me wonder if there will be more concerts. I surely hope for a short tour of the UK and Holland.

All I know is that the surviving Zombies (Blunstone, Argent, Grundy and White) with additional guitarist Keith Airey will play O&O and Blunstone and Argent will play other material (Zombies, Argent, solo) with their current touring group and a string quartet.

[musicnsurf]

oh, geez, i've been into the zombies since 1977. what got me into them was "time of the zombies" a 2-record set on epic. i was a high school volunteer at our local university and these grad students played a comp with "time of the season" on it. i only got into it because of that.

the second disc on the set was "O&O" in its entirety, but i didn't know that (being a teen at the time). i was totally into them from that first listen. to me, it's zeppelin, the beatles, the bb's, and the zombies. you know what people looking at you crazy looks like? my friends were into rush, kiss, and ac/dc. foisting "a rose for emily" on fellow 14 year olds was not kewl.

i finally saw rod and colin in 2004 in sacramento. they were pretty damn good. but, colin's voice is lower/rougher than the zombie days. he's an r&b guy now. not that he ever wasn't.

[Guy]

A third show has been announced (Sunday 9 March). I've decided to go to this one. Have been listening to Zombie Heaven a lot recently and I'm looking forward to the show tremendously.

Surfer girl7, are you sure that Darian will be participating? What else have you heard about these shows?

[Christian]

from The Wondermints´ Myspace Blog:

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Darian playing with The Zombies

Next year, Darian will be touring with The Zombies as they perform "Odyssey and Oracle".  He will be playing secondary keyboard parts, mostly mellotron.  For those of you in the UK, enjoy the shows.  For those of you in the US and elsewhere, hope that they'll include some dates out of the UK!

[RONDEMON]

Wow. Darian is awesome. It must be a trip to play with all of your musical idols.
I'm happy for him, but I really want more Wondermints. They are incredible. Bali and Mind If We Make Love To You are favorites of mine.

[SG7]

I agree 

[markcharles75]

I absolutely adore the zombies.  SO MANY MANY great tunes;  I love their sound.  Love Blunstone's breathy vocals.  I must say, Darian has great taste in music.   

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Caught the band Thursday night in Portland Oregon for the kickoff of their West Coast swing 2013.  They still have it.  Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone just rocked the house.  Standing ovations a-plenty.
Just the 4 piece band and Colin.  They don't need help.  If you get a chance, catch them on this tour.  Don't know how many more times they might play the US.

[Summer_Days]

I'm a huge fan of the Zombies. One of the most underrated bands ever. Hell, probably THE most underrated band.
Their songs are like warm spring breezes. I'd love to see them (or what's left of them) live. Someday.

And yeah Colin Blunstone's and incredible singer.
My two favorite Zombies songs are 'The Way I Feel Inside' and 'Care of Cell 44'. What spectacular tracks, man.
Odessey & Oracle is one of my favorite 1960s albums, alongside Pet Sounds, Rubber Soul and Revolver, Astral Weeks and The Doors.

[rn57]

I saw the Zombies - or anyway, Colin and Rod with their Argent/Kinks backup - in 2011 in Maryland.  Right after that show I looked at old '60s clips of 'em on Youtube. Not only does Colin now sound just the way he did then, but what's really amazing is that his understated, calm yet inwardly intense onstage demeanor has not changed one bit in nearly half a century.

Rod's onstage behavior, by contrast, definitely was shaped by all those tours he did in arenas when Argent opened for the likes of Humble Pie in the Seventies.  Back in the Zombies days he was almost as low-key as Colin.

One thing always comes to mind about them - the Zombies were supposed to be Elvis's favorite British group.  I remember reading an interview with Chris White years ago when he told this story:

Touring the States when "She's Not There"/"Tell Her No" hit, the guys found themselves in Memphis. So naturally they decided to take a look at Graceland. They went out there and were standing outside the gate when somebody came out of the house and approached them. He asked their business and they said they just wanted to look at the place for a moment.

"You fellers English?" said the man. "I guess you're musicians. Lot of 'em showin' up here lately."

"Yes, we're in a group called the Zombies," Chris said.

"The Zombies! Well - I'm Elvis's Uncle Vester, and you know somethin' - Elvis has all your records! He listens to 'em all the time! He's out in Hollywood makin' a movie, but when he comes back I'll tell him you stopped by.  Next time you're in town come on over - he'd really be happy to meet you."

The band thought Vester Presley was kidding, and they never were in Memphis again.  But Chris said that when the band's guitarist, the late Paul Atkinson, was working in LA as an A&R man in the late 1980s, he ran into Jerry Schilling of the Memphis Mafia.  He mentioned going to Graceland, and Schilling said: "I heard about that from Vester.  Elvis was so pissed off when he found out he missed you - he really loved your music." 

[SurfRiderHawaii]

I'm a huge fan of the Zombies. One of the most underrated bands ever. Hell, probably THE most underrated band.
Their songs are like warm spring breezes. I'd love to see them (or what's left of them) live. Someday.

And yeah Colin Blunstone's and incredible singer.
My two favorite Zombies songs are 'The Way I Feel Inside' and 'Care of Cell 44'. What spectacular tracks, man.
Odessey & Oracle is one of my favorite 1960s albums, alongside Pet Sounds, Rubber Soul and Revolver, Astral Weeks and The Doors.

They did Cell 44 and nailed it, along with 3 other songs from Odessay. If you don't have it, Colin's first two solo albums are essentially Zombie albums. One Year is in my all time top 5.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

I saw the Zombies - or anyway, Colin and Rod with their Argent/Kinks backup - in 2011 in Maryland.  Right after that show I looked at old '60s clips of 'em on Youtube. Not only does Colin now sound just the way he did then, but what's really amazing is that his understated, calm yet inwardly intense onstage demeanor has not changed one bit in nearly half a century.

Rod's onstage behavior, by contrast, definitely was shaped by all those tours he did in arenas when Argent opened for the likes of Humble Pie in the Seventies.  Back in the Zombies days he was almost as low-key as Colin.

One thing always comes to mind about them - the Zombies were supposed to be Elvis's favorite British group.  I remember reading an interview with Chris White years ago when he told this story:

Touring the States when "She's Not There"/"Tell Her No" hit, the guys found themselves in Memphis. So naturally they decided to take a look at Graceland. They went out there and were standing outside the gate when somebody came out of the house and approached them. He asked their business and they said they just wanted to look at the place for a moment.

"You fellers English?" said the man. "I guess you're musicians. Lot of 'em showin' up here lately."

"Yes, we're in a group called the Zombies," Chris said.

"The Zombies! Well - I'm Elvis's Uncle Vester, and you know somethin' - Elvis has all your records! He listens to 'em all the time! He's out in Hollywood makin' a movie, but when he comes back I'll tell him you stopped by.  Next time you're in town come on over - he'd really be happy to meet you."

The band thought Vester Presley was kidding, and they never were in Memphis again.  But Chris said that when the band's guitarist, the late Paul Atkinson, was working in LA as an A&R man in the late 1980s, he ran into Jerry Schilling of the Memphis Mafia.  He mentioned going to Graceland, and Schilling said: "I heard about that from Vester.  Elvis was so pissed off when he found out he missed you - he really loved your music." 

Great story,  thanks! Yeah, you nailed Rod and Colin's stage personas. One cool song they did was "Old and Wise" from Colin's Alan Parson days.

[Rocky Raccoon]

I love the Zombies.  I think Blunstone and Argent who have such great chemistry together have never been better as performers.  They really know how to put on a great show and unlike the Beach Boys, they're not burdened with the whole "having to play the hits" thing.  Since they only really had three big hits in the first place (all fantastic songs though), they get a lot of freedom to play Odessey & Oracle cuts, some Argent songs, and play some of their new stuff as well.  In that way, they really know how to please an audience.  They were one of the most innovative groups of their time when nobody was paying attention and it's great that they seem to be riding high now, even if a lot of people still aren't paying attention (seriously, these guys deserve more attention).

[Doo Dah]

Thought I'd resuscitate this thread with a recent review. Had the supreme pleasure to catch their Odyssey and Oracle performance this past Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. If you consider yourself a fan of this classic LP, please do yourself a favor and SEE it.

http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music-reviews/2015/10/15/The-Zombies-bring-classic-album-to-life-at-Carnegie-Homestead-pittsburgh/stories/201510150171

Review is spot on. Yes, the first set seemed heavy on the new album - admittedly a little bit on the blues/rock side of things, although I enjoyed the between song banter. With the old stories and recollections, it reminded me of the Ray Davies Storyteller series a decade ago.

Post intermission, they went right into Odyssey. Transcendent. It was moving. It really was. Hearing that old chestnut brought to life gave me the high that I recalled after the Smile shows. Please check 'em out if you can. Tour dates below (coming out west as well the UK).

http://www.thezombies.net/future/

[undercover-m]

I looove it when artists play albums live. Seeing this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I've recently gotten into the Zombies myself...
They're going to be at the same venue where I saw Brian Wilson, haha. It's kind of tempting... there's still seats. Sounds like they give a great performance. Thanks for reviving this thread!

[EgoHanger1966]

I looove it when artists play albums live. Seeing this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I've recently gotten into the Zombies myself...
They're going to be at the same venue where I saw Brian Wilson, haha. It's kind of tempting... there's still seats. Sounds like they give a great performance. Thanks for reviving this thread!

Hey, you! GO!
I doubt they will do this again, especially with Chris and Hugh.
I saw it on Sunday and it was superb - especially the O&O set.

[PS]

A must see. Agree, it's the second set where it takes off into Smile and Pepper territory. I wrote this response to seeing them in Denver two nights ago on Facebook:

An appreciation.

It is a wonderful thing to have grown old with rock and roll.

My life span has run almost exactly concurrent with the history of rock, and my passion for it has never really diminished in all these years. Sitting in a magnificent old theater last night with my fellow men and women of a certain age, listening to the (original) Zombies play their first U.S. concerts since 1967, was one of those perfect moments in a lifetime of concert going for me (and I hardly go any more). Everyone was there for one reason only, it seemed - to hear this wall-to-wall perfect album (Odessey and Oracle) being performed - perfectly - straight through from beginning to end. And it was played and mixed like you'd always hoped it would be, no ear plugs necessary, no inner ear distortions from over-amplitude. You could focus in and hear every single note dance in the air while sitting comfortably in your seat, with no one screaming out for any hits, no one shining their texting light in your face (just a few discreet snaps here and there, ahem), no one doing the Deadhead spacey hippie Dance of the Veils right in front of you for the whole show, no asshole singing along with the act for the entire show next to you. Some of you perhaps prefer those things, but you can get off my lawn...

It was sublime, a complete, uninterrupted acoustic pleasure in hearing the intricately composed sunshine pop (think Penny Lane) and foggy English psychedelicate ballads (think Strawberry Fields), this unlikely masterpiece and swan song of this band's young life, recorded in the Summer of Love...It really came alive in the room, full and present, forever young, backed by the gorgeous harmonies (thanks for the loan of Darian Sahanaja, Brian Wilson!) and that singular voice that is Colin Blunstone's great gift to pop music. No shtick, no fancy lighting, just the music itself and the joy that was palpable in their faces playing it together for us, a truly attentive and appreciative audience who communally agreed to let the music happen---and then stood on their feet for some 15 minutes after O and O ended, appropriately enough, with Time of the Season...
As close to hearing "Pepper" played live by a dream vision of a gracefully aging Fabs, or "Smile" performed live by the original Wilsons/Love/Jardine Beach Boys.

I'm terribly grateful to have lived long enough to see it happen. Bravo, lads!

As a man named Berry once said, a long time ago at the dawn of rock:
"Hail, hail rock'n'roll
Deliver me from the days of old
Long live rock'n'roll
The beat of the drum is loud and bold
Rock rock rock'n'roll
The feelin' is there body and sou