It’s Time for the Zombies
Many groups from the British Invasion endured beyond the first pop wave of that sound. Of course, groups like, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who, The Animals, The Small Faces, The Hollies, Manfred Mann, The Yardbirds and The Moody Blues, among others, either went on to evolve musically or splintered and formed new groups. Solo artists such as Dusty Springfield and Marianne Faithfull also evolved once the British Invasion had become a trend of the past. One of the few groups from that era who continues on today and was inducted in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019 is The Zombies. Recently some of their key albums were reissued by Varese Sarabande Vintage, as part of the Craft Recordings audiophile imprint.
The Zombies have a curious discography. Between 1964 and 1969, nearly 19 singles were released in the U.K. and the U.S. Not every single was released in both countries and some were released after the group had broken up in 1968. The group’s album discography is even more odd. The group released its debut album, called ‘Being There’ in the U.K. and ‘The Zombies’ in the U.S., in 1965. The group’s next album, the cult psychedelic classic ‘Odessey and Oracle’, was released in 1968 and then the group broke up. Through the years there have been live albums from different periods and studio albums that collected previously unreleased material or that were reconfigured compilations. These kinds of releases have been coming out for years, including since the group’s reunion in 1990, which included members Colin Blunstone, Chris White and Hugh Grundy. The other key member of the group, Rod Argent, who formed the group Argent in 1969, rejoined in 1999.
There have been some excellent Zombies reissues over the years, including countless reissues of ‘Odessey and Oracle’, the ‘Zombies Heaven’ four-CD box set in 1997, the vinyl, double-album ‘The BBC Radio Sessions’ in 2015, and a five-LP vinyl box set called ‘The Complete Studio Recordings’ in 2019.
These recent reissues, are three albums that were part of the 2019 box: ‘The Zombies’, ‘I Love You’ and ‘R.I.P.’ The first two releases are in mono. The two releases in the 2019 box set not included as part of this reissue series were ‘Odessey and Oracle’ and ‘Oddities and Extras’.
‘The Zombies’, the group’s debut album, is easily one of the best debut albums of the British Invasion. The album includes two of the group’s three biggest hits: “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No.” There are also some great covers that the group does in its own inimitable style: the classic “Summertime,” from ‘Porgy and Bess’, written by George and Ira Gershwin with DuBose Heyward and the Muddy Waters staple “I Got My Mojo Working,” written by Preston Foster. Original issues of this album in mono cost a small fortune, so it’s nice to have an affordable version of this classic British Invasion record easily available.
The second album, ‘I Love You’, also from 1965, was originally released only in Japan and The Netherlands. There are two tracks – “She’s Not There” and “Woman” – that are on the first album, with the rest of the material here being first-rate, classic British Invasion pop.
Both of these albums include sophisticated and melodic songs, featuring Colin Blunstone’s mellifluous vocals. Both albums are in glorious mono and faithfully reproduce the original album art.
‘R.I.P.’, often referred to as a lost Zombies album and boasting liner notes from 60’s pop scholar Andrew Sandoval, was originally released in 2000 and features music from 1968. The album was put together from 1968 recordings, in the wake of “Time of the Season” becoming a surprise, post-break-up hit for the group in March of 1969. The original sessions only included Argent and White, but eventually they were joined by Grundy, Jim Rodford and Rick Birkett. Two songs from these sessions – “She Loves the Way They Love Her” and “Smokey Day” – eventually were recorded with Colin Blunstone for his 1971 album ‘One Year’, which featured Argent and Rodford also playing on three tracks, with Russ Ballard and Robert Henrit of Argent.
These three releases continue a resurgence in interest in the music of the Zombies that doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon. What’s most heartening about the group’s revival, other than its Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction, is the reevaluation of ‘Odessey and Oracle’. It is one of the key psychedelic and concept albums of the 1960’s. In fact, the group started recording the album at Abbey Road studios, right after the Beatles finished recording ‘Sgt. Pepper’. Hopefully, more music from the group’s vast vaults will be released on vinyl in the near future.
Steve Matteo
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