Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone Keep The Zombies Alive

The Zombies have been hailed as the best original British Invasion act touring today that isn’t fronted by Mick Jagger, and I’m going to have to agree with that. At age 66, I’d venture a guess that Zombies’ front man Colin Blunstone’s breathy vocal stylings and faux orgasmic ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ on the band’s legendary hit, “Time of The Season” probably still get him laid. What a set of pipes that guy has! Even his speaking voice slays me. Blunstone and Keyboard player/songwriter Rod Argent may be the only original Zombies’ members present from its sixties incarnation, but for all intents and purposes, this band is the real deal, with Blunstone and Argent having enlisted top shelf musicians to bring their beloved classic sound to the fans. In the live band, bass guitar and backing vocals are handled by the very adept Jim Rodford, a career-long friend to the original Zombies as well as a founding member of Argent and bassist for The Kinks from 1978 – 1996; quite a pedigree! Rodford’s son Steve is the band’s current drummer, with Tom Toomey, who joined in 2010, on lead guitar. I’m not one to generally be swayed by a nostalgia act, but this incarnation of The Zombies is truly a band for all Seasons.

The capacity crowd at City Winery was clearly in the house to hear the hits and I doubt anyone left feeling disappointed. Drawing from its tiny, three-album back catalog – including 1967’s untouchable Odessey and Oracle – the band packed the evening with hits, favorites, covers and tunes from various members’ solo careers, as well as a new CD of all original songs, Breathe Out, Breathe In, just released in celebration of the band’s 50th Anniversary. Also in honor of that landmark event, City Winery had bottled a special vintage of Sauvignon Blanc (see photo below), which was sold at the shows to enjoy during the performance or to take home as a souvenir/collector’s item!

Photo By Anne Raso

Post Continues After The Jump!

It’s worth noting, I think, that The Zombies originally disbanded before the release of Odessey and Oracle, and never performed any of its songs onstage. So, while there are no sixties-era “definitive live versions” of these songs, the haunting vibe of their original recordings still sounds amazingly intact live. Seriously, close your eyes while Blunstone is singing “Time of The Season” and it’s difficult to tell the difference. The group’s ability to replicate The Zombies unique sound with only two original members is what elevates their performances to must-see events, especially for anyone who grew up loving these songs. Not only do they play and sound great, but they are also cool guys who talk to the audience, joke around and tell stories between songs, so you really feel like you are spending the evening catching up with old friends. The show was just awesome.

Previously, the band has done the rare show where Odessey and Oracle is performed in its entirety, and while that was not the case this evening, the critically lauded album did get preferential treatment. A transcendent rendition of the ridiculously upbeat “This Will Be Our Year” completely wiped the floor with Foo Fighters’ recently released respectful, yet disappointingly low-key, cover of that tune (Dave Grohl evidentially being a huge Zombies fan – who knew?). Other Odessey favorites performed on Monday, September 26th (the band returned to the venue for a second performance on Tuesday the 27th) included “A Rose for Emily” (The Zombies’ answer to “Eleanor Rigby”), “Beechwood Park,” “I Want Her, She Wants Me” and the most jubilant pop song ever written about welcoming a lover home from prison, “Care Of Cell 44.” What an amazing song that is!

Giving both Argent and Blunstone equal time to roll out highlights from their own solo careers, The Zombies performed a rousing and inspirational version of “Hold Your Head Up” – which was a massive hit in 1972 for Rod Argent’s eponymous post-Zombies group – with Blunstone giving a joyous and passionate delivery of the classic originally sung by Argent vocalist Russ Ballard. With its memorable, insistent lead keyboard riffs and strident military drum cadence, the emotionally stirring performance of “Hold Your Head Up” came complete with Argent’s “Inna Gadda Da Vida-esque” extended keyboard solo!

Getting close to the end of a nearly two-hour set, the band brought it down a bit with an audience sing-along of another Argent hit, the rock anthem “God Gave Rock & Roll To You” – which was later covered very successfully by Kiss (Confession: I admit I had no idea that it was not a Kiss song). “She’s Not There” was the final Zombies’ offering before they closed the evening on a strong note with the much loved standard “Summertime” – included on The Zombies’ 1965 debut, Begin Here – from the Gershwin musical Porgy & Bess. After the set, my friend and I were lucky enough to get to visit back stage and meet the band, and it was especially cool to meet Colin and Rod, who are amazingly nice and very gracious.

The Zombies are currently on tour in the States, Canada and the UK through the end of 2011, and you really should not miss them. Visit This Link to grab tickets for a show in or near your town.

Thanks to Melani Rogers for the Guest List Action!