Meeting Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone of the mid sixties British invasion sensation The Zombies, is almost as exciting as the sixties itself.
Without a trace of those notorious dressing room spoils, I came face to face with arguably two of the most agreeable gentlemen in rock’n’roll mere hours before they took the stage and in so many ways, it’s somewhat impossible to fathom just how crucial these two, well articulated gents were to the course of rock’n’roll, not exclusively in Britian, but indeed, the world, penning the melodies that would mould and inspire the minds of a generation of post war adolescents. No period of time suffered change, as severely as the sixties, and as eighteen and nineteen year old boys in the thick of it, no one seems more equipped to explain the magic than Argent and Blunestone. With a twinkle in his eye, Argent detailed,
…anything seemed possible in any field
“Thing’s were starting to change. Young people had money for the first time and it was a very exciting time because absolutely anything seemed possible in any field. Certainly in the field of music.”
Being the second English group to crack America, with the seminal sixties tune She’s Not There The Zombies were the catalysts for a number of British beat groups who would earn their stripes across the Atlantic with a new tune influenced primarily by the flood of rhythm and blues records that streamed through British ports. Where American culture supported the segregation of what Argent remembers as being called “race records”, traditional blues from the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Robert Johnson was landing in the hands of the young and impressionable, not to mention Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Paul McCarthy, John Lennon and of course, Argent and Blunstone.
“I used to like a lot of the real old guys like Johnny Hooker, Muddy Waters and Memphis Slim. In fact, She’s Not There was written because a session was coming up. I had only ever written one song in my life before that and our producer said, I think you should try and write something for the session. So I sat down, still living at home, got my blues records out and I thought, “I need a lyrical idea, I just need an idea.” I put on this Johnny Hooker album, and one of the tracks was called No One Told Me. It didn’t bare any relation to the rest of the lyrics on my song or anything to do with the melody, it was just a feeling,” accounts Argent nostalgically.
And rightfully so, for the first time, British pop was singing a new tune to the world inspired by youthful irreverence, guitars and girls, an ethos that broke away from the shackles of tradition and was absorbed by generations of artists. Indeed, no greater compliment was paid to writing abilities of The Zombies than the assertion that Elvis Presley had She’s Not There on his personal jukebox, a compliment Argent describes as “just a dream”. Though the group prematurely disbanded in 1967, time has seen an increasing number of musicians citing The Zombies as the seed of inspiration for their own musical tastes, including Paul Weller and most recently Dave Grohl, which coincides with the reformation of the band, firstly, for three sold out appearances at The Shepherd’s Bush Empire where Argent and Blunstone were joined by bassist Chris White to pay tribute to the 40th birthday of Oracle and Odessey (the band infamously disbanded before the album was released) and now a UK tour. Though joining the recent wave of vintage rockers reliving the dream of their adolescent pasts, I was curious to learn how the gents handle the media stigma placed on bands older than forty years who continue to tour and produce music. And in a moment of solid certainty, Blunstone replies,
We wouldn’t do it if we didn’t enjoy it
“If it was a sixty year old poet, or actor, or painter, or writer, he would probably get extra kudos because he has had this long career and he has a great history behind him. But if you’re in a rock’n’roll band, people are sometimes a bit suspicious of you. But we like playing so why not? We wouldn’t do it if we didn’t enjoy it”.
And watching the sharply attired Zombies on stage along with bassist Jim Rodford from Kinks fame (famously, Rodford was at the first rehearsal of The Zombies but declined the offer to join The Kinks), there is no denying the passion, enjoyment and motivation behind this particular re-banding, with Blunstone and Argent boasting more talent and unhindered charm than artists of twice their current popularity, a class that owes much of it’s staggering radiance to the fact that The Zombies remain creatively active, writing new material that’s as pop-cuttingly good as their classic hits. And alas, The Zombies and Beyond, the bands latest output stalks the duo through the eras, noting each musical foot print from the novel outfit to collaborations, solo projects and of course, the brilliant new stuff. Indeed, The Zombies and Beyond is a rigorous and sound listen, that obligates us more than ever to enjoy this very special band from that very special era.
