By: Robin Zimmerman
It would be easy to publish a puff piece on the Zombies' upcoming tour with a “time of the season” reference or two. But that would be doing the band a huge disservice. If recent reviews hold true, they’ll be putting on a pair of stellar shows at Thalia Hall in April.
When the Zombies come to town on April 13th and 14th, their set list will consist of much more than their hits from the sixties. Sure, they’ll crank out songs like “Tell Her No” and “She’s Not There” along with deep cuts from more recent albums like Still Got That Hunger, but they’ll also be performing their brilliant 1968 release Odessey and Oracle in its entirety.
There’s no lack of backstories where Odessey and Oracle is concerned. The album was recorded at London’s EMI Abbey Road Studios in 1967 on a very tight budget. In fact, Rod Argent and Chris White used some of their songwriting royalties to finish production on it. The Beatles had just wrapped up Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and their equipment was still in the studio. Argent borrowed John Lennon’s Mellotron to help create the distinctive sound that propelled Odessey and Oracle to the 100th spot on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Art Director Terry Quirk famously misspelled “Odyssey” on the psychedelic cover art and it stuck. The album was released in 1968. However, the Zombies didn't stick together long enough to see “Time of the Season” become a huge hit in 1969. The band had already gone their separate ways and did not reunite despite the single’s success.
Four of the original Zombies are crisscrossing the country for what is being billed as the Odessey and Oracle 50th Anniversary Finale Tour. Colin Blunstone will lend his signature, spellbinding vocals with Argent on keyboards, White on bass and Hugh Grundy on drums. Joining them on their swing through North America are guitarist Tom Toomey, former Kinks and Argent bassist Jim Rodford along with his son, Steve, on drums. Vivienne Boucherat will be featured on vocals.
The Zombies recently sent out a press release that referenced the fact that it’s been five decades since the original lineup toured the states. Back then, British bands were in high demand and The Zombies appeared on the very first episode of the television show, Hullabaloo. They played “She’s Not There” to an audience of screaming teenaged girls.
During their first foray through the states, Rod Argent recalls a different time and place. In a recent phone interview, he said that he was “pretty overwhelmed” during their first stay in New York as there was such a “culture difference and the cars looked like mobile jukeboxes to me.” He added that the two continents seem more aligned now and counts New York as one of his favorite cities.
While New York resonated deeply with the Brit from St. Albans, Argent also had a Chicago musical anecdote. During the time with his namesake band Argent, he went to see jazz legend Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters “at a little club where we were the only white people. I saw this guy with sort of waist length hair and asked him to play something from way back.”
While Argent couldn’t remember the name of the club, he said he had a wonderful time catching great jazz in Hancock’s home turf.
As evidenced by his knowledge of deep cuts from Hancock’s catalog, Argent has been heavily influenced by jazz music. But his musical education began with the classics. He said, “I grew up loving music and having a natural flair for it. I loved the classical music I heard at the time and performed in a first rate choir.”
Like many young Brits, Argent discovered Elvis in the fifties. He was transfixed by the “rawness” of Presley’s music. Soon afterwards he added Miles Davis to list of “fantastic influences I’ve had all around.” This came full circle when the Beatles burst on to the scene in the early sixties and “there was an explosion of art and creativity” in the UK.
By the same token, the Zombies have influenced bands ranging from Paul Weller and the Jam to Tom Petty, Cage the Elephant and many others. Some, like Petty and Carlos Santana have penned tributes to the band that appear in the Zombies’ new coffee table book.
With the 50th Anniversary tour of Odessey and Oracle now underway, the positive reviews are pouring in. Argent is extremely gratified by the response the band has been receiving. He said, ”We get great audiences wherever we go with the current line-up. We are very proud of some of the stuff that we were doing years ago and appreciate the young component in the audience.” He added, “what we did then seems relatable to the current generation and that feels very flattering and lovely.”
The Zombies perform at Thalia Hall on Thursday, April 13th and Friday, April 14th. Tickets are still available for Friday and Thalia Hall will be releasing a limited number of tickets on the night of the sold-out Thursday show.
