The Zombies are coming to Manchester, no not the undead but the band whose hits, including She’s not there and Time of the season came out of the 1960’s

Now rejuvenated with a successful and well acclaimed new album,they are playing the Manchester Academy on the ninth.We spoke to founder Rod Argent about times past and present.

The Zombies are working hard and Rod Argent is having a great time.Just back from touring the United States where he tells me the new Album had reached the billboard top 100, back in the UK for a week and then off to Spain and Germany before returning to kick off some more UK dates.

The new album has been critically recieved well, it was,says Rod, put together using the basic methods that were used in the 1960’s, lead singer Colin Bluntstone’s voice originally used only as a guide but kept on the final mix.

Certainly a hark back to 1967 when the Zombies entered Abbey Road Studios with the Beatlies coming out the other way after finishing Sgt Pepper.In fact they seemed in such a rush to leave that John Lennon has left his Melletron behind, an instrument that Rod ‘ borrowed’ and used to great effect on the album that came out of the sessions Odessey and Oracle.( the spelling was a mistake by the way, picked up too late in the production process to alter).

It wasnt just the Melletron that they borrowed from the Beatles but also the pioneering recording techniques employed by Abbey Road engineers.The album stands now as a seminal reference point to British psychedelia,  and the one track Time of the season is used as the soundtrack to that magical time.Released three times in the Uk though, Rod says it was never remarkably a hit.

But by its release the band had split and Colin and Rod went their separate ways, the former left the industry for a while before returning to embark on a successful if rather brief solo career, the latter to form Argent, remembered today for the hit Hold your head up.

They briefly reformed in 1990 under Bluntstone’s but regenerated in 2004 with a series of live shows and albums.

Times though have changed a lot in the intervening period, back then, creativity and experimentation was rife says Rod, if a single didn’t work the record companies would allow the bands to keep trying until,they found the successful sound and formula.Then of course the record companies were sitting on cash cows, making silly money.

That has changed today, instant gratification is what is required, the shelf life of a hit song can be measured in less than a month. Indeed the band had to resort to the 21st century method of crowd funding to get the time and resource to make their latest album, just the way they wanted it.

The band’s influence can never be overstated. From Nick Cave to Marshall Mathers, Paul Weller to Beck, the Foo Fighters to Fleet Foxes, musicians today still admire their sonic template, a masterclass in songwriting, arrangement, musicianship and production.

Their songs have been used in numerous films, television series and global advertising campaigns. From the hugely popular Mad Men through to last year’s Chanel campaign for Coco Mademoiselle, featuring Kiera Knightley, their music is quite simply timeless.

The new album, Still Got That Hunger’ has all the elements of an enduring rock opera, sitting as comfortably in the present day as it would have in the swinging decades of Aquarius. Opening the show with ‘Moving On’, Colin flexes his undeniably impressive vocal range before moving into ‘Chasing The Past’, a perfectly crafted piece of art, that leaves no doubt as to the band’s superb musicianship. 

A real showstopper comes up next with “Edge Of The Rainbow’, followed by the uptempo 1970’s Americana track ‘New York’, before dropping down to some blues and jazz-fuelled melodies with a re-make of their 1965 single ‘I Want You Back Again’ and a joyous choral reminisce, blended with classic rock guitar riffs on ‘And We Were Young Again’. Rod’s on form on keys in ‘Maybe Tomorrow’, a cheeky, charismatic number, followed by the Blunstone-penned ‘Now I Know I’ll Never Get Over You’, a radio-friendly classic that’s destined to be on everyone’s playlists. The quiet piano/voice duet ‘Little One’ comes next, before the final epic, euphoric concerto ‘Beyond The Borderline’ to complete this timeless musical journey.  

The Zombies play Manchester Academy on the 9th December.

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