Concert Review: The Zombies

I've had the good fortune of seeing many of the premiere groups of the sixties' British Invasion perform live over the years, including The Rolling Stones, The Who, Eric Burdon & the Animals as well as influential solo artists such as Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney. However, one British Invasion band high on my "must see before I die" shortlist had long eluded me until now - The Zombies.

The group, fronted by Rod Argent on keyboards, and Colin Blunstone on lead vocals may be well have been the most underrated band to come out of the original British Invasion period. Bolstered by the song writing talents of Argent and bassist Chris White, The Zombies scored three hits in the US and Canada with She's Not There, Tell Her No, and Time of the Season.

The album that spawned the smash single Time of the Season, 1968's Odessey and Oracle, was largely ignored in its time, and the group had already disbanded prior to the album's release. It is now regarded as one of the best albums of its era. Rolling Stone magazine ranks it No 80 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and its No. 32 on New Music Express' list.

The members went their separate ways and had varying levels of success in their solo careers with Rod Argent scoring the greatest degree of commercial recognition with his band Argent. Though there were a couple of brief Zombies reunions in 1991 and 1997, it wasn't until 2004 that Argent and Blunstone reclaimed the name and began touring again under The Zombies' banner.

The Zombies opened with "I Love You," a single written in 1965 by Zombie bass player Chris White that - in keeping with the group's legacy of performing and writing hit songs which were largely ignored during their original release - was a North American cover hit 3 years later for a group called People. The sell out audience gave the band a rousing reception, leaving little question in Winnipeg's mind who ought to have had the hit version. The song was made to order for Blunstone's breathy vocal style and its quirky minor key feel fit in perfectly with the Zombies' song canon.

The band immediately set a pattern of presenting hits like the Argent penned 1964 smash Tell Her No which they followed with newer original material such as Argent's I'm Mystified and I Do Believe, topped with a sprinkling of solid r&b covers such as Ray Charles' classic Sticks and Stones.

To set the record straight, The Zombies are not simply an oldies act, reliving past glories by churning out tired versions of their old hits. One need only watch and listen to Argent madly attacking each solo with seeming life or death urgency, or hear Blunstone nail the high notes in the bridge of Tell Her No, to realize that you were standing in the presence of some serious musicianship. Nor were there any slouches in their formidable backup group, consisting of session guitarist Keith Airey, ex-Argent/Kinks bassist Jim Rodford and his son Steve on drums. All songs featured tight arrangements, meticulously crafted harmonies and skilled musicianship.

One of the highlights of the show was a mini presentation of songs from their acclaimed album Odessey and Oracle album. Tracks performed included: Rose for Emily, Care of Cell 44, Beechwood Park, This Will Be Our Year, I Want Her She Wants Me (featuring Rod Argent on vocals), and the magnificent Time of the Season.

The band also performed a couple of songs from Argent's successful solo career including the 1972 top 5 crowd pleaser Hold Your Head Up from Argent's All Together Now album (complete with extended keyboard solo), that had the audience on their feet.

They wrapped the night with their 1964 Canadian/US Top 2 smash She's Not There and encored with the Argent rock anthem God Gave Rock and Roll to You.

The Zombies proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have plenty of life left in them yet.