The Zombies March 2nd-September 20th, 1965 Stray Tracks Review

The Zombies in 1965

It’s been difficult trying to articulate what’s so great about the Zombies, especially from track to track. So many of their recordings offer their own flavor of magic that leaves you baffled those ideas hadn’t already been done and exploited. It’s not uncommon for bands to have vocal harmonies, but that double punch of Colin Blunstone backed by Chris White has a certain force that feels apparent and attention grabbing, while also soft and humbling. Many of these songs are about love and the problems that come from it. Blunstone yelling about his feelings for a certain girl being so impactful is probably a mix of being born with the right pipes and having his fair share of R&B and jazz classics to start off with, providing a level of sophistication lacking in average rock songs.

The sound of drums thumping in the back and organ pounding in the front immediately challenges those that think the guitar rules all. Despite that and the uncommon minor keys, there are many similarities to other pop rock music. There’s common subject matter for songs and lineup of instruments. The guitar and bass are not to be forgotten about and both serve their role. However, it’s as if the Zombies wanted to play different genres of music, such as jazz, and figured out how to translate that on rock instruments. Paul Atkinson’s solos on guitar sometimes feel reminiscent of jazz saxophone. The bass is very expressive, like in jazz, but we still get pop hooks. Ignoring solos, below the surface of the singing are little creative licks and flavors to enhance the music, with everyone enhancing in a single wall of sound-like unit or diversifying to give everyone a time to shine.

By extension, the studio itself is clearly doing its part, mainly in the part of singling in on one element to creative tension or release. The pain the singer sometimes feels is amplified by the beating drums, like a heart, or his joy showcased with a gliding and understated guitar part. These elements are apparent on the fourteen tracks I’ll be discussing here, listed in the order I listened in: “I’ll Keep Trying”, “You Must Believe Me”, “Don’t Go Away”, “Whenever You’re Ready”, “Nothing’s Changed”, “Just Out Of Reach”, “Remember You”, “If It Don’t Work Out”, “I Love You”, “It’s Alright”, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, “I Know She Will”, “Don’t Cry For Me”, and “How We Were Before”.

It’s often said that the Zombies were better at originals than covers. Despite the handful of very good covers, the ones here are noticeably lesser than the originals. As an example, “You Must Believe Me” doesn’t have the typical fire on some of the band’s originals. It sounds like it bores the band a bit, gathered from the lack of forcefulness and quirks in the playing. On these oldies, the group can’t write in their multilayered pop rockers. Colin as an example is singing someone else’s melody, which wasn’t written to accommodate his style and thus he’s not taken advantage of to his greatest potential. This does show how we’re evolving beyond the past where the covers fit in better. While some of the group’s earlier works had more of an R&B influence, here that’s mostly gone and in its place is not just pop, but an ethereal pop. The bass doesn’t just back the beat, it bumps along, like gliding along the bottom end. The singing lacks the attitude of before, replacing it with what at points feels like a plea. Objectively, you can’t say one is better than the other, but this later period is better liked due to the increased blend of ideas and development into uncharted territory of pop music.

Especially considering these songs aren’t from one cohesive album and instead a series of releases, there are variants in styling. “I’ll Keep Trying”’s low-key piano solo is so beautiful, functioning as an undercurrent. Those solos have usually been more aggressive. When we do get one of those on “Whenever You’re Ready”, it’s off kilter and jabbing. “If It Don’t Work Out” and “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” have their share of vocal strain, utilizing two singers to cover more ground than one alone could, while on “You Must Believe Me” Colin’s voice is atypically smooth.

The band did three songs for a film and they’re probably the strongest of the lot, working in unison with each other. “Nothing’s Changed”’s aggressive and somber drums and guitar paired with Colin’s depressed vocals make for a deeply relatable love ballad. The restrained singing and various little touches, like the “I know” dissipating out into space and the elongated final line make for one of the group’s finest early works. “Just Out Of Reach” is a banger that bangs through a slightly faster tempo and varying little sections to distinct itself. “Remember You” ties these up with a reflective and honest work. Note how the changing emotions of the singer are matched by changes in the background, like with the line “And if I should change my mind.” The harmonized “sometimes” line is a pretty and fine example of the ethereal pop sound, enhanced by the studio. The soundtrack songs are especially romantic and down to Earth, giving each player a little role in the piece to enhance what’s being intended to be conveyed. Studio touches may be the only real difference between these and others, which makes me wonder how all these would sound if mixed the same way?

Admittedly, some of the originals don’t push the bar beyond where it’s already gone. “I Know She Will” has especially complex and ethereal singing at the beginning, though the rocking portions of the song are a bit less special, being a more typical rocking affair that lacks the forwardness of the backing vocals and drumming on other tracks. The lyrics and vocals of “Don’t Cry For Me” are particularly generic and feel like a bit of a reworking of other ideas. I do suspect that some of these tracks, like “How We Were Before”, would stand out more if we didn’t have the pop masterpieces to compare them to. That one turns in a particularly barebones backing and an unmissable guitar, making it a sharp oddity. While it lacks the best the group has to offer, it shows them trying new things. The same can be said for “Don’t Go Away”, which puts a rhythm guitar line in the front of the track, with the spot for the drums filled by a tambourine.

OVERVIEW

Despite the clear proof that the Zombies deserved respect and particularly albums, it does create the fear that the hypothetical albums would result in less time being devoted to songs and those extra tracks just being covers or filler. I long for more of their originals-based sound, which doesn’t sound quick or easy by any means. On their first album Begin Here, it’s known they rushed these along a little. Still, what can be said for sure is that we have another album’s worth of solid recordings that would’ve made a fine LP if released as such at the time. Thus, it’s a shame they aren’t better known, especially by those that like proper albums and don’t want to deal with searching through convoluted compilations for rarities.

The Zombies June 12, 1964-March 2, 1965 Stray Tracks Review

The Zombies in 1964

Autumn.

That’s how I would describe the Zombies in one word, complimenting the cool and atmospheric expression of the fall season. Any slow guitar or keyboard solo amplifies this. Such texture is very present on the recordings discussed below. After crunching the numbers, there’s forty-two non-album tracks by the Zombies if you include their BBC sessions output that a) doesn’t overlap with the studio songs and b) is high enough quality to pass as a studio track. Thus, it seemed fun to sort them into three groups of fourteen for my reviews, which is the same number of songs on the band’s first album, Begin Here. The tracks covered here are the first fourteen unique works not on the first album. Despite many of these being from the same sessions as Begin Here, they push the bar with more fusion and complex production, possibly because someone may have wanted some of the more unique tracks as singles or unreleased.

One point of comparison for the first album are the covers. Due to the fact the covers were probably essentially rehearsed through constant touring, they are effective due to how tight they are. The ones discussed below sound a little unique to the band’s other works due to less focus on rock. The group also mostly stopped doing covers. The originals show some mindfulness to the trends of the time, but are very wise to not be essentially copies. That mid-60s Beatles sound is classic and just begging to be tinkered with by different sounds, like with Hugh Grundy’s driving drums, as opposed to Ringo’s being more in the back. Rod Argent on keyboards give a dramatically different sound to other guitar-led groups, with Paul Atkinson on guitar innocently relegated to rhythm, only to burst out into a genius solo that’s often more jagged, moody, and understated than Rod’s solos, providing a new direction for the song. Chris White applies nice thick basslines to tracks, though his main role is clearly in writing quirky songs and using his backing vocals to amplify any feeling of anxiety or ecstasy sung by lead vocalist Colin Blunstone. Blunstone, and specifics about these songs will be covered below. The tracks are listed in the order I listened to them.

“Kind of Girl” has a great spiteful attitude. Colin’s singing has an amusing smirk to it. “For You My Love” is a really tight jazz number. The departure from rock shows just how good this group is at jazz. Everyone is perfectly in pocket, though we still get some attention grabbing and snappy moments like the drum solo. “Leave Me Be” is perfectly fine, though not exceptional. Colin’s voice is usually not this depressing, so that angle gives this track something distinct in the band’s catalog. “Rip It Up” is another excellent jazz track, ignoring the more rocking versions of it, like Buddy Holly’s. Colin’s singing is comparatively weaker, not seeming in time with the others. As is typical, it’s strong enough to not be bad or unpleasurable. “Soulville” is another excellent jazz track. Most of the band, other than Blunstone and White, would jam together for years before the others joined, so perhaps these songs reflect them doing these more “adult” works and showing such a strong understanding of the mood of these through slick playing.

“I Must Move” is another ballad. The ethereal production launches the track, with the singing soaring off the rest. This one sounds a bit inspired by the wall of sound, with the drumming especially having this wonderfully big and consuming feeling. “Sometimes” and “Tell Her No” are similarly razor sharp performances that sound so exciting. One highlight is the guitar, whose sharp licks poke out from the back of the song. That riff creates a relaxing vibe with Atkinson’s energy producing that sound. What sounds like a clap at the end is an especially nice touch. “I Want You Back Again” is similarly solid. “You Make Me Feel Good” benefits from the incredible simplicity of its content, making a statement with its sincerity and lyrics, without the sense of trying too hard, not that the other tracks are. “It’s Alright With Me” is like that, but as a rocker instead of a ballad. “I’m Going Home” has qualities of both. The reason these tracks work better than most other bands is the playing and songwriter, both inspired by arguably more “highbrow” sources then many others. The light touches of the guitar and bass on tracks, who do occasional more aggressive licks are one commonality for the Zombies.

“She’s Coming Home” intensifies the wall of sound approach, giving another layer to the love the singer feels. The drum intro sets that stage perfectly with how grand it is. “Walking In The Sun” is the best of this lot, with sharp piano interplaying gracefully with the drums, emphasizing the love the singer feels. Said singing is full and breathy, taking advantage of Colin Blunstone’s unique traits. The different sections of the song capture different feelings of love, providing a heartbeat and passion, while demonstrating the group’s ability to change time signatures and styles mid-song. The rich vocals is probably the primary reason this track is a fan favorite. As such, all of this comes together to make one of the Zombies’ best efforts.

OVERVIEW

This would’ve made a great follow-up to Begin Here, which beats it at its own game with more interesting and complex covers, which is funny as these were mainly recorded around the same time as the original LP and on the BBC, where it might have been expected they would never be heard again. Yet it’s remarkable those are among the weaker here, as the singles have lots of great touches of fusion and showcases for the players, especially drummer Hugh Grundy. Due to the blending of different genres, arguably the Zombies could have kept making quality music for a very long time. If one genre gets a little old, they’ll go to the next. It’s worth noting that R&B, which was prominent on the previous recordings, is mostly absent now, showcasing the group’s evolution and desire to not fall back on old ideas.