B67-DES32
Perfect Rock Albums #1:
The Zombies’ Odessey And Oracle
Copyright © by Dan Schneider, 8/13/02

  The Band   The Music   The End

  This is a new essay series I am kicking off. I am not a music critic, I cannot read music, I am a terrible singer, & I cannot play an instrument. Given that most music critics are wannabes, this will make me an exception. When speaking of the actual music/sounds of a song I will not refer to A, B, F-flats, etc. I don’t know, nor care, what that stuff means. I will describe the music aurally, as best I can, in very lay terminology. Lyrics I will approach with my great poetic eye & ear, granting that song lyrics have a lesser task assigned to them than poems- they can be good when they are clichéd- although not always. Lyrics also do not need to carry a song’s music- that’s what the music’s for! I will sometimes give brief bios on the musicians- especially those who are little known, but I will focus mainly on the art- what makes these albums great- & yes, I think, perfect. I also start this series in the hopes of giving rock a stature as ‘real art’. Yes, pompous rock critics have tried to over-inflate dubious icons in a very Cameron Crow way. Look to the Rolling Stones or Spins for this type of criticism. Here, in the PRA series, I will speak to you, the reader, as if we were talking at a café, or bar, about sports or anything else. Still, it will be a serious criticism on the art form, 1 absent the preening dubiety that drips from most ‘serious’ rock criticism I’ve read. But, I will not veer off into the snobbery that inflicts Classical & Jazz music critics. 1 of the great problems with these critics, & most fans of ‘high art’, is that there is rampant snobbery- Classical music started this, Jazz has made it an insufferable art unto itself, Classic Rock enthusiasts & dj’s now sound as imperious as their parents did- & even such mediocre forms of music as dance/disco, rap, & country music have snobs amongst them. But there is good & bad in all these forms. I’m gonna focus on the best in a narrow field that centers mostly on Classic Rock/Hard Rock/Heavy Metal from the 1950s through today- although I may deviate as the wont hits me.
  Before I get in to the meat of this 1^st essay’s content let me clarify a few more points: 1) While I will try to critique the actual music in simple lay fashion, the main focus will be- inevitably, for a wordsmith- on the lyrics. 2) I go by the idea that a lyric should be judged by the # &/or percentage of good lines it contains, rather than the same in terms of clichés (of phrase &/or idea)- which are almost a given in most popular songwriting. This runs counter to my stated ideas of poetic criticism- but this is not poetry- despite the fandoms of Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Jewel, etc. 3) The term ‘perfect’ is chosen not to equate with the word ‘best’, meaning all the songs are GREAT- just that all the songs are good or better- no clunkers, & that they work together to form a great album, in concept. 4) However, this does not include ‘Greatest Hits’-type anthologies, nor ‘Concept’ albums, nor generally overrated 1^st albums [unless I come across compelling cases]. 5) I do not buy in to most of the ridiculous revisionism of your typical rock critics- i.e.- that the punk rockers of the 70s were all geniuses who played to small crowds of ‘enlightened folk, while the ‘Corporate’ rockers of that same era were sellouts who droned on to the stupefied hordes. In truth, most punk rock is terrible by any standard- in far greater proportion than other forms of rock, or any other music- while some of the greatest innovators in rock were the art bands of the 70s. Ditto for the much-maligned ‘hair bands’ of the 80s- wrongly sneered at by the early 90s Grungers. 6)I will not engage in the knee-jerk praise most rock critics heap on the obvious choices- all the while neglecting obvious failings in their deities. I doubt you will see much about the Beatles, Rolling Stones, or The Who here.
  So, if you can handle these premises, read on. If not- fuck you!

Intro

  In the early 1980s I picked up a compilation LP (vinyl, remember?) called Time Of The Zombies. I’d known the group mainly from the few radio hits they still played on WPLJ: Time Of The Season, She’s Not There, & Tell Her No. I was surprised at the utter range their music had- from the political to the a capella. They seemed to me a sort of rock-n-roll version of Erik Satie. Their music was uplifting in its lilt, & ingenious in their lyrical hooks. I soon pondered why this band petered out while the much more hit (yes, I mean hit record, too) & miss Beatles soared to immortality, becoming the de facto rock equivalent of the unassailable Shakespeare. That 2 LP set had about 28 songs & I wondered if they had anymore that was hidden away. Well, a few months ago I came across a 4 CD set called Zombie Heaven. ZH had 119 tracks, outtakes, etc. It dwarfs the earlier collection & blew me away with its assorted undubbed & overdubbed versions. The heart of the set, though was disk 2, which contained the titular album, & some added tracks. I will, however, just focus on the brilliant dozen songs from the original 1968 release of the album. This is the purest vision of the album there is, unsullied by later what ifs? that plague artists who later go back & tamper with success- the 1987 version of the album added 2 other tracks.
  Over the years the album, released after the band broke up, has been widely esteemed by critics, yet ignored by fans. The Zombies are easily in any Top 10 list of rock-n-roll bands, & their whole oeuvre deserves wider acclaim- but this is the best of the best. They were also an oddity in that they enjoyed much more success in the USA than the UK. In fact, they were 1 of the few bands of the 1960s that enjoyed a true global reach. This included 2 American #1 smashes; it was after the band had split their last single Time Of The Season became their biggest hit. They had many enthusiastic fans within the industry: the Beatles envied their sound enough that John Lennon offered to produce them. Pete Townshend was a fan- the Zombies’ influence on early Who material is evident. Their influence was also apparent on the music of the Kinks, Left Banke, & the Byrds. Country-rocker Tom Petty has been 1 of the group’s biggest boosters over the last 20 years. Jazzmen Pat Metheny & Latin Rocker Carlos Santana have ranked them high on their lists of influences- Santana even covered She’s Not There. Jimi Hendrix was a great admirer & popster Dusty Springfield loved them so much she asked for a song to cover- the band wrote 1 for her. They were the 1st British band to borrow heavily from Classical music, in Argent’s keyboarding & Blunstone’s choral vocals. Other groups picked up on this tendency, although none had the pop chops the Zombies did: Procol Harum, Genesis, Yes, the Moody Blues, all felt the hand of the Zombies in their work. The band was also widely admired in the R&B pop world, sharing the bill with acts they loved, & to whom that affection was returned: the Isley Brothers, Chuck Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, & Little Anthony & The Imperials.
  The Zombies also had a consistent quality of songwriting (Rod Argent & Chris White) that only the contemporaneous Lennon & McCartney could come close to. Add to that the voice of Colin Blunstone, 1 of the 4 or 5 best & distinctive rock voices the U.K. has ever produced, & Rod Argent’s keyboarding & you have songs among the most accomplished & inventive in rock-n-roll history. Hugh Grundy was also considered a top drummer, Chris White a fine bassist, & Paul Atkinson a solid guitarist. As a whole, the chemistry of the band is unsurpassed, & rarely rivaled. They are better than the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Kinks, The Animals, The Byrds, & only the Yardbirds- amongst 60s groups- could claim a musicianship the equal- & perhaps a bit more diverse.
  As for their background tale: Argent, Atkinson, & Grundy were schoolmates in Hertfordshire town in St. Albans. They all had a love of beat & R&B music & played together starting in 1961. They entered, on a lark, & won a local talent contract in 1964, sponsored by Decca Records [The Herts Beat Contest], & were offered a record contract. They signed with the independent label- Marquis Music. While their career failed to sustain their early success (She’s Not There hit #1 in the US, & had another his later that year with Tell Her No), the group always received their royalties- 1 of the few groups of that era that own their own catalogue of music. The band did contribute songs to the soundtrack of the film Bunny Lake Is Missing- by Otto Preminger. But, oddly, their great sound never caught on & a string of failed singles led to their breakup. The band was always a diversion to most of the college-educated members. So, they split up- on friendly terms, rare to groups from that era, but not before recording a final album, Odessey and Oracle, which was self-produced at the Abbey Road Studios in mid-1967.
  The misspelling of Odyssey was alleged to have been deliberate- & left fans wondering on what meaning that contained. But, like much of what the group did, it had deeper meaning, even though the misspelling was an accident. Argent later admitted the cover artist misspelled Odyssey & there wasn't time to change it before release, so they made up the story likening the songs to Shakespearean odes. But, the band knew that, barring an instant hit, O&O would be their last album together. They decided to go full throttle & make it an artistically pristine adieu- to ambitiously explore new ideas, & expand their group ‘sound’ without the pressure of financial considerations. They recorded the 12 songs on budget, but the label- CBS- would not pay for any more than the mono mix. CBS liked the tapes, but wouldn't pay for the stereo mix, so Argent & White paid 200 pounds from their songwriting royalties to cover the costs to record it in stereo.
  The 1^st single from the LP, Care of Cell 44, flopped financially. The next 2 singles also tanked. Then, Time Of The Season was released- as a last shot for the album. It seemed to flop, also- until a radio station in the US kept playing it until it caught on &, almost overnight, became a #1 hit single in late 1968- in both the US & UK, selling over 2 million copies. Promoters clamored for the band to reform, but a year had passed since the breakup, & all members refused. Argent & White had formed Argent, Blunstone began a solo career, & the others returned to their planned post-college lives. The Zombies’ have been covered by other artists like Vanilla Fudge, Santana, & The UK Subs. In 1991 the group recorded New World, an unreleased album in the USA.
  But the 1990s saw a rise in the esteem & attention paid to the group’s 1960s work. The 1990s heyday of groups like Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins, & Oasis, & singer/songwriters like Jewel & Elliot Smith often brought comparisons to the Zombies’ pop ethereal tunes. The release of Zombie Heaven cemented their re-rise. Now, let’s look at this perfect rock album in question- Odessey And Oracle. 

Bridge

  I will go song-by-song as I approach this album. Given that this 1967 release preceded CDs by 15 or more years I will also give the album side, & song #. The 1^st song on Side 1 is Care Of Cell 44, written by Rod Argent. This is an almost quintessential Zombies tune: short, hook-laden, mellifluous, dense, & intricate harmonizing, multiple changes in the song’s musical thrust (often called chord progression), & an intriguing story unfolded from the actual lyrics: it’s upbeat love letter to a female ex-con. It was released in 11/67. Look at how simple this tale is- now imagine all the love songs you’ve ever heard. Is any remotely lyrically like this?

Good morning to you I hope you're feeling better baby
Thinking of me while you are far away
Counting the days until they set you free again
Writing this letter hoping you're okay

Saved you the room you used to stay in every Sunday
The one that is warmed by sunshine every day
And we'll get to know each other for a second time
And then you can tell me 'bout your prison stay...

Chorus
Feels so good...
You're coming home soon!

It's gonna to be good to have you back again with me
Watching the laughter play around your eyes
Come up and fetch you, saved up for the train fare money
Kiss and make up and it will be so nice...

Chorus

Walking the way we used to walk 
And it could be so nice...
We're talking the way we used to talk 
And it could be so nice...

It's gonna be good to have you back again with me
Watching the laughter play around your eyes
Come up and fetch you, saved up for the train fare money
Kiss and make up and it will be so nice...

Chorus- 2x

  Note how, until line 8, this could have been a song from many a group- yet line 8 not only changes the rest of the tune, but backward redacts what was previously heard. But the song forges onward- making the listener want to re-listen to the song to see what they missed the 1^st time around. This is smart songwriting- appealing to the tendency of people to hear what they want to, then pull the rug out from under them. Granted, line 3 speaks of setting free- but this is, without the prison mention, standard chains of love stuff. Now look at this, worthy of being called poetry: ‘Watching the laughter play around your eyes’. For such a topic to be upbeat is very jarring- in the best way. The 4^th stanza [Walking the way....] provides a nice counterpoint to the song’s main body- it’s the filmic equivalent of a brief flashback sequence in a different form from the main film- perhaps sepia or black & white. All-in-all this is a very strong song.
  But the song that follows it is a true gem- a lilting, sad lament that makes Song 2, Side 1 incredibly affecting. A Rose For Emily is proof that intent in art means nothing. As a poet I’d heard the phrase over the years & assumed it had some provenance related to Emily Dickinson- even when I 1^st heard the song nearly 20 years ago, before I penned my 1^st poem. Recently, however, I found out that the title is also that of a William Faulkner short story. I’ve not read the short story so I don’t know how close the lyrics resemble it; nonetheless they are as apropos to the Belle Of Amherst. The song is often compared to the Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby- which may be apt, but this Rod Argent song is much more touching. It was released 6/68.

The summer is here at last
The sky is overcast
And no one brings a rose for Emily

She watches her flowers grow
While lovers come and go
To give each other roses from her tree
But not a rose for Emily...

Chorus
Emily, can't you see
There's nothing you can do?
There's loving everywhere
But none for you...
Her roses are fading now
She keeps her pride somehow
That's all she has protecting her from pain

And as the years go by
She will grow old and die
The roses in her garden fade away
Not one left for her grave
Not a rose for Emily...

Chorus

And as the years go by
She will grow old and die
The roses in her garden fade away
Not one left for her grave
Not a rose for Emily...

She told me she loved me
With words as soft as morning rain
But the light that fell upon me
Turned to shadow when he came...  

Chorus
Maybe after he's gone
She'll come back, love me again
Maybe after he's gone
She'll come back, want me again

I remember joy and pain
Her smile, her tears a part of me
I feel I'll never breathe again
I feel life's gone from me...

Chorus

All the days
And all the nights
Are time just passing by
And all the dreams I'm dreaming now
Hide the tears that I cry...

  Unfortunately, this song would need a more music-knowledgeable person to amply give it its just desserts. Nonetheless this is a great song. As is the next song, #4 on Side 1- Chris White’s Beechwood Park- released in 7/68. As with Maybe After He’s Gone this tune is harmonistically complex. The questions & chori forming an antiphon both musically & lyrically. The chorus & antichorus, themselves, form counterpoints within themselves to the counterpoint they present to the main lyric. The sibilance of a punctuating cymbal & a tremulous keyboarding by Argent make this song memorable musically.

Do you remember summer days
Just after summer rain
When all the air was damp and warm 
In the green of country lanes?

Chorus
And the breeze would touch your hair
Kiss your face and make you care
About your world
Your summer world
And we would count the evening stars 
As the day grew dark
In Beechwood Park...

Do you remember golden days
and golden summer sun
The sound of laughter in our ears
In the breeze as we would run?
 
Chorus
Antichorus
All roads in my mind
Take me back in my mind
And I can't forget you
Won't forget you
Won't forget those days
And Beechwood Park...

Chorus
Antichorus

  Again, the lyrics are solid, but clichéd- yet this stabilizes the song, grounds it against the many changes musically. The chorus is gentle & ameliorative to the singer, while the antichorus sounds more insistent, as if the singer is trying to reaffirm the memories against their eventual loss. This is another deeply affecting song on the loss of childhood- the loss with any passing. Side 1’s 5^th song, Brief Candles, is another harmonic masterpiece penned by Chris White. Released in 7/68 it feature Argent & White joining in on the lead singing with Blunstone. This is the most lyrically complex song yet on the album. Musically it is quiet, soulful, reserved, & daring as it swivels between the main lyrics & the slightly differing chori. The piano gives way to the mellotron & the insistent thump of the drum, mimicking a joying heartbeat.

There she sits her hands are held
Tight around her glass
She only needs to be alone
She knows this mood will pass
To realize that she was strong
And he too weak to stay
And to realize that she is better off this way

Chorus
Brief candles in her mind
Bright and tiny gems of memory
Brief candles burn so fine
Leaves a light inside where she can see
What makes it all worthwhile
Her sadness makes her smile...

His alone girl fades away
Left out on a limb
Finds he needs her more because
She's no more need for him
He understood so very well
The things she had to say
Soon he'll understand that he is better off this way

Chorus (slight change)
Brief candles in his mind
Bright and tiny gems of memory
Brief candles burn so fine
Leaves a light inside where he can see
What makes it all worthwhile
His sadness makes him smile...

In the corner see his face
The man just sips his drink
Not one feeling does he show 
Far too numb to think
He does not say a single word
No word of love to say
Maybe he will soon believe he's better off this way...

Chorus (slight change)
Brief candles in his mind
Bright and tiny gems of memory
Brief candles burn so fine
Leaves a light inside where he can see
What makes it all worthwhile
His sadness makes him smile...  

  The differing chori are effective- especially as the song seemingly expands from a sundered couple to include a 3^rd person- the cause of the 1^st 2’s ruin? The ‘alone girl’ is a nice coinage. The songs, to this point, have been building in complexity- especially harmonistically. Song 6 on Side 1 ends this side with both a continuation of that trend, & a shift away, lyrically & musically. Rod Argent penned Hung Up On A Dream, a seeming ode to 1967’s Summer Of Love, released in the sequel to that summer- 7/68. This time no vocal chorus exists- but a building instrumental fury exists in its stead. Note, too, how discreetly it touches upon ‘the scene’ of the day- unlike many of the more sodden songs that languished in the day’s excesses. The guitaring is doubled & fuses a strong drive toward the emotional peaks that end stanzas 1 & 3. The mellotron swells in this crescendo, as the vocals also climax.

Well I remember yesterday
Just drifting slowly through a crowded street
With neon darkness shimmering through the haze
A sea of faces rippling in the heat
And from that nameless changing crowd
A sweet vibration seemed to fill the air
I stood astounded staring hard
At men with flowers resting in their hair...
 
[Instrumental]

A sweet confusion filled my mind
Until I woke up only finding everything was just a dream
A dream unusual of its kind
That gave me peace and blew my mind
And now I'm hung up on a dream...

They spoke with soft persuading words
About a living creed of gentle love
And turned the arm to sounds unheard
And showed me strangest clouded sights above
Which gentle touched my aching mind
And soothed the wanderings of my troubled brain
Sometimes I think I'll never find
Such purity and peace of mind again...  

  The lyrics, this time, are almost prosaic. 1 should also notice that the 3 Argent songs are more complex lyrically, while the 3 White songs push the harmonics to their limits. That was Side 1 of Odessey And Oracle. Side 2 kicks off with another Chris White song, Changes. The musical regressiveness of the opening chorus stands in stark contrast to the staccato ring of the short-lined lyrics of the song’s main body. This goes beyond any of the harmonizing on side 1- Blunstone’s voice is pristine, & stands in great contrast to the choral ensemble’s gorgeousness. The insistent 1 note of the main body’s piano playing is also nicely played off of by the flute, the cymbals, & the mellotron. The lyrics are sweet, yet insistent. The main body is stark, yet emotional.

Chorus
I knew her when summer was her crown 
And autumn sad 
How brown her eyes... 

Now 
See her walk by 
Peppermint coat 
Button-down clothes 
Buttoned-up high 
Diamonds and stones 
Hang from her hand 
Isn't she smart? 
Isn't she grand? 

Chorus
Antichorus
I knew her when winter was her cloak 
And spring her voice 
She spoke to me...

Now
Silver and gold
Strawberry clothes
Money will buy
Something to hold
See in her eyes
Nothing will last
Like emerald stones
And platinum

Chorus
Antichorus

Now
Silver and gold
Strawberry clothes
Money will buy
Something to hold
See in her eyes
Nothing will last
Like emerald stones
And platinum

Chorus
Antichorus
Chorus

  This is also the most lyrically challenging Chris White song yet. Check out some of these gems: ‘summer was her crown /And autumn sad /How brown’, ‘Peppermint coat/Button-down clothes /Buttoned-up high’, ‘winter was her cloak/And spring her voice/She spoke’, & ‘in her eyes/Nothing will last/Like emerald stones/And platinum’. This song is amazing. More amazing is how this, & all the other songs, flopped as singles. They are so hook-filled. 1 can only assume that people were turned off by the often dour themes, or that the songs were not as drugged-out as the stuff that most bands- from the Beatles & Rolling Stones to the Grateful Dead & Jefferson Airplane- were clogging the charts with. It may be no coincidence that the song that saved the album from total obscurity, Time Of The Season, is the song most like the drugged-out mantras those other groups spun.

  Not so with Side 2’s Song 2, Rod Argent’s I Want Her She Wants Me, released in 7/68- which he also is the lead singer on. The music on this song is also very complex- ranging from the bouncy main body of the song, to the harp & drum’s sibilanc, used to give the tune a punctuated sense of urgency in the chorus. Against the rest of the album this is a comparatively light love song.

I close my eyes and soon I'm feeling sleepy
I sleep so easy
There's nothing on my mind
And life seems kind
Now, I want her she wants me

I walk downtown and as I look around me
All around me
The people smile at me
It's plain to see that
I want her she wants me

Chorus
She told me to be careful
If I loved her
'Cause she had given her heart
Once before...

And now she knows she doesn't have to worry
I would not make her sorry
There's nothing on my mind
And life seems kind
Now, I want her she wants me

Chorus
And now she knows she doesn't have to worry
I would not make her sorry
There's nothing on my mind
And life seems kind
Now, I want her she wants me

I want her she wants me (12x to fadeout)

  This is also a rather lyrically simple song- compared to Side 1’s Argent tunes. Ditto for the Chris White song that follows as Side 2’s Song 3, This Will Be Our Year, released in 6/68- another flopperoo as a single. Lyrically, this song is a little more complex than its predecessor. Blunstone quavers emotionally throughout the song- & it is a marvelous line he has bestrode. But look at the use of the chorus.

The warmth of your love's
Like the warmth from the sun
And this will be our year
Took a long time to come...
 
Don't let go of my hand
Now the darkness has gone
This will be our year
Took a long time to come...

Chorus
And I won't forget
The way you helped me up when I was down
And I won't forget
The way you said "darling, I love you"
You gave me faith to go on
Now we're there
And we've only just begun
This will be our year
Took a long time to come...

The warmth of your smile
Smile for me, little one
And this will be our year
Took a long time to come...

You don't have to worry
All your worry days are gone
And this will be our year
Took a long time to come...

Chorus

And this will be our year
Took a long time to come...

  Lyrically this song is very interesting. The 4 stanzas of the main body of the song each contain their own little mini-chori, while the chorus is actually a longer stanza than the main body- 1 could argue which, indeed, is the chorus. Again, the lyrical complexity (love those ‘worry days’) & interestingness comes not from what is said, but how what is said, repeatedly, plays off of the other things said. This is the equivalent of taking a staid poetic topic, using its familiar images, yet structurally using the familiar in unfamiliar ways- thereby reinvigorating the art.

  The next song- # 4 on Side 2- is the most powerful & political song on the album, as well in the whole Zombies canon: Butcher’s Tale (Western Front, 1914). Chris White wrote this complex & frightening ode, & he sung its lead. It was released in 6/68. It is an anti-war song that evokes much of the ethos of the World War 1 poets Wilfred Owen, & Siegfried Sassoon. It is an elegant, yet wrenching, song that uses the slightly out of tuneness of a church organ & an accordion. White’s raspy vocals add to the sense of someone on their last legs (so to speak). Death is in the air, & it stinks.

A butcher yes that was my trade
But the king's shilling is now my fee
A butcher I may as well have stayed
For the slaughter that I see
And the preacher in his pulpit
Sermon: ‘Go and fight, do what is right’
But he don't have to hear these guns
And I'll bet he sleeps at night

Chorus
And I
And I can't stop shaking
My hands won't stop shaking
My arms won't stop shaking
My mind won't stop shaking
I want to go home
Please let me go home
Go home

And I have seen a friend of mine 
Hang on the wire like some rag toy 
Then in the heat the flies come down 
And cover up the boy
And the flies come down in 
Gommecourt, Thiepval, Mametz Wood, and French Verdun
If the preacher he could see those flies 
Wouldn't preach for the sound of guns

Chorus 

   The chorus mimics the inward gasps of the dying, which seems to end at the 2^nd utterance of ‘Please let me go home/Go home’. The choral description of shellshock [My mind won't stop shaking] is riveting, as is Stanza 2’s listing of battlefields. Compared to many of the anti-war songs of the era, this is still fresh & has power; it does not reek of a time unrecoverable. It somehow manages to be funereal, yet not a dirge.

  The next tune, Side 2’s 5^th song, Friends Of Mine, nests between the 2 most complex songs on the album- Butcher’s Tale (Western Front, 1914) & Time Of The Season- yet is another complex, harmonic masterpiece- only this 1 is far more upbeat than Side 1’s songs in that vein. It was released in 11/68 & penned by Chris White. Its dual harmonies & competing antiphons (in parentheses) make this song the owner of the most complex harmonies on the album.

When we're all in a crowd
And you catch her eye
And then you both smile
I feel so good inside
And when I'm with her
She talks about you
The things that you say
The things that you do

Chorus
It feels so good to know two people
So in love...
So in love...
They are friends of mine
(Joyce and Terry)
They are friends of mine
(Paul and Molly)
And they've got something
(Liz and Brian)
It's so hard to find
(Joy and David)
They are friends of mine
(Kim and Maggie)
They are friends of mine
(June and Duffy)
And they've got something
(Jean and Jim)
You don't often find
(And Jim and Christine)

She takes your hand
When the world stays outside
That's something to see
That's nothing to hide
And when I feel bad
When people disappoint me
That's when I need you two
To help me believe
 
Chorus (2x)
 
Joyce and Terry
Paul and Molly
Liz and Brian
Joy and David
Kim and Maggie
June and Duffy
Jean and Jim
And Jim and Christine...  

  This happy tune has harmonies mixed with clashing cymbals. The 2^nd main body stanza is really a gem. Side 2’s 6^th song- & the album’s coda- is Rod Argent’s Time Of The Season, the most famous Zombies’ song. Supposedly Argent came up with the song after misunderstanding a lyric from Smokey Robinson’s The Tracks Of My Tears. Released in 11/68 it is 1 of the most played songs in radio history.

It's the time of the season
When love runs high
In this time, give it to me easy
And let me try
With pleasured hands
To take you in the sun to
Promised lands
To show you every one
It's the time of the season for loving...

Chorus
What's your name?
Who's your daddy?
Is he rich like me?
Has he taken any time 
To show you what you need to live?
Tell it to me slowly
Tell you what I really want to know
It's the time of the season for loving...

[Instrumental]

Chorus

  Look at this lyric: ‘To take you in the sun to/Promised lands/To show you every one’. 2 possible clichés subverted- you are taken in- not with- the sun, & the lands Promised are plural, not singular. Little twists like this make competent songwriting great. It starts with a great hook, seductive handclapping, a smooth bass, the addictive gulp & Ahhh!, the call & echo lines, & Rod Argent’s organ solo. While not the best song on the album it’s little wonder why this tune saved the album- & band- from oblivion.

Outro

  Let’s bring it on home by stating this was an album that was both great (classic rock) & greatly innovative- a hard to come by dufecta; an album rippling with psychedelic experimentation, dark pop lyricism, & multivalent great aspects from 1^st song to last. The weakest song on the album- probably This Will Be Our Year- is still better than 99% of the Top 40 songs that ever charted. As to the question of why this superb group of musicians never hit the successful heights of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, or even the Dave Clark 5, 1 can only imagine it may have been something as prosaic as lacking a colorful Bad Boy like Mick Jagger, or a ‘Cute’ band member, like Paul McCartney, &- oddly- the band’s early demise did not immortalize them the way the later Sex Pistols or Nirvana were. They were also not a ‘dangerous’ band like The Who or Led Zeppelin, they did not have a gimmick like Black Sabbath, or an ethos like Cream. Yet, they were ahead of their time in many ways. A decade after their career the Swedish supergroup Abba rode very Zombified tunes (mixed in with a dancier beat) to Beatles-like sales, as did the group Foreigner, with lush harmonies & short radio-friendly (albeit harder rocking) tunes a hallmark of their early work. Acoustic acts like the Indigo Girls, a quarter century later, took a very Zombified approach to harmonies. This group of near-forgotten popsters have an influence in pop that only their contemporaries, the Yardbirds, could claim to have surpassed.
  But, influence aside, & dealing with just their work in general & this album in particular, consider these pluses: Colin Blunstone's breathy, soulful lead vocals, the band's masterful multilayered harmonies, Rod Argent's melodic keyboard wizardry, & Chris White’s songwriting & arranging, which pushed pop- British & American- beyond its early ‘She Loves You, yeah, yeah, yeah’ simplicity & toward true & great art. Whatever you do- go out, buy, & listen to this album- the latest (c)rap &/or bubble gum pop can wait. Make this the Time Of The Zombies!

Rod Argent chimes in:

From: cargent@attglobal.net 
To: "Dan Schneider" cosmoetica@att.net 
Subject: Re: Of Interest?
Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 15:01:23 +0100

Thanks, Dan -I read it with a lot of pleasure.
Kind regards,
Rod

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