Rod Argent and The Zombies. Rock History – Part Two

Considering three of The Zombies‘ biggest hits have been permanently embedded in Rock n Roll history, more than a few people considered Argent‘s choice to go ahead with his new band in 1969, a bit bizarre …

“Really – after all that had happened, I think as a group, we were all a bit tired.” Explains Argent of the ‘Zombie’s thinking. ” The business of music can be tough and really – to this day, I have always wanted to do this for the music. Don’t get me wrong. I always wanted to be successful and make money and still do. Music and integrity were and are very important to me.”

The group Argent consisted of Argent on keyboards, bass and vocals, Jim Rodford on bass, Bob Henrit on drums and guitarist/keyboardist Russ Ballard. The vocal duties were shared between Ballard, Rodford, and Argent. Rod Argent and Ballard were the principle songwriters with a bit of help from former Zombie bass player Chris White as producer and …

‘Hold Your Head Up‘ ( Argent’s biggest hit which hit number five on the U. S charts) has an interesting history according to Argent.

“That song is a slow-downed version, bass – wise of ‘Time of The Season’. Chris wrote all of the lyrics and I believe they were about a girlfriend he had just met at the time. I am not sure, you would have to ask Chris about that …. We went into the studio to record the song and I just started fooling around on bass, looking for a groove to fit Chris ‘ song.” He continues. ” If you listen to ‘Time of the Season’ – you can distinctively pick out the beginning of ‘Hold Your Head Up’. It worked out brilliantly!”

Unfortunately ( or fortunately), Argent’s success came from their songs being ‘covered’ by other artists. The song ‘ God Gave Rock and Roll to You’, penned by Ballard, was covered by Kiss in 1991 under the name “God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll to You II“. That song was featured in the soundtrack and film; Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. Another Ballard composition was a hit for another band with a familiar name. ‘Liar’ was recorded and released by Three Dog Night.

” The royalties were great, really …” Laughs Argent. ” It was like The Zombies in a way. Money was coming in but artistically it was not working. I was getting more and more interested in the producing side of things and just like The Zombies – Argent disbanded in 1975 amicably.”

Rod Argent continued his positive thoughts and not looking back. He worked with Andrew Lloyd Weber on the production side of things and opened up a keyboard shop in London. It was not until 1991 that The Zombies reunited.

They released an album entitled “New World” which was never released in the U. S. or North America. Then, on Tuesday 25th November 1997, at the Jazz Club in London, all of the original Zombies got back on stage and played live for the first time in 28 years!”

“What a wonderful experience that was!’ Say Argent. “The album New World started the sparks flying and that reunion, especially ‘live’ ignited the fire really!. By starting to tour with Colin in 2000 ( Blunstone had a moderately successful solo career), we discovered the magic and reason why we had got together in the first place. Colin and I have always been friends. He has helped me over the years with songwriting and production as I have helped him. On the record ‘New World’, we purposely avoided the Zombie sound and tried to incorporate what was going on musically in our minds at that time. ”

Blunstone and Argent toured under their own names until promoters (duh) realized they had more drawing power under the name The Zombies.

In 2002, an anthology was released of The Zombies material which included every Zombie song ever recorded. 2004 saw the release of a new album; As Far as I Can See. Keeping with the Zombie tradition of the 1960’s, the album received mixed reviews, especially in England. Original Zombie guitarist Paul Atkinson passed in 2004, making Argent and Blundstone more focused touring and recording as The Zombies.

“I think when someone passes away that reminds you of your youth, it is always a time to reflect really …” Injects Argent. ” It gives you an indication of your own mortality. Colin and I used this to make an attempt at capturing the true Zombies’ sound on our latest record. I believe we have …”

In 2010 Tom Toomey replaced Keith Airey on guitar. In 2011, the Zombies, now known as The Zombies featuring Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent, released a new studio album called “Breathe Out, Breathe In“.

The band has been touring the world practically non – stop since 2011 and have been receiving favorable album reviews and fantastic ‘live’ reviews from audiences everywhere. For once – the band is together while the accolades come in ….