The Zombies: Tiny Desk Concert

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Download: MP3 WINDOWS

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 07:00:00 -0400

Predicting music that will survive the ages just isn't possible. And the very existence of The Zombies in 2012 is even more baffling. Don't get me wrong; I love this group. A few of their 45 RPM singles — "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No" — I can still recall spinning 'round on my record player as a kid. But understand that this band didn't do so well at home in England and that its best known song, "Time of the Season," came out after the band had already broken up. The fact that The Zombies were here at my desk, that the band put out a record of new songs — Breathe Out, Breathe In — that the full band just completed a U.S. tour and that they sounded fabulous (I saw them twice in the past six months) is beyond surreal, it's a marvel.

This stripped-down version of The Zombies features two founding members: Rod Argent, the very adept keyboard player and backing vocalist, and singer Colin Blunstone. It may be Blunstone's voice — that sultry, gentle, kicked-back style — that defined the band's sound. These days that voice packs more punch than it used to, which is odd and amazing for a 67-year-old singer, though it's still unmistakably him. We caught Blunstone early in the morning for this Tiny Desk Concert, a time of the day when his range was self-admittedly a bit strained. However, the essence is still all there and so is the chemistry between Colin and Rod, a chemistry that began 51 years ago.