Line #17 Music/TheZombies


1	[[quoteright:323:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zom10_7166.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:323:The Zombies, circa 1965. From left to right: Hugh Grundy, Paul Atkinson, Chris White, Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone.]]
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4	The Zombies are an English rock band, formed in St. Albans in 1961. Like many of their contemporaries, they started out playing American rhythm and blues (as exemplified with their debut album ''Music/BeginHere'') but rapidly developed their own BaroquePop sound, characterized by principal songwriter Rod Argent's keyboard and organ solos and lead singer Colin Blunstone's breathy vocals. This culminated in their most highly regarded work, ''Music/OdesseyAndOracle'', in 1968. Although they had a handful of hits in both their home country and the United States, they never received the attention or commercial success of their contemporaries. Indeed, the lack of commercial success meant that by the time ''Music/OdesseyAndOracle'' was released, they had broken up. Ironically, a single taken from the album, "Time of the Season", would go on to become one of their biggest hits despite the absence of a band to promote it.
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6	The Zombies briefly reunited in 1990 (without Atkinson or Argent, and with Sebastian Santa Maria), and recorded the album ''New World''. Another brief reunion (this time of all 5 founding members. Meanwhile, Santa Maria died in 1996 from adrenoleukodystrophy) occurred in 1997, and it would be the last time they all reunited. Paul Atkinson died in 2004 from liver and kidney disease.
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8	Argent and Blunstone reunited in 2001, and resurrected "The Zombies" name in 2004. That year they released ''As Far As I Can See...'', which was poorly received. This reformed Zombies with Argent, Blunstone and others continue to tour to this day and have released the strongly received album ''Breathe Out, Breathe In'' in 2011.
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11	!!Principal Members (Founding members in '''bold''', current members in ''italic''):
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13	* Keith Airey - guitar, vocals (2001-2010)
14	* '''''Rod Argent''''' - piano, organ, keyboard, mellotron, backing and lead vocals, harmonica (1961-1968, 1997, 2001-present)
15	* '''Paul Arnold''' - bass (1961-1962)
16	* '''Paul Atkinson''' - guitar, vocals (1961-1968, 1997, died 2004)
17	* '''''Colin Blunstone''''' - lead vocals (1961-1968, 1990-1991, 1997, 2001-present)
18	* '''Hugh Grundy''' - drums, vocals (1961-1968, 1990-1991, 1997, 2008)
19	* Sebastian Santa Maria - organ, keyboard, guitar (1990-1991, died 1996)
20	* [[Music/TheKinks Jim Rodford]] - bass, vocals (2001-2018, died 2018)
21	* ''Steve Rodford'' - drums (2001-Present)
22	* ''Tom Tooney'' - guitar, vocals (2010-present)
23	* Chris White - bass, backing and lead vocals (1962-1968, 1990-1991, 1997, 2008)
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26	!!Studio and Live Discography:
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28	* 1965 - ''[[Music/BeginHere The Zombies]]'' [[note]]Released in the US only. Essentially the US version of ''Music/BeginHere''[[/note]]
29	* 1965 - ''The Zombies'' [[note]]EP released only in the UK[[/note]]
30	* 1965 - ''Music/BeginHere''
31	* 1968 - ''Music/OdesseyAndOracle''
32	* 1990 - ''New World''
33	* 2003 - ''Live at the BBC''
34	* 2004 - ''As Far As I Can See...''
35	* 2005 - ''Live at the Bloomsbury Theatre, London''
36	* 2008 - ''Odessey and Oracle: 40th Anniversary Live Concert''
37	* 2011 - ''Breathe Out, Breathe In''
38	* 2012 - ''Live in Concert at Metropolis Studios''
39	* 2013 - ''Live in the UK''
40	* 2015 - ''Still Got That Hunger''
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43	!!It's the time of the season for troping:
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45	* BandOfRelatives: Reunion-era bassist Jim Rodford was Rod Argent's cousin, while drummer Steve Rodford was Jim's son.
46	* BaroquePop: One of the defining bands.
47	* BreakupSong: "Maybe After He's Gone", "Brief Candles" (which is about someone else's break-up).
48	* CherubicChoir: Argent had been a choirboy in St. Albans as a child.
49	* DeathbringerTheAdorable: You wouldn't think that a band with a name like this could have a catalogue so full of honest-to-God love songs, would you?
50	* EarnYourHappyEnding: The reunion concerts and reissue of ''Music/OdesseyAndOracle'' meant that they finally received the recognition they deserved... Forty years too late. The album now frequently appears in "greatest album" lists.
51	* IAmTheBand: Thoroughly averted. Although Blunstone’s distinctive vocals helped to give them their distinctive sound, the band was very much an ensemble and all five members were given equal treatment on record sleeves and promotional materials. The band is also known for its harmonies, and lead vocals were frequently shared.
52	* InNameOnly: Did you know that Music/ZZTop's Dusty Hill and Frank Beard were once members of the Zombies? No, not the British band featuring Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent, but the so-called "Texas Zombies", a band managed by a company that purportedly acquired the rights to the real Zombies' songs. They also managed a Michigan version of the Zombies, and both bands toured the U.S. in 1969 to build on the success of "Time of the Season", which was recorded in 1967 but became a belated U.S. hit for the real Zombies after they disbanded.
53	** A recent article [[https://www.buzzfeed.com/danielralston/the-true-story-of-the-fake-zombies-the-strangest-con-in-rock?utm_term=.tcZ6REoeX#.nwBzwMOxb tells the story of both ersatz American Zombies in great detail]], a story of dubious claims of authenticity, shady business practices, and apparently, Texans speaking in fake English accents.
54	* InTheStyleOf: "I Remember When I Loved Her" (similar to Music/TheBeatles' "And I Love Her"), "She Does Everything for Me" (similar to Music/{{The Rolling Stones\|Band}}' "Paint It Black"), "Beechwood Park" (similar to Music/ProcolHarum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale"), and "Hung Up on a Dream" (similar to Music/TheBeatles' "A Day in the Life" ''and'' Music/TheBeachBoys' "Good Vibrations")
55	* ListSong: "Friends of Mine."
56	* LyricalDissonance: "Care of Cell 44," an upbeat song whose lyrics are a love letter to a female ex-con.
57	* NonAppearingTitle: "Care of Cell 44," "Changes," and "Butcher's Tale (Western Front, 1914)."
58	* NostalgiaFilter: "Hung Up on a Dream" is nostalgic for the Summer of Love.
59	** Which had occurred mere months before.
60	* PopStarComposer: They contributed songs to the film ''[[Film/BunnyLakeIsMissing Bunny Lake is Missing]]'', in which they briefly appear on a television set.
61	* RougeAnglesOfSatin / TyopOnTheCover: The spelling mistake in the title of ''Music/OdesseyAndOracle''. The band did at the time try to claim it was an intentional [[{{Pun}} play on the word "odes"]] but no: The guy who designed the cover just didn't know how to spell. [[note]] For the record, it should be "odyssey." [[/note]]
62	* SillyLoveSongs: Plenty.
63	* SpinOff: The band Argent can be considered as such -- it continued Rod Argent's tradition of fancy keyboard work and paired him with another talented, high-pitched lead vocalist (Russ Ballard), albeit in a heavier rock vein. And while Zombies bassist Chris White was not part of the lineup, he was a primary songwriter for the new band.
64	* StepUpToTheMicrophone: Chris White sings lead vocals on "Butcher's Tale (Western Front, 1914)" and "Imagine the Swan," as well as co-lead vocals on "Brief Candles." Rod Argent sings lead vocals on "I Want Her, She Wants Me," as well as co-lead vocals on "Brief Candles."
65	* WarIsHell: "Butcher's Tale (Western Front, 1914)"

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