Episode notes
The Zombies have one of the most extraordinary stories in all of Rock'n'Roll. They won a battle of the bands to earn a recording contract, and during that first session recorded the iconic "She's Not There" with its slinky bass line, cool organ sound and sweet 3-part harmonies. As it turns out, the first engineer passed out drunk, and had to be replaced. The band were a huge sensation, and washed up a few years later. However, months after they had broken up, with the insistence of Blood Sweat & Tears' Al Kooper, their song, "Time of the Season," became a slow-burn hit. It allowed Blunstone to leave his 9-5, and become a musician again, creating the gorgeous baroque pop solo album, One Year, that would be an enormous influence on many nineties indie pop artists even beyond the obvious once like The Delgados and Belle & Sebastien. He continued to release solo albums and now has over a dozen. Around the millennium, he and Rod Argent reformed the Zombies, whose music was now held in higher regard than at any time in their career, and launched a second run showcasing their still abundant skills to those still curious. Meanwhile, Blunstone has continued to build and grow, as he puts the finishing touches on his first album of entirely original content -- only his own songs -- at the age of 81. It's never too late to try something new.
We talk about the many fortuitous incidents that led to their creation, the slow slippery slide when you stop atop the pole, and the many mitzvahs that have allowed him to not just endure but grow, and make music with the same set of childhood chums his entire life.