Audio from SoundCloud:
Setlist:
- "Time of the Season"
- "Misty Roses"
- "Caroline Goodbye"
- "She's Not There"
My transcription (starting at ~3:36 in the Facebook Live video, after audience chatter)
Unknown host: Well, welcome in, everybody, to a very packed and soon to be very warm Audio-Technica Studio C here at the Summit. Uh, we are super excited today and honored to have the Zombies [applause, possibly drowning out further comments]. And we are recording audio and video for this, so ringtones, please silence those, and pictures are OK during the session, but please no flash, and I believe Colin and the crew will be available afterwards to sign some autographs and do pictures, so, and they've got merch for sale over there as well for after the session. We're gonna record this and air it back at 6 o'clock tomorrow night, so you can tell friends and family and Facebook and tweet and Instagram and whatever else you kids do these days 'cause I'm too old for that stuff. Uh, anything, any pictures you do take, whatever platform you share 'em online, please use the hashtag #liveatstudioC. That way, we can search, and people can search and see what you guys saw while you were here, uh.
Unknown woman (Cindy Da Silva?): And please hashtag the band, as well.
Unknown host: And hashtag the Zombies?
Unknown woman: The Zombies.
Unknown host: Hashtag the Zombies as well so then they can see what you saw since they're [seeing a] different perspective here. Um, we are also doing Facebook Live [indistinct].
Man running Facebook Live: Wave, everyone!
Unknown host: Facebook Live. So you'll be able to share that video as well and make all your friends on Facebook jealous. Um, we are, as I said, super excited and honored that they could make time. They were at the Rock [and Roll] Hall [of Fame] last night [indistinct]. And they were gracious enough to stay an extra night and come in today and do this session for you guys, and thank you all for making this happen, truly, because you guys are the engine that runs this radio station each and every day. We get to play on the radio and play great music for you guys, but without your support, this would not happen, so thank you all very, very much, and I believe we're gonna turn things over now to one Brad Savage.
Brad: Yeah, yeah, so
Unknown host: And, uh
Brad: I'll be in the back, doin' the, uh, interview between the songs, and we'll bring the house lights down, uh, little bit [indistinct]. Check, check. Hey, this is working. Oh! And, and Erin needs to start the cameras real quick.
Erin: Sorry, I'm coming! I'm coming! I'm sorry!
Brad: So, this'll- the, the video portion for Western Reserve PBS, that- those take a few weeks for production, uh, but, you know, late end of the summer is when that'll actually air. Our TV show is Friday nights at 9 p.m. on Western Reserve PBS, so we're so excited and, uh, let's see.
Unknown man: Don't forget to silence your ring tones as well.
Brad: Oh, yeah, silence the ring tones; that's important.
Unknown man: Silence your phones.
[The audio from Soundcloud starts here.]
Colin: Brad, can I just say a couple of things?
Brad: Yeah!
Colin: I just wanted to say that usually when we do these sort of things, I have my usual partner in crime with me, Rod Argent, and sadly he can't be here this, this morning, uh, and he says he's really sorry and sends, sends his love to you all, but, um, our guitarist from the Zombies, Tom Toomey, has very kindly stepped in, so this is a world first. We have never, ever done this before.
If it goes well, of course, we'll do it again, and if it goes badly, we will never do it again, so we'll, we'll see how it goes, and if I could just tell you a little story: I was outside just now, and a very beautiful lady came up to me, and she said, "Just remember: this is an audience of music lovers; think of them as your family." And I said, "When I sing in front of my family, they all tell me to shut up." So I really do hope you're not gonna do that, family. OK, and then we're gonna, we're gonna sing some songs and do some talking. Hope you're gonna have a great time.
Brad: Alright. [Audience applause] Well, welcome, welcome, everyone. We've got a full house of Summit members in our Audio-Technica Studio C performance area, and, uh, it's quite an honor. I mean true legends in music, in rock and roll, and, uh, celebrating a major anniversary of their Odessey and Oracle album. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Zombies. [Applause]
And, uh, we'll do a, we've got kind of a unique, special set up here today, kind of a world premier in this particular four-piece setting, uh, of the group, so, uh, to first introduce Colin Blunstone. Welcome, Colin. Thanks for bein' here. [Applause] And also guitarist Tom Toomey. Welcome, Tom. [Applause] And hello to Hugh Grundy. Hello, Hugh. [Applause]
Hugh: Hello, hello.
Brad: And rounding out our four-piece is Chris White today. How's it goin', Chris? [Applause]
Chris: Hi. Fine. Fine.
Brad: And, uh, as we mentioned at the onset, yes, Rod Argent is un-, uh, unable to be here today. Uh, but this is very special for our Summit members because usually when you guys do these type of interviews, it's more of a keyboard-driven type of thing, and, uh, doing it as a, as a mostly stripped back, acou-, uh, guitar session, this is a first, right?
Colin: This is absolutely a first.
Brad: Ha!
Colin: And if it goes badly, it'll be a last as well.
Chris: And-
Colin: So we're keeping everything crossed.
Chris: And, and Hugh and I were on the way to the airport.
Brad: Right.
Hugh: Funny thing happened to us on the way to the airport.
Colin: They didn't know, even know they were coming. They thought they would watch tennis this morning.
Hugh: I was watching tennis.
Colin: And then go to the airport, so we, we've caught them.
Brad: Well-
Hugh: Glad to be here, [I] have to say.
Brad: Yeah, and no, it's, it's, uh, just terrific to, uh, to meet you guys and share this music with our Summit members, and I'll tell you what: let's jump in and do, uh, a first song and, uh, maybe you could say a little bit about this notable, signature tune that you guys are gonna start with today.
Colin: OK, well, we're gonna play the last song* that we recorded for our last album, Odessey and Oracle, with the original band. It was recorded in studio three in Abbey Road. We were really, really watching the clock; we had such a small recording budget that things got very, very tense, and this song had just been written, and I wasn't getting the phrasing quite right, so Rod was tryin' to coach me from the control room. The pressure's getting more and more. I can see the clock just like that. It was ticking by, and then we started shouting at one another and with the worst language you can possibly imagine, and it always makes me smile because while we were saying [vague argumentative noises] all this sort of stuff, I'm singing, "It's the time of the season for loving." So maybe if you can just remember that while we, while we sing this song.
[Performance of "Time of the Season"]
Brad: We are live in Studio C, an exclusive performance with the Zombies today, and, uh, we do a lotta sessions in this room. We have a lotta local and regional bands, indie bands, and so forth, but that just might one of the most famous songs that's ever been performed live in Studio C, uh, really, I mean, what a, what a legendary album and song and place in rock and roll history, and, uh, Summit members here in Studio C, let's just give another hand for the Zombies for bein' here today.
[Applause]
So, let's talk just a little about Odessey and Oracle and, you know, the fiftieth anniversary and just how much of a landmark album that has become. At the beginning, when you guy started recording that, did you set out to, uh, to make a classic album in rock and roll history, uh, and, uh, you know, maybe, maybe we can get Hugh to sa-, to make some remarks about that.
Hugh: You certainly can, thank you. Um, I don't think we set out to make a, a classic album because I don't think you know you're doin' it when you're doing it, but we had the songs, and we rehearsed them endlessly until we went into the studio, and, um, and recorded it there and then, within the time limits which we've already heard about. Um.
Chris: It's also basically the first time that Rod and I had produced ourselves
Hugh: Yeah.
Chris: 'cause we weren't quite happy with the way it was going, so we managed to get into Abbey Road, which- we're the only group I think who weren't signed to EMI at the time. We were the first group who were non-EMI. But we had a very small budget, so as Hugh said, we had to rehearse ourselves very silly, and
Hugh: Uh.
Chris: we did three-hour sessions. Sorry.
Hugh: While, uh, of course, being in the studio there, there were one or two instruments lying around, which, um, we were able to use because of the tracking we had available. Um, for instance, there was a Mellotron left there by John Lennon, and, uh, Rod at that point decided to use it, and it became a lot of the sound of, uh, of Odessey and Oracle.
Brad: Wow. I mean, just hearing the, these type of, of stories and, um, you know, from that, that legendary era of, uh, of rock and roll. Oh, and now here we are, we're, we're, uh, today in Akron, Ohio, recording this session for the Summit radio. You guys have been kind enough to stay back, uh, in Ohio one more day after an event at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last night, so, uh, tell us, uh, a little bit, uh, and, and maybe Colin can talk about what that, uh, session was all about yesterday and kind of campaigning for induction, right? A little bit.
Colin: Well, I hope so.
Hugh: Third time lucky.
Brad: Yeah!
Colin: It would be wonderful. You know, um, we've been nominated twice, but we haven't been, obviously, been inducted, so that would be fantastic. It would be the icing on the cake for us, but yesterday there was, uh, there's an exhibition of Zombies memorabilia**, and, um, it's all, it's, uh, Rod's electric piano, Chris's home-made bass, which he used on "She's Not There." I mean, we were practically an amateur band when we recorded "She's Not There" way back in 1964, and Chris was playing a home-made bass, and a lot of the, the memorabilia from that time is in this exhibition. What I really liked, it- well, it was great to see, um, all these things I hadn't seen for ages. There's a pullover of mine right in the middle. It's rather misshapen now and rather discoloured.
Chris: That's not because I was wearing it later, you know.
Colin: Well, it might have something to do with it 'cause Chris did wear it in a photograph.*** Um, but, uh, I've for- completely forgotten what I was gonna say.... I know what I was gonna say! And in the next exhibition is the Doors, and then right next door is U2, so when you walk in there, after all these years that we've been playing, remember: we started off as fifteen-year-old boys and had no idea that we would ever be celebrating a fiftieth anniversary in the home of rock and roll. The US for us is the home of rock and roll. It's, it's the golden grail. It's, it's, it's where everyone wants to come play, and there we are, in an exhibition next door to these two musical giants, so for us it was absolutely wonderful, and also we got champagne! So it was a wonderful afternoon.
Brad: Nice.
Colin: We were really, really thrilled.
Hugh: It certainly was a wonderful afternoon. Just a quick a-, a-, addition to that: um, Chris and I flew in especially for it. Uh, we came in on Tuesday. We did the wonderful thing yesterday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and
Chris: And we're on the way to the airport now.
Hugh: and we're on the way to the airport now.
Brad: Yeah.
Hugh: Funny thing happened on the way to the airport.
Brad: "Hey, guys, you gotta do a radio session before you go, go home," right?
Hugh: Why not?
Brad: "Stop on by." Well, it's a, an honor to have you here, and, uh, let's, uh, let's do another live song, and, uh, which, which one up next, uh, and I understand, uh, this is one that is recorded under, under Colin Blunstone's name as a solo hit, right?
Colin: That's right, yeah, um, when the Zombies finished, Rod and Chris, um, started up a band called Argent, and I started a solo career, but Rod and Chris produced my first three albums, so in a way, my solo career started practically [as] the Zombies but under a, another name
Brad: Right.
Colin: if you see what I mean.
Brad: Yep.
Colin: And one of the songs that we recorded all those years ago - I guess it was about 1970 - was a wonderful Tim Hardin song called "Misty Roses," so this gives us a chance to play something that we don't normally play in a Zombies set, but remember Tim Hardin; he's an American singer/songwriter, one of the most beautiful writers there ever was, and this is one of his songs. It's called "Misty Roses."
[Performance of "Misty Roses"]
Brad: Well, today, it's a very special set-up in Studio C and a special performance from the Zombies live for, uh, an audience of Summit members, and for those listening on the radio, uh, hearing this interview, this is one of the top perks of being a station member and being, uh, belonging to the music as we say, as, uh, you get the invites to Studio C sessions and other special events for Summit members. Um, uh, maybe, maybe you guys could speak, uh, of the impact of radio airplay over the years, especially those ear-, you know, those early singles, you know, "She's Not There" and "Time of the Season" and "Tell Her No." I mean, these are songs that got a tremendous amount of airplay, uh, that made them into the classics that they've become, uh, in music history, so, uh, yeah, cou-, yeah, Chris, please, uh, to talk about the value of radio over the years.
Chris: Well, it very- it was very important for us in the U.K., um, uh, we all had [indistinct] pirate stations, which, uh, managed to make music far more interesting.
Brad: Right.
Chris: That, that was that period. And then we were very lucky with "She's Not There" because we had a programme called Juke Box Jury, which was a television programme where they voted on new singles, and one day, George Harrison was one of the members of the thing [the panel], and he heard our record for the first time and really liked it, so that was a great help to us and so it got played on the radio much more.
Brad: Well, a-, and, I, I wanna go back to what you said about the pirate radio stations. We were just discussing this yesterday, our staff. Uh, at the time in the late sixties, the BBC was not playing rock music; they didn't play rock and roll, so the pirate radio station[s] - Radio Caroline was probably the most famous - they would anchor on a boat offshore and play your music, and I know a lot of the Zombies songs from playlists of those stations. Wh- what was it like listening to those type[s] of radio stations?
Colin: Well, they were fantastic, absolutely the opposite to [the] BBC. BBC was very proper. They- literally, I think they had one programme a week that played pop music; otherwise, it was light orchestral music.
Brad: Yep.
Colin: It was, it was very, very dull. and...
Chris: And also we- the only other-
Colin: All those lovers of light orchestral music, I apologize. But I mean, it was continuous, you know? I mean, you a bit of variety.
Chris (simultaneously with Colin's last remark): It was called The Light Programme, wasn't it, yeah?
Brad: Yeah.
Chris: It was called The Light Programme.
Colin: It was called The Light Programme, yeah.
Chris: But the only other thing we got was listening to Radio Luxembourg, which was the first pirate station, right in the middle of Europe. It was broadcast to us from two oh eight, wasn't it, or something?
Colin: Two oh eight, yeah.
Chris: And it used to go in and out of phase as well, so that we first heard our rock and roll from America on that. That was very interesting.
Brad: Wow!
Hugh: And of course, the proof-
Colin: So, so what happened, they, they had this ships, I mean there were two or three that would [be] out in the what we call the Channel, and they were outside of territorial waters so they could broadcast in, and, and they were giving us programmes much the same as you would hear over here, which was just incredible for us because for the first time, we could hear a commercial, cutting-edge music
Brad: Yeah.
Colin: over the radio, but the government didn't like it because I guess they felt they were losing control, and so they found a way of closing those pirates down on the understanding that we would have the same sort of thing from the BBC, but I think over the years, it's become very watered down and
Brad: Yeah.
Colin: at the BBC- I'm cutting my own throat here. We all wanna- we wanna be played by the BBC 'cause it's the only thing that we can be played on in, in the U.K., but gradually, I think it's got swamped by bureaucracy, and so it's
Brad: Sure.
Colin: it's fast becoming what it was before. Not light orchestral music, but it's very, very controlled, and a lot of those inspirational DJs that were working on the pirates, those people are sidelined because they want control, and
Brad: Right.
Colin: so we're heading back to what it was before. Luckily, we're in the autumn of our careers, so personally, it doesn't affect us that much because-
Chris: And I've got the-
Colin: I've, I've, I worry for the new people coming into the industry.
Chris (having pulled out his cell phone): Colin, I've got the BBC on the line here, complaining.
Colin: OK, my career's over. It's been great, folks. It's been great.
Brad: Well-
Hugh: The, the absolute proof, the absolute proof, the importance of radio and of course over here in America was the fact that, uh, after we'd split up, uh, Odessey and Oracle was released to pretty much nothing, and the first single was taken off it, was "Time of the Season." Now, the [sic] only became a hit when it started being played on one - one - local radio station in Boise, Ohi-, uh, Idaho.
Chris: Idaho.
Hugh: Thank you.
Brad: Yeah.
Hugh: Um, and, but from there, other radio stations nearby started realizing that it was, uh, something going on here. They started playing it, and gradually, it spread over the States until it became a number one.
Brad: And there you go. That's, that's the perfect story right there, too. I mean, the perfect way of how radio - hopefully - should work. Also, I just wanna throw in a plug for the movie Pirate Radio that came out a few years ago. You guys may know it. It had a different name in the U.K.; it was called The Boat That Rocked.
Chris: Oh, yeah.
Brad: In the U.K.
Hugh: Yes, of course.
Brad: In the U.S., they called it Pirate Radio. Great film about that era of music, and any music fanatic, uh, will enjoy that, so, uh, there goes, uh, there goes the Amazon.com rentals, I can tell it, like, their, their numbers are gonna be going up. Uh, we're with the Zombies here in Studio C, uh, for an audience of Summit members, and let's hear another live song. Which, uh, which song, uh, up next? This is another, uh, another of your solo tunes.
Colin: It is, actually, yes. Uh, when, um, when I started recording as a solo artist, I, I, at the same time, I started writing again. I'd been really inspired by watching Rod Argent and Chris White, um, hone their craft as they were writing from '64 to '67/'68.
Chris: We were younger than that.
Colin: And so I started writing. I started writing, too, and of course, when you first start writing, you're writing about things that are happening to you, and as a young teenage boy, of course, what was happening to me was [clears throat dramatically] girls. And, uh, I'd just gone through a traumatic first relationship with a very beautiful girl who'd become a very successful model and then had got into film, and she went to Spain to, um, to make this film in Spain, and, and I thought, in my innocence, I thought, "If we can get through this six months' break"- I mean, there was no online. There was no phoning. I've got this six months. "If we can get through this, we'll get married." We didn't get through it, and we didn't get married. She ran off with somebody else. She ran off with somebody in the film, and so, of course, I was crushed, and all those things that teenage boy- that happens to teenage boys. But this gave me the idea for this song, so thank you. Thank you because you gave me the idea for this song, and just to give it a little bit of place: if you ever see, um, a film called The Spy Who Loved Me, I know that all the girls are walking around in bikinis, which frankly, I think is a very good idea, but this particular girl gets into the helicopter, and then she comes in, and she talks to Roger Moore, and that's Caroline, so that's who we're talking about. And the bit I like is when she gets back in the helicopter, and she flies up into the sky, and then a missile goes up and blows the bloody helicopter up, and I love that bit! This is "Caroline, Goodbye."
[Performance of "Caroline, Goodbye"]
[Simultaneously]
Colin (to Tom): I liked when you went into that freeform bit in the middle.
Brad: Uh, we-
Tom: Yeah, there was only one note not right- in the right order, wasn't it?
Colin: Only one!
Tom: They call it jazz, apparently.
Brad: We are live in Studio C, the Zombies here today for an audience of Summit members, and Tom Toomey and Colin Blunstone, uh, Chris White and Hugh Grundy are the set-up. Uh, Rod Argent is not able to be here today, but we are so excited to have you here, and, uh, I, I wanted to ask a little bit about your, uh, recent album, so in 2011, uh, Breathe Out, Breathe In came in and then Still Got That Hunger followed in 2015, and, uh, and I know Chris is kind of a studio wiz and has a long history in production, so: what are the main differences today in recording new material and doing that album recording process, uh, you know, versus the early days?
Chris: Well, actu-, well, we- there's- truth of the matter is: the Zombies finished- the initial, initial group finished in 1967 'cause nobody wanted the album Odessey and Oracle, and, uh, then we carried on... Rod and Colin got together in what, what year was that?
Colin: 1999.
Chris: 1999, yes. And, uh, been together ever since with the new group, and they called us in, Hugh and I, to- when we got to the fiftieth [sic] anniversary of Odessey and Oracle, which we'd never performed, so, the new recordings, Colin needs to talk about those
Brad: Gotcha, gotcha.
Chris: 'cause I'm not even involved.
Colin: Funnily enough, the, the latest album that we did, we thought it would be a good idea to go way back to how we recorded with Odessey and Oracle, and with Odessey and Oracle, there was a very- I, I've already said, there's a very small recording budget, and we were in the most expensive studio in the world, probably, in Abbey Road, so those two things don't go [together] very well. Um, so we decided to rehearse really extensively so that we really, really knew what we were doing. When we went into the studio, we knew the songs we were gonna do; we knew the arrangements; we knew the keys we were gonna play in. We were just looking for a performance, so we were- we could record very, very quickly, and that's how we could record in Abbey Road with this small budget. And we thought, you know, there was a lot of energy when we recorded like that, so when [we recorded] our last album, Still Got That Hunger, we did the same thing: we rehearsed extensively, went into the studio. We played live. Um, we kept all the solos. All the solos are live, and all the lead vocals are live. The only thing we overdubbed was, uh, the vocal harmonies. So we could have done it just one thing at a time, and most people, when they record nowadays, you may not see the other musicians because people come in one at a time and record. That's just- seems to be the way that recording's done, but we did it in exactly the opposite way: we were all in one big studio complex at the same time, and we recorded the album, and I've gotta tell you: it's far more exciting to do it like that, and I hope that when we do the next album, we do the same thing. But I, an- an- and also, if I could just say that we- the whole music business has changed so much since 1967; it's changing day by day; the business side of the music business and the recording side is changing all the time. But I've always thought I'm really lucky because I never understood the music business in 1967, and I don't understand it now, so for me, nothing's changed.
Brad: Right! Right!
Colin: It's just
Brad: Perfect.
Colin: fortunate for me. I mean, it's all a mystery, and so probably best not to ask me anything too technical.
Brad: Right. Well, and, you know, we're real proud of the heritage of Ohio music, uh, around here, and we even have our second station is the three three oh dot net. It's all local music and independent artists from northeast Ohio, uh, and the Akron/Canton and Cleveland and Kent and Youngstown areas, and, uh, you know, I wonder if, uh, if you guys might, uh, have one bit of advice, maybe each of you could share one bit of advice for those hard-working, local musicians. There's a few of 'em in our audience in the room right now, in fact, so: what have you learned along the way?
Hugh: Um, when I first started playing drums, um, I little suspected that I'd still be doing it, uh, at this time of my life, but I'm very happy doing it, so my advice to anybody who's taking up an instrument, be it the drums or whatever, is to stick with it. Don't give up. Keep practising, and if you're still playing at my age, like I am, then you'll have done well.
Brad: Nice. Yeah.
Chris: And, uh, for me, the most important thing was when we got going, is basically writing our own songs, so that's the most important thing: be different. Don't be the same as everybody else. Try new things, and never give up, and do it for the pleasure of doing it; never do it for the money because that rarely ever comes along, but basically, do it because you like playing the music, and have fun doing it with your friends.
Brad: Yeah. Yeah.
Colin: And I, I'd just like to say two things. I mean, actually, what, um, Hugh and Chris said pretty much covers it, but as a vocalist, if I can just say to vocalists out there: generally you start singing because you were born with a voice, but as you get older, l- like everything else, your voice changes. Your voice is basically a muscle, so I always liken it to when you're a kid, you can run all day and you don't have to warm up or worry about, you know, your muscles; you're not gonna get tired. So your voice will change, and if you can find, um, some, um, musical exercise regime so that you can practise as near as possible every day, then you can go on singing for the rest of your life because a lot of people think that vocalists, you know, they always say, "Ah, he's lost it, eh," and all this kind of thing about vocalists, but if you practise, you can keep your voice into your seventies. And I'm hoping I can keep it into my eighties. Um, the other thing, just on a, a business side, I've- I mean, there's- it's a minefield, signing contracts. Personally, if someone gives me a contract that thick [indicates about five or six inches], I wouldn't sign it. Um, there's nothing that can't be put on just two or three sheets of paper, but one of the most important things to remember if you're gonna sign a contract is "When does it end?" Don't worry about when it starts, and you should look at the percentages and the advances, I know all that. But if it goes wrong, you need to know when it ends because some contracts, they've got little, little bombshells in there that means that it rolls on and on and on, so
Brad: Mm.
Colin: look for when the contract ends. There's a-
Brad: Yeah.
Colin: that's a good thing to remember.
Tom: I'd like to add a little
Brad: Yeah?
Tom: something to that as well. I completely and utterly agree with the guys, and, uh, I used to teach guitar till I joined the band, and, um, I was playing in pubs, and I can remember one time I was, uh, playing this one pub and I had everything ready and I had my backing tracks ready, it was nine o'clock, and, and I start playing at nine o'clock, and there's one guy in the pub with his head on the bar. Never give up! Also, I taught for a long time, and, uh, whenever a student used to come to me, and, uh, they were probably about sixteen, seventeen, they're getting to that time when they're thinking they're not quite sure what they wanna do with their lives, my advice to everybody, and it, and it is now is that what do you love to do? What are you best at? If you go and do that and stick with it, you'll never work again.
Brad: Yes. Well, our guests in Studio C are the Zombies, and, uh, let's do one more live performance song. Which one up next? And maybe a little, uh, little historical perspective on this one.
Colin: Absolutely. This is the first song we ever recorded, and we won a big rock competition in the spring of 1964, which probably finally decided us that there was a future for us as, or at least we stood a chance of being, professional musicians, so we decided to become a professional group before we ever made a record, but that, that rock competition led us to our contract with Decca Records, and I remember a little conversation before we went into the studio with our producer [Ken Jones], and he said, "You know, uh, you got the session in two weeks' time. You could always write something for the session." We were gonna do R&B classics, and then he went on and talked about other things. It was just an aside, and I completely forgot about it, and Rod and Chris went off and wrote songs, and Chris wrote "You Make Me Feel Good," which it- if you know that song, it's a fabulous Zombie track, and Rod wrote "She's Not There," and when they came back and played these songs, I was absolutely amazed. I had no idea they could write songs that I think-
Chris: Neither did we.
Colin: I think we knew that they were special songs, and, and that, that really did change things. And if I could just say a few words about our
Brad: Yeah.
Colin: our first session in West Hampstead studios, which is in northwest London. We walked in in the evening; it was very fashionable to record in the evening and through the night. And we walked in, and- very, very good engineer which [was] recording us. Sadly, he'd been to a wedding all day, and he was blind drunk. This is not a good way to start your recording career, and inside- considering I've been a recording artist for over fifty years, within twenty minutes of being in the West End- West Hampstead studio, I knew I didn't wanna be in the music business. This guy, like, you know, we had headphones on, and he was screaming obscenities down the headphones at us, and I thought, "This really isn't pleasant. It's really not nice." But then we had a bit of luck, and he collapsed. And we had to carry him out of the studio.
Chris: One on each leg and arm [indistinct].
Colin: We had a Zombie on each arm and a Zombie on each leg, and we carried him up. Not many people can say that! And we carried him up three flights of stairs, and we put him in a black London taxi, and I'll be honest and say I never saw him again. I, I wish him well. And the assistant engineer took over, and the assistant engineer was called Gus Dudgeon, and he went on to be one of the biggest producers that ever was. All the early and, and for many years the Elton John albums, Kiki Dee, David Bowie. He went on to produce all, all these wonderful artists, but his first session ever was because the initial engineer collapsed, and he was the assistant, and he took over, so this was his first session, and it was our first session as well, so it worked. "She's Not There" was number one in Cash Box in America, and it was number one all round the world, so if ever you're gonna do a session, make sure the engineer's blind drunk, and I'm sure it'll work out for you. Here we go.
[Performance of "She's Not There"]
Brad: Well, ladies and gentlemen, what a moment in the history of the Summit and Studio C. We've got a standing ovation in Studio C for the Zombies. Just fantastic and one of the true perks of being a member of this local, independent, public radio station, and, uh, we really, really appreciate you guys, you know, sticking around. You did the Rock [and Roll] Hall [of Fame] event yesterday and then sticking around for, for this radio session for our Summit members, so, uh, thanks again to Hugh Grundy and Chris White, Colin Blunstone and Tom Toomey and Mr. Rod Argent, who couldn't be here today, but the session turned out great. Did we make it through doin' the, the guitar? Yeah! Well, just a proud honor to have the soon to be Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, the Zombies.
Hugh: Thank you!
Brad: In Studio C.
Hugh: Yeah, absolutely! Please vote for us next time.
[The audio from Soundcloud ends here.]
Brad: Well, very good, yeah, so, uh, like we said, this recording will air at 6 p.m. tomorrow night, Friday night, on the station, and, uh, and we have been on Facebook Live as well, so that will be archived on our Facebook page, uh, and the band has, uh, some vinyls, some CDs, and even the, uh, the full-color, uh, coffee table book, the, the historical book available, and they're here to do, uh, some photos and so forth, so, uh, thanks, everyone for being here in our audience. Thanks so much to the Zombies.
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*According to the chronology in the Zombie Heaven liner notes, the last track recorded for Odessey and Oracle was "Changes" (on 7 November). There's no specific date given for "Time of the Season," just "August," although this photo set from the session gives the date as "September."
**Here's an Instagram post from a couple months after this interview that shows part of the exhibit:
***I'm pretty sure this picture dates from before Odessey and Oracle, but I believe Chris is wearing the sweater here:
