Returning to the infamous Abbey Road Studios after more than 50 years since they first recorded their acclaimed album ‘Odessey & Oracle’ there, The Zombies’ founding members Colin Blunstone (vocals) and Rod Argent (keyboards) together with the rest of the band showcased their “world tour in one night” playing from their catalogue of 1964 to the present day.
They started on an early song from 1965, ‘I Want You Back Again’, which was given life through a cover by Tom Petty, and then moved forward to their last album ‘Still Got That Hunger’ with ‘Edge Of The Rainbow’ and back again to the 1965 B-side written by former Zombies bassist Chris White, ‘I Love You’. The Zombies also debuted some brand new songs from their forthcoming studio album release due out next year, ‘Different Game’ and ‘You Could Be My Love’, performed with an accompanying live string quartet.
The band then revisited the album recorded in the same studio over half a century earlier, Argent playing on the Mellotron instrument that was used to record the chosen selection of tracks – ‘Care Of Cell 44’, ‘I Want Her She Wants Me’ and their No. 1 single, ‘Time Of The Season’.
The Zombies followed these with some more new songs, ‘Merry-Go-Round’ and ‘Run Away/For All My Life’. They finished their main set on an Argent cover, ‘Hold Your Head Up’ (written with and dedicated to the late Jim Rodford) and their debut single ‘She’s Not There’, featuring Argent’s long keyboard solos.
18/09/21: The Zombies @ Abbey Road Studios, London.
Photos © Ayisha Khan.
© Ayisha Khan.