By: Ryan Ruff Smith
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The Zombies - Photo by Ryan Ruff Smith
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For me, seeing a band live is usually a way to get a new perspective on them. I will often find myself liking a certain song much more after seeing it performed live, or I will understand some new aspect of a band that didn't come across on their recordings. But occasionally, rather than offering new revelations, a live performance will simply confirm what I already knew. And for me, seeing the Zombies perform live just supported the fact that Odessey and Oracle, their 1968 album that is now considered a forgotten classic, truly is an anomaly. It is timeless and unique – a one-off masterpiece of baroque pop that stands apart not only from the other work of the band, but from the rest of the pop canon.
But you would never guess it from the rest of the Zombies' catalogue, and certainly not from the place they are relegated to today. The headliner of a garage rock tour is certainly a strange role for the band to play; though some of their early singles were garage-inflected rockers, their finest and best-loved work is delicate and intricate pop in the vein of PetSounds-era Beach Boys and Sgt. Pepper's-era Beatles. They were probably chosen by merit of being a (relatively) big name with a few well-known hits in their back catalogue. But despite the incongruity of its line-up, the tour boasted some very capable garage rock acts with plenty of shout-along choruses, raucous guitar banging, and furious drumming worthy of Animal (y'know...the Muppet). The presentation was a bit tawdry, with scantily-clad Go-Go Dancers taking the stage between each act and a red and white striped big-top themed set. However, the tacky set did provide for a hilarious Spinal Tap moment when the curtain's rings got stuck on the pole while stagehands were attempting to dramatically reveal a band launching into their set (this happened not once, but twice!). The first time, it took the roadies the better part of the band's first song to force the stubborn curtain open.
This didn't seem to rattle local act Chooglin', however, as they held up respectably to the touring acts. Their highlight came midway through their set, when they built up steam with a propulsive instrumental and then let it slowly leak back out with a tense, creeping slow-burner before eventually blowing the top off again at the end of the song. The second group, Detroit's Gore Gore Girls, did not fair as well. They had their bad-girl image down pat, but their playing was sloppy and tentative and the frontwoman's rowdy rock star attitude seemed forced and overplayed. They also suffered from some unfortunate lyrical phrasing on one tune; without the benefit of punctuation, "I love my asshole-man" sounded more like "I love my asshole, man!" – the silliness of which made their grimaces and shouts even harder to take seriously. When the Go-Go Dancers joined them onstage for the last number, it somehow seemed both incongruous and redundant.
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Mooney Suzuki - Photo by Ryan Ruff Smith
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The Woggles, out of Athens, Georgia, picked the energy back up with an inspired set of sweaty party rock. Though the crowd was small and reserved, the Woggles played with unreserved energy, often leaping into the crowd and inciting passive onlookers to dance. The true secret to their success, however, was the work of their guitarist (who unfortunately goes by the name of "Flesh Hammer"). His ability to slip in and out of the groove kept the band in a constant state of tension and release.
The biggest garage band of the night, the Mooney Suzuki, proved themselves worthy of the prestige. Behind the sweat and swagger were some honest-to-goodness catchy songs, and the band was able to sound tight and precise without losing the sense of scrappiness central to the garage rock aesthetic. But frontman Sammy James, Jr. made no attempts to win over the predominantly older crowd. "The management asked me to remind you not to dance," he cracked, "their insurance doesn't cover dislocated hips or slipped discs."
But the oldest people in the venue were probably the headliners, the Zombies. Original members Colin Blunstone (vocals) and Ron Argent (keyboards) were joined by three touring musicians (including bassist Jim Rodford, who played with the Kinks in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s). Their set was a bit uneven, as would be expected based on the inconsistent solo careers of Blunstone and especially Argent. They started out with a few of the Zombies' early singles before playing a couple of songs by Argent's post-Zombies band (which was simply called Argent). These songs, "Keep on Rollin'" and "Hold Your Head Up," are typical Argent songs – corny classic rock melodies, bombastic keyboard solos, and little regard for lyrics or subtlety. With that out of their system, Ron Argent announced that they would play four songs from the Odessey and Oracle album. He seemed a bit mystified by the album's legacy himself, explaining that it was a minor hit when it came out but didn't really catch on until fifteen years after its release and has been consistently gaining fans ever since.
To say that these four songs were the highlight of the show would be an understatement. Not only were they far and away the best material the band played, but they were also the best showcase for Blunstone's voice, which I think ranks among the finest pop voices of all time. They started with the album's opening track, "Care of Cell 44" – the perfect vehicle to show off Blunstone's range. On the verse he sang with breathy restraint, but after a breakdown of Beach Boys-like "oohs" he came in full force, belting, "Feels so good, you're coming home soon" with stunning power and energy. The next song, the stately "This Will Be Our Year," was even better. Seeing it performed live proved that the trumpet on the recording is not even needed to capture the sheer effervescence welling up within the song. But even when Blunstone is downright exuberant, his voice is as smooth as ice and there is just the slightest sense of remove that adds a subtle undertone of melancholy. The total effect is so enchanting that as soon as I got in the car after the show I had to listen to the song again. "A Rose for Emily" followed, giving Blunstone another chance to be expressive before they launched into the Zombies' biggest hit, and the finale of the Odessey mini-set, "Time of the Season."
The rest of the set was relatively forgettable, though I was amazed that Blunstone's voice was strong enough to make even the dreadful Argent song "God Gave Rock & Roll to You" listenable. "She's Not There," the Zombies' first hit (which was later covered by Santana) was the highlight of the non- Odessey material, finding the band in top form and Blunstone nailing the soulful vocal. In the end, the show was much like Argent and Blunstone's careers – ambitious and brimming with talent, but inconsistent – with one brief moment when the stars aligned and their talents collided into something exceptional.
Setlist:
1. I Love You
2. Can't Nobody Love You
3. Sticks and Stones
4. What Becomes of the Broken Hearted
5. Keep on Rollin' (Argent)
6. Hold Your Head Up (Argent)
7. Care of Cell 44
8. This Will Be Our Year
9. A Rose for Emily
10. Time of the Season
11. Tell Her No
12. She's Not There
13. God Gave Rock & Roll to You (Argent)
14. Just Out Of Reach
Location Info:
Fine Line Music Café
Artist Info: Chooglin', Gore Gore Girls, Mooney Suzuki, The Woggles, The Zombies
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