The British rock band The Zombies had already split up when their song ‘Time of the Season’ unexpectedly became a huge hit in the US. Whilst the song was taking American radio stations by storm, two impostor bands were touring the country, passing themselves off as the real The Zombies. One of them even spread a rumour that the lead singer had died in a car crash.
- The song ‘Time of the Season’ became a hit in the US after The Zombies had split up.
- In 1967, the band recorded it for the album *Odessey and Oracle* on a budget of just 1,000 pounds.
- Following the song’s success, two bands who claimed to be the real The Zombies went on tour across America.
- On 30 October, the musicians will release the archive compilation *Continue Here*.
How The Zombies recorded their most famous hit
History Time of the Season It began in 1967, when the British musicians were working on their second studio album, *Odessey and Oracle*.
Composer Rod Argent He wrote it as the final track for the album. At the time, he was living in the same flat as the bassist Chris White. The musicians would regularly play new tunes to one another, and on one occasion Argent told a friend that he thought he’d just come up with a potential hit.
The album was recorded at the famous EMI studio in London, which was later renamed Abbey Road. Not long before that, The Beatles had been working there on *Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band*. The sound engineer Jeff Emerick, who had worked with the Liverpool quartet, helped The Zombies create the track’s distinctive sound.
However, the recording was not without its controversies. The lead singer Colin Blastone He recalls that Argent demanded that every phrase be performed with extreme precision. Due to the limited studio time, tensions between the musicians grew, and they even argued whilst working.
In the end, the song was completed, although Blastone himself did not consider it the most promising track on the album.
The song became popular after the band had already split up
By the time *Odessey and Oracle* was released, the band had already split up. The album did not achieve the commercial success that had been expected, and the musicians went on to pursue other projects.
An American producer turned the situation around El Cooper, who bought dozens of British records whilst on a trip to London. It was *The Zombies* album that made the biggest impression on him.
On his return to the US, Cooper persuaded the management at CBS Records to give the recording a chance, even though the company had previously considered it commercially unviable.
Initial attempts to promote the song failed to yield results. The breakthrough came thanks to a radio presenter from Boise, Idaho, who began playing ‘Time of the Season’ regularly on air.
Gradually, other American radio stations picked up the track. The song became a massive hit, even though its writers hadn’t performed together for over a year by that point.
The imposters toured under the name The Zombies
This unexpected success gave rise to one of the strangest stories in the musicians’ careers.
According to Rod Argent, two bands emerged in the US at the same time, both touring under the name The Zombies, though they had no connection to the original line-up. One of them featured two musicians who later went on to join ZZ Top.
The manager of the other band claimed that it was the real The Zombies performing in front of the audience, but with a new lead singer. He explained Colin Blunstone’s absence by claiming he had died in a car crash.
The confusion had reached such a point that, according to Argento, *Rolling Stone* magazine had already mistakenly reported his own death.
The band’s actual members were involved in other musical projects at the time and did not take part in this tour.
The Zombies have returned to the stage after a decade
The original musicians did not perform together again until 1997, during the launch of a compilation album at the Jazz Cafe in London.
The gig wasn’t planned as a full-scale reunion. Argent was performing with his solo band when his former bandmates unexpectedly joined him on stage.
Without any prior rehearsals, they performed ‘She’s Not There’ and ‘Time of the Season’. It was then, Argent recalls, that he realised once again just how special their band’s sound was.
Almost six decades after it was recorded Time of the Season continues to feature in films, television adverts and contemporary music compilations.
On 30 October, The Zombies are set to release *Continue Here* — a compilation of remastered mono recordings, rare singles and B-sides.
On the same day, the Begin Here festival, dedicated to the band’s musical legacy, will get underway in St Albans, UK. The event will run until 1 November.
