There is a commonly acknowledged statement in art: the work gains value when the artist is gone. Typically, this statement refers to artists who receive posthumous fame and admiration, but can it be applied to the bands who get known and loved after their disbandment? Well, it’s about to be.
The music industry is notoriously complex, and success can be elusive even for the most talented musicians. No matter how hard you try or how good your music is, you keep failing until your luck turns, however late it may be. It’s sad to think of a success that catches you just as you give up and decide to take a different path, but it’s the reality of The Zombies.
Although they are loved and appreciated by many at present, The Zombies had a hard time making their breakthrough in the 60s. They made several songs and an album, which failed to get in the charts, and neither the band members nor the producers were happy with the situation. The Zombies wanted their music to be heard by broad audiences but failed at every attempt until John Lennon brought them luck.
Since they were fed up with the lack of public attention, the band tried extra hard to create their second album by giving it everything they had. They worked tirelessly to achieve the sound they wanted, even spending their own money to make sure it met their expectations. As a result, ‘Odessey and Oracle‘ was produced and fully presented to the public in 1968 after a painful recording and release process. But soon, they realized that their hard work was not enough.
Contrary to what was expected, the only thing the album received was indifference. Neither the songs nor the album attracted people, and the band started losing its audience. With disappointment, The Zombies disbanded shortly after ‘Odessey and Oracle.’ Rod Argent and Chris White formed a new band and were ready to move on when the third single from the album made it to the US Billboard charts in 1969.
The band members could not come back together immediately following this success at the time, but eventually, they retook their place in the rock world as The Zombies and have remained so. But what caused the single, ‘Time of the Season,’ to become popular in the US? It could have been the John Lennon element in the album.
While recording the song at EMI Studios (Abbey Road Studios), the band used Lennon’s mellotron, which was left there after recording ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,’ to make it sound the way they wanted. This was a lucky coincidence contributing to The Zombies’ success story, as Rod Argent states in an interview with The Shortlisted.
Argent expressed his opinion on the matter as follows:
“It was a wonderful experience recording there, particularly because we had become very frustrated about the way our singles were being produced. The two writers in the band, which were myself and Chris White very much wanted to produce by ourselves so we could get our own ideas about how our songs should sound on record. And that’s what we did, even though the album wasn’t successful at first, it took a long time to sound mature. And strangely enough, it sounds more like this now than when it first came out, even with the fact that ‘Time of the Seasons’ became a number one record in many places in the world, the actual experience of recording was terrific. And there was a very strange coincidence, which was that we recorded as you said at the Abbey Road Studios and we used John Lennon’s mellotron, as it turned out that the studio where we were recording was designed acoustically by the same guy that designed The Beatles’ studios, so that’s a real coincidence!”
The Zombies did not gain immediate success with their songs and albums, but these small coincidences, combined with the band’s talent and good work, eventually brought them recognition and appreciation. Now, the band took their place in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and are performing for their admirers on a UK tour.
