By: Ursula Sherree Wolfman
For a 50th anniversary tour and to celebrate their new release of Breathe Out, Breathe In, the iconic ‘60s rock band The Zombies are playing a lengthy tour with fellow UK sensations Strawbs (in their Acoustic Strawbs incarnation and lineup), with both bands meeting and exceeding expectations across the board.
For the September 16th gig at Montgomery College’s relatively new Takoma Park Cultural Arts Center, Maryland, a well-crafted and attractive 500-seat theater, a sold-out crowd filled the seats and the vibes were more than good.
Acoustic Strawbs, which are comprised of the original Strawbs members David Cousins, Dave Lambert, and Chas Cronk, played a set that proved to any disbeliever in the audience that acoustic is no synonym for weak. The harmonious depth of the Acoustic Strawbs’ sounds was proof that some acts age like fine wine. At no time did I feel that the lack of drums or other instruments was a slight to the performance. The intensity and versatility of sounds belied the sight of the three musicians before me.
Strawbs Photo By: Ursula Sherree Wolfman
The recent anniversary of 9-11 was brought up, leading into the setup of a protest song “they thought would fade away, but was still just as relevant today.” Another announcement brought a round of applause, as well as the fact that their first single dropped over 40 years ago.
One topic that brought a tangible emotional response from the audience, was that of Sandy Denny. Dave Cousins reminisced about their short time together and the single album recorded with her, and spoke of recently visiting Copenhagen. They released Sandy Denny and the Strawbs in 1991, it contains the tracks recorded in 1967 in Copenhagen, first released as All Our Own Workin 1973. When speaking about the recent Copenhagen visit, Dave said they went back to the small cinema where they played their only live show with Sandy. He said there were Chinese lanterns hanging in the trees, and that when he looked in that little bar there was “Nobody there but you could hear the voices of angels.”
The stage was moodily lit from behind with panels that changed colors throughout the songs, and a lone fog machine pumped out wispy clouds, adding to the ambiance.
The three men were grey, but the voices were still very sure and strong, the overall sound always complex. The combination of strings and voices proved to be a machine whose gears still mesh perfectly after all the years together, complementing each other and melding together without a hitch throughout the evening.
There were humorous moments, such as when Dave Cousins brought up in an ominous tone “Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there’s only 121 shopping days till Christmas.” Then went on to say that “We happen to have CDs, you could bring joy to an elderly relative,” and that Grandma would be happy to have Strawbs in her stocking. With that proclamation, he also mentioned a guarantee, “We guarantee that if you buy the record and you don’t like it, you can send it to us and we’ll send you a record that we don’t like.” The crowd seemed delighted with the banter. Acoustic Strawbs are an act comfortable in every way with a crowd and certainly one to please even those new to their music.
Strawbs Photo By: Ursula Sherree Wolfman
Dave spoke a painterly phrase leading into their last song, about how the “glorious green of summer makes way to the reds, the yellows and golds of Autumn,” and Autumn was a great song to end their set. I was lucky enough to meet Dave Cousins after at the merch stand, posing for pictures and autographing CDs. He is a very warm and gracious musician and I am glad to have had the chance to see the show and to meet such an iconic musical figure. I sensed that many in the audience felt as I did, coming to see the Zombies with little knowledge of the openers, we left with a good appreciation of the Strawbs and their timeless music.
After an intermission, the house was completely packed to receive The Zombies and gave a vigorous welcome. The lineup was Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent (of the original group, respectively vocals and keyboard) along with Jim Rodford (Argent, The Kinks) on bass, his son Steve Rodford on drums, and recent (18 months in) addition, session guitarist Tom Toomey.
Blunstone’s voice impressed from the start, as did Argent’s amazing keyboard skills. Playing to the crowd, eating up the attention, the Zombies were definitely 100% dedicated to giving the theater a night to remember.
Mixing in new songs off the recent release Breathe Out, Breathe In, with a range of old favorites and big hits, The Zombies kept the crowd humming with excitement. Blunstone’s introductions and recollections were never too verbose, but showed his love and appreciation for this “Hip audience,” as he put it.
Strawbs Photo By: Ursula Sherree Wolfman
The Zombies are certainly staying current, not only from their new music but also with their large impact on artists today. One quite interesting bit of Zombies history was talked about at length. Their album Odessey and Oraclewas a very slow burner, with lackluster sales.
However, as Blunstone noted, every year it continues to gain popularity and sell more and more copies. Many artists have cited it as being a significant influence. Dave Grohl named it as his favorite album of all time and covered “This Will Be Our Year” on his new record. Perhaps this conundrum of a poorly-selling album ending up in the Rolling Stones Top 500 Albums of All Time is simply a case of Odesseybeing far ahead of its time.
The sheer diversity of The Zombies’ repertoire was truly amazing. “A Rose for Emily” was beyond poignant, the emotion and inflection in every line truly elevating the lyrics that could easily be sap if attempted by the less skilled. “I Love You” drew strength from the punctuation of Blunstone’s momentarily unaccompanied vocal, pushed so high and so hard it was stunning to hear. He has definitely maintained his vocal ability over the decades.
“Care of Cell 44,” again, showed the range of their catalog, sounding much like pop that would love to accompany a commercial for a cute VW Beetle, yet avoiding cheesiness somehow. The audience was largely bobbing in their seats during that infectious number. Another big audience mover was “Hold Your Head Up,” inspiring claps to the beat and a significant number of dancing fans.
Throughout the show, Argent never failed to wow me with his prowess at the keyboard. Many crazy solos came almost to the point of equipment abuse, his hands flying like twin spiders hopped up on too many espressos. Somehow, even when playing a mile a minute his notes seemed to be perfectly placed. His ability to go from making you believe you’re hearing a concert pianist on a baby grand to spinning pure psychedelia a few minutes later is rather awe-inspiring.
Truth be told, I was taken aback at how this band is celebrating their 50th anniversary yet seem like they could play most of today’s bands under the table. There was no noticeable fatigue. They in fact seemed to get more and more energized as the night rolled on. The crowd certainly adored this show, and the band was giving that love back tenfold by playing their hearts out.
Zombies Photo By: Ursula Sherree Wolfman
Blunstone spoke about the band’s history, breaking up and the different solo and group acts joined by its members. He said touring is very stressful and tensions run high, driving hundreds of miles in a van and being away from home so much- then said “What makes up for it is playing on stage every night with a fantastic band” to a huge round of applause.
He praised the newest addition, Tom Toomey, saying he was amazing whether on electric or acoustic, and also writes scores for UK television. He spoke of how the drummer, Steve Rodford, is proficient on the guitar and bass in addition to his obvious talent for the drums. Jim Rodford, the bass player and father of Steve, also played bass for the Kinks. Blunstone told an interesting tidbit of surprising personal trivia- he thought he hated pop until hearing Elvis sing “Hound Dog.”
The band is extremely pleased with the positive reception Breathe Out, Breathe Inhas been getting in the media. They had printouts of reviews praising the album hung at the merch table, urging fans to read and to try the new record out. A sign of the new times is that the audience was also asked to look at Youtube videos of the new songs posted on the official band website!
While the crowd certainly seemed to enjoy the new songs mixed in with the set, the reactions to certain hits were borderline wild. “Time of the Season” drew a feverish response from enthralled fans, and the almost-closer “She’s Not There” was the most impressive song of the night, getting practically every fan to their feet and garnering quite a bit of singing along. That song was polished to a brilliant shine with every note in place and seemingly perfect.
As a closer, Gershwin’s “Summertime” was a fantastic pick, mellowing down the fever pitch and sending off the loving fans with style.
This tour is one that any longtime fan would do well to see, and one that will likely garner a new crop of younger fans just learning of these legendary performers. The chance to see a lineup including some of the most famous and influential musicians of the ‘60s is not to be taken lightly. I for one am happy that neither of these wonderful acts have burned out- or faded away!
