The Zombies - what a great song and a great bassline from 1965 !

[musicbassman]

So, this afternoon I've been running through the setlist of a band I'm depping with tonight, and came across this gem, which I can't remember ever playing before.

A reminder of what a great song this is, and what a brilliant bassline !  🙂

Wikipedia tells me the bass player was Paul Arnold at this time.  Enjoy.

 

 

[Mickeyboro]

Hello my friend! I think it was Chris White, the geezer in the glasses. 
 

It is a fantastic song and bass line though, we can agree on that…

Edited April 2, 2022 by Mickeyboro

[Nail Soup]

Lot of good stuff going on there... yes including the bassline.

 

1 hour ago, Mickeyboro said:

I think it was Chris White, the geezer in the glasses.

Seemed to be doing a good job on the main harmony vocal too.

[stewblack]

I'm not familiar with this (I assume original) version, but I love the prominence of the bass. Exactly how a song should be mixed. Maybe with the vocals just a little quieter.

[Mickeyboro]

I’ve had tickets to see the Zombies for two years as the dates have been pushed back…

 

They have always had decent bass players, more recently the late Jim Rodford. Colin Blunstone solo too.

 

Though unremarkable bass-wise, this song makes me well up every time.

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by Mickeyboro

[chris_b]

It is Chris White in that video. He produced a couple of songs for a band I was in in the early 70's. Nice guy, very hot on sound and the recording process.

 

Sadly the songs were never released.

[fleabag]

Great bassline on this too.  My fave Zombies ditty

 

 

 

[Nail Soup]

7 hours ago, stewblack said:

Exactly how a song should be mixed. Maybe with the vocals just a little quieter.

Yes.... great voice, but could sit in the mix a little more.

[EssentialTension]

I've aways loved The Zombies and Chris White's bass playing.

 

And played 'She's Not There' for some years in a covers band.

 

The album 'Odessey and Oracle' is fantastic.

Edited April 3, 2022 by EssentialTension
speeling

[EssentialTension]

 

[Bassfinger]

We discussed this one a few months ago when I mentioned on these hallowed pages that I had learned the bassline for a gig. 

 

It's a truly fantastic song, superbly executed. Great bass, superb keyboard, those breathy vocals from Colin Bluntstone.  One of the greatest pop songs of all time IMHO.

 

[BassTractor]

Thanks, @Bassfinger, for my two first guesses in Wordle tomorrow: BLUNT and STONE. 😉

It has to be mentioned that some years ago, Rod Argent or Colin Blunstone laughed heartily when fans after Zombies gigs asked them why in the world they chose to play a Santana song. 😃

 

For me, maybe wrongly, the Zombies heritage was taken care of not by Rod Argent or Chris White but with Colin Blunstone's solo albums, especially "One Year" and "Ennismore", though IMHO also "Journey" had many great songs. Both Argent and White wrote songs for Blunstone.

One of the most special Blunstone songs was a cover of Tim Hardin's "Misty Roses", with a stunning string quartet (or quintet?) arrangement by Christopher Gunning, which took the hit right out of it and put in music instead. 😃
I lack the discipline to abstain from posting it:
 

 

[Cosmo Valdemar]

13 hours ago, EssentialTension said:

 

SO good.

[Bassfinger]

IIRC Bluntstone did a solo version of She's Not There in the eatly 70's, released under a daft pseudonym?

[Reggaebass]

Didn’t Santana do a version 

[BassTractor]

40 minutes ago, Bassfinger said:

IIRC Bluntstone did a solo version of She's Not There in the eatly 70's, released under a daft pseudonym?

Yup. He did it as Neil MacArthur in 1969, and later covered it several times, a.o. on his album "Sings His Greatest Hits" when he was much older.

[Marcray]

I’m a fan of so much music from that time period, yet somehow The Zombies got past me.  Recently started listening to them after listing to an interview on The Rockenteurs podcast, and they’re so great.  

[Paul S]

I saw the Zombies locally a few years ago (5?  6?).  Rod Argent went on a full 5 minute rant about having written 'God Gave Rock n Roll To You', not Kiss.  You'd have thought that Kiss having placed the song into the international play list, and all the subsequent associated royalties, might have tempered his bitterness but clearly not.  

Then Jim Rodford, who was peering out from behind a Status headless, played 'Hold Your Head Up' wrong.  Instead of dum dum dum staccato dah-dah legato he reversed it to dum-dum-dum legato dah dah staccato.    Seemed odd to fiddle with an iconic bass line like that.  Blunstone was in good voice, though.

[mikel]

Massively underated band. Became famous after they broke up really. Saw them in South Shields about 15 years ago and they were superb. As long as that voice and those keyboards are original all is well.

[Leonard Smalls]

My favourite cover of it! I did actually buy hte Zombies version at the same time as the Subs coloured vinyl version...

 

 

 

[Bass Culture]

I posted a few months ago about 'Care of Cell 44' after learning it for a bass pupil of mine.  What a great line - so melodic and musical.

[EssentialTension]

7 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

Didn’t Santana do a version 

A second rate version. IMO.

[Bassfinger]

4 hours ago, EssentialTension said:

A second rate version. IMO.

Agreed.  Actually, in its own right it's pretty good but the original is so fantastic that even the best covers fall short.

[Maude]

9 hours ago, Leonard Smalls said:

My favourite cover of it! I did actually buy hte Zombies version at the same time as the Subs coloured vinyl version...

 

 

 

 

I was holding off posting that as it didn't seem in keeping with the thread. 

But you have, so thanks 🙂. 

 

I first heard it on an album of covers I bought as a teenager called 'We Do 'Em Our Way'. I always loved that album as it had a cover of 'Friday On My Mind' by a local band called The Golant Pistons. They were kind of the Sawmill Studios house band, if you could call them that, fronted by the glorious Al Hodge. 

A tale I remember, which I hope is true, it that a band were recording at Sawmill Studios, which is only accessible by boat, and needed a really good guitar solo. The engineer suddenly decided to get Al Hodge to do it, and as luck would have it he was in the pub in the nearest village, Golant. 

After staggering down the railway track to the studio, the quickest way of getting there on foot, he arrived well inebriated with his guitar in a black bin bag. He pulled the guitar out and layed down a blistering solo. He then put his guitar back in the bin bag and staggered out without saying a word. 

 

Big enough thread derail? 

As you were. 

😁

[Mickeyboro]

19 hours ago, Paul S said:

I saw the Zombies locally a few years ago (5?  6?).  Rod Argent went on a full 5 minute rant about having written 'God Gave Rock n Roll To You', not Kiss.  You'd have thought that Kiss having placed the song into the international play list, and all the subsequent associated royalties, might have tempered his bitterness but clearly not.  

Then Jim Rodford, who was peering out from behind a Status headless, played 'Hold Your Head Up' wrong.  Instead of dum dum dum staccato dah-dah legato he reversed it to dum-dum-dum legato dah dah staccato.    Seemed odd to fiddle with an iconic bass line like that.  Blunstone was in good voice, though.

All the more bizarre since Russ Ballard wrote it (and as he mentions) pocketed the royalties!

 

https://www.loudersound.com/features/argent-god-gave-rock-and-roll-to-you-the-story-behind-the-song

Edited April 5, 2022 by Mickeyboro