The Zombies

Most lauded for the gorgeously baroque Odessey And Oracle, and the ageless singles ‘She’s Not There’ and ‘Time Of The Season’, The Zombies were at the forefront of The British Invasion, recording music described by Tom Petty as ‘so original it hurt’. The Zombies On Track voyages through every release, beginning with their first incarnation in the 1960s and uncovering how a US number one and a film appearance with Laurence Olivier were no guarantees of continued chart success. Poor publicity, unwise management and bad timing almost killed off the band, yet sublime songwriting and a lucky break with Al Kooper reanimated them …
The book recounts their many afterlives, including the posthumous RIP, the story behind the ‘counterfeit’ Zombies, their first reunion with the album New World and everything in between hidden in the depths of the band’s complex history, and considers how their later incarnation has sustained success more effectively than the original line-up. Drawing on both archive interviews and new conversations with Argent and Blunstone to mark the release of The Zombies’ latest album – the critically acclaimed Different Game – this book proves why The Zombies not only have an immortal back catalogue but are also still making vital music today.

Emma Stott missed out on the 1960s and the 1970s and she still isn’t over it, so writing about the greatest decades in rock music helps with her loss. She also writes about literature and education, being an English teacher by day in Manchester, UK, where she forbids any ‘dark sarcasm’ in her classroom.