I see that Silver dagger is off to see this tomorrow, id urge anyone who can to get see this. The current "touring Zombies are well worth seeing, but this is a must. this is a post i did on another site and one from someone else who went.




First off let me say, I have never been 100% convinced by O&A. Yes a great album but i always felt it dipped in the middle.

"It was very informal affair with Rod Argent very chatty. the started with the touring band and did a few non O&A Zombie songs, Colin's version of ..."brokenhearted and then three songs from Colin's "One Year" , an album I don't know but after last night I will certainly check out. a few Argent songs and interval. Any good ? I loved it, (Marc W didn't)
the only bits I didn't like were the version of Broken hearted, the seemed to try and rock it up, Hold Your Head up was always a fave but it plodded a wee (just a wee ) bit. and the boogie fun argent song.

Than back with the original line up, vocals augmented by touring band and Chris Whites wife and Darian Whatsisname from the Wondermints on mellotron and vocals and a horn section for Butchers Tale.
Before i knew, it was over, loved every minute of it. They finished with a reprise of She's Not There with the brass and both bands.

They have worked hard to realise the album and it works and more. The band were up to it and the vocals/harmonies spot on. If Blunestones vocals have diminished over the last 40 years it must have been AWESOME live back in the day, what a singer. The slight interruptions for personnel changes didn't really affect the evening and i suspect that the larger stage at S.B. Empire will resolve that. SO worth going to ? you bet.
Its great that this songs (like Brian Wilson's) are being performed in the way the deserve. MyMateMatt, who i kinda dragged along loved it as well.

I hope that MArc enjoed the second set.

Oh and I meet a friend of Dugly in a Wondermints t-shirt.


EDIT

The Colin Solo songs were done with the quintet & original arrangemnts a treat. ENJOY NEXT WEEK,"


"Blunstone's voice is truly amazing in that it really doesn't seem to have aged much over the last 40 years.

It was, for me, an evening of amazing highs and lows. I wasn't impressed with the "original touring band". Technically competent but blessed with the swagger and 80's muso posturing of the worst kind of jobbing sessioneers. The drummer had a habit of pulling keith moon-esque gurning faces whilst playing and the guitarist (wearing an ill-fitting black shirt with ruffles down the front!) persisted in miming the playing of power chords at odd moments, which I found pretty distracting and annoying. He seemed to think he was Steve Jones doing a gig with the reformed Pistols... Slightly surreal, to say the least.

Third song in, and they do the terrible version of What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted? that was hit for Colin and Dave Stewart in the 80's. My friend Robyn had seen them do this before and wisely went to the bar. It was painful. By all accounts, you could hear it clearly in the bar. Robyn agreed that it was painful to hear even from that distance.

And then, as TT has said on comes a string quintet and Colin is accompanied by them on three songs, culminating in a pitch perfect rendition of Say You Don't Mind. Stunning. You could've heard a pin drop. A faithful enough run through of She's Not There and that horrible ploddy dirge Hold Your Head Up finished things off. Surprised not to hear God Gave Rock and Roll To You.

Went to the bar. Briefly said hello to TT. Went back in. Somewhat surprised to see Darian from the Wondermints coming onto the stage with the band, which now had Chris White and Hugh Grundy on bass and drums. The opening piano notes of Care Of Cell 44 ring out and... I'm in Zombie heaven! As beautiful and sunny a moment as you could ever wish for. Absolute pop perfection. The rest of Odessy went by far too quickly. I wish I were going again. Those of you there at the weekend are in for something magical. Rod has a mellotron (only used the once - on Changes) and a harmonium (only used on Butcher's Tale) on stage. The harmony singing was stunning and Hugh's drumming was spot on. I hadn't realised what a great "feel" drummer he is. Chris struggled a bit with the high notes on Butcher's Tale (the only album track I can't say I'm a fan of). Darian adds a couple of string parts here and there and doesn't contribute much in the way of vocals, but I suspect he hadn't rehearsed much with them and things may change by the time of the "proper" shows.

High point for me was an amazing performance of This Will Be Our Year with a brass (band!) section that had me left with tears in my eyes at the sheer joy of the moment.

The encores were Tell Her No and a repeat of She's Not There. A surreal mix of some cringe-worthy moments and some of the most affecting performances I've ever had the pleasure to witness. The highs were amazing, though, and well worth the journey down from Inverness. If I had the cash, I'd be hunting down a ticket for Shepherds Bush. Thanks go out to TomTom for alerting us to the MK warm-ups. Amazing that these little gigs didn't even sell out!"

They didn't use the mellotron on Care of Cell 44 or Hung Up On A Dream!?

Ferk!

Quote
His Majesty
They didn't use the mellotron on Care of Cell 44 or Hung Up On A Dream!?

Ferk!

most of the O&A mellotron parts were played by Darian of the Wondermints/Brian Wilson Band. As rod said, "I i only have one pair of hands" but gawd can he use them.

Ah, I misunderstood when you said he only played it once. That's a relief as the mellotron parts on those two songs are fantastic!

Any of you out there who don't know the Oddesey and Oracle album and love lush orchestral psychedelia such as Love's Forever Changes then you'll really dig this. Very, very English sounding but songs to die for. You can file it next to anything off The Beatles psych period, The Byrds' Notororious Byrd Brothers, Pet Sounds, The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society or The Who Sell Out. Yes, it's that good.

The Zombies played some material off this on a tour a few years ago but tonight's show at Shepherd's Bush Empire will be the real deal with exact detail paid to the original sound just like when Brian Wilson replicates Pet Sounds or Smile live. They're there tomorrow and Sunday too.

spot on silver dagger re. the Pet Sounds reference. add The Beau Brummels and Left Banke to the "lush" genre. i must do myself a mix cd.
report back on gig.

Hello.
I saw this show on Friday, and I'm delighted I did. I agree with some of what is written above - parts of the first set were, shall we say, a little ungroovy. The Odessey and Oracle set, and She's Not There at the end, were utterly fantastic, though. Great voices Blunstone and Argent still have, and the songs really came alive. Top drawer.

Declan

Just saw the sunday show & was transported by Odessey especially 'Changes' & 'Butcher's Tale' (my favourite track on the album). The first 3 numbers by the touring band were disposable & the string quintetstuff interesting but bordering on twee but personally I loved 'Hold Your Head Up'. Bluntstone's voice was a revelation. A quintessentially English evening apart from the amusing intro to Odessey by the legendary Al Kooper.