50 YEARS OF ODESSEY AND ORACLE AND THE ORIGNAL FOUR ARE SET TO SAY FAREWELL WITH A BANG,I CHAT TO COLIN BLUNSTONE TO GET THE INSIDE GOSS ON THEIR BIG GIG AND BOOK

What are your names?My full name is Colin Edward Michael Blunstone.
 I am the lead singer of The Zombies.
What is the band name?

The Zombies 

 

How did you come up with the band’s name?
We had a couple of other names when we first started and then our original bass player Paul Arnold came up with the idea of The Zombies and it just stuck.
What is your genre of music?
I think The Zombies draw on a very wide spectrum of musical influences which gives them a unique sound which in turn makes it quite difficult to nominate a genre.

 

How did you meet eachother?
We met because we all went to school in a town called St. Albans.

 
Celebrating 50 years of ‘Odessey and Oracle’ , tell us your faveourite memory when you were recording it?

It was a wonderful experience recording in Abbey Road with some of the best engineers in the world, like Geoff Emerick and Peter Vince.

 

What was the meaning behind ‘ ‘Odessey and Oracle’ at the time and has it changed?
I think it was a reference to a journey and a story which it true for most albums. Famously artist Terry Quirk misspelled” Odessey” which has created quite a lot of interest over the years.
 You have announced The London Palladium on the 29th Jan, what has the response been like to that?

There has been tremendous reaction to the forthcoming London Palladium concert and already there is talk of possibly having a second concert.

 

Do you have any surprises up your sleeve for the show?

If there are any surprises it will be in the first half where we will play many new songs with the current incarnation of the band. In the second half the surviving original members will perform Odessey and Oracle in its entirety note for note.

 

Do you have any more gigs planned?

The Zombies will be touring The States during March and April and then through the summer we will be performing at festivals in Europe and the U.K.

 

What are you most looking forward to at the gig?
I think when we play at The London Palladium there will be a wonderful sense of occasion which can only be intensified by remembering all the great entertainers who have performed on that stage before us.
 You are also releasing a book in March 2017, how did that come about?

The book was the idea of Cindy da Silva from our management company TCI. And she has gathered together some fascinating observations about the band and Odessey and Oracle from many of the best known people in the music industry. It makes a fascinating read!!

 

You have been in the music industry for a while now, what has changed since you first started out?
The music business is changing very fast day by day from the way records are made to the way they are sold it is unrecognisable from the business as I knew it in the 60’s!!!

 

What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
I remember Rudy Isley (from The Isley Brothers) very kindly spending ages telling Rod Argent and I to be very careful business wise. We had absolute faith in the people who were handling our “live” work and they let us down very badly. I wish we had listened closer to what Rudy saying!!!!!
 What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?

I would always say never lose sight of what first brought you into the business. Did you want to be a successful singer songwriter, or write for film or whatever. It maybe that you will have to explore many other musical avenues to survive but always remember your first love and hopefully one day your chance will come.

 

You get off a plane in your hometown,

1/ where is the first place you visit
2/ where is the first place you see

3/ where is the fist food place you go and what do you get
If I get off a plane and I’m touring sub-consciously all I’m thinking about is the first concert. I’m not really all that aware of the details of where I am or what I’m going to eat. It’s all about the show!!!
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Most important are my “in ear” monitors which allow me to hear very clearly what I am singing during the show. Then I need a record of my singing exercises so that I can warm my voice up before sound check and before the show. Throat spray help to keep my vocal chords lubricated. Stage clothes to make me feel a little special and a cold beer to set me up for the performance.
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?

The Zombies have a website www.thezombies.net which will lead you to our fan club and Facebook pages.

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