Imagine, if you will, members of the Beatles still being alive, reforming and playing “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in its entirety on a rip-roaring tour across the United States.
It is not an overstatement to say that is what the Zombies are doing on their 20-date U.S. tour, which lands at Denver’s Paramount Theatre on Monday.
The relatively obscure but critically acclaimed British band from the 1960s is reforming, minus late guitarist Paul Atkinson, to play their masterpiece, “Odessey & Oracle,” in its entirety for the first time on American soil.
“We are really, really looking forward to it,” said singer Colin Blunstone, 70, in a phone interview from his home in England.
The tale of the Zombies is one of the most frustrating stories of that magical era. The multitalented group from England was a brief sensation — charting hit singles on the U.K. charts, “Tell Her No” and “She’s Not There” — before releasing “Odessey & Oracle” (whose first word was unintentionally misspelled).
The band consisted of trained musicians who combined modern jazz, classical music, rhythm and blues, and pop music. Blunstone’s high and breathy voice blended with pitch-perfect harmonies that rivaled that little band of mop-tops from Liverpool.
The Zombies, however, were seemingly not going anywhere when they went into Abbey Road a few days after the Beatles finished “Sgt. Pepper’s” to record “Odessey & Oracle.”
The album, now hailed as a baroque-pop masterpiece, was built around a theme of the seasons and included infectious little gems about their friends, prison release and young love.
When the album got little notice after its 1968 release, the group disbanded. Blunstone and the other three non-songwriters were left penniless. He took a job in an insurance office, another band member was hired at a car dealership and another went into computer programming. The two songwriters, Rod Argent and Chris White, continued in the industry and later formed the prog-rock group Argent, which scored the hit .”
Months after the release of “Odessey & Oracle,” though, the single ” ” was unceremoniously released in America without the Zombies’ knowledge.
The song, notable for its lengthy organ riffing and echoey handclaps and sighs, exploded — eventually reaching No. 3 on the American charts. It was the biggest seller in America for the then-defunct band.
Despite the single, however, “Odessey & Oracle” never really took off. It was about a decade later when rock critics began to notice the album. Rolling Stone magazine in 2003 listed it as the 100th greatest rock album of all time, extolling its “baroque psychedelic pop arrangements.” Other critics put it alongside seminal albums such as the Beatles’ “Revolver,” the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced.”
The album is not a freakout or sonic explosion, as were others from its era. It is a tapestry of clever, tuneful songs that deserve the newfound accolades.
Paul Weller has called it one of his all-time favorites, Tom Petty said it was one of the most influential from the period and members of the Foo Fighters say they listen to it regularly.
Prior to this tour, which began Sept. 30 in Dallas, the band had played songs from the album only seven times in Great Britain. Seeing audiences appreciate the songs from the album is a “wild celebration,” Blunstone said.
“To start with, we all have to relearn it,” he said. “It is almost like it is a new piece of work. It is great fun to see the old guys again from the original lineup. I think when we actually perform the album, it is going to be quite emotional, really.”
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367, jpmeyer@denverpost.com or @jpmeyerdpost
THE ZOMBIES The 1960s-era British band re-formed with original members for a 20-city American tour to perform its critically acclaimed 1969 album, “Odessey & Oracle,” in its entirety. Oct. 19 at The Paramount Theatre, Denver. Tickets $35-$65. 866-461-6556 0r paramountdenver. com.
The zombies
8 p.m. Monday. “Odessey & Oracle: The Odyssey Continued.” Tickets $35-$65. Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Place.
