"Time of the Season" b/w "Friends of Mine"

According to Russo's Collector's Guide, fifty years ago to-day (30 December 1968), the Zombies' "Time of the Season" b/w "Friends of Mine" was released in the U.S. and Canada (Date 2-1628).

Recording Session

According to the Zombie Heaven liner notes, fifty years ago to-day (18 December 1968), "Imagine the Swan," "Smokey Day," and "I Could Spend the Day" were recorded at Morgan Studios, Willesden.  The liner notes also explain that these songs "featured the personnel of the soon-to-be named Argent" along with Mike Vickers on flute for "Smokey Day."

"She Loves the Way They Love Her"

According to the Zombie Heaven liner notes, fifty years ago to-day (16 December 1968), "She Loves the Way They Love Her" was recorded at Trident Studios in London.

"Conversation off Floral Street"

When I listened to the second disc of Zombie Heaven last week, some of the keyboard parts in the middle of "Conversation off Floral Street" sounded fairly easy to figure out.  A couple days ago, I learned some organ and piano (the two parts are very similar, which helpt), and I re-learned the bass part.  In this post (from five years ago!), I claimed that the bass part is only three pitches, but there are actually four.  In this section, though, the bass plays only one (C).

A couple times over the last few months, I've done some research into what specific drawbar settings Rod Argent uses on his Hammond organ, but I haven't been able to find anything.  I tried to match the original recording and used 8', 4', and 2' all at 8.

For the piano, I used a sample of a Steinway Model D.  I don't know if that's accurate for this specific track, but in a few interviews in recent years, Rod Argent has mentioned that he bought a Steinway concert grand.  In this article from Keyboard Magazine, he confirms that it's a Model D.  Unless I can find specific information about what brand of piano was used on a particular track, I'm probably going to use this sample as a default.

"She Does Everything for Me"

Last week, I learned the bass part and chords for the Four Tops' "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and discovered something that might have influenced the Zombies.

At the beginning of "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," the bass plays the same figure over and over again, beneath a C major:

The first thing I noticed is that the rhythm for each measure (for this introduction but also for almost every measure in the entire song) is three eighth notes, one quarter note, and three eighth notes, which is a rhythm that Rod Argent often uses in the bass parts for his songs.

Then I realized that this has a more specific similarity to the beginning of "She Does Everything for Me," where the bass plays the same figure over and over again, beneath an A major:

Where the bass in "I Can't Help Myself" plays the root (C), fifth (G), and sixth (A), the bass in "She Does Everything for Me" plays the root (A), fifth (E), and flatted seventh (G).

The chronology for this possible influence works out too.  According to the liner notes of the Four Tops' Anthology, "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" was released in 1965, and according to the liner notes of the Zombies' The Decca Stereo Anthology, "She Does Everything for Me" was recorded on 4 May 1966.

It seems relevant to note that the beginning of "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" starts playing immediately after the live version of "Going to a Go Go" on Into the Afterlife (apparently on the PA system of whatever venue where the Zombies were performing), although the recording is sped up significantly so that it's in Eb major instead of C major.  After having discovered this similarity in the bass parts, I'm wondering if the Zombies askt for it to be played.  (I remember reading somewhere that - in a similar way - Rod Argent askt for Ravel's Bolero to be played over the PA system before Argent concerts.)

It also seems worth noting that the Zombies covered the Four Tops' "Loving You Is Sweeter than Ever" live on the BBC.

"Walking in the Sun"

Yester-day I listened to the second disc of Zombie Heaven in order to listen to the Decca era songs to which the Zombies added overdubs in December 1968.  The French horn part in "Walking in the Sun" sounded easy to figure out, but while I was figuring that out, I discovered that I'd forgotten all of the other parts I'd learned for the song and that I hadn't written them down.

I re-learned the guitar part pretty easily, and in comparing it to my old recordings of the song, I discovered that I'd been missing a few things.  There's a little phrase in the transitions from C major to A minor, and I'd missed an F minor.

Here's my updated recording, with (fake) French horn, guitar, and electric piano.  I'm sure the electric piano part isn't that accurate; mostly I included it to fill out the sound a bit more and to demonstrate the Hohner Pianet sound I can get on my Nord Electro 5.

I notated the French horn part.  At the beginning of each verse, it's:

And then it doubles the title phrase (note that this is repeated):

---&---

Here's the guitar part, a combination of tabs and chords.

Introduction

B|:-5-5-3-5-5-5-|-6-6-5-6-6-6-:|

G|:-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-:|

Verse

B|-5-5-3-5-5-5-|-6-6-5-6-6-6-|:-5-5-3-5-5-5-:|
G|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|:-5-5-5-5-5-5-:|

B|-5-5-3-5-5-5-|-6-6-5-6-6-6-|-5-5-3-5-5-5-|-5-5-3-5-|
G|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-|

Chorus

E major | F major | F minor

The F major lasts six beats, and the F minor two; see the French horn part (specifically the A and G# in the last two measures) for a guide.

B|:-5-5-3-5-5-5-|-6-6-5-6-6-6-:|-5-5-3-5-5-5-|-5-5-3-5-|---------|
G|:-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-:|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-|---------|

D|:-------------|-------------:|-------------|---------|---------|

A|:-------------|-------------:|-------------|---------|---3---0-|

E|:-------------|-------------:|-------------|---------|-3---3---|

The third time through, the song fades out during this repeated section.

Bridge

A minor | C major

A|---3---0-|

E|-3---3---|

A minor | F major | F minor

B|:-5-5-3-5-5-5-:|

G|:-5-5-5-5-5-5-:|

Repeat from the beginning of the verse

---&---

There are C majors under:

B|-5-5-3-5-5-5-|
G|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|

and F minors under:

B|-6-6-5-6-6-6-|
G|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|

---&---

As I mentioned above, in my previous recordings, I'd missed the guitar phrase in the transitions from C major to A minor. I'd like to point out that in one transition from a C major to an A major in "I Don't Want to Know," Paul Atkinson plays this same phrase (albeit an octave lower).

Ennismore

I was going through my records of what parts I learned when, and I discovered that as of 26 October this year, I know at least a bit of a part for every song on Colin Blunstone's Ennismore.

December 1968 Overdubs

According to the Zombie Heaven liner notes, fifty years ago this month, the Zombies recorded additional parts for songs they originally recorded between 1964 and 1966: "If It Don't Work Out," "Don't Cry for Me," "I Know She Will," "Walking in the Sun," "I'll Keep Trying," and "I'll Call You Mine."  These were all done at Morgan Studios, Willesden.