According to the Zombie Heaven liner notes, fifty years ago to-day (30 March 1968), the Zombies' split was announced. In the liner notes to the 30th anniversary edition of Odessey and Oracle, there's a clipping (with the same date) from Disc and Music Echo. In full it reads:
ZOMBIES, who sprang to fame with the hit "She's Not There," three years ago, have disbanded.
Says leader Rod Argent. "We felt we were becoming stale. We didn't think we were progressing musically as a group."
But the St Albans boys leave behind two new releases. A single, "Time Of The Season," released on April 5, and an album "Odyssey And Oracle," on April 19.
Adds Argent: "We are ending our career with recordings we wrote and produced ourselves for the CBS label. We have made up our minds not to re-form even if the records are big hits."
Zombies were most successful in America where "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No" won them top awards. The boys also appeared and played in Otto Preminger's film "Bunny Lake Is Missing."
Zombies Rod Argent and Chris White plan to stay in the business, songwriting and producing. Lead singer Colin Blunstone is going into insurance. Drummer Hugh Grundy intends to stay in music. And guitarist Paul Atkinson has taken a post in computers.
