"Nothing's Changed"

Yester-day, I was thinking about Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "The Tracks of My Tears," specifically the line "My smile is my makeup I wear since my break up with you" at the end of the bridge, which is sung to a melody something like this:

I realized that there are some similarities between this and the keyboard solo (Hohner Pianet + Vox Continental) in the alternate take of "Nothing's Changed" (track 15 on disc 3 of Zombie Heaven), which is something like this:

Both consist primarily of a repeated set of descending triplets (although the intervals in the two parts aren't the same), and both start with an eighth note pick up and an ascending fourth.

According to the Zombie Heaven liner notes (p. 52), the Zombies performed "The Tracks of My Tears" live, so it's possible that the melody and rhythm of the vocal part here had something to do with Rod Argent's keyboard solo in "Nothing's Changed," even if merely subconsciously.

"Nothing's Changed"

 

Earlier this year, I was thinking about the Hohner Pianet solo in the alternate take of "Nothing's Changed" (available on the third disc of Zombie Heaven), and I realized that most of it is triplets.  I re-learned it, notated it, and made this short demonstration of it.  The Vox Continental part, which I included in the audio but didn't show in the video, is the same except for an arpeggiated A major at the end.  On their own, the two keyboard parts sound a bit odd; for some context, I also played the guitar chords.  I used The Zombies Greatest Hits, published by Alfred, as a basis, but I didn't follow exactly what the book has (because I don't think it's entirely accurate).  I played C major | C major 7 | D minor 7 | E minor | F major | G major | A major.  Of course, there's the standard disclaimer that I may not have this entirely accurate either.

Drawbar settings I used for the Vox Continental:

16' at 6, 8' and 4' at 8, IV at 8

Bunny Lake Is Missing

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According to Russo's Collector's Guide, fifty years ago to-day (22 April 1966), the Bunny Lake Is Missing soundtrack (RCA RD 7791) was released, including the Zombies' "Nothing's Changed," "Just out of Reach," and "Remember You."

"Nothing's Changed"

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I was surprised to find that this is only the second time I've recorded "Nothing's Changed."  I'm pretty sure the electric piano part isn't super accurate, but I am confident about the A# G# F# phrase.  I hadn't noticed until recently that "Nothing's Changed" has both organ and electric piano.  I don't think the parts overlap anywhere, so it seems that Rod Argent switched instruments while they were recording and that one wasn't overdubbed (although genius player that he is, he probably could have played two keyboards simultaneously anyway, as he has in some recent live versions of "Time of the Season").

I still find myself marveling that they didn't use the alternate take that appears on the third disc of Zombie Heaven.  The solo in that version is much better.

"Nothing's Changed"

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The 31st is the 51st anniversary of the recording of "Nothing's Changed" and the version of "Remember You" that's on the soundtrack of Bunny Lake Is Missing.  I just figured out the bass part (and a few organ parts) for "Nothing's Changed."  The bass part is pretty easy; I'm surprised I hadn't figured it out already.

I still know virtually nothing of the soundtrack version of "Remember You," but I do know that it's a whole-step lower than the single version (which I do know some parts for), which should be helpful.

"Nothing's Changed" and "Remember You"

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According to the liner notes of both Zombie Heaven and The Decca Stereo Anthology, fifty years ago to-day (31 March 1965), the Zombies recorded "Nothing's Changed" and "Remember You" (the version for the soundtrack of Bunny Lake Is Missing).

The Decca Stereo Anthology also adds that they recorded the vocals for "Come on Time" (an ad for Bunny Lake Is Missing) using the backing track from "Just out of Reach."

Zombie Heaven

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I listened to the third disc of Zombie Heaven to-day, and I noticed some more things:

1.  At about 1:38 in the instrumental version of "Nothing's Changed," it sounds like Rod Argent is playing rolled chords simultaneously on electric piano and organ (they're not really chords, but that's the best I can describe it), which - especially to someone like me who isn't very good at keyboards - is nothing short of amazing.  (I've tried it; I can sort of do one, but not both at once.)

Those simultaneously keyboard rolls correspond to the solo in the final version, but they're not in the final version!  I really liked the song even before I noticed those keyboard parts, but they add so much that it's unfathomable that they were taken out, especially because the solo that is there is pretty much just guitar chords.  There's part of a descending C major scale in the organ part, but it wasn't until I split the stereo track from the Decca Stereo Anthology that I even knew it was there.

2.  I'm pretty sure that there's twelve-string guitar even on the demo version of "Don't Go Away."

3.  There are organ parts throughout "One Day I'll Say Goodbye."  I feel pretty dumb I hadn't noticed them before, but I hadn't listened to that song for at least a year, and it's only recently that I've started listening really closely to what instruments are in the songs.

"Nothing's Changed"

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My first real Zombies cover of the year - "Nothing's Changed"

"Nothing's Changed"

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I haven't been doing much on this project recently because I've been working on FAWM, but I did just play through "Nothing's Changed" a few times, and I found a better way to play the G major 9th in it.  I had just been playing it the way it's diagrammed in the book I have, but I don't think Paul Atkinson played it that way.  The new way I figured out sounds closer to the record.

"Nothing's Changed"

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I can't take complete credit for learning this one.  About five years ago, I got a copy of a book published by the Alfred Company that has some music for the Zombies' songs, and I learned this from that about three or four years ago.