She’s not there!

I came up with a list of desert island discs, the eight songs I would take with me to a desert island, and I had to include ‘She’s Not There’ by the Zombies. I distinctly remember when I first heard it; I was at my friend Frankie’s house on Milton Road in Cambridge, and Frankie had the 7″ single which she put on her father’s beautiful wooden-cased music centre. I’d never heard anything like it – and I thought it was really strange… and yet I couldn’t get it out of my head and it has stayed there ever since!

I didn’t ever buy the record myself, and have no other music by the Zombies, and didn’t really know anything about them. I was reminded of them when choosing my desert island discs and then as these coincidences happen, driving home today I was listening to The Johnnie Walker Show on BBC2 and his guest was Colin Blunstone, a singer I like a great deal… but never realised he was in the Zombies. I did feel rather silly!

The band was formed in 1962 and ‘She’s Not There’ was released two years later; it’s described on Wikipedia: “Songwriter Rod Argent’s second song was recorded and released in mid-1964. One of the song’s most distinctive features is Argent’s electric piano sound; the instrument used was a Hohner Pianet. The backing vocals are in a folk-influenced close-harmony style. This minor-key, jazz-tinged number, distinguished by its musicianship and Blunstone’s breathy vocal, was unlike anything heard in British rock at the time.” 

Johnnie Walker also played a couple of Colin’s solo songs… I think I may have to spend some money on music!