by Robert Wilkinson
Today and tonight we dance to the music of two legendary groups as we continue celebrating this year’s Gemini stars!
Rod Argent (14 June 1945) founded the Zombies in 1962, one of the most underrated and electrifying acts ever to hit the scene, and in some respects were creative geniuses with a distinct sound that still holds up to this day. Their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle has consistently ranked in the top 100 on the Rolling Stone list of the top 500 albums of all time.
Rod has written some of the most memorable (and played) songs ever offered up in the world of pop music. This guy is one for the ages! I saw the Zombies 8 years ago in Tucson, and they’re mos def NOT an “oldies” show! They did all the hits, of course, as well as a fair piece of Odessey and Oracle, along with tunes from Argent, Colin Blunstone’s solo career, and their new album released a few years ago. One of the best shows of its kind I’ve ever seen, Colin can still hit the high notes 57 years later! Wow!!
Remember as you're listening, every organ and piano piece is our birthday boy. For your enjoyment, the amazing Rod Argent! (If some of these take too long to load, refresh your browser window.)
Taken from the Classic Rock anthology, here’s a great video of Rod’s first huge hit with his post-Zombies band “Argent,” giving us major attitude to “hold our heads up!” “Hold Your Head Up”
We now go back to a bygone era, where our next tune, Rod’s first global smash hit, is played almost every day somewhere on earth. Rod on organ, Colin on lead vocals, and the rest live on television a long time ago performing their #2 hit from 1964, “She’s Not There” (complete with some very real screams! Yes, they had that effect when they played!)
Think of all these as twist tunes! Live on Shindig in the same era, their second hit (also written by Rod) to reach the top 10, “Tell Her No”
From Shindig in 1965, the Zombies live doing a very exciting rave up rocker, “It’s Alright By Me”
Last year I had a great live tv performance of our next song, but this year it’s disappeared. So instead, you get the original studio version of this mid-60s rave up written by bassist Christ White, the electric “What More Can I Do,” and this is a GREAT Live at the BBC performance of “What More Can I Do”
From the UK first album, “I Can’t Make Up My Mind” and “I Know She Will”
Here’s the only known color footage of this great band! From the Summer of 1966 at the Hippodrome, the Zombies offering up “Got To Get A Hold of Myself”
Here's a rare find! It's the Zombies in 1967 in a performance in France! The Zombies obviously liked their R & B! This year I still have the clip of them cranking out the great Smokey Robinson song, “Going to A Go Go,” and from that same gig, here’s their cover of the Isley Brothers' hit ”This Old Heart of Mine."
From Live at the BBC, the Zombies giving us another live version of ”This Old Heart of Mine"
A few more from the mid-60s!
This obscure gem from the first album was the follow up to “She’s Not There.” "Leave Me Be" and another, "I Must Move"
Written by Colin, this gem was featured in the movie Bunny Lake Is Missing. Last year I had the sequence in the movie with the Zombies on the television at the bar, but this year it’s gone. So here’s the studio version of the somewhat dark and brooding R&B “Just Out of Reach”
Also from the movie Bunny Lake, two written by Chris! “Nothing’s Changed” and "Remember You"
Here’s the studio version of bassist Chris White’s hit “I Love You”
Speaking of that song, here's the very rare album titled I Love You
Here’s another Rod composition that made the top 3 in the Summer of Love! From a 2005 live performance on Belgian television, “Time of the Season”
Here’s one of the greatest albums ever recorded! From 1967, it’s a classic of psychedelia and the atmosphere of the Summer of Love. From beautiful ballads through some very trippy stuff into some rockers and timeless classics, all written by Rod Argent or Chris White, here’s the entire 34 minutes of the legendary Zombies album, Odessey and Oracle
I found it again! Imagine the Swan In Floral Street. is the great lost Zombies album from 1969, long after the band broke up. For your enjoyment, Imagine the Swan In Floral Street.
(Track list with either Rod or Chris or both as author: “Never My Love,” "I Know She Will," (CW) “Smokey Day,”(CW/RA) “Unhappy Girl,”(RA/CW) “I’ll Keep Trying,”(RA) “Conversation Off Floral Street,”(CW/RA) “Walking in the Sun,”(RA) “If It Don’t Work Out,”(RA) “Sometimes (Acid),” “ Telescope (Mr. Galileo),”(CW/RA) “Girl Help Me,”(CW/RA) “I Could spend the Day,”(CW/RA) “Imagine the Swan.”(CW/RA)) - [ADD: These tracks were also released in the compilation Zombie Heaven.]
From that album, a single track. "Imagine the Swan."
After the Zombies broke up (when they hit the top of the charts with the album Odessey and Oracle with the hit “Time of the Season,” just one of the incredible tunes on that unique album), Rod went on to form the group Argent. Here are a few great ones from that era.
We’ll begin with a live performance of their biggest hit from the post-Zombies era! From 1973 at the Palace Theater in NY, a great live video performance of “Hold Your Head Up”
From 2010 at the High Voltage Festival, a great live performance by Argent of “Liar” (Yes, 3 Dog Night also had a hit with it!)
From the same show, here they are doing “Since You’ve Been Gone”
Here's the third from the High Voltage Festival with “It’s Only Money”
We’ll begin to close this birthday tribute and dance with one of the great rock and roll anthems ever written! Written by Russ Ballard, produced by Rod and his bandmate from the Zombies Chris White, an amazing live performance by Argent on The Old Grey Whistle Test of one of my faves, “God Gave Rock and Roll To You”
And since it's such a great tune, here's a newer live performance from 2013 at Aylesbury of "God Gave Rock and Roll To You."
Here’s one of my favorite Argent albums, In Deep, which has some of the best Argent tunes ever released. For your enjoyment, here’s the entire album. It begins with track 1 and then proceeds through the entire album. Chris and Rod Argent wrote songs 4, 5, 6, and 7, so enjoy! “Argent - In Deep”
We’ll close out Argent with two versions of the Argent tune that had us all rocking! First, the original studio long version of “Hold Your Head Up,” which we’ll contrast with a live performance in 1973 on the Midnight Special television show, Argent cranking out “Hold Your Head Up”
For the closer, I found an entire concert that you should not miss! It’s an amazing show from March 2008 at the 40th anniversary of Odessey and Oracle! This featured the reunion of the 4 living original band members, and was the first time this album had ever been performed live! Here’s a full 56 amazing minutes of The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle Revisited 40th Anniversary Concert
While that show is impossible to match, our encore gives us Rod and Colin at their best! Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone – The Complete 2013 Summerstage Concert
Our third encore is a ripping set from the BBC back when they were on top! For your listening enjoyment, the very live The Zombies Live on the BBC
And for our final number of the tribute, the “new” Zombies in 2012 giving us a great performance of “I Love You”
Thanks for the great tunes across the decades, Rod. A big Happy and Merry to you, and may you live to rock on for many more years!
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Today we also celebrate the birthday of the bass vocalist of the Four Tops, Mister Renaldo “Obie” Benson (June 14, 1936 – July 1, 2005). When Abdul “Duke” Fakir (December 26, 1935) met Levi Stubbs (June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008) in high school, history was set into motion. Once they met Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton (March 2, 1938 – June 20, 1997) in 1954, they created a group for the ages. One of the archetypal voices of Motown, they were together from 1953 to 1997 without a change in lineup, so it’s safe to say this was one of the most enduring vocal groups in history!
In an era of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Otis Redding, the Supremes, Dionne Warwick, the Marvelettes, Sam and Dave, Martha and the Vandellas, Booker T and the MGs, and too many other greats to list here, the Four Tops were consistently at or near the top of the charts. Their music was all over the radio and we were fed a long feast of hits that everyone loved and danced to.
We’ll kick off this birthday tribute with one of the greatest tunes the Four Tops ever did! This is a great performance clip from 1967, truly live on television, and fantastic! “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)”
Also from 1967 in Paris, the Four Tops cranking out a great live performance of “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” and from that same gig, cranking out their third hit “Same Old Song.”
Here’s the original studio version, backing a Four Tops 1966 television lip-synched performance, of their very first hit from way back when, the smooth soul sound of “Baby I Need Your Lovin’.”
From Shivaree on April 1965, the Four Tops lip-synching “Baby I Need Your Lovin’”
Live on television in July 1965, “Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)”
Here's another great television appearance on Hullabaloo in December 1965 performed to a backing instrumental track! For you stomping pleasure, their 1965 smash hit "Something About You Baby"
From 1966, live on television giving us "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever”
And from the Ed Sullivan Show in 1967, here the 4 Tops sing live a medley to a backing instrumental track! This is a great live performance of “Reach Out (I’ll Be There),” “Can’t Help Myself,” “Bernadette,” and “Climb Every Mountain”
Live in Belgium in 1967, “Standing In The Shadows of Love.” From that same tour, this time in Paris, Levi’s puts in his bid to take the crown as the hardest working man in show biz! This is a great very live performance of “Standing In The Shadows of Love.”
More 1967 television with Levi and the boys singing to a backing track offering up “Bernadette”
Also from 1967, set to home movies of them on the road, the Four Tops’ studio version of the Tim Hardin/Bobby Darin hit “If I Were A Carpenter”
From 1968, the Four Tops delivering another of their huge hits, “Walk Away Renee”
Slowing it down a little, here’s their studio version of the Tommy Edwards classic, “It’s All In the Game”
In 1970 Swinging London, this is live! Their second hit was all over the airwaves, and we knew something big was happening! “Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)”
Last year I had their full 44 minute Live in Europe Show from 1970, but it’s disappeared. Better luck next year.
This year their 1970 appearance on The David Frost Show, has disappeared. They had a great backing band and did “Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” and “Put A Little Love in Your Heart.”
From the Midnight Special television show in 1978, “Ain’t No Woman Like The One I’ve Got”
Live on ABC TV in 1981, the Four Tops cranking out a very live performance of “Bernadette,” “Ain’t No Woman,” and “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)”
Also on Fridays in 1981, here's a great live performance of their last Top 20 hit "When She Was My Girl"
Here’s a great 39 minute live clip of their performance at Park West in Chicago in 1984! Have fun with Four Tops Live at Park West Chicago - 1984
From Live Aid in 1985, here’s a great live delivery of their set in that iconic show I helped create, “Wake Me, Shake Me,” “Bernadette,” “Same Old Song,” “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” and “Can’t Help Myself.”
From TV Oz in 1993, the Four Tops very live and in the groove, offering up their first hit, “Baby I Need Your Lovin’”
From Miami in 2004, the Four Tops live, with sweet harmonies and smooth dancing! “Reach Out” and “Same Old Song”, which we'll follow with “Same Old Song” and “Walk Away Renee,” and we'll close this gig with “Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)”
Their 2005 PBS 50th Anniversary Show featuring the new Four Tops doing a fantastic 10 minute live tribute performance to Levi Stubbs with “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “Bernadette,” “Same Old Song,” “I Can't Help Myself” is nowhere to be found this year.
We now get a brief but memorable blast from the past! Here's a single they did in 1956 when they began, back in the era of doo-wop. For your enjoyment, from that year, the studio version of the A side and the B side (remember them?) of their first record, “Could It Be You” and “Kiss Me Baby”
From their early Columbia days in 1960, another two sides of early Four Tops cranking up the Twist machine followed by some sweet doo-wop! “Ain’t That Love” and “Lonely Summer”
We now move into the closers, a couple of great television performances from the mid-80s!
From the 1985 television special Motown Returns to the Apollo, 6 minutes of pure Soul gold! “Temptations vs the Four Tops”
This year I found the entire 2 hour and 21 show! This is sweet, so enjoy this extraordinary show! The Tops open this Emmy winning production with great interviews and performances! Motown Returns to the Apollo - 1985
Unfortunately, the full one hour 1986 Motown on Showtime has disappeared. However, I still have the show in several clips, so enjoy these!
Motown on Showtime – Temptations and the Four Tops – Pt. 1 (9+ min)
Motown on Showtime – Temptations and the Four Tops – Pt. 2 (10 min)
Motown on Showtime – Temptations and the Four Tops – Pt. 3 (10 min)
Motown on Showtime – Temptations and the Four Tops – Pt. 4 (10 min) is gone.
Motown on Showtime – Temptations and the Four Tops – Pt. 5 (10 min) Motown on Showtime – Temptations and the Four Tops – Pt. 6 (8+ min)We’ll close this tribute with a great b/w live performance in Brussels in 1967, a very cranked up b/w version of “Reach Out (I’ll Be There).” (They’ve removed a few frames from each section, so the video is a bit staccato, so to speak.)
For our encore, a full hour and 2 concert! The Four Tops Live at the MGM Grand - 1996
For our second encore, a fitting tribute to the original Four Tops! From Letterman in 2005, bassist Obie Benson’s last live performance before he died. For your enjoyment, the Four Tops very live backed by “the most dangerous band in the world” performing “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)”
Copyright © 2024 Robert Wilkinson
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