Zombies – Time of the Season

The Zombies were a band of excellent musicians…some of the best of the British Invastion. In 1968 they released Odessey and Oracle and in 1969 this song peaked at #3 in the Billboard 100 and #1 in Canada. The Zombies had already broken up by the time this song hit.

The Zombies had practically no budget when they made this album. They wanted orchestration on this album but couldn’t afford it but they figured something out. The Beatles just finished Sgt Pepper when the Zombies entered the studio. John Lennon had left his Mellotron so the Zombies used it instead of orchestration.

During the recording of the single, the band were arguing with each other. The biggest argument was between keyboardist Rod Argent, who wrote the song, and vocalist Colin Blunstone was over the line, “When love runs high.”Blunstone thought the high note at the end of the line was very hard to do and yelled at Argent. He told Argent that if he thought it was so easy he should sing it.

Blunstone ended up singing the song and doing a terrific job. The song is now a huge classic. The album has been remembered as one of the best pop albums of the sixties.

The first two singles flopped so The Zombies said enough was enough and broke up. Then came Al Kooper whoh really liked this album. He worked at Columbia Records and persuaded Clive Davis to release this record in America. He thought it had a poteintal for a hit single.

Al Kooper pushed this album to Clive Davis and that was a big reason it was released in America. After the band broke up Rod Argent formed “Argent” and Colin had a successful solo career in the UK.

In 2017, the four surviving original members (Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent, Chris White and Hugh Grundy) re-united for a North American tour marking the 50th anniversary of the recording of Odessey and Oracle.

Colin Blunstone: “It was written in the morning before we went into the studio in the afternoon, and I kind of struggled on the melody, Rod and I had quite a heated discussion – he being in the control room and me singing the song – and we were just doing it through my headphones. Because it had only just been written, I was struggling with the melody.

“It makes me laugh, because at the same time I’m singing, ‘It’s the time of the season for loving,’ we’re really going at one another.”

Time of the Season
It’s the time of the season
When love runs high
And this time, give it to me easy
And let me try with pleasured hands
To take you in the sun to (promised lands)
To show you every one
It’s the time of the season for loving
What’s your name?
Who’s your daddy?
(He rich) Is he rich like me?
Has he taken, any time (any time)
(To show) to show you what you need to live
Tell it to me slowly (tell me what)
I really want to know
It’s the time of the season for loving
What’s your name?
Who’s your daddy?
(He rich) Is he rich like me?
Has he taken, any time (any time)
(To show) to show you what you need to live
Tell it to me slowly (tell me what)
I really want to know
It’s the time of the season for loving

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

34 thoughts on “Zombies – Time of the Season”

  3. When Time of the Season become their biggest hit, the members resisted temptations to re-form, leading to a couple of bizarre tours in the late ‘60s by bogus “Zombies” with no relation to the original group.

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  4. Great song pick, it really think it is representative of a time and place, sorry that’s a bit punny. But I really think this is an iconic song. I’m always learning about something, I knew little beyond that it was The Zombies.

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    1. I like the way he sings it…it’s a great album and this one is not even my favorite. Care of Cell 44 is a song that sounds like a McCartney-Brian Wilson song that never was.

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      4. Randy I think it’s because of the jazz influence they had…Time of the Season doesn’t show it but She’s Not There and the other does a little bit better…but as songwriters? No…not even close…
        but this album is up there to me personally.

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    1. The way he sings it just sets it apart. That album was a pop masterpiece to me. It’s only one song I don’t like…Butcher’s Tale (Western Front 1914)….the rest I really like…including In Care of Cell 44…that song is something else….just reat.

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      4. That one I didn’t like….but In Care of Cell 44…is the song…out of all of their songs…if I could have written one…that would have been it.

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      5. “Care of Cell 44” is a great opener. I also love “This Will Be Our Year” and obviously “Time of the Season”. While these are the standouts to me, I also like the other tracks. The vocals and the sound are outstanding throughout.

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      6. Oh yea…This Will Be Are Year is great…A Rose for Emily isn’t bad either… yes they combined the Beach Boys harmony to their pop…it sounded great.

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  12. Time Of The Season is a great record, bizarrely unknown in the UK so I can see why they broke up in 1969 with all the indifference. I didn’t get to hear it till the 80’s, and then a lot on oldies radio in Florida in the 90’s. Yay for the US rescuing it from obscurity! I caught Colin & Rod a few years back on the 3-acts-for-the price of 1 evening in a small local venue (they did solo, Argent and Zombies stuff) but missed the last tour due to life butting in, fingers-crossed there’s another one soon I hope!

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    1. It’s odd because it should have been a hit when the album came out…without Al Kooper it wouldn’t have been release I don’t think.
      I missed The Zombies when they came to Nashville…if they do again I won’t miss them.

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