Thirty years later and the British are invading again.
"But it's a friendly invasion," laughed Colin Blunstone, the lead singer of the 1960s British band, the Zombies. The band performs in Greeley Tuesday along with Love with Arthur Lee.
American radio seems to only remember three Zombies songs, "She's Not There," "Tell Her No," and the group's last hit before breaking up, "Time of the Season." The band survived a four-year stint from 1964 to 1967. Nonetheless, they are considered monumental to the '60s musical movement known as the British Invasion. The group holds company with popular bands like the Beatles and the Kinks as one of the most influential bands, and one that later inspired rock bands like the Rolling Stones.
Blunstone and Rod Argent, two of the five original members, are attempting to make a comeback with their new CD, "As Far As I Can See," and an American tour that started Sept. 28.
He laughed a lot, and if it were any other aging rocker from the psychedelic era, you might think it was the aftereffects of drugs. But the Zombies, although classified in the drug-induced psychedelic rock category, came slightly before the movement and shouldn't even be included in that, Blunstone said.
So they didn't get their inspiration in a drug-induced state. But Blunstone still remembers the spontaneity of the free-love era in the '60s and the effects it had on the music industry.
By 'sophisticated' he means bogged down by marketing techniques that help records sell. And he misses the musically nurturing environment of the '60s — now there aren't as many places to play or as many bands out there.
But now the competition is really with a generation gap. Blunstone said their audiences are mainly the older fans that remember the '60s version of the Zombies, but they've also caught the attention of a younger generation.
The beginning of the Zombies sounds like a musical urban legend — the talent of some unknown band is unexpectedly discovered, a record deal falls into their lap, and they become one of the most influential bands of the era. But Blunstone swears that's how it happened.
More than 30 years later, their new 10-song CD, written entirely by Argent, still follows the Zombies tradition of combining varied jazzy and rock style.
Their music may be as good as it once was, but Blunstone realizes they aren't as young as they once were and the touring atmosphere isn't as wild as it used to be.
The Zombies and Love Arthur Lee play at 7:30 Tuesday at the Union Colony Civic Center, 701 10th Ave., Greeley. Tickets are $22-$32, available on the Web site, http://www.ucstars.com, or call 356-5000.