Neil MacArthur

In one of the odder episodes of late-'60s British pop/rock, ex-<a href="spotify:artist:2jgPkn6LuUazBoBk6vvjh5">Zombies</a> lead singer <a href="spotify:artist:27DCwiPx5ocQsf4K43SlIL">Colin Blunstone</a> issued three singles under the pseudonym of Neil MacArthur. The 45s boasted grandiose orchestral production (by <a href="spotify:artist:5LT7jCb1KsGIAJqz3sIIYn">Mike Hurst</a>) more bombastic than anything <a href="spotify:artist:2jgPkn6LuUazBoBk6vvjh5">the Zombies</a> had released. Yet they were similar to some of <a href="spotify:artist:2jgPkn6LuUazBoBk6vvjh5">the Zombies</a>' work in their delicately haunting, sophisticated pop/rock melodies and, of course, <a href="spotify:artist:27DCwiPx5ocQsf4K43SlIL">Blunstone</a>/MacArthur's breathy vocals. One of them, a remake of <a href="spotify:artist:2jgPkn6LuUazBoBk6vvjh5">the Zombies</a>' "She's Not There," was even a Top 40 U.K. hit, though it wouldn't be long before <a href="spotify:artist:27DCwiPx5ocQsf4K43SlIL">Blunstone</a> would opt to continue his solo career under his own name.

After <a href="spotify:artist:2jgPkn6LuUazBoBk6vvjh5">the Zombies</a> broke up around the beginning of 1968, <a href="spotify:artist:27DCwiPx5ocQsf4K43SlIL">Blunstone</a> briefly retired from the music business, working for a while in the insurance industry. It wasn't long, however, before <a href="spotify:artist:5LT7jCb1KsGIAJqz3sIIYn">Hurst</a> (then noted as producer of Cat Stevens' early records) persuaded him to record again, starting with the re-recording of "She's Not There." It made number 34 in the U.K., and <a href="spotify:artist:27DCwiPx5ocQsf4K43SlIL">Blunstone</a> even did another version in Italian for that market. A couple decent follow-ups in the same ornate pop style, however, didn't chart. By this time it was fairly well known that MacArthur was in fact <a href="spotify:artist:27DCwiPx5ocQsf4K43SlIL">Colin Blunstone</a>, especially as <a href="spotify:artist:27DCwiPx5ocQsf4K43SlIL">Blunstone</a>'s picture appeared in ads for the records, and he reverted to his real name when he launched his solo career, with fellow ex-<a href="spotify:artist:2jgPkn6LuUazBoBk6vvjh5">Zombies</a> <a href="spotify:artist:6304CN545CvN8hNfPKuWf1">Rod Argent</a> and Chris White producing. Both sides of all three Neil MacArthur solo singles, as well as a couple previously unreleased tracks from the same era and the Italian version of "She's Not There," appear on Into the Afterlife, a collection of late-'60s <a href="spotify:artist:2jgPkn6LuUazBoBk6vvjh5">Zombies</a>-related rarities. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi