"She's Not There" presents the best example. In the later versions, there's a guitar part at the beginning of the second verse that isn't in the original 1964 recording, but it seems to have become a part of the song. In fact, I sometimes wonder if that part would have been in the original recording if it had been written at the time. It seems like the kind of addition that becomes integral to the song.
In the Live at the Bloomsbury Theatre, London version, it's not there. Keith Airey has a guitar solo later in the song, but it's structured in the same manner as Rod Argent's electric piano/organ solo (an organ solo seems to be a standard addition to the recorded version, too).
The Odessey and Oracle 40th Anniversary Concert version is probably the closest to the recorded version (when comparing these four). The extra guitar part isn't there, and Rod Argent doesn't extend his solo to the organ. The only instrumental difference between this version and the 1964 recording is that this one includes brass parts.
It appears on Live at Metropolis Studios, on Extended Versions, and on the version they did at SXSW, and since all of those performances were when Tom Toomey was with the Zombies, I'm wondering if he wrote that riff. Since it doesn't appear before his time as a Zombie, it's quite possible.
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"Time of the Season" is a bit more consistent, but there are a few interesting changes. The version on Live at the Bloomsbury Theatre, London has a really fast tempo. It's almost as if they're rushing to get to the end of it. Jim Rodford also sings some of the parts - "Is he rich?" "To show." While the tempo is a lot faster than the original recording, the vocal part distribution is the same; Jim Rodford takes over Chris White's parts both on bass and on vocals. But on all of the other versions I've heard since that one, Rod Argent has taken those extra vocal parts. Frankly, I don't understand why. I like the way it was originally written, and I don't think that Jim Rodford gets enough distinct vocal parts. (His vocal part on Argent's "He's a Dynamo" is one of the reasons I love that song so much.)
The versions on Live at Metropolis Studios and Extended Versions also include an interesting chromatic organ part in between "is he rich like me" and "has he taken any time to show you what you need to live."
This isn't in the version on Live at the Bloomsbury Theatre, London, but you do get a hint of it on the version on Odessey and Oracle 40th Anniversary Concert.
The version that they did of "Time of the Season" at SXSW has an interesting feature too - while playing his organ solo, Rod Argent also plays chords on electric piano. I think it's a great addition to the song because it's different, but it's not as drastic a change as writing a new part would be.
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I think it's great that they're still touring and playing these songs, and their changing different parts proves that they're still invested in what they're doing and that they're enjoying themselves.
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