Product Description

UK 1960s psych-pop scarcely gets more seminal than this. The Zombies' '68 swan song is their crowning achievement, a Day-Glo, baroque-tinged masterpiece on a par with PET SOUNDS or SGT. PEPPER'S. Like the Beatles, the Zombies had left their Merseybeat sound far behind by the late '60s, pursuing instead a moodier, more sophisticated sound. "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)", a grimly haunting accordion-led WWI narrative would have been unimaginable on an earlier Zombies record, and the simmering, ominous classic "Time of the Season" is as far from "She's Not There" as "Strawberry Fields Forever" is from "She Loves You".
Still, the peerless pop craftsmanship of keyboardist Rod Argent and bassist Chris White (the group's principal songwriters) makes for plenty of richly melodic gems, as realised by Colin Blunstone's breathy,angelic voice. The delicately beautiful "A Rose for Emily" and the sunny, optimistic "This Will Be Our Year" can melt even the coldest of hearts. The 2004 reissue's bonus cuts (equally as entrancing as the initial tracks) and top-notch remastering further secure ODESSEY & ORACLE's status as an absolute must-own.

Track Listing

1. Care Of Cell 44
2. Rose For Emily
3. Maybe After He's Gone
4. Beechwood Park
5. Brief Candles
6. Hung Up On A Dream
7. Changes
8. I Want Her She Wants Me
9. This Will Be Our Year
10. Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)
11. Friends Of Mine
12. Time Of The Season
13. Rose For Emily (2)
14. Time Of The Season (2)
15. Care Of Cell 44 (2)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30148 in Music
• Released on: 1998-05-11
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Listen before you buy!
This was high in my wants list of then deleted albums for years! While I could see the merits of most so called classic albums, the reputation of this one baffles me. For a start, despite its intriguing title and reputation, its not psychedelic at all, more a late 1965 beat group sound. Secondly the sound of the album is curiously inert and anaemic as if it it has all the life sucked out of it (the sound picture seems processed and unnatural). The Zombies were the 60's kings of wimp-rock only (British) Nirvana come close for thin wimped-out sounds (but Nirvana did record the glorious 'Tiny Godess' which is better than anything the Zombies ever cut!). Even the hooks on Time of the Season seems wafer thin. Rod Argent used loads of diminished / augmented chords etc and the songs seem superficially very well constructed. They had the theory down but in practice, the Zombies had no gift for melody (or lyrics) and could never land a killer punch. Even the excellent She's Not There seems to be based on Billy Fury's Wondrous Place. If you are hoping for a psychedelic masterpiece or high energy, atmospheric avant garde late-sixties sounds, listen before you buy!

Take an Odessey
Many bands (the Beatles, the Beach Boys) at least dabbled in psychedelica, but the Zombies are often overlooked. For the 30th anniversary of "Odessey and Oracles," the Zombies' best album was rereleased in a new form, proving that their enchanting psychedelic pop has aged exceeedingly well.

The Zombies were unusually good at taking perky, sweet, lush music and wrapping it around a more serious song, such as the upbeat "Care of Cell 44" (guy writing to his jailed girlfriend), or the lovely "A Rose For Emily," a poignant little song that tells of a lonely woman doomed to stay lonely. "And as the years go by/she will grow old and die/The roses in her garden fade away/Not one left for her grave..."

But the Zombies aren't all sadness wrapped in happy music. There are perky songs about being happy in love, losing a love and hoping she'll return, and reminiscing about "golden days and golden summer nights." The album ends on a reassuring note with the laid-back "Time of the Season," which sounds like the ultimate hippie anthem.

I have no memories of the 60s, since I was only born in the eighties. But "Odessey and Oracle" gives a rosy glow to that era,. Psychedelic flair minus the hazy, and every song is a gem. Though "Time of the Season" was the sleeper hit from the album, it's not the best or catchiest song on here -- it's just one of many excellent ones.

Rod Argent was definitely an outstanding songwriter. He was able to create atmospheric and beautiful songs with very simple writing ("Brief candles in her mind/bright and tiny gems of memory"). Perhaps his finest moment here is "I knew he when summer was her crown/and autumn sad/how brown her eyes," as a kick-off to a colorful look at a woman compared to all the seasons.

Colin Blunstone's vocals were well-suited to the music: a bit husky, quite pleasant and mellow. The music itself was generally based on guitar, gentle drums, pretty piano, and wavering Mellotron, with a bit of accordian coming in in one song. There's a rich interweaving of many instruments, in all sorts of pop music. Some is almost classical in tone, some is uptempo stuff that is perfect for the radio.

The Zombies were in peak form in "Odessey and Oracle," churning out some of the purest pop music ever. As sweet and exquisite as it was in the 1960s.

Stunning last will and testament
Judging by other reviews, this is an album that polarises opinion. For those who hate it, the problem is probably their expectation of it as a psychedelic job. I prefer to avoid the term as not everyone has the same idea of what that is. In any case, "Odessey and Oracle" is straightforward British pop dressed up in colourful, atmospheric harmonies, based largely around Rod Argent's various keyboards and Colin Blunstone's breathy vocals. Those who get their kicks solely from acid-fuelled trickery and the avant-garde won't find anything of interest here.

On the other hand, "A Rose For Emily" recalls Paul McCartney's more reserved moments at the piano, e.g. "For No One", while "Beechwood Park" is in the same area as "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" without being as memorable. There are also songs that sound like leftovers from the beat era. I love the melodies and textures right across this album however with the emotional "Hung Up On A Dream" and the U.S. hit "Time Of The Season" personal favourites.

I once owned a compilation of The Zombies' earlier singles and, "She's Not There" apart, thought it third-rate. It's ironic that they did this, the bulk of their best work, when they knew that they'd break up without promoting it.