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Odessey and Oracle

The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle Audio CD

A fair review of the The Zombies "Odessey and Oracle" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Zombies reviews here, or go back to the The Zombies tabs.

Band: The Zombies
Title: Odessey and Oracle
Rating:

Release Date: 2007-06-26
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Care of Cell 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

As good as ever
It is always fresh and surprising. From the decade that gave us Pet Sounds, Revolver, Highway 61, Surrealistic Pillow, Moby Grape, Out of Our Heads, The Doors, I Never Loved a Man, Otis Live, For What It's Worth, Are You Experienced? (and the list goes on), Odessey and Oracle stands as the prettiest, most emotionally moving album of all. .

How Did I Miss This One?
The only song I had previously heard from this album was the classic "Time of the Season". ODYSSEY & ORACLE contains one gem after another. I found out about this album through Pandora, the website that plays you songs or bands that are similar to songs or band that you like. Thank you, Pandora! The truly genius song here is "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)" a haunting anti-war song about WW1. How is it possible that I have never heard this song? I find it shocking. The beautiful and tragic "A Rose for Emily", inspired by the William Faulkner short story of the same name, is also great. The other songs crept up on me and embedded themselves in my subconscious - there isn't one I haven't found myself singing. One of the great albums.

Odessey of rock and roll....oh yes beautiful pop
All I knew of the Zombies was "Time of the Season" and Rod Argent. . . . yeah you know "Hold your head Up". . . . great song. And then there was "Time of the Season" which I knew of as an original. Yet covered by Brent Bougoies. So, needless to say very uneventful, or at the very least a cute one hit wonder.

THIS IS TRULY ONE OF THE GREAT LOST POP/ROCK ALBUMS OF ALL TIME. DO NOT MISS THIS. REMEMBER, ROCK GROUPS HAD TO RELEASE AT LEAST ONE ALBUM A YEAR IF NOT TWO TO REMAIN "RELEVANT" TO THE GODS AT THE EXECUTIVE TABLE OF MUSIC. THIS IS NOT THE ROLLING STONES OR THE BEATLES IT IS A COMBINATION. THIS IS, IN MY OPTINION ONE OF THE GREATEST ALBUMS EVER RELEASED IN THIS DECADE. . . . AND THOSE TO COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

On an odessey
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. Many bands (the Beatles, the Beach Boys) at least dabbled in psychedelica, but the Zombies are often overlooked.

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. .

The Zombies' Best Album Just Got a Lot Better!
Released in 1968 as their answer to the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" and especially to the Beatles' brilliant "Sgt. If your album is ranked by Rolling Stone Magazine at number 80 among the 500 Greatest Albums of all time, you are probably not too far off from having a veritable classic on your hands and fortunately this is the case here when it comes to "Odessey & Oracle". Peppers' Lonely Hearts' Club Band" (coincidentally 2nd and 1st on the list respectively), this album seems to have missed the bus a little when it comes to timing as the whole psychedelic, flower power scene which seemed to hit its peak in '67 was already winding down by the time this album was released and indeed Rod Argent, the creative mind behind this whole endeavour almost decided not to release this probably for this very reason although he thankfully changed his mind eventually.

This album features very strong songwriting in the psychedelic genre with the last track "Time of the Season" truly standing out as one heck of a great song. Other tracks like "Butcher's Tale" also stand out as a strong anti-war statement which is still relevant today.

This Japanese mini-lp sleeve version is a real treat for all Zombies fans though as the remastered sound quality is quite good although not great but still a lot better than the original sound quality. We also get 14 bonus tracks in the form of the entire album in both stereo and mono formats and the addtional tracks: "I'll Call You Mine - single version" and another version of "Time of the Season" with a DJ preamble off a live radio spot way back when. The cardboard packaging and design isn't the best but isn't the worst I've seen either and we get all the lyrics in English in a 16-page booklet as well. Reading the lyrics lets you appreciate just how good a lyric-writer Argent was too.

This is a classic album that takes you back to the psychedelic 60s vibe and if you liked "Sgt. Pepper's. . . " or any other albums of that era, you'll just love this. Heck, my favourite track, "Time of the Season" alone is good enough for at least 3 stars and is worth getting the album for. An album that grows on you and like any classic, sounds good in any era.

Recommended.

You can see a complete list of all The Zombies discography, or go back to the The Zombies tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.