The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle

Title: Odessey and Oracle Artist: The Zombies Release Date: 1968 Re-Released On: 6/26/2007 Label: Big Beat Records Duration: 42:25 Album Type(s): lyrics/libretto UPCs: 029667027724, 4988004092718, 766487149525 Genre: Rock Styles: Psychedelic, Contemporary Pop/Rock, Baroque Pop, Psychedelic Pop, British Psychedelia, AM Pop Moods: Autumnal, Bittersweet, Elegant, Melancholy, Atmospheric, Austere, Delicate, Dreamy, Gentle, Literate, Lush, Poignant, Restrained, Sophisticated, Wistful, Amiable/Good-Natured, Theatrical, Intimate, Laid-Back/Mellow, Sweet, Wry, Cynical/Sarcastic, Refined/Mannered, Reflective, Innocent, Sentimental, Summery Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 13 Number of Discs/SwapaCD Credits: 1

1. Care of Cell
2. A 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

Year Type Label Catalog # 2007 CD Big Beat Records 025

Odessey and Oracle [30th Anniversary Edition] Odessey and Oracle [Germany Bonus Tracks] Odessey and Oracle [2004 Bonus Tracks] Odessey and Oracle [Rhino Bonus Tracks] Odessey and Oracle [Japan] Odessey and Oracle [40th Anniversary Edition]

Odessey and Oracle was one of the flukiest (and best) albums of the 1960s, and one of the most enduring long-players to come out of the entire British psychedelic boom, mixing trippy melodies, ornate choruses, and lush Mellotron sounds with a solid hard rock base. But it was overlooked completely in England and barely got out in America (with a big push by Al Kooper, who was then a Columbia Records producer); and it was neglected in the U.S. until the single "Time of the Season," culled from the album, topped the charts nearly two years after it was recorded, by which time the group was long disbanded. Ironically, at the time of its recording in the summer of 1967, permanency was not much on the minds of the bandmembers. Odessey and Oracle was intended as a final statement, a bold last hurrah, having worked hard for three years only to see the quality of their gigs decline as the hits stopped coming. The results are consistently pleasing, surprising, and challenging: "Hung Up on a Dream" and "Changes" are some of the most powerful psychedelic pop/rock ever heard out of England, with a solid rhythm section, a hot Mellotron sound, and chiming, hard guitar, as well as highly melodic piano. "Changes" also benefits from radiant singing. "This Will Be Our Year" makes use of trumpets (one of the very few instances of real overdubbing) in a manner reminiscent of "Penny Lane"; and then there's "Time of the Season," the most well-known song in their output and a white soul classic. Not all of the album is that inspired, but it's all consistently interesting and very good listening, and superior to most other psychedelic albums this side of the Beatles' best and Pink Floyd's early work. Indeed, the only complaint one might have about the original LP is its relatively short running time, barely over 30 minutes, but even that's refreshing in an era where most musicians took their time making their point, and most of the CD reissues have bonus tracks to fill out the space available. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Name Credits Al Kooper Liner Notes Chris White Bass, Vocals, Producer Colin Blunstone Vocals Geoff Emerick Engineer Hugh Grundy Drums Jools DeVere Design Paul Atkinson Guitar Peter Vince Engineer Rod Argent Piano, Liner Notes, Producer, Keyboards, Organ, Mellotron, Vocals The Zombies Producer, Arranger