Odessey Oracle

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 Mersey beat sound far behind by the late
’60s, pursuing instead a moodier, more sophisticated sound. Tracks include
“Rose for Emily,” “Friends of Mine” and “Changes”, among others. Review
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

Features:

Product Details:

• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 2.4 x 5.35 x 0.12 inches; 7.9 Ounces
• Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Big Beat Uk
• Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 1998
• Date First Available ‏ : ‎ December 13, 2006
• Label ‏ : ‎ Big Beat Uk
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Best Sellers Rank: #94,165 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl) #136 in Baroque Pop #438 in British Invasion Rock #859 in British Music
• #136 in Baroque Pop