Album: Odessey and Oracle Artist: The Zombies Year: 1968 Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Baroque Pop Producer: The Zombies Track List: 1. Care of Cell 44 [R. Argent] 2. A Rose for Emily [R. Argent] 3. Maybe After Hes Gone [C. White] 4. Beechwood Park [C. White] 5. Brief Candles [C. White] 6. Hung Up on a Dream [R. Argent] 7. Changes [C. White] 8. I Want Her, She Wants Me [R. Argent] 9. This Will Be Our Year [C. White] 10. Butchers Tale (Western Front 1914) [C. White] 11. Friends of Mine [C. White] 12. Time of the Season [R. Argent] Like so many cult classics, Odessey and Oracle almost never came to be. In early 1968, much of the world thought of The Zombies as a lesser-known, has-been act of the British Invasion, one whose best days were behind them. This included the band themselves, who for a couple years had been fighting the urge to break up. Nonetheless, with their early intrigue having dried up, the band proceeded to attempt a record to suit their personal tastes. The recording process was a hassle, and almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Besides a massive amount of band infighting, there were also issues with the record company, who at the last minute told the band to convert their mono tracks into stereo, a difficult feat as the band had also used up their production budget. When the album was finally finished, the band finally called it quits, disillusioned with their experience and moving on to new projects. Even the name got screwed up; bassist Chris Whites flatmate, who designed the cover, infamously misspelled the word Odyssey. Out of this chaos, however, came a true gem of an album. Over the years, Odessey and Oracle has gained an enormous cult following, in large part propelled by its hit single, Time of the Season. But the rest of the album is just as good. Care of Cell 44 and Changes are both masters of pop psychedelia, while Beechwood Park and Butchers Tale both take on a dark but still beautiful tone. This Will Be Our Year sounds like a triumphal march towards hippie paradise, and where would an album be without ballads like A Rose for Emily or Brief Candles? Its easy to see why this easy-to-miss masterpiece has a secure place in my top ten albums.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 04:37:20 +0000
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