View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.5 (498 ratings)
- Date Released: January 1, 1968
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Label: Marquis Enterprises / AWAL
The Zombies' final album, and one of the high marks of '60s British pop
-
We Say...
Al Kooper, the omnipresent producer and session player, saved the Zombies' album Odessey and Oracle, from extinction. He found a copy in London and, back in New York, pushed it to Clive Davis, head of Columbia Records, saying he heard three hit singles on it. They got one — "Time of the Season" — which was plenty, especially considering that the Zombies had disbanded by the time the album came out in the U.S., in 1968.
So, were there two other hits among the dozen tracks? It doesn't matter. Consider the circumstances: Keyboardist Rod Argent and bassist Chris White, the main composers, were itching to form another band (Argent); this was just a farewell gesture three frustrating years after their last hit ("Tell Her No"); the sessions were rushed. Still, they produced a superb album that deserved Davis' attention. Sure, there could've been other hits, like "Care of Cell 44" and "Friends of Mine." But every cut will be interesting, especially for lovers of British pop of that period. Vocalist Colin Blunstone and gang evoke the Kinks, the Beatles, Badfinger and the Alan Price Set. They mount gorgeous harmonies and mix piano, guitars and mellotron behind songs of various moods, from empathy for the lonely ("A Rose for Emily") and weary optimism ("This will be our year; took a long time to come") to the curious ("What's your name? Who's your daddy?"). It all adds up to what Kooper heard those 40-something years ago: one fine album. -
They Say...
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.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 12 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 12 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Care of Cell 44 |
3:56 |
|
| 02. | |
A Rose for Emily |
2:19 |
|
| 03. | |
Maybe After He's Gone |
2:34 |
|
| 04. | |
Beechwood Park |
2:44 |
|
| 05. | |
Brief Candles |
3:31 |
|
| 06. | |
Hung Up On a Dream |
3:02 |
|
| 07. | |
Changes |
3:20 |
|
| 08. | |
I Want Her She Wants Me |
2:53 |
|
| 09. | |
This Will Be Our Year |
2:08 |
|
| 10. | |
Butchers Tale (Western Front 1914) |
2:47 |
|
| 11. | |
Friends of Mine |
2:18 |
|
| 12. | |
Time of the Season |
3:34 |
|
12 Total Tracks, 35:06 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like The Zombies, check out these member playlists
Credits
- Al Kooper - Liner Notes // The Zombies - Arranger // The Zombies - Producer // The Zombies - Main Performer // Chris White - Bass // Chris White - Vocals // Chris White - Producer // Rod Argent - Organ // Rod Argent - Piano // Rod Argent - Keyboards // Rod Argent - Vocals // Rod Argent - Producer // Rod Argent - Mellotron // Rod Argent - Liner Notes // Colin Blunstone - Vocals // Colin Blunstone - Vocals // Paul Atkinson - Guitar // Geoff Emerick - Engineer // Hugh Grundy - Drums // Peter Vince - Engineer // Jools DeVere - Design
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC