Odessey and Oracle [PA]

Performer: The Zombies
Distributor: Infinity Entertainment Gr

Notes: This edition of ODESSEY AND ORACLE contains the entire album in stereo, followed by the album in mono, plus 3 unissued tracks not included in their box set. The Zombies: Rod Argent (vocals, keyboards); Colin Blunstone (vocals); Paul Atkinson (guitar); Chris White (bass, background vocals); Hugh Grundy (drums). Reissue producer: Alec Palao. Includes original liner notes by Rod Argent and Al Kooper, and reissue liner notes by Alec Palao. The Zombies: Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent. 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 Merseybeat sound far behind by the late '60s, pursuing instead a moodier, more sophisticated sound. "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)," a grimly haunting accordion-led WWI narrative would have been unimaginable on an earlier Zombies record, and the simmering, ominous classic "Time of the Season" is as far from "She's Not There" as "Strawberry Fields Forever" is from "She Loves You." Still, the peerless pop craftsmanship of keyboardist Rod Argent and bassist Chris White (the group's principal songwriters) makes for plenty of richly melodic gems, as realized by Colin Blunstone's breathy, angelic voice. The delicately beautiful "A Rose for Emily" and the sunny, optimistic "This Will Be Our Year" can melt even the coldest of hearts. The 2004 reissue's bonus cuts (equally as entrancing as the initial tracks) and top-notch remastering further secure ODESSEY & ORACLE's status as an absolute must-own. 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 Merseybeat sound far behind by the late '60s, pursuing instead a moodier, more sophisticated sound. "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)," a grimly haunting accordion-led WWI narrative would have been unimaginable on an earlier Zombies record, and the simmering, ominous classic "Time of the Season" is as far from "She's Not There" as "Strawberry Fields Forever" is from "She Loves You." Still, the peerless pop craftsmanship of keyboardist Rod Argent and bassist Chris White (the group's principal songwriters) makes for plenty of richly melodic gems, as realized by Colin Blunstone's breathy, angelic voice. The delicately beautiful "A Rose for Emily" and the sunny, optimistic "This Will Be Our Year" can melt even the coldest of hearts. The 2004 reissue's bonus cuts (equally as entrancing as the initial tracks) and top-notch remastering further secure ODESSEY & ORACLE's status as an absolute must-own.

Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.114) - Ranked #80 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "...Its baroque psychedelic arrangements continue to exert a powerful influence..." Rolling Stone (2/1/69, p.28) - "...a very high level of musicianship and creativity....they have handled the problems of added orchestration and elaborate production quite well [here]...one of England's very best rock bands." Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.114) - Ranked #80 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "...Its baroque psychedelic arrangements continue to exert a powerful influence..." Rolling Stone (2/1/69, p.28) - "...a very high level of musicianship and creativity....they have handled the problems of added orchestration and elaborate production quite well [here]...one of England's very best rock bands." Mojo (Publisher) (p.124) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he album has become an evergreen thanks to its Beach Boys-styled voices, its very English strain of melancholy and bassist Chris White's idiosyncratic writing..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.104) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Colin's mellow tones shone on the soaring 'Hung Up On A Dream.' Other standouts included the impressive beat of 'The Butcher's Tale'..."

In 1963, the Zombies began as an R&B-inspired British Beat group, but the band soon developed into psychedelic popmeisters of the first order. With Colin Blunstone's breathy vocals and Rod Argent's keyboard colorations, the group made pop history with their masterpeice THE ODESSEY AND ORACLE, breaking up shortly thereafter in 1967. Though underrated by the public at large, the Zombies' work continues to wield a mighty influence over subsequent generations of power-poppers. In 1991, the group released a new album, and they continue to record and tour into the 21st century.

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