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.
Personnel: Rod Argent (vocals, piano, organ, Mellotron, keyboards); Chris White, Colin Blunstone (vocals); Paul Atkinson (guitar); Hugh Grundy (drums).
Liner Note Authors: Al Kooper; Rod Argent.
Recording information: EMI Abbey Road Studios, London, England.
Arranger: The Zombies.
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
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'..."