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Odessey & Oracle
 
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Odessey & Oracle

~ The Zombies
4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Audio CD (26 Jan 2009)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Big Beat
  • ASIN: B000005YZM
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 77,679 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Track Listings

1. Care Of Cell 44
2. A Rose For Emily
3. Maybe After He's Gone
4. Beechwood Park
5. Brief Candles
6. Hung Up On A Dream
7. Changes
8. I Want Her She Wants Me
9. This Will Be Our Year
10. Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)
11. Friends Of Mine
12. Time Of The Season
13. Care Of Cell 44
14. A Rose For Emily
15. Maybe After He's Gone
16. Beechwood Park
17. Brief Candles
18. Hung Up On A Dream
19. Changes
20. I Want Her She Wants Me
See all 27 tracks on this disc

Product Description

CD 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 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 realised 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 bonus cuts included here (equally as entrancing as the initial tracks) and top-notch remastering further secure ODESSEY & ORACLE's status as an absolute must-own.

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A True Hidden Gem, 12 Jun 2003
Why I've only just happened upon this album I do not know. It must be ranked alongside Love's Four Sail & The Flying Burrito Brothers's Gilded Palce Of Sin as one of the most criminally overlooked albums of the last 40 years. Sunshine, Beach boy harmonies knitted to jazz flavoured song structures astride unusual and emotive lyrics. If you love good music,make that GREAT music, buy this album and spread the word, music this good deserves to be heard.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Timeless Classic, 9 Sep 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Odessey and Oracle [VINYL] (Vinyl)
If you think you know The Zombies from 'She's Not There' then think again. Original songs from Rod Argent and Chris White, Colin Blunstone's breathless vocals, superb harmonies and tight arrangements make this an album well worth hearing. It's pop music but pop music with class. I loved this album when I was a teenager and my teenage sons, more into rock than pop, like it too. It was 'Time Of The Season' with its empty feel and brilliant organ breaks that first caught my attention but there are no weak tracks and 'Maybe After He's Gone' still sends shivers down my spine even after thirty years.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Take an Odessey, 18 Jan 2006
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Many bands (the Beatles, the Beach Boys) at least dabbled in psychedelica, but the Zombies are often overlooked. For the 30th anniversary of "Odessey and Oracles," the Zombies' best album was rereleased in a new form, proving that their enchanting psychedelic pop has aged exceeedingly well.

The Zombies were unusually good at taking perky, sweet, lush music and wrapping it around a more serious song, such as the upbeat "Care of Cell 44" (guy writing to his jailed girlfriend), or the lovely "A Rose For Emily," a poignant little song that tells of a lonely woman doomed to stay lonely. "And as the years go by/she will grow old and die/The roses in her garden fade away/Not one left for her grave..."

But the Zombies aren't all sadness wrapped in happy music. There are perky songs about being happy in love, losing a love and hoping she'll return, and reminiscing about "golden days and golden summer nights." The album ends on a reassuring note with the laid-back "Time of the Season," which sounds like the ultimate hippie anthem.

I have no memories of the 60s, since I was only born in the eighties. But "Odessey and Oracle" gives a rosy glow to that era,. Psychedelic flair minus the hazy, and every song is a gem. Though "Time of the Season" was the sleeper hit from the album, it's not the best or catchiest song on here -- it's just one of many excellent ones.

Rod Argent was definitely an outstanding songwriter. He was able to create atmospheric and beautiful songs with very simple writing ("Brief candles in her mind/bright and tiny gems of memory"). Perhaps his finest moment here is "I knew he when summer was her crown/and autumn sad/how brown her eyes," as a kick-off to a colorful look at a woman compared to all the seasons.

Colin Blunstone's vocals were well-suited to the music: a bit husky, quite pleasant and mellow. The music itself was generally based on guitar, gentle drums, pretty piano, and wavering Mellotron, with a bit of accordian coming in in one song. There's a rich interweaving of many instruments, in all sorts of pop music. Some is almost classical in tone, some is uptempo stuff that is perfect for the radio.

The Zombies were in peak form in "Odessey and Oracle," churning out some of the purest pop music ever. As sweet and exquisite as it was in the 1960s.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Listen before you buy!
This was high in my wants list of then deleted albums for years! While I could see the merits of most so called classic albums, the reputation of this one baffles me. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2006 by B

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning last will and testament
Judging by other reviews, this is an album that polarises opinion. For those who hate it, the problem is probably their expectation of it as a psychedelic job. Read more
Published on 12 Sep 2005 by D. J. H. Thorn

2.0 out of 5 stars Dissapointing
LOts of people who's musical opinion i respect rave about this album.
I cant see why. It is very run of the mill. Nothing more to say really.
Published on 7 Jul 2005 by A. TAFF

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly Brilliant
certainly one of my favourite albums of all time- a wonderful atmospheric record with some beautiful songs and the greatest anti war song ever recorded- butchers tale. Read more
Published on 4 May 2005 by JoeMgeek

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, uplifting, sad and life affirming.
Until last year all I knew of The Zombies was 'Time of the Season' and 'She's Not There'. After reading the reviews on Amazon I decided to buy the CD in the vain hope that I... Read more
Published on 1 Aug 2004 by D. Macphee

1.0 out of 5 stars Nothing compared to others of the era
What is all this nonsense about this CD being likened to Sgt. Pepper? I listened to those guys, so I bought this with high hopes, or at least looking forward to some good music... Read more
Published on 14 Jul 2004 by a reviewer

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely fabulous taste of the sixties
I was a teenager when this was released.Butcher's Tale was a minor hit and then Time of the Season topped the hit parade here in Canada. Read more
Published on 31 Jul 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
one of the best and most underrated albums of the 60's.if you like high quality music you will love this.
Published on 16 Jul 2000

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