Odessey
and Oracle by The Zombies is a gem of an album,
and is quite simply a baroque/psychedelic pop masterpiece, as well as being one
of the greatest albums of the 1960s. Released in 1968 at a time when the band
where in the process of splitting up, this album was simply intended to be one
last musical effort by them before going their separate ways, although little
did they know that they were creating a masterpiece which would still endure
decades on.
The sound of this album is a combination of baroque pop and
psychedelic pop, with the band combining elements of both to create some of the
most beautiful melodies and harmony singing. The album has a Beach Boys circa
Pet Sounds feel to it, while The Beatles can also be heard, but one thing is
for sure that when you listen to this album you can tell instantly that The
Zombies have their own distinctive sound. Key aspects of the overall sound of
this album include choral harmony singing, singing that is also often double
tracked to create an amazing densely layered sound much like a church choir,
the heavy use of classical piano and harpsichord, and a mellotron which creates
the effect of baroque strings. Combine these elements with the singing of Colin
Blunstone who projects a calmness in his delivery and you get what sounds like
it should be a classical album, but what is actually instead a psychedelic pop
record with an underlying baroque feel.
The baroque influence is what makes Odessey and Oracle so good, with the choral singing and classical
piano giving the material quite an historical feel which would otherwise not
have been there, as well as an overall Englishness to the album. Opening track
“Care of Cell 44” has a Penny Lane-like sound to it with some of the most
exquisite harmony singing in pop, as well as some great harpsichord lines from
keyboard wiz and band songwriter Rod Argent. Other tracks in the baroque mould
include “A Rose for Emily” and “Changes”, both of which are classic examples of
the choral harmony singing throughout this album of which when listened to you
can almost picture being in a church listening to a choir, the sound is that
amazing.
Melody is also a key component of the sound on this album
and is something The Zombies do brilliantly on here. There infectious
psychedelic pop as seen on tracks such as “Friends of Mine”, “Brief Candles”,
and “I Want Her, She Wants Me” takes the listener to another place, and for me
conjured up images of autumn (strange as that may seem), in particular the
certain calmness and beauty that autumn brings. The combination of
piano/keyboards, mellotron and harmony vocals combines so well and creates a
beautiful pop feel which is like nothing else from the late-60s period, making
this album standout in a unique way from the more experimental British psychedelia,
as well as the drug-fuelled electric psychedelia of America.
Ironically enough, the one track on the album which is
stylistically quite different to the rest of the album is also the bands most
famous song. “Time of the Season” is a 60s classic but it is not a baroque pop
song, and in fact it has more of a Stax soul sound to it complete with a
Hammond organ keyboard solo, marking a slight departure from the melodic pop of
the rest of the album. This aside it is still to this day a fantastic track,
while it is also quite a nice way to close out the album on a slightly
different note for variety’s sake if not anything.
At the time of its release Odessey and Oracle was overlooked completely in England and was
viewed indifferently in music circles. But over time its reputation has grown
significantly to the point that it is now considered a 60s classic and
recognised as one of the great albums. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it the
eightieth greatest album of all time, while its popularity is also seen in that
due to popular demand The Zombies play it in its entirety every year (yes they
got back together). Odessey and Oracle represents
the perfect pop album full of melody and harmony, and in my opinion even tops
that overrated supposed masterpiece Sgt. Pepper in quality. I cannot recommend
it enough as a 60s pop album and suggest you give it a spin, as it is might
just be one of the most melodically beautiful albums you will ever hear. A
- Sam
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