Odessy and Oracle

Another of the landmark albums that was released 50 years ago was Odessy and Oracle by The Zombies. It was one of the classic examples of '60s rock--not really a psychedelic sound, despite its cover--but certainly it had a sound that makes one think of young British men in velvet suits with wide lapels surrounded by kaleidoscope effects.

The Zombies were very short-lived, making only two albums in the '60s (they reunited and made more in this century). They have remained in the classic rock world due to a few hits: "She's Not There," "Tell Her No," and one from this album, "Time of the Season." They split up after this record, with Rod Argent forming his own eponymous band and lead singer Colin Blunstone ending up in the insurance business.

Odessy and Oracle was met with indifference upon release, and the band broke up shortly thereafter. A few singles flopped, and it wasn't until 1969, long after they broke up, that "Time of the Season" became a hit. It is the best song on the record, and is quite different from the other tracks, being the only one that could be called psychedelic. It is immaculately produced, with interesting percussion, a jazzy keyboard solo, and the intermittent sound like someone has just had a thirst-quenching drink. It is so recognizable that it has been used in many films to typify the time period.

The rest of the album could be called "baroque-rock." The songs are whimsical, though the lyrics are often serious, and the dominant instrument is the keyboard, not the guitar. In "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914), an anti-war song about a battle during World War I, Argent plays a harmonium that almost sounds like an accordion, giving it a Parisian feel. "Beechwood Park" sounds like a song that could have been originally performed in a music hall, and "A Rose for Emily" is based on a William Faulkner story. Faulkner is a lot of things, but he didn't really appeal to hippies.

On the CD I have are several songs that the band wrote that were supposed to be on their next record but were released as singles instead, such "Imagine the Swan" and "Conversation Off Floral Street," which is an upbeat instrumental dominated by piano and organ.

In the fifty years since it's been released Odessy and Oracle (the misspelling of the word "Odyssey" was due to a mistake by the art director) has gained widespread praise. Rolling Stone named it number 100 of the 500 greatest albums in 2012, and it's been named on various best British albums of all time. I like it, but I only played it for a few days because other than "Time of the Season" and "Butcher's Tale" the songs sound similar to me. It's a shame this group didn't hang in there, because they were on the right track.