The Zombies: Odessey & Oracle

     First of all, I apologize to anyone who clicked on my post who was goggling for Walking Dead or whatever else you zombie people are into now. This post is about the criminally overlooked British Invasion band, The Zombies. The only thing stranger than me finding an old copy of Odessey &  Oracle on vinyl in a cardboard box, on the floor, in the corner of a thrift shop in Michigan was The Zombies' career trajectory. After having a couple hits (She's Not There and Tell Her No) during the height of the British Invasion, their career suddenly flatlined. A few years later, they decided to call it a day on The Zombies and released their final album, Odessey & Oracle. Crickets. Then miraculously a couple years after it's release, "Time of The Season" became a huge hit. By this time, however, The Zombies had broken up and refused to reunite to cash in on their newfound popularity. Chief songwriter and keyboardist, Rod Argent, had started his own band, Argent, who had a hit with the song "Hold Your Head Up". They had another song, "God Gave Rock And Roll To You", which would later be covered by KISS. Singer Colin Blunstone went into insurance for awhile before becoming a solo artist in the 70's.
     After being largely ignored upon it's release, Odessey & Oracle is now considered one of the most influential albums of the sixties, along with Pet Sounds, Rubber Soul and Revolver. The Zombies defining sound on O&O was their amazing harmonies, which were reminiscent of The Beach Boys and The Beatles. However, their style was more baroque, chamber pop. Not only do I have that thrift store find, but I already had the 30th anniversary cd with the album in mono and then in stereo. What makes O&O stand out from their earlier hits, apart from the harmonies, was that their song themes were more interesting. For instance, "Care Of Cell 44" is about a guy writing to his girl who is in prison. It's a bouncy little tune, because she's coming home soon. And the harmonies are stunning. However, "Time Of The Season" is the standout track on the album. The song hangs on Blunstone's vocal delivery and Argent's keyboard. I love the lines: "What's your name? Who's your daddy? Is he rich like me? Has he taken any time to show you what you need to live?" Other notable tracks include "Brief Candles", "This Will Be Our Year" and "I Want Her She Wants Me". I would strongly recommend it to anyone who hasn't heard it.
     I also have a collection called Absolutely The Best: The Zombies. Here are the highlights, apart from "Time Of The Season", which I've already covered. Peace.

* She's Not There- There's a great episode of Danger Man starring Patrick McGoohan where he's
       at a club and a woman is singing this in the background in a foreign language. Great song.

* Tell Her No- Beatles-inspired hit with the classic line: "If she tells you I love you just remember
       she said that to me."

* She's Coming Home- It's Motown in the verses and British Invasion in the chorus. Awesome!

* Whenever You're Ready- Jazzier version of Tell Her No

* Just Out Of Reach- A Colin Blunstone song and a rocker.