mail: daniel_fjall@hotmail.com
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odessey and oracle
Odessey And Oracle Released: 1968 Rating: 9/10 Track listing: 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 Here 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 When talking about British pop from the sixties it’s very easy that discussions and searching for top quality music starts with the Beatles and end up with the Kinks. Maybe draw some parallels to Led Zeppelin, the Who, Cream, Rolling Stones and just maybe very early recordings of Pink Floyd. Odessey And Oracle was something of an eye opener for me. Realizing that there is so much good music just waiting to be discovered. Perhaps all those bands never manage to break through in a major way, perhaps they didn’t have the same quality over a longer period of time, but it’s evident that small masterpieces were popping up here and there from 1966 and further. They might have been just lucky shots, but that doesn’t make them less enjoyable. Zombies’ Odessey And Oracle is one of those albums. Great pop melodies, interesting harmony vocals and beautiful arrangements. If it’s possible, try to imagine what would have happened if the Beatles was produced by Brian Wilson and was joined by Art Garfunkel singing in an British accent. There you have it! A great combination of the best from Rubber Soul/Sunflower/Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall of The British Empire). Probably some Pet Sounds as well. The highlights are many. The opening "Care of Cell 44" is uplifting, "A Rose For Emily" is a gorgeous ballad and so is "Brief Candles". There are also some deeply depressing songs, especially the anti-war song "Butcher’s Tale (Western Front 1914)" which has the chorus "And I can't stop shaking My hands won't stop shaking, My arms won't stop shaking, My mind won't stop shaking. I want to go home". Sung over only a lonely organ it’s truly affecting and breathe feelings of desperation, frustration and fear. Amazing! "Time of The Season" is a classic pop song that most people probably know. I just adore those “aah”s that runs through the whole song. This album is filled with melodic hooks, advanced and wonderful harmonies. You can’t go wrong with this one if you’re a fan of sixties pop. A masterpiece unjustly forgotten by the public.
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