The Depths · All albums

Odessey and Oracle

The Zombies · 1968

• Scores: Noise 1, Unease 1, Complexity 1 (each 1 to 5)
• Genre: Rock, Psychedelic Pop, Baroque Pop
• Mood: wistful, lush, dreamy
• Sound: Mellotron, baroque arrangements, layered vocal harmonies, electric piano, melodic bass

Odessey and Oracle is the Zombies' second album, recorded between June and November 1967, mostly at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road) and Olympic Studios in London. Rod Argent plays Mellotron, harpsichord, pump organ and Hammond organ beneath layered vocal harmonies, and the EMI sessions used the same four-track machine as Sgt. Pepper. The title is misspelt because of a mistake by the cover designer, though the band later said it was deliberate. It was released in April 1968, and "Time of the Season" became a US hit the following year.

Track list

1. Care of Cell 44 (3:57)
2. A Rose for Emily (2:19)
3. Maybe After He's Gone (2:34)
4. Beechwood Park (2:44)
5. Brief Candles (3:30)
6. Hung Up on a Dream (3:02)
7. Changes (3:20)
8. I Want Her, She Wants Me (2:53)
9. This Will Be Our Year (2:08)
10. Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914) (2:48)
11. Friends of Mine (2:18)
12. Time of the Season (3:34)