Odessey And Oracle

Even in a late '60s rich with groundbreaking psychedelic chamber pop, few albums achieved the same magic as the Zombies' 1968 masterwork Odessey and Oracle. Made by a group spread thin by years of toiling with limited success, the recording budget was limited and the process was rushed, and when the public more or less ignored the final product, the frustrated and disillusioned Zombies broke up. Even under less-than-ideal conditions, however, Odessey and Oracle tapped into a very specific balance of mysterious, moody vocal harmonies, Baroque instrumentation, joyful sunshine pop, and lovelorn songwriting so sadly beautiful that these 12 tunes remain fascinating and unique over 50 years later.

Odessey and Oracle's uncommon brilliance wasn't just a standout in the Zombies' catalog but it also made for a spellbinding musical moment that occupies a similar space as only a few other special albums. It's not an overstatement to assert that Odessey and Oracle was in conversation with Pet Sounds, Revolver, and Forever Changes as part of a limited echelon of daring and unpredictable rock music that quietly, but certainly, changed the course of everything that followed.

— Fred Thomas

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