Zombies Odessey & Oracle

[strawberrybrick]

Zombies are on the road again, performing Odessey & Oracle in its entirety, AND they have a new album out soon, Still Got That Hunger. Looks like a great show, I will be attending So. Milwaukee.


"For the first time ever, British psychedelic pop legends, The Zombies, will bring their seminal 1968 album “Odessey & Oracle” to American stages – an event fans have awaited for almost 50 years!

This unique presentation will unite past and present….featuring both the current incarnation of The Zombies performing material from their highly-anticipated new studio album…

…and a reunion of all 4 surviving original members, who will lovingly recreate “Odessey & Oracle” in its entirety with full instrumentation.

Founding and current members Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent will be joined original bassist/co-songwriter Chris White and drummer Hugh Grundy for their first American tour together in 5 decades…bringing to our shores the long-overdue live debut of the album that marked the end of their career… and the beginning of their legacy."

http://www.thezombies.net/present/

[Blah_Blah_Woof_Woof]

A dream come true.

Just bought my tickets for Seattle!

[mogrooves]

I'm there.

Is Chris White still with them?

An essential album, imo. Love that "dry" Mellotron!

[Scrotum Scissor]

One of the 20-or-so finest *pop* albums ever made, IMO.

[strawberrybrick]

I'm there.
Is Chris White still with them?

Yes, Chris White and Hugh Grundy will be part of the Odessey performance, along with Blunestone and Argent.

[JJ88]

The UK performances had the same original four and also Darian Sahanaja on keyboards.

[Sunlight Caller]

A stone cold classic album, and it will certainly be special to see this performed, enjoy!

[progholio]

thinking very seriously about driving up for the Milwaukee show.

[bigjohnwayne]

I'll probably be at the Cranston show.

Great, great album. "Care of Cell 44" is a song I will never tire of

[bob_32_116]

It's not of huge importance, but how do the Zombies qualify as a "psychedelic pop" band? The term "psychedelic" seems to be thrown around with careless abandon these days. For me, it has to denote something more than just "they were there in the late 60's".

[lovecraft]

It's not of huge importance, but how do the Zombies qualify as a "psychedelic pop" band? The term "psychedelic" seems to be thrown around with careless abandon these days. For me, it has to denote something more than just "they were there in the late 60's".

They don't. Bar perhaps Hung Up On A Dream, there is nothing psychedelic on that album. Bloody wonderful record though.

[bob_32_116]

They don't. Bar perhaps Hung Up On A Dream, there is nothing psychedelic on that album. Bloody wonderful record though.

Having just checked the Wikipedia entry on the album, my guess is that the "psychedelic" label stems from the album cover, not the music.

[Wah3]

Saw them a few years ago. Great show. Didn't play "God Gave Rock and Roll to You" but I was very pleased to hear Colin Blunstone reprise his lead vocals on Alan Parsons' "Old and Wise".

[JJ88]

I remember them doing 'Hold Your Head Up' too in 2008. Really theirs is an interesting case- they had far more lasting success in the 70s when working as Argent and Colin Blunstone, but 'Odessey...' started to become a cult album and overtook all of that. I seem to recall Rod Argent saying it's sold pretty steadily since the 1980s, and indeed there have been numerous reissues.

I also rate the sessions they did just after Blunstone had left, often referred to as the 'R.I.P.' album...a title it picked up later.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Bar perhaps Hung Up On A Dream, there is nothing psychedelic on that album.

True, but there's that general misconception out there about the phenomenon of baroque pop somehow being more or less synonymous with "psych pop" - which it never was. Defining BP releases - like Odessey, Van Dyke Parks' Song Cycle, Phil Ochs' Pleasures of the Harbor or various stuff by The Association - were bridged with (then-) contemporary psychedelic pop music give or take mostly through apparent artistic appearance alone - the overall musical motive was completely different. This isn't to say that some BP leaning bands were also highly psychedelic (like H.P. Lovecraft or Phluph, for instance), but not as general rule.

[Vic2012]

Just played the whole album on Youtube. It's one of those "hidden gem from the past" albums that I'm always reading about here, like "Forever Changes", SF Sorrow" (albums I've never heard either). Not counting "Time Of The Season" (which we've all heard a million times) I found the album to have a few obvious influences (Beatles, Beach Boys) but the keyboards are pretty impressive. I can certainly hear the influence it's had on prog.

[JJ88]

Well yes, 'S.F. Sorrow' was another that has built a reputation over the years after bombing upon release.

Van Dyke Parks' 'Song Cycle' has a considerable weirdness quotient so I can understand why that has appeal to psych enthusiasts. I suppose with 'Odessey...', the heavy use of Mellotron and the anthemic 'Time Of The Season' has contributed.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Van Dyke Parks' 'Song Cycle' has a considerable weirdness quotient so I can understand why that has appeal to psych enthusiasts.

Well, I certainly consider myself a psych enthusiast (of sorts) - but the thing about Song Cycle is the otherworldly *conception* of the whole work; it's simply one of the most astounding and amazing productions I know within pop music (which it still somehow is).

S.F. Sorrow as such is great, although musically uneven in places. Songs like "Death" and "Trust" are absolute masterpieces.

Forever Changes is still my no. 1 rock/pop record. It basically changed my whole view on the artistic and musical possibilities of 'popular' sound expression.

[Sunlight Caller]

... like "Forever Changes", SF Sorrow" (albums I've never heard either)...

Oh you really must make some space to hear these two, especially Forever Changes, it's not won it's reputation for nothing. Give it space to breathe, it's sublime.

[Wounded Land]

Just got into the Zombies, and specifically Odessey & Oracle. Really good stuff..

[bob_32_116]

Anyone know why they spelled "Odessey" the way they did?

[mogrooves]

The term "psychedelic" seems to be thrown around with careless abandon these days.

Probably. But, that's because the term "psychedelic" doesn't name a style of music, certainly not one that can contain, say, both the 13th Floor Elevators and the ISB. Psychedelia was a zeitgeist, a spirit, a vibe, a generational expression. A bewildering array of stylistically diverse bands embraced the psych aesthetic of personal freedom, musical eclecticism, and heightened/altered consciousness as a way of being. Odessey & Oracle fits the bill, in my experience.

[Joe F.]

Anyone know why they spelled "Odessey" the way they did?

The cover artist misspelled the word. I'm not being a wise-ass, that's the explanation that was given by the band.

[dpt3]

They were fantastic last year when I saw them, so I can only imagine this would be a great experience. Wish I could make it.

[Toka]

I saw them at the Keswick on Sunday night...absolutely phenomenal! I was frankly stunned at how great they sounded...pitch-perfect mix, and Colin probably has the most ageless voice I've ever encountered. Argent was a beast. Dueling Mellotrons! WWI-era pump organ! I actually really liked most of the new album material too. Absolutely see this tour if you can.