Odessey and Oracle

"Odessey" redirects here. For the epic poem by Homer, see Odyssey.

Odessey and Oracle
Studio album by
the Zombies
Released19 April 1968 (1968-04-19)
Recorded1 June – 7 November 1967
StudioEMI and Olympic, London
Genre
Length35:18
Label
ProducerThe Zombies
The Zombies UK chronology
Begin Here
(1965) 		Odessey and Oracle
(1968) 		New World
(1991)
The Zombies US chronology
The Zombies
(1965) 		Odessey and Oracle
(1968) 		Live on the BBC 1965–1967
(1985)
Singles from Odessey and Oracle
  1. "Friends of Mine"
    Released: September 1967
  2. "Care of Cell 44"
    Released: November 1967
  3. "Time of the Season"
    Released: March 1968
  4. "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)"
    Released: June 1968

Odessey and Oracle is the second studio album by the English rock band the Zombies. It was released in the UK on 19 April 1968, by CBS Records and in the US on 15 July 1968, by Date Records.[8] The album was recorded primarily between June and August 1967 at EMI (now Abbey Road Studios) and Olympic Studios in London.

The Zombies, having been dropped from Decca Records, financed these sessions independently. After signing with CBS, two singles and later the album itself were released to critical and commercial indifference, and the band quietly dissolved. A third single from the album, "Time of the Season", became a surprise hit in the United States in early 1969 after CBS staff producer Al Kooper recommended it be released on Date Records.

The album gradually achieved critical praise and a cult following, and has since become one of the most acclaimed albums of the 1960s. It was ranked 80th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003.[9] When Rolling Stone revised its list in 2020, the album ranked 243rd.[10]

  1. ^ Jones, Chris (22 February 2008). "The Zombies Odessey & Oracle – 40th Anniversary Edition Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  2. ^ Donaldson, Jonathan (9 October 2015). "Live Review: The Zombies stand the test of time, and the season, at the Wilbur Theatre". Vanyaland. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  3. ^ a b R. Unterbeger, "The Zombies", AllMusic, retrieved 3 July 2010.
  4. ^ Krewen, Nick (30 March 2017). "The Zombies live on – thanks to a 50-year-old cult classic album". The Star.
  5. ^ Umile, Dominic (15 January 2013). "Mods and Mellotrons: The Zombies at Abbey Road, PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  6. ^ Boehme, Mike (17 November 1994). "The Zombies"Odessey and Oracle" (1968)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  7. ^ Grimstad, Paul. "What is Avant-Pop?". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  8. ^ Russo 2016, pp. 84, 91.
  9. ^ [1] The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time : Rolling Stone].
  10. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.