Odessey And Oracle – The Zombies – What’s On The Table
“It’s One Of Our Favourite Albums!”
We are on record quite a few times saying that about the Zombies “Odessey And Oracle”. We still remember hearing it for the first time in our late teens. Quite honestly, we think that we first came across the album when we looked through a Rolling Stone (The Magazine) “Best 500 Albums” list.
We had heard about the Zombies at that point and loved the singles we knew, but it wasn’t until we were 19 or so that we checked out “Odessey And Oracle” in its entirety, and we were in love from the first moment on, both of us.
Our fondness for the Zombies has only gotten stronger since, and we feel very lucky for having been able to see them live many times and having had some lovely chats with Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone over the years. Two true legends.
It was so fun to do this “What’s On The Table”! What are your thoughts on the album? Any stories you’d love to share? You know we’d love to hear ’em!
Groovy Greetings,
Mona & Lisa
I have always loved Colin Blunstone’s voice and he did, of course, have solo hits with the singles “Say You Don’t Mind” (written by Denny Laine who was, in the future, to be a member of Wings), “I Don’t Believe in Miracles” and “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” (released under the name of Dave Stewart, with Colin providing the vocals).
Good choice ! The album is a cult classic. You have done your homework properly too. I have nothing to ad to the information you gave in the video
I just came across a video of the Zombies performing the entire album in 2019:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaxCUecrYic
Thank you for this great review. I, like most, know The Zombies big hits and a few others. But now, I am interested in this album and hope to find a vinyl copy. I too love their distinctive sound, especially to vocals.
We were supposed to see them this past Fall in New Westminster, BC (near Vancouver, Canada). It was the first show of their tour, but right after the opening act, just as they were to come on, it was announced one of them had a medical emergency. Fortunately, it wasn’t too serious and they played in Seattle the next night, but we were disappointed not to have seen, and heard them. Next time! This album will help fill the gap though.
I saw this TV commercial a couple of years ago, and just now managed to track it down on YouTube. Note the song that was chosen for the background.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkZO6E33zdY
David, I find it odd that we purposely go to YouTube to watch a commercial, I do it all the time if I see an ad on TV and want to rewatch it. Of course, YouTube shows you another ad before you get to watch your commercial.
“Hold Your Head Up”. Wow, so that was Rod Argent of the Zombies. What a great tune I remember from the 70s. When you mentioned it in the video and hummed it, it didn’t quite register as a familiar song, but looked it up, and yeah that was an awesome song!
And on your Time Of The Season, I always thought that Spanish guitar part on the “nylon” strings really stood out. I’m glad Rod Argent thought so too Lisa. 👍
Jung, Argent does Hold Your Head Up on that Midnight Special episode. Here’s a link to the video of just that song. The camera focuses mainly on the lead singer, Russ Ballard. Rod is the keyboard player with a lot of hair. I liked Mona mentioning (actually singing) God Gave Rock n Roll to You. I remember that song but actually thought it was by Mott The Hoople, another underrated UK band.
https://youtu.be/q7ECmSUD2xw?feature=shared
A few days late here but thank you again Mona and Lisa for another WOT. I have this album but have not listened for quite some time and this brings back great memories. I do feel around 1968 groups seemed to step outside the box and push the limits. And it set up some great sounds that was the 1960’s. I have made this statement before, for me I loved the music from 1968 thru 1974. I am not taking anything away from the early 1960’s, but 1968 seemed to open up some great music. Even Elvis on his comeback special talked about how he is impressed with the music of the late 1960’s and the production of the music. Thanks again ladies and can’t wait for Friday and a new video.
Hugs and Love from Bill and Maddie Isenberg
I only know the Zombies through their biggest hits, which I always thought had a very cool sound. What I really want to talk about is “Time of the Season.” I think Lisa and I are in agreement on this one. It is one of my absolute favorite MLT covers, in all respects, even beyond the masterful reinterpretation of the original keyboard part for guitar.
The guitar “solos” seem to be two guitars, one in each channel, playing off each other. I always assumed it was Lisa on one and Mona on the other, a la the “I Bought Myself a Politician” video. But maybe it’s Lisa in two parts?
The other mystery I’ve been trying to solve is what became of the Time of the Season video. I remember seeing it only a couple of times (this was before I was fully immersed in all things MLT). At the time I was impressed by the Photoshop work and assumed it was a third party production, only later learning it was the multi-talented Lisa. I just searched my gmail and found in MLT News #104, Halloween 2018, the story and link, but the video is gone.
I know the humor may have been a bit dark for some, but I thought it was a great bit of fun and not out of line with typical “horror” movie stuff. The Photoshop work was magnificent and the song is exquisitely good. Someone on YT took the Zombies own video and replaced the audio, so the song is there on YT, but it’d sure be nice if the MLT’s gruesomely good creation could come back to life, as Zombies do.
Argent was the warm-up band for the great Joe Walsh, whom I was seeing for the second time, at a concert I attended in Dayton, Ohio. I remember their song “Hold Your Head Up” was big at the time. I just realized the guitar hook: , (da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da)… is kind of like Mona’s singing on “If You Raise Your Head”. But I like her song better! Haha!❤️
Have to admit I’m not familiar with this album.
But very familiar with there big hits.
Time of the Season
She’s Not There
Tell Her No
Brings back a lot of memories.
Very enjoyable WOTT !
Thanks for the focus on the Zombies. They are much like the Kinks in that they were so underrated at the time, but now there following includes both oldies like me, and the young folks. The algorithm pops them in my YouTube music list quite regularly. My favorite song is “She’s not there.” By the way, I like your paisley outfits that match the record cover. Peace be.
I would say I have never heard of the band “Argent” but the song “Hold your Head Up” came out in 72.. One of my favorite songs!???
I can’t say that I had forgotten… I think I never knew!😳🤓
It is very interesting… The Zombies would not have even been a band that I would’ve listed that I remembered from the 60s… but now reading some of the other posts, that list other songs… they were certainly big players in my life in the 60s and maybe I didn’t even know it. “Tell her No” “She’s not There” “Time of the Season” and most every song that has been listed in this conversation certainly brings back memories to me. In 1970 I would’ve been 11 years old. So these songs were still playing on the radio and we’re very much a part of my past. Thanks everyone… especially Mona and Lisa for bringing them back into my future! Ahh….Ahh…🎶🤓
Three songs I remembered from the Zombies were “She’s Not There”, “Tell Her No”, and “Time of the Season”. They were all big hits in the US and Canada, but for some reason not in the UK, which totally surprised me. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Zombies#Singles ). I also remember “Care of Cell 44”, and it surprised me that it did not do well on any of the charts.
I don’t think I had ever listened to any of them on a good quality hi-fi or stereo system before last night, when I listened to them again with my new headphones and found out what I had been missing.
Your version was great. I love how Rudi produced it, with it sounding like Lisa has two guitars dueling it out (one in each ear), and Mona’s drums fit in perfectly. I also liked the now-unavailable video, but I’m assuming some people didn’t (Mona included?).
I am another Zombies newbie, and I’m so glad you did this episode; I loved every cut you played, and will have to check out this album! And yes, I think I have said elsewhere that your cover of Time of the Season is one of your best — you totally nailed the rhythms, and that nylon string solo grabbed my attention and admiration the first time I heard it. I have gone back and listened to that track many times just for the solo! Muchas gracias, ladies! 👏🏼 🤩
I only bought this album last year. I knew Time of the Season as it’s used in many movies (usually horror films) but was not familiar with the rest of the album. You are right that the band basically split up after making it as it did not chart at all well. It’s only years later that they have been appreciated more (the other big hit before this album was She’s Not There), and some tracks now seen as 60’s classics. I really enjoy the album despite the crazy title spelling! Great table discussion as always and love the groovy outfits!
Mona & Lisa,
I finally got to see your new WOTT tonight, & I’ve sure enjoyed it! (I spilled water on my computer 2 days ago, & after cleaning it up, & unplugging it, I let it sit open & upside down for 2 days. Now it’s fine!) I’ve also been beat, (knackered) from work lately, & it’s been a “Hard Day’s Night” trying to keep up with everything!
I do remember hearing “Time of the Season” back in the late ’60’s. I still think of it as one of the defining songs of the 1960’s! Admittedly, I don’t own any Zombies recordings, but after seeing your WOTT, I will check out their music again, so thanks for sharing this unique album!
I do love their interesting melodies, lyrics and arrangements. Their songs are definitely well- crafted and thought out! And I do enjoy your MLT version of their hit song! You did a wonderful job on that, along with everything else you do!
It’s so nice that they’re out there touring again! So many of us appreciate such wonderful ’60’s Music performed live by the original artists that are still around & kicking!
One more thing. I know I’ve raved recently about Mona & Lisa’s care in their personal appearance, and background set design, as well as such great video work! But I must say that you both look especially nice today! I always love your outfits, hairdos, and perfect makeup! I like your contrast in hair styles, & you’re both perfect! I always love Lisa’s straight hair, braids & ponytails. But this curly style is very, very becoming on you!
Mona of course is always perfect as well! And I’m just an old married guy, trying to give you both a nice innocent compliment! Thanks so much for all the effort that you both put into all your videos, and for the Love you give back to your fans! I really appreciate all your fine artist work, as I know do all of us MLT Club members!
Enjoy your weekend! — Bud
It must be a Mandela effect, I was sure you had done it before. I remember red lipped Colin, but I was sure you were holding up this album cover (though not a picture album). Oh, well, it must have been in a parallel universe.
It’s really a great album and goes to show that an album doesn’t have to be at the top of the charts to be good.
I love the slightly different setup with the records behind you.
Hollywood called, they want the best hair, makeup, lighting and set decoration specialists, so they’d like you head to over ASAP. 😊
They could take over Hollywood with their talent alone….. and they could throw their looks and personality in for free! It wouldn’t even be fair!🤓
Very much enjoyed the “What’s on the Table.” The Zombies were not a band that I was interested in… but certainly some of the songs were some of my favorites, Time of the Season….without even knowing who was singing them! I certainly like listening to both of you explain and analyze the music! I have learned a lot about the “technique” of music by listening to you! I’ve also been speaking the English language for most of 64 years … and I’m embarrassed at how I speak compared to both of you considering the short time that you have learned it! I will also admit again that it is very much a pleasure to watch you two! Very pleasant, happy, talented, beautiful ladies. 🤓
So much knowledge from two so young ladies! I never heard any of the Zombies albums. I loved their singles when I heard them on the radio. I also remember Argent’s song “Hold your head up!” I have always thought your respect for the past artists was an important part of why I love you so much!
“Hold Your Head Up” has a great organ solo by Rod Argent in the middle. I didn’t know that Argent also recorded “God Gave Rock and Roll to You”, that’s interesting. In the 1970s Southwest Ohio was called the “boogie belt”. Concerts were more accessible. I saw Van Halen just after their first record came out as the warm-up band for Black Sabbath. Anyway, Argent was a band that did not have a “heavy” fast lead player, so in those heady days of the early 70s they really had no chance of competing with groups like ZZ Top. If we remember those times now, we’re blessed.
That’s a great album, I’ve listened to it twice tonight. But I had never heard of this album before. I knew Time of the Season, but I didn’t remember the name of the album. It’s amazing they did this in one take. Like doing a live album.
Lisa, you asked about the Butchers Tale song, if it was a Mellotron.. AllMusic says that Butcher’s Tale has Mellotron on it.
At 13:25 in you showed a keyboard. Is it a Mellotron? I’ve never actually seen a Mellotron, that I know of. Based on when the song was recorded, 1967, I thought it might have been an MKII, since the next model, the M300, wasn’t released until 1968. But I’ve seen a number of pictures of the MKII and it looks different – there’s a link to a picture below..
http://www.allmusic.com/song/butchers-tale-western-front-1914-mt0018595139
reverb.com/item/16042495-vintage-mellotron-mkii-mk2-mark-ii-with-flight-case-rare-tron-from-the-60s
Mona, you asked when we became aware of them. I really have no idea. It’s just part of that mass of what I call the cultural ether — I absorbed it from the air. I probably heard them in the ’60s, but I got a lot more into learning about different bands in the ’70s when I was a bit older, and had a few $ to spend.
WOTTs are one of my favorite types of Friday tunes that you do. This was special in so many ways. And those blue paisley blouses were great. Thanks a lot.
I only knew of the Zombies by way of their 3 big hit singles on the radio here in the US. I loved each of them when they first came out. She’s Not There, and Tell Her No in 1964, and Time of the Season in 1968. Their music really stood apart from much of the other popular songs at the time and I always wondered why they didn’t have more big hits on the radio. Although I loved these singles,I never bought any of their albums.
When you covered Time of the Season I was stunned by how you could improve on such an epic song. Lisa, your guitar work was nothing short of phenomenal. It remains one of my all-time best vibes ever. It is so cool that you have become friends with musicians like the Zombies!
I remember when Time Of The Season first came out here in America. And when you mention The Zombies, that’s the song that comes to mind. It’s one of those classic songs that goes away or gets old. But I never had the album so now I’m going to go to my streaming music site and give it a listen.
It used to be the first song that came to my mind as well when we heard “the Zombies” but they have so many other great tunes! I hope you’ll enjoy the album 🙂
WooHoo…Finally able to watch/ listen to this new Season of WOTT of 2024 , A perfect choice…. It’s very diverse in the songs , Instrumentation, lyrics, vocals, etc …. and I’m learning with such educational commentary from you both…
For me, I’m feeling vibes of Beatles, Queen, etc essences throughout this album, an intriguing plethora of musical montages intertwining offering a pleasant array pleasing to listen to/of ….
Kudos and Thankyou to starting off this season of WOTT so enjoyable and enthusiasm all over the place …. A real pleasure and great way to kick off a weekend …. 🤩😎💎🤘🏻💜🎼🎵🎶🔊
While driving around doing errands this afternoon, a local DJ commenced her shift by commenting that today, February 9, is the sixtieth anniversary of The Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Yes folks, it’s true! Then in quick succession she played She Loves You, Dusty Springfield’s “I Only Want To Be With You” (in my opinion one of the great ones), The Hollies “Pay You Back With Interest”, and then The Zombies “Changes”, from Odessey and Oracle. How coincidental is that?! I’ve tried to interest this DJ, (also a Lisa), in MLT previously, but so far without apparent success.
A great selection of songs to commemorate an important day! 🙂
Thank you for sharing this album (which is new to me). However, Colin Blunstone and Argent remain some of my earliest musical memories. My parents had a Decca Stereo Radiogram in early 70s and had an album with Colin’s “Say You Don’t Mind” and Argent’s “Hold Your Head High” on it.
Later I stumbled upon Colin on Alan Parsons Project (check out “Old and Wise”). I’ve always loved his voice which has such an amazing range and expressiveness.
On this particular album a worthy voice to the Beach Boys Brian Wilson imho (and I thing you are correct about the BB influence on this album).
Love to see your passion and enthusiasm for this music and sharing it with us.
Love and peace
Fantastic album and even better with two beautiful twins👱♀️👩🦰 holding it! I couldn’t find an emoji with gorgeous long red hair.😒
What a great WOTT! I was a bit young to remember the Zombies and other groups of that era. I was busy playing marbles, miniature golf on our self made course (We used table spoons to dig the holes and yes our parents were not happy with us.) and of course Little League Baseball.
I enjoy these videos because you educate me about these wonderful groups. I had a good time listening to this album today & I enjoy the information about the music and the groups you give us. I had never heard of a mellotron and I looked it up. It’s an interesting instrument.
Thanks for this segment on the Zombies.
Hi Roger, I loved to play marbles and other games like spinning tops, skully/skelly, tag & Johnny-on-the-pony (some call it buck buck).
Times seemed much simpler. There were no cell phones or internet. But there was great music on the radio and vinyl records. Take care, Bobby S. 🎵🎵🎵
Robert I enjoyed all the different games we played then. None of the guys in my neighborhood grew up with a lot of money which meant we had to be more creative with coming up with games to play and to keep active. My brother & I were given an AM pocket radio and all of thought that was an amazing invention. You are right about the great music then. We listened to it on that radio. When the 9 volt battery died we would recycle coke bottles to raise enough money to buy another battery. Those are good memories.
All the best.
Hi Roger, I too had a small transistor radio. When I graduated from elementary school (6th grade), my mom gave me a Regency radio which only had AM back in the day. It had a nice brown leather case. Yes it used the 9 volt battery. I loved that radio. I may still have it in my storage unit. I’ll look the next time I go. Cheers, Bobby S. 😎
Yea. Robert ours was also a Regency. I don’t know where it came from. It wasn’t new when our parents gave it to us and the cover was gone. It was a hard plastic light yellow cover with holes in it for the speaker. It was a lot of fun. We would camp out in a nearby unused pasture and listen to the one pop radio station in town. In the evenings the music played was a little harder & less Pop music like the Carpenters. One of those nights was when I first heard Blood Sweat & Tears & Chicago. The music in the evenings was great!
Take it easy.
Roger and Bobby, I had one of those transistor radios. I don’t remember the brand but it was red. If I held it against the big wooden electrical pole across the road it would get better reception. We could listen to WLS in Chicago, John “Records” Landecker. Great music. I remember listening to the Milwaukee Bucks win their first NBA Championship on that radio against the high line pole. I just googled it and that was April 30 1971, I was 11.
Tim I never thought about using a power pole as an antenna. It makes sense. We would sometimes use aluminum foil like we did with the rabbit ears on the old TVs. You could also turn the radio in a certain direction (I guess towards the broadcast tower) & receive better reception. Those little radios were fun & the music was great. I remember when the Bucks won that championship. That was pretty cool. I also remember when KC Chiefs won their first Super Bowl with Lenny Dawson as quarterback. He & Kenny Stabler, the Snake with the Raiders were my favorite quarterbacks.
Have a good one.
Roger, I remember the aluminum foil on the rabbit ears, I remember getting on the roof of the house to turn the antenna while someone watched the TV to get the best reception, Lol. Anyone else do that? It’s funny that now I get mad if I can’t find the remote control.
In the 70’s my Packers weren’t very good so I adopted the Raiders as my other favorite team. I liked the Snake and Jim Otto and Pete Banazak were both from Wisconsin.
The Bucks in 1971 had a very young Lew Alcindor. He changed his name to Kareem Jabbar and joined the Lakers. They won a bunch of titles and the Bucks didn’t win again until 2021. 50 years.
I remember my dad getting up on the roof once to adjust our antenna when we first moved into our house, and he never had to do it again.
I panic when I can’t find the remote control, because there’s no other way to turn the TV on. I really really miss the days when you just pulled a knob on the set to turn it on, and rotated it to adjust the volume.
It’s funny remembering getting on the roof to turn the antenna. I still remember when my brother & I helped our dad mount the antenna on a longer pole. It ran down the back of the house. We still had to turn the antenna when we switched channels but didn’t have to climb on the roof. That was a lot of fun.
OMG. Lisa! That hair!
Oh, and as for the number of people in love…it takes 2 people to be in love (except for those extreme narcissists that are in love with themselves lol). So however many friends they mention, each involved two people in love.
Shoot…still can’t access to wach/listen to video , darn it all… will try again later…maybe it will work 🙃😒🙁☹️
Thank you for another great WOTT. Love seeing your smiles and listening to your thoughts on the group and the album. I have loved the Zombies since I first heard their music and feel like they showed up at the wrong time (there were so many great groups from 1964-1970) and would have had greater success otherwise.
This prompted me to play The “Zombies BBC Radio Sessions” which I have in a double vinyl set. There’s quite a bit of great live music from the BBC still available. Beyond just the live music there is also quite a bit of conversation between the commentator and the groups individuals. The ones I play the most are The Beatles, The Kinks and The Yardbirds. There is a Complete Beatles collection on the BBC (about 10 discs) but I don’t think it is available legally. So we have to live with and love what Capitol did release!!
Well.. in the meantime in between trying to get vudeo to load/play so I can watch/listen… I was ever only really familiar with ” Tine of tge Season ” song growing up as a kid in the 70s , always was fascinated/intrigued in that song, because of the vibe it had, cool yet mysterious of it…. Intrigued was I …. Fast Forward…. NKT’s take… well that just further cemented my childhood appreciation of the song even more and with the female approach to it, Unequivocally Just as Unique Equally Effective as the original ….. 🤘🏻💜🎼🎵🎶🔊💎
Greetings,
I never owned any albums of the Zombies.
I do have three of their hit singles on 45 rpm.
“She’s Not There”is my favorite and I also like and have “Tell Her No” & “Time of the Season”. And yes, I also like the “Ahs” and love to sing it in that song.
Bobby S. 🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵
Arrrgghhhh …video not loading …. am gonna keep On trying….
Tell Her No is absolutely one of my favorite songs from the whole rock era. It sounds like something the Beatles would pull off and I’ve hoped it is one you would take a crack at, I think you would give more than proper justice.
I have their greatest hits cd.
You also knock Time of the Season out of the park.
I agree about “Tell Her No”. I knew a guy back in the 1970s who had the double album compilation “Time of the Zombies”, which is quite a collector’s item. I have a reissue of Odyssey & Oracle. “Beechwood Park” is the song I always play off of it. Classic for sure.
Thanks for this WOTT. I didn’t know much about them before I joined the MLT Club. They were a band that I never really thought about but then always enjoyed their songs when I heard them on the radio. I remember Rod Argent as a solo artist in the 70’s. He played on the Midnight Special TV show a few times. That show was my generation’s Ed Sullivan show. A funny story I remember from back in the 70’s is our local Rock station (in LaCrosse WI) had a contest. Each night they would pair songs by the greatest bands against each other and listeners would vote for their favorites. It was a bracket style elimination type format and predictably ended with the Beatles vs The Rolling Stones. I just remember the Zombies doing really well and actually eliminated Led Zeppelin.
Here is a link to the pilot episode of the Midnight Special. Hosted by John Denver with Cass Elliott, The Everly Brothers, Rod Argent and many more great artists. It’s kind of ironic this aired August 19th 1972. The very next day was my 13th birthday and this show was a staple through my teenage years.
https://youtu.be/itkwPhZFAHQ?feature=shared
I always enjoy the WOTT videos and always learn so much. It’s clear that you enjoy doing these and really get into the music. I love when Mona does the “Ahs” with Time of the Season. Did Mona do them on your recording of the song? I’m glad you pointed out Lisa’s guitar solo in your version, I really like it and actually made that reply on Jung’s comment before I watched this video. Great video girls, thanks again.
Ooooh, I wish shows like that were still around.
I’ve seen clips from the Midnight Special before but I wasn’t aware how big of a show that was. I’ll watch some more of that pilot episode later tonight. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure Lisa, thanks for the reply. That show always had our favorite artists and introduced us to great new ones. I know you will like Argent’s performance but also John Denver and Cass Elliott were treasures along with the Everly’s and a young Linda Ronstadt.
Hey Tim, I remember a radio station here in NY also had a contest going on about choosing your favorite artist, in the same manner as you mentioned. Don’t recall the year.
Also, I liked the Midnight Special. Didn’t Wolfman Jack host it. And I love that song “Midnight Special” by CCR.,
Bobby S. 😎🎵🎵🎵🧛♂️
Thanks Bobby, I believe this pilot episode aired in the summer and was picked up as a regular network show in February of 1973. I think Wolfman Jack started hosting at that point. The Wolfman was great, easy to tell that he loved the music. It aired Friday nights at 11:00pm in my area so if I didn’t have a date, which was most nights, I tuned in and if I did happen to have a date, I tried to make it home in time. I’m remembering some of the bands I first seen on the Midnight Special. The Guess Who, David Bowie, Jim Croce, Kiss, Aerosmith even AC/DC in 78 I believe. Great memories. The Midnight Special has a YouTube channel and they have been uploading episodes each week in the correct order. They have quite a few posted already.
Hi Tim, what a wonderful line up of talents, Everly Brothers, Cass Elliott, Rod Argent, haven’t heard John Denver in ages, and wow Linda Ronstadt, what a blast from the past, she was so big back then in the 70s and 80s. Everyone looked so young, I was only 9 and was too young to vote anyways.😁 They don’t do shows like that anymore.
Time Of The Season – timeless!
A few years ago the Zombies toured the U.S. playing this entire album. I wasn’t familiar with it at the time, but my brother was. One of the concerts was near me, so he drove seven hours to my place and we went to see it together.
I listened to the album on YouTube a few days beforehand so that I could better appreciate the concert, and immediately concluded that it belonged in the same class as Sgt. Pepper and Pet Sounds. And despite the diversity of the tracks, there wasn’t a single song that I didn’t absolutely love, which I can’t say about those other lofty albums.
Oh, and the reason that Friends of Mine mentions so many people is explained in this excerpt from songfacts.com:
I love that you got to catch them on that tour!
I had the same reaction as you when I first discovered this album. It felt like such a hidden gem.
Thanks for sharing the info about “Friends Of Mine”. That makes a lot of sense and I love that they used the names of their real friends!!
I read that they did Odessey and Oracle concerts. Sounds like that’s what you saw. And they have a live album of one of them. I don’t see any planned concerts like that now though.
They were in Detroit 3 months ago, and I missed them. smh
Yes, that’s what it was, Chris. It was in 2017, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the recording of the album. All four surviving members were there. They performed all the songs in order, with applause breaks in between, and for an encore they did She’s Not There and Tell Her No.
It was a really memorable show! I just wish I had discovered the album much earlier so that the concert would have meant more to me at the time. I’ll have to look up that live album and try to relive the experience.
The live album is for the 40th anniversary, but YouTube seems to have both 40th and 50th.
Hi David, that is great praise of the album that it is in the same realm as Sargent Peppers and Pet Sounds. Listening to the excerpts it sounds to be true. Given the fact the band did not have the luxury to re-record and edit over many days or weeks because of their limited budget, they had to put their best foot forward on a single take in the expensive studio, it looks like they cranked out amazing work in one shot.
Hey, Jung. Yeah, that was my reaction to it. Each song made me think of Brian or John or Paul at his creative zenith, but without going way out into left field musically.
I’m just speculating here, but perhaps part of the reason the album didn’t sell well was that music was evolving so fast in that era that by the time they released it, lightly psychedelic pop was already falling out of fashion.
Wonderful gift on your part Steve!
The Zombies are far too often overlooked when the 60’s music and groups are spoken about. Obviously I don’t mean around here! They had a very unique sound and approach at that time, and it’s great that Mona and Lisa have had some wonderful encounters with them. If they have a “signature” album this is definitely it. “Begin Here” was huge, but “Odessey and Oracle” is to me, their smash. Time of the Season actually charted #1 here in Canada and I had that in my small but cherished collection of 45’s. Wish I knew where they all went…
Of course, being as Paul was a Rickenbacker player, that would certainly score points with Mona! Interesting chat about the mellotron, that was used by so many groups in the 60’s and early 70’s (Beatles, Zombies, Elton John…) in the studio to add color and fill on many tracks and hits. I may be wrong, but I don’t see much about it anymore (there’s so much electronic backing now I suppose).
Great WOTP girls!
Despite the Beatles, and Beach Boys for me, I have to say Time Of The Season was always my favourite 60s song. it just captured this psychedelic feel like magic, even though I was too young to experience any of that in that decade. I think that speaks volumes about the song writing when a song can do that. What is more incredible is how this album when it came out as you said never did well. It just goes to show there is no relation to the greatness of a song and the popular reception of any album at the time. I knew of this song, far before I even knew who the Zombies were.
Your What’s On The Tables are amazing, and really love your in depth knowledge and research you bring to these. I’ve learned so much about bands and albums through your WOTT series, so informative, engaging and fun, and the best part is hearing your expert and professional take on the album, and the music itself. You pick out nuances I would never have the ear to. This is such a beautiful album through out, right from the first track to the mighty Time Of The Season. I will definitely look out for this vinyl when I am in a record shop, I can see how it is one of your favourites. Thank you for another wonderful WOTT, really enjoyed it. 💛 ❤ 👍 😊 🌹 🌹
P.S. Your version of Time Of The Season ROCKS. You do it amazing justice with your version, absolutely love it too.
I love Lisa’s guitar playing in Time of the Season.
Hi Jung,
YES, to everything you just said! I’m kind of out of the loop on keeping up with comments lately. Just trying to keep up with planning for my teaching gig, practice and rest so I can make it thru each week! It’s always nice to read your comments!
Take it easy! — Bud
It was me that gifted it to you many years ago x
Ah – that makes perfect sense!! Sorry, that we didn’t remember. I think it was at that cafe/pub we met at before seeing the London show, wasn’t it?
Anyway, thanks – we LOVE it (as you know!).
Sending hugs!
Hi Steve, and Mona, I enjoyed seeing your “Trip To London” photos from 2018. It looked like a wonderful time going into the big city, and then meeting the Zombies. Would love to spend a day like that with you all.