The Zombies
Odessey and Oracle (Revisited): The 40th Anniversary Concert
(MVD Visual)
In June 1968, two monumental events occurred. First, I was born, and second, the Zombies released their second album Odessey and Oracle - a masterpiece and the only "true" full length album by the band. Their first album was a collection of singles and included several covers. Odessey and Oracle was all original, featuring compositions by Rod Argent and Chris White, the group's two main songwriters.
Odessey and Oracle should be required listening for everyone. Recorded primarily at Abbey Road Studios shortly after The Beatles completed Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Odessey and Oracle offers listeners a more cohesive concept album experience, where the theme is more readily tracked as the album progresses. Plus, the lush melodies and layering within the complex vocal harmonies can bring tears to the most hardened individual. Truly, it is a phenomenal piece of art.
Here's the rub ... the album was doomed almost from the start. Recording was rushed. Their label wasn't supportive. The initial mix was done in mono and the band was told by CBS when they handed it in that it had to be a stereo mix. Having exhausted their recording budget, Argent and White dipped into their songwriting royalties to complete the project. This proved too much for others in the group and the band broke up before the album was ever done. As a result, the album was released without much fanfare in England, picked up by American CBS (at the urging of Al Kooper) and tossed off onto a small subsidiary called Date Records. There, it languished - and, over the years, it slowly became recognized as the masterpiece it is.
Flash forward 40 years ... four surviving members of the Zombies decided to perform the album live and, over three nights at London's Shepards Bush Empire in March 2008, they did just that (with the assistance of a few guest musicians). This DVD chronicles the first time the band ever performed Odessey and Oracle live and the performance is as masterful as the album.
Odessey and Oracle is actually the second set of the concert featured on the DVD. The boys warm up with a set of classic Zombies singles and cuts from post-Zombie projects such as Argent and Colin Blumstone's solo work. While the opening set is strong and enjoyable, do yourself a favor and skip right to the Odessey and Oracle performance.