The Zombies

[Dr. Steve Brule]

The Fuel version is the CD to get, as of right now.

[Analogman]

Thanks everyone - that is the one I will get.

[noyes]

i don't think it's overhyped. at all.

and because it is a solid album is precisely why.

[willywoody]

steve hoffman forum has this come up about every week and i don't remember which one is thought best but i would look there for your answer.

 

np: the movie free enterprise.

[MrRain422]

I can't vouch for any particular release of the album, but the Zombies fucking ruled.

 

That is all.

[bigideas]

I have not heard this "classic" album but I have heard Time of the Seson about 4 trillion times (just heard it last at a restaurant that plays oldies) over the years and frankly the song is kind of lame all in all. Listen to the words sometime. I plan to play the entire album for the first time in my life sometime this week.

 

LouieB

 

like someone else said, TotS is not representable of the album at all. if you like layers of harmony, mellotron strings, beautiful 60's arrangements, creepy pop songs, joyous pop songs, etc, etc, you will like this.

 

seriously, if you like the Zombies at all, pick up Zombie Heaven and just get all their recorded output.

[mpolak21]

like someone else said, TotS is not representable of the album at all. if you like layers of harmony, mellotron strings, beautiful 60's arrangements, creepy pop songs, joyous pop songs, etc, etc, you will like this.

 

seriously, if you like the Zombies at all, pick up Zombie Heaven and just get all their recorded output.

 

Good call, that was one of my 21st birthday presents I picked up pretty cheaply via the Amazon marketplace too, it's well worth it.

 

--Mike

[MrRain422]

I think as far as British Invasion bands go, the Zombies rank fairly high.

 

I know no one else would agree with this, but as far as I'm concerned, it would go thusly:

 

The Beatles > The Rolling Stones > The Kinks > The Zombies > The Who

[cryptique]

I think as far as British Invasion bands go, the Zombies rank fairly high.

 

I know no one else would agree with this, but as far as I'm concerned, it would go thusly:

 

The Beatles > The Rolling Stones > The Kinks > The Zombies > The Who

No, that looks about right to me.

[m_to_the_c]

I would strongly suggest anyone looking into this era to get any of the Kinks records between "Something Else By The Kinks" (1967) and "Muswell Hillbillies" (1971). These records aren't quite as "precious" as Odessey and Oracle, but have Ray Davies unable to tour the states, looking at everything from British-ness to record industry politik.

 

I would love to know what was in the water in Britain in the late 60's!

(and by that, I mean other than acid)

[jff]

I'd do it more like this:

 

Beatles>Kinks>Who>Zombies>Yardbirds>probably three or four other bands>Rolling Stones

[cryptique]

I'd do it more like this:

 

Beatles>Kinks>Who>Zombies>Yardbirds>probably three or four other bands>Rolling Stones

 

On certain days, I'd almost put the Stones above the Beatles.

 

Almost.

[jff]

 

On certain days, I'd almost put the Stones above the Beatles.

 

Almost.

 

I used to think the Stones were better than the Beatles, but at that time I had only heard Between the Buttons and Meet the Beatles.

[cryptique]

I used to think the Stones were better than the Beatles, but at that time I had only heard Between the Buttons and Meet the Beatles.

Well, I did say "almost."

 

To me, the very best Stones albums are perhaps slightly better than the very best Beatles albums, but the Beatles' body of work is far, far better than the Stones'. Even if you set a cutoff of, say, Exile on Main St. (i.e., nothing after that), I think the Beatles win in a landslide. But I also don't happen to think that the Beatles ever put out an album quite as great as Sticky Fingers or Exile.

[jff]

Well, I did say "almost."

 

To me, the very best Stones albums are perhaps slightly better than the very best Beatles albums, but the Beatles' body of work is far, far better than the Stones'. Even if you set a cutoff of, say, Exile on Main St. (i.e., nothing after that), I think the Beatles win in a landslide. But I also don't happen to think that the Beatles ever put out an album quite as great as Sticky Fingers or Exile.

 

I might be more of a Stones fan today if I had started off with their Exile/Sticky Fingers era. As it happened, I listened to all of their early albums before I heard any of their post-British invasion ones (probably because my mom only owned the early ones).

 

Despite having listened to Meet the Beatles a lot, I really got into the Beatles with Rubber Soul and Revolver. Those two were pretty much the soundtrack to my first car. I kind of dumped the Stones at that point, possibly because I had still only heard the first three or four albums and was sick of them.

 

Back to the Zombies. I always think of them as a really good singles band, which is probably why I prefer listening to their singles compilation (and live album) rather than Odesey and Oracle.

[noyes]

i tried getting into the Kinks just recently (The Ultimate Collection) and the songs didn't stick out as much as i wanted them to. it was depressing.

i had already heard "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night" and wanted a song besides those to really grab me.

"Waterloo Sunset" is a classic though and that was a nice listen. so was "See My Friend".

i prefer The Creation much more. that's another band worthy of mention.

i'll have to listen to it again. not sure that particular compilation is a good way to get into them but yeah.

 

and i agree with the whole Stones being great thing. those late 60's-mid 70's records are classics.

but Beatles are undoubtedly on a higher plane.

[bobfrombob]

I would give it another try and/or try another record. I'm not familiar with that one but there are about 700 Kinks collections so it may not be their best material....

[LouieB]

Personally I love The Who....

 

Sure they have gotten a whole ton more exposure than anyone besides the Beatles and the Stones, but their entire body of work has lasted a long time.

 

The Kinks are a bit more of an aquired taste. I like them too and Ray Davies is a very fine songwriter.

 

I guess Time of the Season (What's your name? Who's your daddy? Is he rich like me?) may be the Sloop John B of Odessey and Oracles; a kinda lame song (single) among more important material.

 

LouieB

[cryptique]

I guess Time of the Season (What's your name? Who's your daddy? Is he rich like me?) may be the Sloop John B of Odessey and Oracles; a kinda lame song (single) among more important material.

I adore that song, actually. It's what got me to try the album ... but then the album blew me away far more than that song did.

[nettles]

I adore that song, actually. It's what got me to try the album ... but then the album blew me away far more than that song did.

 

Me too, the hand clap and breathe is the coolest.

[noyes]

yeah Time Of The Season is certainly the worst song on O&O, yet it's the most known. funny how that works.

it's not a bad song by any means. it's just that it almost doesn't belong on that album of much much better songs.

 

as far the Kinks, there isn't much to be acquired in their sound, i think. its not extremely unique or anything.

i love their 60's sound, as the many other bands that share it.

maybe it's just the first few songs on this compilation that sound second rate to me.

i'm guessing it's chronological, because the later tracks on the compilation are much better than the early ones.

i'll have to keep listening on. or get their actual albums instead.

[Analogman]

Another interesting thing about this album - they were finished as a band when it came out.

 

Odessey and Oracle is a rock album by the Zombies released in 1968. The famous misspelling of "odyssey" in the title was the result of a mistake by the designer of the LP cover, Terry Quirk (who was the flatmate of bass player Chris White). The band, however, claims that the title was deliberate.

 

Odessey and Oracle was recorded in 1967 after the Zombies signed to the CBS label, and was only the second album they had released since 1965. As their first LP, Begin Here, was a collection of singles, Odessey can be regarded as the only true Zombies album. While their first album included several cover versions, Odessey consisted entirely of original compositions by the group's two main songwriters, Rod Argent and Chris White.

 

The group began work on the album in June 1967. Some songs were recorded at EMI's Abbey Road Studios, where earlier in the year the Beatles had recorded Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Pink Floyd recorded The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. By the time the recording was finished, in late 1967, the Zombies were effectively disbanded, due to lack of financial success. Odessey and Oracle was released in the UK in April 1968 and in the United States in June. The single "Time of the Season" became a surprise hit in early 1969, and Columbia Records (in the United States) re-released Odessey in February, with a slightly different album cover.

[LouieB]

yeah Time Of The Season is certainly the worst song on O&O, yet it's the most known. funny how that works.

it's not a bad song by any means. it's just that it almost doesn't belong on that album of much much better songs.

 

as far the Kinks, there isn't much to be acquired in their sound, i think. its not extremely unique or anything.

i love their 60's sound, as the many other bands that share it.

maybe it's just the first few songs on this compilation that sound second rate to me.

i'm guessing it's chronological, because the later tracks on the compilation are much better than the early ones.

i'll have to keep listening on. or get their actual albums instead.

I somewhat disagree.... I think the Kinks do have a somewhat different sound than most of the British Invasion bands of the early 60s and developed a more quirky sound by the late 60s, which carried on into the 70s. They were a singles band like every other band of that era, but developed the conceptual album more completely than most other groups, with the exception of the Who. Frankly if I never hear the song Lola again it will be too soon. There are some Kinks songs that get too much airplay and others that are some of the greatest songs ever written (Waterloo Sunset, Victoria, etc.)

 

Another interesting thing about this album - they were finished as a band when it came out.

As I mentioned, I have been hearing about this album for years. The Zombies were a very short lived group that was more like a version of the Kinks prior to this(singles band) and ended up being thought of as The Beach Boys by virtue of this album's cult status. I think I have not really been all that interested in this album up to this point, but I will find the time to listen to it this week. Time to get with the program I guess.

 

LouieB

[noyes]

I somewhat disagree.... I think the Kinks do have a somewhat different sound than most of the British Invasion bands of the early 60s and developed a more quirky sound by the late 60s, which carried on into the 70s. They were a singles band like every other band of that era, but developed the conceptual album more completely than most other groups, with the exception of the Who. Frankly if I never hear the song Lola again it will be too soon. There are some Kinks songs that get too much airplay and others that are some of the greatest songs ever written (Waterloo Sunset, Victoria, etc.)

 

yeah. you may very well be right, as i really haven't heard that much of them until recently

and from what i've heard, nothing really sounded too out there. but i can definitely hear their quirkiness.

another thing is i'm slowly realizing how bad this compilation i have is. it's not the '89 Ultimate Collection release, thats for sure.

i'll just have to listen to their albums and draw a conclusion then.

[jff]

yeah. you may very well be right, as i really haven't heard that much of them until recently

and from what i've heard, nothing really sounded too out there. but i can definitely hear their quirkiness.

another thing is i'm slowly realizing how bad this compilation i have is. it's not the '89 Ultimate Collection release, thats for sure.

i'll just have to listen to their albums and draw a conclusion then.

 

Kinks fans will know that this is an obvious statement, but you should check out "The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society". I don't know if you're going to find anything that's "out there" from the Kinks. If you want "out there" you'd be better off with Captain Beefheart, or something.