Reviews Written By: A1UNXVMM0JCVLKprovided by Amazon.com |
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 | The Zombies - Odessey & Oracle: 30th Anniversary Edition | |
 | "The Zombies: "What's your name, who's your daddy?"" | 2008-07-19 |
| The British rock invasion of the 1960's was overwhelming and The Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks etc. dominated the airwaves, and from 1966 on, following The Beatles lead, albums became more ambitious and musically creative. "Odessey and Oracle", by The Zombies, was one of those more adventurous albums. The Zombies were a little different in that their music was driven by the keyboard playing of Rod Argent, not unlike The Animals, whose sound was propelled by the organ and piano playing of Alan Price. The Animals were much more blues and R and B oriented than The Zombies, and had the raw power of Eric Burdon's vocals. In contrast The Zombies had a much more delicate, classical-pop sound, owing much to the unique vocals of lead-singer Colin Blunstone. The album "Odessey and Oracle" released in 1968 was the creative highpoint in their career and it echoed the music of The Beatles, The Left Banke, and The Bee Gees 1st album. The music has a very cohesive sound with all of the songs written by Rod Argent and bassist Chris White. There is much vocal and orchestral embellishment, highlighted by Argent's extensive and early use of the mellotron. WARNING: If you are looking for some searing guitar and soulful-rockin' songs, or find Colin Blunstones vocal style annoying, then this album is NOT FOR YOU. Since most of the rock groups of the '60s were guitar-driven, the list of great solos and riffs are too numerous to mention. On the other hand, keyboard solos are much rarer, a few examples would be Ray Manzareks work with The Doors (LIght My Fire), Alan Price with The Animals (House of the Rising Sun), Matthew Fisher in Procol Harum (Whiter Shade of Pale), Rod Argent's wurlitzer piano solos on "She's Not There" and "I Love You" and his organ solos on the final song of "O and O", "The Time of the Season". Unfortunately by the time the album was released in the U.S. and "Time.." had become a hit, The Zombies had been broken up for some time. The album had not been a hit in England and it would not have even been released in the U.S. except for the advocacy of songwriter, musician, A & R man, Al Kooper. (Kooper, himself, had gained much of his fame from his keyboard work with Bob Dylan and particularly his organ playing on "Like a Rolling Stone"). The music and vocals are all excellent on "Odessey..", however some of the flowery lyrics don't hold up as well today. My favorite lyric is a line in "Time of the Season" that begins: "what's your name, who's your daddy .." and it always brings a smile to my face, and Colin Blunstones one-of-a-kind delivery makes it classic. | ||
 | Eric Anderson - Blue River | |
| "The Romantic Troubador" | 2007-03-11 |
| Eric Andersen emerged from the same folk scene as Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs, but was much more of a romantic troubador than his contemporaries and seemed like an innocent in a cynical world. "Blue River" is probably his best album and it should have brought him the recognition he always deserved. He had been recording for years when this album came out and the depth and maturity of the songs showcase an artist at the top of his game. While James Taylor and Cat Stevens were getting worldwide acclaim Andersen released his masterpiece, and though it recieved some critical laudits it barely registered with the public. Andersen is mainly remembered today for some of his early songs like "Close the Door Lightly" and "Thirsty Boots", but he is best represented by albums like this or his later "Ghosts Upon the Road" and his most recent C.D.s. where his world weariness tempers his romanticism and paints a more realistic picture of our modern world. | ||
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