So after posting "A Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)" on Memorial Day just passed, I was frankly surprised to discover that there actually are people who didn't know the song, and -- thus, apparently -- don't know The Zombies album it derives from.
Which, of course, is the 1968 classic (1967 in England) Odessey and Oracle. Which is a masterpiece from stem to stern, and from whence "Time of the Season" also derives.
There isn't a dud cut on it, frankly, and while a lot of it is the fullest flowering of 1967 psychedelia after Sgt. Pepper -- the Zombies actually recorded it at the same Abbey Road EMI studio the Fabs used, on a lot of the same equipment (amps, et cetera) -- quite a bit of it is the purest power pop ever heard by sentient mammalian ears.
Case in point: "Friends of Mine."
Seriously -- is there a more spine-tinglingly lovely voice in the history of rock-and-roll than Colin Blunstone? For that matter, have you ever heard a better instrumental break than the piano and guitar (god bless the late Paul Atkinson) business that slices this song in half?
I think not.
In any case, if you're one of those folks who doesn't know this record, hie thee to Amazon and legally download a copy of the damn thing immediately.
12 comments:
I never understood why "Care of Cell 44" was not released as a follow-up single from that album (or if it was, why it tanked...)
By the time "Time of the Season" was a hit in the States, the Zombies had broken up for (if memory serves) more than a year.
Incidentally, Al Kooper deserves immortality if for no other reason than he singlehandedly convinced Columbia Records to release the Odessey and Oracle album in America.
Odessey and Oracle is a stone-cold classic. No disrespect to anyone, but how does one find this site without having heard it? Truly a touchstone for any power pop afficianado. More trivia: Odessey is mispelled on the cover because the LP artist didn't even bother to confirm the correct spelling. Afterwards, the Zombies tried to play it off as intentional.
-B.Simmons
I can't explain how I never heard this LP while considering myself a power popper...but I've placed my Amazon order. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!
Shriner - "Care of Cell 44" was released as the LP lead-off single in the US in November of 1967 (thanks Wikipedia!). Why it did not chart is a mystery for the ages.
Apparently Al Kooper convinced Columbia/Date to release "Butcher's Tale" as a follow up single. As great as that song is - check yesterday's post here - I don't see it as top 40 material. If they had not waited until 1969 to release "Time Of The Season" as a single, perhaps the Zombies might still have been together.
I need to mention that I have known about "Odessey and Oracle" since the early 70s thanks to Mr. Simels and his magnificent review of the 2-LP Zombie retrospective that came out around 1973, including O&O in all of its glory. Steve - your influence out here in the power pop world is just massive and I want to thank you again for your insights.
Jeez -- I'd forgotten about that, both album AND review.
And just because I'm that kind of guy -- I just found a free download link for O&O for our financially straightened readers. With bonus tracks.
Get it here:
http://somewherelseandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/12/tz.html
A terribly neglected band: the Good Rats.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC1NmSxceFs&feature=related
With this 1974 novelty, they seem to have invented "swing rock" or whatever you call the Cherry Poppin' Daddies' music from the 1990s:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mais99uiAY0
They used to play frat party keggers on Friday late afternoons when I was in college on Long Island. Forget the name of the club, but it was down the road from CW Post.
I wasn't a fan then, and still not convinced all these years later, although they have a devoted cult following.
Although I always loved what head rat Pepe Marchello (sp?) said a couple of years later when they were on the CBGBs scene.
"The Ramones respect us because we can tune our guitars."
:-)
Care of Cell 44 is the song I always use as an intro to the Zombies, but I do love Brief Candles and This Will Be Our Year also. What a great album!
I was glad to see Sid n' Susie (Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs) cover Care of Cell 44 on their first album.
it boggles the mind that the geniuses in the US record biz couldn't hear "Time of the Season" as a single.
"Friends of Mine" is one of my favorite Zombies' songs. I have it on a single. It was a B-side in the U.S.
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