The Zombies - Odessey & Oracle

Before I go any further, let it be known that I am a fan of the zombie genre. So much so, in fact, that I read a series of comic books called The Walking Dead which follows a group of survivors in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. That being said, when I first came across the band The Zombies, I felt a certain need to give them a listen for no other reason than that they were awesome enough to name themselves The Zombies. It honestly wasn't until recently that I even realized that they were the band that wrote "Time Of The Season", which is one of the staple songs of any '60s compilation.

So I gave the album a listen, expecting really nothing much, and was blown away. Not just blown away though, but absolutely stunned. Take two parts Beatles and add some Byrds and you're close. The most striking thing about Odessey & Oracle, though, is how cohesive the album is. It has a listenability that many "vintage" albums lack. Don't get me wrong, The Beatles and Bob Dylan wrote great albums, but their singles stick out so much that sometimes it's hard to want to listen to the songs that didn't hit the airwaves. The opposite is true of The Zombies as every track on Odessey is mind-blowingly amazing. This album is on a short list of perfect summer albums and is destined to remain there. Download this, then immediately get in the car and take a drive along highways with the volume up and the windows down.

Tracklisting:
1. Care Of Cell 44
2. A Rose For Emily
3. Maybe After He's Gone
4. Beechwood Park
5. Brief Candles
6. Hung Up On A Dream
7. Changes
8. I Want Her She Wants Me
9. [for some reason I don't have track 9]
10. Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)
11. Friends Of Mine
12. Time Of The Season