In a week spent taking time out from I'm not quite sure what I've been using my car driving time to re-listen to Odessey and Oracle, the famously badly spelled Zombies album. I was also avoiding the curse of the overly strong statins bug that's dumbed me down even further, so was intent on exercising my mind and ears for a bit. Side effects rather than special effects rule the day.
Despite being an album recorded in the 12" art house era of popular music they got a lot of things right on this. There's a few weaker tracks but it's still very listenable 50 plus years on, although shamefully being mostly remembered as a well meant and famous commercial failure. Neither of which it has proved to be. Great vocals, good tunes, thoughtful production and nice "spaces" in the music. Anyway fate is cruel and timing is everything and in my opinion there still is something missing. It all came to be just as the great guitar gods were stirring and sadly they overlooked the Zombies.
So what it really lacks and what would have given it a lot more punch and dynamic power are a few solid bits of applied lead guitar. Every track cries out for a touch of guitar just to add that extra layer above Rod Argent's grinding and jazzy keyboard licks. All of the existing guitar work is either low in the mix or pretty indistinct and tonally basic. Maybe their guitar player just wasn't up to it, maybe the idea was that keyboards would be king on this album. It's obvious to me that it really needs that sound and had it been there back in the day this album would've been massive.
A few years ago I was at a festival where they were on and playing the whole album live. Of course I was on a chronic mix of festival fatigue and IPA at the time. I saw them but in a blurred fashion and heard them but failed to concentrate. I wonder how the guitars were used then? Ah well, such is life, vague histories and misspent odysseys and oracles.
No comments:
Post a Comment