Since the beginning of time, it always seemed that many artists never truly get recognized until they are much older, or worse yet, passed on. The peculiar way of the world, fortunately in the case of British Rock-n-Roll band The Zombies, recognition has come in waves in recent times, all while four of the five classic lineup members are still in their living years.
Referencing Organist/Vocalist Rod Argent, Lead Vocalist Colin Blunstone, Drummer Hugh Grundy, and Bassist/Vocalist Chris White, unfortunately, Co-founding Zombies Guitarist Paul Atkinson passed on over two decades ago after battling cancer, never getting to witness their complete resurrection. However, Atkinson did perform with them one last time in early 2004 before his passing, suggesting he had some notion that something special might be brewing.
With Atkinson smiling down on them from above, The Zombies have experienced rightful praise over the last two decades with grand turnouts for live performances, plus wide acclaim for newer releases such as 2015’s Still Got That Hunger and 2023’s Different Game. Moreover, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 2019, and were the subject of Robert Schwartzman’s 2023 documentary Hung Up on a Dream (which has received broader release in 2025), all while their legacy lives on. Yes, Rod Argent retired from touring in the summer of 2024 after suffering a stroke; however, there are still hopes he will write and record some new music with The Zombies at some point in the future.
In the meantime, it is exciting to learn that Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent, Chris White, and Hugh Grundy, along with Helen Atkinson (the widow and Estate Trustee of Paul Atkinson), in 2024 acquired the rights back to their catalog from Marquis Enterprises Ltd., the independent UK production company they originally signed with when they were only teenagers in 1964. What does this mean? It means they have control over their own works again, and this could result in re-released music. Whether it comes in the form of remasters, remixes, or perhaps even vaulted unreleased material, the possibilities are endless for what can happen.
With that in mind, the first sign that good days were ahead for the Zombies arrived on September 26, 2025, when the band released a mono remaster of their iconic 1968 album Odessey & Oracle on vinyl and CD through Beechwood Park Records. What is said to be the first of four reissues from The Zombies’ catalog, Odessey & Oracle is an album that was overlooked by critics and the mainstream at the time of its release.
Nonetheless, in the fifty-plus years to follow, it has attained significant attention from two generations of listeners. Beloved by everyone from Tom Petty, Dave Grohl, Carlos Santana, The Bangles, Susanna Hoffs, among countless other musicians, Odessey & Oracle has received top ranks for numerous publications, including the lofty dubbing of being named one of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” by Rolling Stone Magazine in 2012.
All rightfully clamour, Odessey and Oracle has a sensational mix of styles such as Soul, Rock, Pop, and even Jazz tendencies. Recorded at London’s Abbey Road and Olympic Studios in 1967, with engineering by Geoff Emerick (who worked as an engineer on The Beatles 1966 album Revolver, 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and 1969’s Abbey Road) and Peter Vince (who also worked with everyone from The Beatles to The Hollies), The Zombies themselves took on the bulk of the production. Distinct in the sound they wanted to create, the album features stunning melodies, harmonies, and textures that are timeless, with songs like “Changes” and “Brief Candles,” among many others.
Something that should have been a massive hit and topped charts, CBS Records initially declined to release it outside the UK because of poor response to the lead single “Care of Cell 44.” Fortunately, CBS Staff Producer Al Kooper knew it was something special, convinced the label to release it, and it eventually reached the USA market in the summer of 1968 through the subsidiary label Date Records. A good move, sadly, Odessey and Oracle still took some time to catch on. Then, in 1969, when the band had already been dissolved, “Time of the Season” seemingly out of nowhere became a massive hit, jumping to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
This being the song most casual listeners associate with The Zombies, other than 1964’s “She’s Not There” and 1965’s “Tell Her No,” just one listen to Odessey and Oracle, and it is evident there is so much more to this band. That is why it is truly exciting to see the album re-released in the original mono format. Explaining as to why, this is how the band members heard it when they were working on it, so for intentional purposes, this is what they envision it to sound like. When entering a listening session, consider this critical aspect: the mix perfectly fits the material, and the new remastering has been done with the utmost care from the original studio tapes.
Available as a limited edition Zombies Blue LP, standard Black LP, a single CD, or a CD with a really cool exclusive puzzle depicting the classic Odessey and Oracle art created by the band’s childhood friend Terry Quirk, any purchase is a win. It is a perfect gift for yourself, or the Rock-n-Roll historian in your life to put right next to The Beach Boys’ 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds, The Beatles’ Abbey Road, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon from 1973, among a handful of others. That is why Cryptic Rock gives the Odessey & Oracle Mono Remastered release 5 out of 5 stars.
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