The Zombies’ 1968 psych-pop masterpiece Odessey & Oracle was a commercial flop that disillusioned and dissolved the band. Then,
18 months after the group disbanded, “Time of the Season” became a
worldwide hit. It wasn’t until principal Zombies Colin Blunstone and
Rod Argent reunited and toured in recent years that any of the dazzling
Odessey songs were performed live. The other two surviving
original Zombies, Chris White and Hugh Grundy, weren’t interested in
touring, but they came out of retirement to perform Odessey &
Oracle live in London in celebration of the album’s 40th
anniversary. The live show adds a large team of musicians and vocalists
to recreate the album’s dreamy chamber-pop instrumentation and dizzying
multi-track harmonies. Blunstone’s godlike voice hasn’t lost an ounce
of gold after 40 years, and Argent still effortlessly maneuvers his
complex keyboards and vocals. White’s added vocal presence brings a
significant dimension to this show beyond the recent Blunstone-Argent
tours. In addition to Odessey & Oracle‘s 12 songs,
this concert includes early Zombies songs and some post-Zombies solo
material. Those oldest Zombies cuts are impeccably executed, but the
magic really starts when the set moves into a string-quintet-backed
block of Blunstone’s baroque-pop solo tunes. The consistent perfection
of his mature songwriting and the inspired warmth of the intricate
performances add up to one of the most breathtakingly gorgeous rock
concerts that ever happened.
— Michael David Toth
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2009.
