First listen ever, and I'm completely blown away. Not sure why I've never listened to The Zombies before, but I'm definitely glad I did now. I don't know if I've ever had a first listen where I immediately loved the album as much as this one... Maybe only my first time listening to Porcupine Tree... This one will be played and replayed for weeks to come! And hopefully years if it really remains as good as the first listen was.

Time of the Season is my least favorite here, but I think that's because I've heard it too much.

Ottimo e raro esempio di pop come si usava allora, con melodie belle ma mai stucchevoli, produzione ricca ma non pachiana, canzoni senza spigoli ma mai banali. Figli o fratelli minori di Beach Boys e Beatles ma purtroppo destinati ad un ben minore successo; peccato perché le canzoni di questo album sono tra quelle che, una volta sentite, non le scordi più.

It's a crime that this isn't in the top 100.

Well above average for the genre and another album where the band has the audacity to save the best for last.

It's a solid album. I wouldn't call it great, or anywhere near the top of the list of the greatest albums ever, but it's a nice album for sure. Definitely listen to it if you're a fan of baroque pop. Otherwise, it's not a must-listen.

First listen ever. Wayyyy overdue. I see why this record is so legendary. The songs are so well put together and naturally layered, they are as comfortable and colorful as the album's cover.

Some amazing vocal arrangements and very tasteful lead vocals. To me it sounds like both Genesis and Queen took some influence from this record. Great drumming as well. The groove at the beginning of Beachwood Park hooked me immediately. These guys were writing some really unpredictable progressions for their time.

This album is beautiful, I see myself returning to it pretty often.

beechwood park is such a hauntingly beatiful track! The last one aint half bad either

Sounds great. Combines the good of Beatles and Beach Boys into their own sound. Might not be the most original, but there aren't many bands that succeed in coming close to Beatles-quality..

Ambitious, psychedelia tinted chamber pop that aims for Sgt. Pepper/Pet Sounds levels of pop perfection.

Or at least perfection by the means of 1968, which means silky sweet harmonies, unconventional chord sequences and A LOT of thought put into melody. I was instantly hooked on this album, it's very catchy and I'm a sucker for it's sharing of composition and lead instrument duties between guitar and keys. While there is an influence from Pet Sounds and Peppers, Odyssey and Oracle definitely has it's own sound, a lot which stems from the classical backgrounds of The Zombies which inform the brilliant orchestral (read: mellotron) parts.

The album has a lot of range and colour, but for me a problem is that whenever it tries to delve into something new, it always ends up back at the same point, the catchy choruses where it triumphs. Some of the time it feels like they were trying too hard to make the songwriting interesting, including the lyrics. Maybe time constraints and tensions in the band are partly to blame, it's documented that this led to some ideas being scrapped at the last minute. Still, the awkward, somewhat plodding moments of "A Rose for Emily" and "Brief Candles" are far more enjoyable than some of the "granny music" on Sgt. Peppers. And at it's best ("Care of Cell 44", "Beechwood Park", "Butchers Tale", "Time of the Season", the coda of "Hung up on a Dream", the bridge on "Friends of Mine") Odyssey has it's fair share of excitement and charm.