Progiest non-prog album

Released in April 1968, the Zombies' album "Odessey and Oracle" is a mellotron-drenched masterpiece that has an early progressive music feel. As its cover art suggests, "Odessey and Oracle" is usually considered a psychedelic pop album. However, its intricate arrangements and fancy instrumentation were close to progressive music; the album is like an incredibly progressive statement from a band that was sadly short-lived but was ahead of its time.

"Odessey & Oracle" is a brilliant and underappreciated record that broadened listeners' perspectives through audacious song structures and broader tonal palettes. The songs are based on the band's distinct sound and concise composition, which features well-written vocal melodies, daring chord changes, and winding resolutions enhanced by heavenly strings and wonderful vocal harmonies. Even though "Odyssey and Oracle" wasn't strictly a hyped-up record, its experimental bent makes it noteworthy. After persuading EMI to release them from corporate control so they could record it at Abbey Road Studios, the Zombies were free to create any kind of music they wanted.

Songs like "Changes," "The Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)," and "Hung Up on a Dream" aren't that far from The Moody Blues, not to mention Rod Argent's proggy keyboard work. The songs really had aspects of progressive music since some of the band members, most notably Rod Argent, went on to work in that genre. Similar to many prog-rock artists from the following decades, the Zombies had a dreamy infatuation with authors and historical personalities, ranging from the Shakespeare quotation in the liner notes to "A Rose for Emily" by Faulkner to "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)." In many ways, "Odessey and Oracle" foreshadows the extravagant British prog-rock epics to come.