Odessey and Oracle - The Zombies

I wanted to write about this album immediately following Costa's Unfamiliar Faces because this is an album literally straight out of the 1960s, but this time I don't mean it as a criticism, in fact the exact opposite.  There's poppy piano, there repetition to the point of losing the melody, there's that soft male voice (although this time, accompanied by a chorus at certain points), and there's the singer/songwriter style of lyrics, BUT the comparison ends there.  The Zombies album is much more integrated, musically sound, and therefore lasting.  Their previous albums contained cover songs and singles making Odessey and Oracle their only true album.  Luckily this one album is well done, despite budgeting, mixing, and deadline issues.  I can't get "This Will Be Our Year" out of my head and "Care of Cell 44" will be on repeat for awhile.  The middle of the album really brings out the Baroque pop element with lots of harpsichord and vocal harmonizing.  Its not my style really, but I can appreciate it I suppose.  The single everyone knows, "Time of the Season" falls at the end of the album, an unusual place for the hit single.