Editing Odessey and Oracle (section)

==Release history==

''Odessey and Oracle'' was released in the UK on 19 April 1968. [[Clive Davis]], the head of CBS in the US, initially decided not to release the album. However, the US Columbia label had released the single "Care of Cell 44" on 21 November 1967 to complete indifference.

CBS staff producer [[Al Kooper]] had picked up a copy of the album during a trip to London, and when he returned to America and played the album he loved it. He believed it contained three hit singles. At the urging of Kooper the US division of CBS was eventually persuaded to release the album on the little known [[Date Records]] subsidiary label in June.

Date released "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)" as a single in the US, feeling that the song's anti-war theme would resonate with record-buyers due to the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="Yesteryear" /> The next single, "Time of the Season," slowly gained popularity before finally hitting big on the US charts in March 1969. After the song became a hit, Date re-released ''Odessey and Oracle'' with severely cropped artwork. This time the album charted, reaching number 95 in the US. By then Rod Argent and Chris White were busy with their new band, [[Argent (band)|Argent]].

===Other versions===

For the 1997 ''Zombie Heaven'' box-set, "This Will Be Our Year" was given a full stereo mix, albeit minus the horns. This was made possible because the Zombies owned the multi track masters, which are in the possession of Chris White. Alternate mixes of "A Rose for Emily", featuring discarded overdubs of cello and Mellotron, appear on ''Zombie Heaven'' and the 30th anniversary release of the album.