The Zombies – Odessey And Oracle

I have the varese vintage ending in 3 can only compare it to a cd and it’s just a brilliant piece of late 60s gold . Just buy it and enjoy its genius

This album is beautiful from start to finish…it’s taken me 15 years to get another mono copy after selling my copy to fund something else(big regret)…this is without a doubt the finest sounding pressing there is to my ears

This album is incredible, one of the most underrated albums. However, this specific pressing is no good. Very quiet, lots of pops, very dissapointed.

Just heard this UK mono in it's entirety via needle drop recording and wow it has to be right up there with the same dynamics and punchy depth of sgt. peppers. Absolutely stunning, too bad I'll never own this 😔

A worthy experience. My copy is dead quiet. Soundstage is nice, separation, clarity, though low end a bit restrained. Maybe it's my new Cambridge Audio AXR85? AT VM95ML point.

I guess I’ll never know and take everybody’s word for the poor quality. Mine is in a frame because it’s autographed. I purchased it at a Zombies concert

I absolutely love this record and this is a decent remaster. Unfortunately, the pressing is where this one falls apart. Pops, clicks, and other assorted rumbles throughout are a disappointment. My copy has more divots in the vinyl than a golf course after I play a round.

I've been able to compare both this version with the stamped matrices and the *assumingly* later pressing with the etched "2A" and "2B".

I don't think there's that much of a difference in sound but I do think this pressing is better in every category, not only is the vinyl noticeably quieter, it's also cut louder without losing any dynamics. In fact I think it sounds more dynamic than the etched pressing even when volume matched. There's more low-end, punch, and air around the instruments/vocals. I do hope to find a true "1st" Big Beat pressing, but I guess those are rare as I've had a hard time finding one, the one with the Mono version of This Will Be Our Year. Speaking of that track, both pressings discussed here have the same stereo mix without horns, as well as the whisper intro on Changes.

If you own the etched version and are happy with it I'd recommend you try and find this pressing, but make sure to try and buy it used and ask the seller what the dead wax is cause this specific pressing may be out of print.

I haven't listened to this record for over 20 years. Today I have found this treasure of variety and melody of psychedelic music in my shelf.
I can listen to this disc 2-3 times in a row without getting bored. What a beautiful peace of art

Pressing is a little noisy but still pretty listenable, color looks beautiful