No 369 in an occasional series of singles (or albums) bought when they came out . . . . 
 . . . though I didn't buy the album this single meant a great deal to lots of us and I was no exception

On this day in music history: April 19, 1968 - “Odessey And Oracle”, the third album by The Zombies is released in the UK (original US release date is in June 1968). Produced by The Zombies, it is recorded at Abbey Road Studios and Olympic Studios in London from June - August and November 1967. Following their run of hits on Decca Records, The Zombies sign a new deal with CBS Records in mid 1967. Given only a limited budget by the label, the band work quickly to complete their new album. The majority of the project is recorded at Abbey Road Studios with Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick and Peter Vince behind the board. The remaining songs are cut at near by Olympic Studios in Barnes when Abbey Road is not available. However, rising tensions between band members during the sessions and a general disillusionment with each other, make the creative process less than smooth sailing, and lead to The Zombies breaking up in December of 1967. “Odessey And Oracle” is released in the UK in the Spring of 1968 to minimal fanfare, with none of the three singles being released or the album even entering the charts. Initially passed over for release in the US by then CBS label boss Clive Davis, it is issued at the insistence of staff producer Al Kooper. Issued on Columbia’s Date Records imprint, it is greeted with almost total indifference, lying dormant for several months before anything happens. The single “Time Of The Season” (#3 Pop) becomes a surprise hit in the Spring of 1969, and in time is regarded as one of their finest works. Ironically, the success of the record comes more than a year after The Zombies have disbanded. “Time Of The Season” and “Care Of Cell 44” are belatedly reissued in the UK in 1973 and 1974. “Odessey” is reissued as a limited edition vinyl LP for Record Store Day on April 19, 2014, exactly forty six years after its original UK release. “Odessey And Oracle” peaks at number ninety five on the Billboard Top 200.