[link to original on tumblr]
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1. I recently ran across a reference to Olympic Studios, and it made me realize how appropriate it is that some of the Odessey and Oracle songs ("Maybe after He's Gone," "Beechwood Park," and "I Want Her She Wants Me") were recorded there. The title of the album conjures up Greek mythology (and The Odyssey, in particular), and Mount Olympus is where the Greek gods lived.
This sends me off on a tangent, though. Previously, I've linked to this photo set of the Zombies recording at Abbey Road. The caption for the set says, "Sixties band 'The Zombies' pictured during the recording of 'Time of the Season' at EMI's Abbey Road studios in September 1967." I'd always been dubious of the claim that they were recording "Time of the Season." I just thought, "Oh, well, they're probably just attaching their pictures to the Zombies' most famous song. Who knows what they were actually recording." But in referencing the Zombie Heaven liner notes to see which songs were recorded at Olympic Studios, I think I've inadvertently proven that those pictures are of the Zombies recording "Time of the Season." Hammond organ is present on only two tracks on the album - "Beechwood Park" and "Time of the Season." "Beechwood Park" was recorded at Olympic Studios, and Rod Argent's playing Hammond in some of these pictures, so it has to be for "Time of the Season." (Unless he was just playing around with the Hammond in the studio, but considering the time and budget constraints they were under to record the album, I don't think that's likely.)
2. Two days ago, I re-organized some of the folders in which I keep my recordings for this project. While putting the Begin Here songs in their proper track listing, I realized that since "Road Runner" starts a cappella and starts Begin Here, the album itself begins with an a cappella part. Last night I was thinking about this again, and I remembered some other album does the same thing. Eventually, I remembered specifically that it's the Beatles' Beatles for Sale. "No Reply" starts with an a cappella "This happened once before." Beatles for Sale is my favorite Beatles album, so I knew that offhand, but With the Beatles (and "It Won't Be Long") has a cappella start too.
The Zombie Heaven liner notes and Russo's Collector's Guide both list the release of Begin Here as April 1965; Russo says the 30th specifically where Zombie Heaven lists only the month. Mark Lewisohn's The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions lists the release date of With the Beatles as 22 November 1963 and Beatles for Sale as 4 December 1964. (The U.K. release dates are the only important ones here because none of these albums were released in the same form in the U.S.) Chronologically, it's possible that Begin Here's starting with an a cappella part is a nod toward the Beatles, but since the Zombies didn't have any control in the studio at that point, I'm not sure if they would have had any control over the track sequencing. Still, I think it's an interesting similarity.
