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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: KevShmev on January 23, 2012, 12:52:52 PM
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So, yeah, I think we definitely need an official thread for this underrated, and far too often overlooked, hard rock band.
Sadly, this band is now know to many as just the band that had the cowbell song on the SNL skit, but they are so much more than that. 13 full length studio albums, all of which have at least several classic B.O.C. songs, and many of which are very good albums that are extremely enjoyable from start to finish. I have seen them live more than any other band ever (except for Rush), and they never fail to deliver.
Discuss away! :)
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I've had the pleasure of seeing them 6 times live. A good friend of mine is a huge B.O.C. fan and got me into them in high school. Got to meet Buck on the Club Ninja tour and he was very cool to talk to.
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We met Buck Dharma after a show a few years ago, too. Nice guy, but fairly quiet and soft-spoken. And he really is pretty short, despite the big shoes he wears to give him more height. :lol
Terrific guitar player, for sure, as well! Buck's Boogie says it all. :metal
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I was shocked to see how small he was. My friend I told you about is friends with Al Bouchard. So after idolizing them for years he's become a friend with Al. Very surreal.
We we graduated from HS two other buddies and I went to Ft. Lauderdale for the week and ever night we went to sleep listening to Dominance and Submission. It was our theme song for the week. :lol
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Morning Final
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One of the most massively underrated bands in music. In part I think its because they suffered from something that happened to a lot of hard rock bands in the 70s-they had a hit single that wasn't really representative of their overall sound and it wound up being the thing most people remembered them by even BEFORE the SNL sketch-but Blue Oyster Cult created a ton of innovative, interesting music and managed to remain, at their best, still a hard rocking guitar band. They had more in common at times with bands like the Doors and Steppenwolf than they did with the metal bands they were marketed as being an American answer to, had some really magnificently surreal lyrics, and in Buck Dharma had perhaps the most overlooked guitarist in rock music. One of my favorite guitar solos period is the one he plays on the extended live version of Veteran of the Psychic Wars from Extraterrestial Live, that's just freaking amazing.
BOC's easily in my all time top ten of bands. Amazing, amazing band.
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Very underated band. I would say my two favorite tracks are "Burning for You" and "Take Me Away"
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We we graduated from HS two other buddies and I went to Ft. Lauderdale for the week and ever night we went to sleep listening to Dominance and Submission. It was our theme song for the week. :lol
:lol :lol :tup :tup
Morning Final
Now, there's an odd song to mention randomly. :biggrin:
One of the most massively underrated bands in music. In part I think its because they suffered from something that happened to a lot of hard rock bands in the 70s-they had a hit single that wasn't really representative of their overall sound and it wound up being the thing most people remembered them by even BEFORE the SNL sketch-but Blue Oyster Cult created a ton of innovative, interesting music and managed to remain, at their best, still a hard rocking guitar band. They had more in common at times with bands like the Doors and Steppenwolf than they did with the metal bands they were marketed as being an American answer to, had some really magnificently surreal lyrics, and in Buck Dharma had perhaps the most overlooked guitarist in rock music. One of my favorite guitar solos period is the one he plays on the extended live version of Veteran of the Psychic Wars from Extraterrestial Live, that's just freaking amazing.
BOC's easily in my all time top ten of bands. Amazing, amazing band.
Great post!
It's true that they weren't the metal band that many perceived them to be, but they were never as mainstream friendly as a song like Burnin' for You would make you think.
And hell yeah to their lyrics. I always loved the creepy and bizarre vibe of a lot of their lyrics; Feel the Thunder is a prime example of this. Great tune anyway, but the lyrics make it even better.
I'll have to revisit that live version of Veteran... (one of my favorite BOC songs of any era), but as far as live stuff goes, I always love the extended solo Buck does in Then Came the Last Days of May. That is some killer stuff. :coolio
I would say my two favorite tracks are "Burning for You" and "Take Me Away"
That guitar lead is so awesome; possibly their catchiest non-chorus musical moment ever!
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Grossly underrated band, sadly known only for a grossly overrated hit single. BOC had some damn good albums in their time, and I've always felt they had a pretty big influence on the sound of a lot of 80's prog bands (like MYTH, Queensryche and even early DT) that they never really got proper credit for.
Fire Of An Unknown Origin is just an amazing record. So much variety on one disc, and it's all done so very, very well. Veteran Of The Psychic Wars (my favourite song ever written about Elric of Melnibone) and Heavy Metal - The Black And Silver FTW! :metal
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Not really interested in ever seeing them live, but I've got about a dozen of their albums including....wait for it......Bad Channels and Imaginos (Hey! I love this album!)
Great music to chill to, which is pretty much the only reason I play anything by them generally one or two albums at a time.
I even have Buck's solo album Flat Out, which I always think about selling, but whenever I put it on I realize that would be a mistake.
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Yeah, Fire of Unknown Origin is really cool, can't say I've liked any of their other stuff (particularly early albums), but haven't heard them all.
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Imaginos is great! I know many get hung up on the fact that there are tons of extra musicians on it, and that it really wasn't a true B.O.C. album in the most literal sense of the word, but I say, who cares? It is a damn fine album, and tunes like Les Invisibles and In the Presence of Another World are among the best they've ever done.
I didn't care for their pre-Agents stuff for a long time either, rogerdil, but I eventually got into them over time, and Secret Treaties and Tyranny & Mutation are now probably two of my five favorite records by the band.
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My first CD was Some Enchanted Evening, nuff said.
And they wrote a song about Godzilla, fucking GODZILLA!!!
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My first CD was Some Enchanted Evening, nuff said.
And they wrote a song about Godzilla, fucking GODZILLA!!!
This was one of the first vinyls I ever bought on my own
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Imaginos is great! I know many get hung up on the fact that there are tons of extra musicians on it, and that it really wasn't a true B.O.C. album in the most literal sense of the word, but I say, who cares? It is a damn fine album, and tunes like Les Invisibles and In the Presence of Another World are among the best they've ever done.
I didn't care for their pre-Agents stuff for a long time either, rogerdil, but I eventually got into them over time, and Secret Treaties and Tyranny & Mutation are now probably two of my five favorite records by the band.
Imaginos might have started as an Albert Bouchard solo album and it got Blue Oyster Cult's name stuck on it to try to help it sell better (funny how that turned out) but I think it's one of their best albums, no joke. And it took me a while to get into earlier BOC, but I bought Secret Treaties on a whim a few years ago and that turned around pretty quick. :metal
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I just bought Agents of Fortune on vinyl. I'll give it a spin now
>:( I took the album out of the sleeve and it had their live album: On Your Feet Or On Your Knees. I should probably check the albums when I buy them.
Now I just have the album cover for Agents of Fortune....
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We met Buck Dharma after a show a few years ago, too. Nice guy, but fairly quiet and soft-spoken. And he really is pretty short, despite the big shoes he wears to give him more height. :lol
Terrific guitar player, for sure, as well! Buck's Boogie says it all. :metal
I've got a Buck Dharma solo record, it's pretty radular.
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Secret Treaties is probably the most perfectly paced record ever. It starts with a saunter, accelerates, explodes and fades away into the stars. And, the lyrics for ME262 are funny. I probably would have been (wrongly) disappointed with Agents of Fortune if I was a teenager in the 70s. My latest from BOC is Spectres - it has so many good songs ...
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Honestly, I think Agents of Fortune is near the bottom for me when ranking their studio albums. Sure, it is has Don't Fear the Reaper and E.T.I., two stone cold BOC classics, but it also has dreck like True Confessions (AWFUL), Tenderloin (er, what?) and Debbie Denise (dreadful).
Spectres, its follow-up, is definitely much better. Godzilla, I Love the Night, Golden Age of Leather, Nosferatu, Goin' Through the Motions, etc. - all great tunes. :metal
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If someone made a case for Spectres being BOC's best album, I wouldn't argue the point with them. It's VERY good. Agents of Fortune is okay at best, it just has the hit. Spectres is flat out amazing.
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Spectres is damn good, but I have never been crazy about Death Valley Nights and Searchin' for Celine, so it is hard for me to call it the best.
Getting back to Shattered Glass' point about Secret Treaties, I agree that the pacing is immaculate. I think the reason why I wasn't overly keen on it at first is the lack of punch in the rhythm section. It is like Rush's Presto in that there is no balls or punch in the bass or drums as far as the mixing goes. I got into BOC through a mixed tape from a friend which basically had Don't Fear the Reaper, Godzilla, I Love the Night and then the rest was from the 1980-1988 time period (minus Club Ninja, which he hated), so suddenly listening to the early stuff with inferior sound and a mix with no balls at all was a bit of a shock at first. But it grew on me over time. Having my ass kicked by some of the tunes live definitely helped as well. :coolio
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So is the live album that I got instead any good?
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The only Blue Oyster Cult I've heard is the "Don't Fear the Reaper" greatest hits record but I really like it. What would be a good first album?
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Fire Of Unknown Origin. While I like a few BOC albums better, particularly Secret Treaties, Fire is the perfect way to ease into BOC's odd mix of quirky music. Their early 70s stuff takes getting used to, to say the least. After that I'd give Spectres a listen.
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The only Blue Oyster Cult I've heard is the "Don't Fear the Reaper" greatest hits record but I really like it. What would be a good first album?
That's all I've heard as well, but I love the hell out of every song on that disc. I really should explore more.
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The only Blue Oyster Cult I've heard is the "Don't Fear the Reaper" greatest hits record but I really like it. What would be a good first album?
That's all I've heard as well, but I love the hell out of every song on that disc. I really should explore more.
Ditto.
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Fire of Unknown Origin is definitely a good place to start, and I'd agree that Spectres is a good place to go after that. Throw Cultosaurus Erectus into the mix, and you have the three best ones to start off with. And actually, Heaven Forbid from the late 90s is also quite great; I could see that being a good starter one as well.
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So is the live album that I got instead any good?
I like it, but that doesn't mean you will.
I wouldn't expect anything great from a production standpoint, but I like Blue Oyster Cult's live recordings...
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I've finally managed to stumble upon some albums by this band. I've gone against the advice of the thread and started with the first album, and I plan on going chronologically. Since I've already heard most of the hits, I'm interested in seeing how they progressed from album to album. I really like it so far though. Buck is a seriously underrated guitar player.
Also, the jazzy section on Before the Kiss, a Redcap. :hefdaddy
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Good to hear! I always love me some B.O.C. :hat
Keep us posted as you move along. :)
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Time for a bump so we can discuss more B.O.C. greatness. :hat
NP: Deadline (one of my favorites)
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Oh, come on, I know there are fans around here! ??? :metal
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BOC is great! :metal
I'm not sure which album is my favorite. I haven't really listened to them in a while, but I love Cultosaurus Erectus and Secret Treaties.
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Still flying the BOC banner over here; every time I listen to the new Ghost album, it pleases me greatly to see their obvious influence on Ghost. Like I said earlier in this thread, a criminally underrated band.
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Heaven Forbid is still pretty great, especially considering it came out 26 years after their first album. Rock radio around here played Harvest Moon like crazy when it came out, and for good reason as it is an awesome song with a great solo, and songs like Real World, Damaged, See You in Black, Live for Me, Still Burnin' and Cold Gray Light of Dawn are all great as well.
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For anyone wanting to check out some B.O.C. songs with some killer guitar work:
Harvest Moon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vVU7MyK9fQ
Lips in the Hills: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytBk-nvLsAQ
Buck's Boogie (instrumental): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjJ-rw76oVw
Take Me Away: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxswoYHecfE
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Lips in the Hills: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytBk-nvLsAQ
:metal
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Love BoC! Their first three albums are on permanent rotation in my music player. Singing along with She's As Beautiful As A Foot always gets a :\ from Mrs. Podaar...which I just love!
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Heaven Forbid is still pretty great, especially considering it came out 26 years after their first album. Rock radio around here played Harvest Moon like crazy when it came out, and for good reason as it is an awesome song with a great solo, and songs like Real World, Damaged, See You in Black, Live for Me, Still Burnin' and Cold Gray Light of Dawn are all great as well.
Harvest Moon is one of my favorite BOC songs.
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Holy Smokes. I've never heard Harvest Moon before; that is killer guitar work!
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Buck Dharma is one helluva guitar player, and so often his playing is awesome, yet often not in an obvious way, if that makes sense. He manages to kick ass without being showy really at all.
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I need to get back into these dudes - I remember my brother religiously waking me up with either Tyranny and Mutation or Secret Treaties (mainly TaM - he had a huge thing for that one, especially 7 SCREAMING DIZ-BUSTERS!!! :lol ). He got up earlier at that point (he was in high school while I was in middle school) and would wait until our mother left for work then BOOOOM... on went the stereo at earth-shattering levels. :lol
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7 Screaming Diz-Busters is such a great song!
Supposedly, the word "diz" in their circle had some sort of sexual connotation, so a diz-buster could be construed as a ball-buster or someone who makes you, well, bust. :lol :lol
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Buck Dharma is one helluva guitar player, and so often his playing is awesome, yet often not in an obvious way, if that makes sense. He manages to kick ass without being showy really at all.
Very accurate description! :tup
Also, Buck had rock and rolls most epic mustache!
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I just tracked through Heaven Forbid on Spotify! :omg: How is it possible that I'd never heard this album before?!
"I'm damaged...and I like it"
Off to Amazon to order.
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Yes! That album really is great from start to finish; almost every track is a winner, and even the one that isn't - Hammer Back - is still pretty good. I just think it gets the "it wasn't one of their early album, so I will ignore it" treatment from fans looking to check out more of the band's music.
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Kev, would you rank your top five or ten favorite BOC albums? I only have their greatest hits, which I think is awesome, but would like to get more from them
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Will do. I have to head out in a few, but I will do so later today! :)
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Okay, here goes. Instead of ranking the albums, I will put them in tiers:
Very good/great albums
Cultosaurus Erectus - Song for song, I think this is their best album. It has seven great tunes, one pretty good song (Fallen Angel) and only one clunker (Hungry Boys). Songs like Black Blade, Monsters, Deadline, The Marshall Plan and Lips in the Hills are some of their best tunes over. Great flow, too.
Fire of Unknown Origin - Very similar to the previous one mentioned, only it has no clunkers, but only a couple of songs I would call great. It is consistently very good.
Imaginos - Some get hung up on this not being a true B.O.C. album - because it was written mostly by producer Sandy Pearlman and ex-drummer Albert Bouchard, plus tons of extra musicians are used (including, among others, Joe Satriani and Robby Krieger - but I don't care about that. All I care about is that this album kicks ass, and has five legitimately great songs: Les Invisibles, In the Presence of Another World, The Siege and Investiture of Baron von Frankenstein's Castle at Weisseria, Astronomy (a rework of the original from Secret Treaties) and Blue Oyster Cult (a rework of Subhuman from Secret Treaties). Plus, this is the most epic and adventurous B.O.C. has ever sounded.
Secret Treaties - Considered by many to be their best album. Most of the songs on this album are B.O.C. classics that have been played live by the band non-stop over the last few decades. The production is a tad off-putting - the sound is very clear, but the low end is, well, non-existent. Once you get used to the sound, the greatness of most of the songs is impossible to deny.
Heaven Forbid - Like I said earlier, almost every track is a winner, and this is easily one of their best-sounding records (the rocking songs have balls thanks to the great sound). Great record.
Above average albums
Spectres - The first two and last two songs on this album are worth the price alone; four fantastic tunes. Tracks 3-8 are a mixed bag, with some of them being good and some of them being somewhat average; I like tracks 5-8 quite a bit, while considering 3 and 4 pretty average.
Tyranny and Mutation - Similar in sound to Secret Treaties (them being released a year), this is nearly as good. Every song ranges from good to very good, the majority leaning towards the latter.
The Revolution by Night - Long underrated by many fans, this has three of their best songs ever - Take Me Away, Shooting Shark and Feel the Thunder - and the rest, despite being more melodic and drenched in keyboards leads at times, is surprisingly solid. This album definitely has a bit of an 80s feel, it being from 1983, but don't sleep on this record.
Good albums
Agents of Fortune - Don't Fear the Reaper and E.T.I. are both totally awesome, and the album is worth it just for those two songs (although in this day and age, where we can buy individual songs from iTunes, amazon, etc., I guess that is a moot point). The rest is fairly inconsistent, ranging from good (Morning Final and This Ain't the Summer of Love) to interestingly strange (The Revenge of Vera Gemini and Tattoo Vampire) to just plain awful (True Confessions).
Curse of the Hidden Mirror - Their last studio album, from 2001, has some great songs - Dance on Stilts, The Old Gods Return (which sounds like vintage B.O.C.) and the awesome Stone of Love - but it also has a bunch of forgettable songs. Showtime, One Step Ahead of the Devil, I Just Like to Be Bad and Here Comes the Feeling are all songs I don't hate, but don't care if I ever hear them again.
Blue Öyster Cult - The self-titled debut is good, but the sound of it is very poor, marring the overall good first effort. Think of it as being their When Dream and Day Unite from a sound standpoint, except this was 1972, not 1989.
Do not buy these albums (only buy the songs individually that I recommend)
Mirrors - The Great Sun Jester, In Thee and The Vigil are all great. Nothing else is essential or worthy.
Club Ninja - Perfect Water and Madness to the Method are great, Dancin' in the Ruins and White Flags are very enjoyable, and When the War Comes is oddly enjoyable on the right day. The other four songs totally blow.
There ya go. :)
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Nice to see some appreciation for Imaginos! :tup
And I don't consider Mirrors to be that bad. I enjoyed it the few times I listened to it.
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There are a few other songs on Mirrors I kind of enjoy (Dr. Music, the title track and Lonely Teardrops), but I would never recommend them to a new fan, hence them not being essential or worthy, as I said. ;)
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Saw them on the Imaginos tour. Great album!
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Thanks alot for that writeup!
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Hey, where's the love for "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll"? That was the first single from the first album, the one that got it all started for them, and is still one of my favorites.
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Yeah! A little Al Bouchard love for his vocals!
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I clearly need to give Cultosaurus Erectus a re-listen, because I tend to think of that album as being Black Blade and The Marshall Plan and nothing else. :lol
My god tier BOC albums are Secret Treaties, Fire of Unknown Origin, and Imaginos. Secret Treaties was the album that let me get earlier BOC, after ages of not getting them at all. Fire of Unknown Origin's just behind it, and, my god, Imaginos. Who cares that it started as Al Bouchard's solo album and really is only BOC because the record label insisted on it? It's pretty much the album the band was working towards throughout the 70s, since Al Bouchard and Sandy Pearlman were the masterminds behind a lot of BOC's music, it's an amazing collection of songs, and the bootlegs from that tour show the band, whatever the line up was, kicking serious ass. It's a brilliant album.
Glad to see you give Revolution By Night some love, Kev. Shooting Shark is otherworldly, though it always tickled me, for some reason, that Aldo Nova co-wrote Take Me Away.
We're gonna fight over Club Ninja, which I think is one of the band's most underrated efforts. I may say that because I saw BOC open for Rush on that tour, but really, to me, the only clunkers are Make Rock Not War, and Beat Em Up (because if you were an 80s hard rock act on Columbia, you were obligated to do at least one Bob Halligan Jr. song.) Perfect Water is, honestly, a top 10 BOC song for me. Back then, Club Ninja was seen by some as a return to form after the far too commercial sounding Revolution By Night, though that album's pretty underrated too.
I won't argue over Mirrors though; that's pretty unessential. I'll just comment on their live albums: all of them are pretty damn good. My favorite live album of theirs used to be Extraterrestrial Live, because Some Enchanted Evening was only a single live album, but now that that's been reissued with a ton of bonus tracks AND a live DVD of a performance from that era, it's taken the lead. On Your Feet Or On Your Knees is pretty good too-it's kind of the All The World's A Stage of the BOC catalog, the live album that put a cap on their earlier, decidedly rawer and different era.
And yes, re-listening to Cultosaurus Erectus proves I've been underrating it for a LONG time.
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Thanks for the write-up Kev!!
I agree with you on the very good/great album category. Where I'd diverge from your recommendations is that I feel the albums B.Ö.C. and Spectres should swap places on your list. I consider every song on B.Ö.C. to be an excellent classic with the exception of Screams in the Night--which I still quite like when I'm in the mood. I realize that my taste is probably wildly different than someone just getting into their catalog since I'm a big fan of the sinister lyrics juxtaposed with eclectic music.
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No problem on the write-up, fellas. :)
Jaq, I don't hate Club Ninja. In fact, I probably like it more than most, and even said I like five of the nine songs, which is pretty good for an album most think of as a dog. Good to see you are enjoying Cultosaurus Erectus now. :tup :tup
Orbert, Cities on Flame is good, but it just stinks that the studio version is on an album with such poor quality. What do you guys think is the best live version? I don't have either of the 70s live albums (and I am not gonna get them, cause I would get them and then never listen to them), but I would get select tracks, if any of them are superior to the studio originals, especially Cities on Flame.
Podaar, the debut is good, but, damn it, that quality of it. Then Came the Last Days of May is my favorite of it, and the live version of it from A Long Day's Night is my go-to version, as it has the extended guitar solo. :metal
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Well, you put Club Ninja in the Do Not Buy Section, and that was close enough to fighting words for me :lol
Mirrors came on Spotify after Cultosaurus Erectus. Yep, my opinion hasn't changed on THAT.
My memory of the live versions of Cities On Flame is that the one on Extraterrestial Live is the best. It isn't actually on Some Enchanted Evening, and the version on ETI sounds better than the one on On Your Feet Or On Your Knees.
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I'll have to a comparison and see. I have been checking out some of the tracks from On Your Feet Or On Your Knees on youtube, and wow, you are right...that album freaking smokes! That live version of Before the Kiss, a Redcap is pretty badass. I also love The Red and the Black on Then Came the Last Days of May on there. Looks like I will be purchasing some of those individual tracks from amazon. :)
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No problem on the write-up, fellas. :)
Podaar, the debut is good, but, damn it, that quality of it. Then Came the Last Days of May is my favorite of it, and the live version of it from A Long Day's Night is my go-to version, as it has the extended guitar solo. :metal
I kept scratching my head when you mention the quality then I realized my digital copy of B.Ö.C. is one I ripped into Adobe Audition some years ago from my vinyl record. I then I cleaned it up and remixed it with more bottom and brighter highs before I made my mp3s. What I've been listening to over the past 6 years or so is way more punchy than the original recording. Maybe that's why I like it more than most.
Edit: Also, who can't love these lyrics?
She's as beautiful as a foot
She's as beautiful as a foot
She heard somebody say, the other day
Didn't believe it when he bit into her face
Didn't believe it when he bit into her face
It tasted just like a fallen arch
She's as beautiful as a foot
She's as beautiful as a foot
She heard somebody say, the other day
Don't put your tongue on the bloody tooth mark place
Don't put your tongue on the bloody tooth mark place
Her face changing now, a guernsey cow
She's as beautiful, oh so beautiful, beautiful as a foot
She heard someone say, the other day
Richard Meltzer is a twisted mother! :lol
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I love those lyrics! I still remember picking up the first album and just checking out the names of the songs on the back. "She's as Beautiful as a Foot" cracked me up. I always play albums straight through the first time, but I'll be honest, I don't remember anything from Side One, and still don't. I couldn't wait to get to Side Two to hear "She's as Beautiful as a Foot" and of course "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll".
As for the sound quality, I have no issue. I was 12 years old and still listening to records on the portable stereo I'd gotten for Christmas a few years back. It sounded fine to me.
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That is a great song title, but I always thought that "I'm on the Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep" was a better song title. Both are hilariously odd, though.
And I still think that Transmaniacon MC is the overlooked gem on the first record.
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And I still think that Transmaniacon MC is the overlooked gem on the first record.
Not by this kid! I like your description "hilariously odd" but I think it still needs one more adjective to describe BÖC discography... creepy hilariously odd? Not quite...I'll need to think about it.
One of the fun parts about BÖC history is their collaborations with authors, poets and other (pseudo?) intellectuals for lyrics and other musical ideas. Sandy Pearlman, Richard Meltzer, Patti Smith, Michael Moorcock, Eric Von Lustbader, Jim Carroll and John Shirley have all provided some of the spookier moments. I find John Shirley collaboration the most interesting. As a teenager he becomes inspired by the lyrics in Transmaniacon MC to write a book based on the imagery, he goes on to be a successful cyber-punk/sci-fi writer who then is asked to write lyrics for B.Ö.C. 25 or so years later. I know, I know, cool story bro. :\
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Heaven Forbid was actually in my hand and ready to play last night, but then my eyes spotted Chicago Overtime instead and that was the end of that for the time being.
Oh...and Club Ninja ia awesome....
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That might be the first time I have ever seen/heard someone call Club Ninja awesome. :lol :biggrin: Hopefully, you'll get back around to listening to Heaven Forbid. :coolio
Poodar, that is kind of a cool story, although I generally do not enjoy a lot of science fiction. I like most of B.O.C.'s lyrics, for sure, though.
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Well I thought it was clear that I thought Club Ninja was awesome. :rollin
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Hmmm, you said it was underrated, but I didn't know that was to mean you thought it was awesome. My bad.
And really?? :biggrin:
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Poodar,
:'(
I thought we were bros? *sniff*
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Oops. :facepalm: :lol
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Tell you what, why don't y'all just call me Gregg. Although, that may not be any easier! :biggrin:
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♫♫ Oh, here comes Greggory
♫♫ Little Greggory Peccary!
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♫♫ Thee nocturnal gregarious wild swine
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A peccary is a little pig with a white collar that usually hangs around between Texas and Paraguay, sometimes ranging as far west as Catalina.
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♫♫Catalina, catalina
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Heh heh, I just noticed your signature.
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I always figured that would be a private joke. It's actually kind of nice to know someone else understands it! :D
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There are other Zappa fans around here. We're a pretty diverse bunch.
I may actually have read you signature before, and not thought much about it. But talking about Greggory Peccary, and seeing your avatar, suddenly it all fit.
(Technically, it's "Hello, Gladys")
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Damn, I saw there were a bunch of new posts in this thread and thought, "Cool, a bunch of more B.O.C. talk!" And then I read this page. :facepalm:
Bastards. :biggrin: :lol
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Sorry Kev! If it's any consolation, I listened to Fire of Unknown Origin for the first time in 12 years while Orbert and I were having that exchange. I never really put it on because I consider myself so familiar with it from back in the day that I could probably sing the entire album a capella. I was wrong, of course, there is subtlety and power to this album that I'd forgotten. I still really dig the vibe of Veterans Of A Thousand Psychic Wars which for me is the best of the Michael Moore collaborations."Wounds are all I'm made of..."
Oh, and Orbert, I beg forgiveness! It's probably been even longer since I actually listened to Greggery Peccary...maybe 20 years.
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I listened to Greggery last night, most just for fun, but also to double-check. He goes through the steno pool "every morning" and greets each of them. I still got the reference.
Also, "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" is a great song that I'd forgotten about. One of my favorites from the Heavy Metal soundtrack.
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Veteran of the Psychic Wars is a great song; definitely a top 10 B.O.C. song, maybe even top 5.
How many of you guys know the last album, Curse of the Hidden Mirror? A good part of it is certainly forgettable, but Stone of Love should have been one of those B.O.C. songs that should have been a live beast, but I don't think it ever was. Same for The Old Gods Return, which they did play when we saw them on that tour; I was a bit bummed that it didn't get played the night they recorded the A Long Day's Night DVD. Dance on Stilts was the only song from that record on it (the other great song on that record, mostly thanks to the awesome ending).
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I listened to it once on Spotify last week but nothing stood out enough to make me rush out and order it. I'll give it another chance next week and see.
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Honestly, just go to amazon or iTunes and buy those three songs I mentioned. A few others are pretty solid, but those three are must-haves, if you are a fan of the band.
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There are other Zappa fans around here. We're a pretty diverse bunch.
I may actually have read you signature before, and not thought much about it. But talking about Greggory Peccary, and seeing your avatar, suddenly it all fit.
(Technically, it's "Hello, Gladys")
I only have about two dozen Zappa albums so there are quite a few here who are more schooled on Zappa than I and I didn't really catch on into the late 1970s and didn't get more serious until about 1990.
As for Blue Qyster Cult. The last album I have is Heaven Forbid.
Didn't a few more guys leave after that?
In some bands, it doesn't really matter who leaves, but I think Blue Oyster Cult is one of those bands where it does matter.
At least it does to me.
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See, to me, so long as they have Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom (and, to a lesser extent, Allen Lanier), they are in good shape. I couldn't tell you the name of the drummer or bass player from any of the 6-7 times I saw them from the mid 90s-early 00s, but Dharma, Bloom and Lanier were all there, and they kicked ass every single time.
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I know for a while there they were picking up former Rainbow drummers as their drummer: Chuck Burgi and Bobby Rondinelli both played drums for them. Rudy Sarzo was the bassist for a few years, and these days Kasim Sulton from Utopia is the bassist. I think Lanier left around 2007 or so. So yes, the band is pretty much Eric Bloom and Buck Dharma these days. Which is kind of weird, since a lot of their best material was written by Sandy Pearlman and Al Bouchard, but BOC's been pretty much those two guys at the front since the 80s.
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Founding Blue Oyster Cult keyboardist and guitarist Allen Lanier has died at the age of 66 after being hospitalized with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, according to the band’s official Facebook page. “DFTR sweet man,” the post reads, in apparent reference to their hit ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper.’ “We love you and miss you.”
Apart from a two year absence in the ’80s, Lanier was with B.O.C. from their inception in 1967 until his retirement in 2006. He co-wrote several songs for the group, including ‘True Confessions,’ In Thee,’ ‘Tenderloin,’ and ‘Lonely Teardrops.’ In November 2012 he rejoined his former bandmates on stage for the last time at a special New York concert commemorating the release of a career-spanning box set.
According to WebMd, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a lung disease that restricts breathing, “caused by damage to the lungs over many years, usually from smoking.”
B.O.C. singer Eric Bloom paid tribute to his friend on his own Facebook page. Here is that statement in full:
“My great friend Allen Lanier has passed. I’ll miss the guy even though we hadn’t spoken in awhile. He was so talented as a musician and a thinker. He read voraciously, all kinds of things, especially comparative religion. We drove for years together, shared rooms in the early days. We partied, laughed, played. All BOC fans and band members will mourn his death. Ultimately smoking finally got to him. He had been hospitalized with C.O.P.D. It was Allen who heard some old college band tapes of mine and suggested I get a shot as the singer in 1968. A lot of great memories, over 40 years worth. Maybe he’s playing a tune with Jim Carroll right now.”
R.I.P. :( :( :(
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Aww, man. :(
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Ack. Sad news.
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Bummer. :(
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Very sad about this news. :(
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Bummer. :(
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Just listened to the live album On your feet or on your knees from 1975, absolutely brilliant, what a great, great band.
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I just saw this today: Buck Dharma posted a link to a new song (https://soundcloud.com/buck_dharma/fight-buck-dharma) on the official web site. Pretty funny stuff.
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Like the new Buck song.
On Your Feet has to be on the desert island of live albums. Subhuman, are you kidding me? Right next to Some Enchanted Evening. Astronomy!
Studio albums (in no special order)
Tier 1: Secret Treaties, Spectres, Imaginos (Nosferatu), Blue Oyster Cult (May), Tyranny and Mutation, Fire of Unknown Origin
Tier 2: Mirrors (The Vigil), Cultosaurus Erectus (Unknown Tongue), Agents of Fortune (Morning Final), Heaven Forbid
Tier 3: Revolution By Night (Take Me Away!), Club Ninja (Perfect Water), Curse of the Hidden Mirror (Stone of Love!)
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Mega-bump
I just read that Sandy Pearlman died :'(. I think it's pretty safe to say without him there would be no Blue Oyster Cult, or they would have at least been a very different band.
This is as good an excuse as any to listen to old BOC. R.I.P.
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Dammit. :'(
I've already left my love letter to Sandy in the discography thread (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=41614.0) so I won't go on about it here.
Enjoy the mother-ship, Sandy!
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Despite being a big fan of the band, I am fairly ignorant about Pearlman and his contributions, other than being the producer, but R.I.P. regardless.
*cranks Golden Age of Leather*
:metal
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He was also their manager and wrote a ton of lyrics for the first 3 albums. I think the band kind of wanted to go their own direction so they started using less of his lyrics and eventually stopped using him as a producer. The whole Imaginos story was his, and if I'm not mistaken, I believe he originally assembled the band with the intention of them recording the entire Imaginos story in concept album form. I really wish the band would have gone through with it too, the story really intrigues me, even if I find it incredibly hard to follow.
Edit: I should probably clarify, the 1988 Imaginos album is only part of the story, there were supposed to be two more albums of material.
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Imaginos still has some of favorite songs under the B.O.C. banner ever, but when talking what their best albums are, it is so hard to rank it amongst the others since it wasn't a real full band effort like normal. I have seen them like 7 or 8 times over the last 20 years and it remains the only B.O.C. album they never play anything from.
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I totally agree. It's a great album but the only semblance of it being a Blue Oyster Cult album are the handful of tracks with Buck or Eric singing. It's weird listening to something like the title track or Frankenstein's castle, knowing that there's a good possibility no members of BOC actually play on those songs. But I think that just adds to the already mysterious nature of the album. I listened to the Albert Bouchard demos of Imaginos yesterday and it was pretty cool. Albert's vocals all the way through are kind of .....ehh. I mean, I love his voice, but he really wasn't the best singer of the group, and there are certain moments on the demo where he really struggles. It was also cool because there weren't all these layers of guitars and keyboards yet, so stuff like Magna of Illusion (one of my favorites) actually sounds quite different. Also, Gil Blanco County is a cool song and they should have tried to get it included on the final album.
While it's a shame that the band has essentially disowned this album, I can't really blame them, since it was never really their album to begin with, it was Albert's. Buck and Eric were only brought on board so it could be marketed as Blue Oyster Cult and be used to restart their career. Albert definitely seemed like the only one who was really into the Imaginos storyline.
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Bouchard's vocals were more miss than hit for me. I'd probably like the original Cities on Flame... more if the vocals were better (and the debut album didn't sound like ass). The new version they did of it on the Cult Classic CD in 1994 should have been an improvement, but that song is not made for Eric Bloom's limited voice.
I do like his vocals in The Revenge of Vera Gemini.
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My favorite Albert performance is easily Dominance and Submission. Cool song musically with really quirky lyrics (even by BOC standards), and I think his voice just fits perfectly with the song. That's one that I think really loses something when Eric sings it live, just because no one can really sing it like Albert does.
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B.O.C. to release their first studio album in 19 years this October!! :hat :hat
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/blue-oyster-cult-to-release-first-album-in-two-decades-the-symbol-remains-in-october/
I am cautiously optimistic.
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Some of the dudes in that band photo look like they were born well after the band was. :lol
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Yeah, the Bouchard brothers are long gone, and Allen Lanier died in 2013, so that leaves Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom as the only two left from the classic era. I doubt anyone expects this to touch their great albums of the past, but I am expecting at the very least a handful of really good B.O.C. tunes (nearly every B.O.C album has a handful of great songs, even the least best albums), and with the two main singers and Buck's guitar still at the core, I suspect it will still sound very B.O.C.-ish.
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Not sure if there are any B.O.C. fans left here, but they are the next band a friend and I are doing a deep dive from start to finish (we finished Maiden last week). I'd be up for any chatter about the albums here as well, if anyone is interested, but given that their first album in nearly 20 years last year generated zero discussion, I am guessing what fans they had here are long gone. :lol
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They have a handful of songs that I like I lot, and I have a few albums, but I never got super into Blue Oyster Cult. I guess they were a band I considered kinda cool but nothing special.
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I know 4 BOC songs:
(Don’t Fear) the Reaper
Burnin’ for You
Godzilla
Harvest Moon
I always thought the line “time everlasting, time to play B sides” was great. There was a really bad movie called Stoned Age that I remember watching once where The Reaper was considered by the main characters to be the greatest song ever. I think at one time I thought it was a really great song, but I think it kind of became a bit cliched or something. Maybe more because of the cowbell skit. Anyway, I’ve never explored the band past those 4 songs. It probably had more to do with their occult imagery than anything.
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I've recently gotten into them. They are nowhere near my favorite band, but I can have a good time with one of their albums.
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The first BOC song I remember was "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll". I loved that slow driving beat and the fact that the cities are "on flame" rather than "on fire". Hey, this was junior high. So I bought the album. The title "She's as Beautiful as a Foot" cracked me up, but the song was nothing special. Some of the other titles were clever and/or interesting, but the songs were merely okay. It's an album of okay rock and roll.
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I don't genuflect to their debut (the one with Cities on Flame...) like many fans do, but it's a solid record. Then Came the Last Days of May is a killer song, but the studio version is short. It became much more of a beast live when the guitar solo was expanded. The version from 1975's live album On Your Feet Or On Your Knees is money. :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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I'm a fan :) I haven't actively listened to them in a little while (except for lending an ear to their last album, which wasn't bad), but I have all of their albums and at some point a few years ago I was quite into them (that was the time when I discovered them).
I can't say I know the intricacies and the background of their history, but the run from Tyranny and Mutation through Fire of Unknown Origin is pretty amazing. Plus there are redeeming features in albums that are generally considered lesser entries in the discography. And I really like Imaginos, despite the fact it's not really a BOC album ;)
Anyway, I'd be happy to follow if you post comments as you do your deep dive - might be a good chance for me to rediscover them as well.
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Okay, cool. :tup :tup
And I get why some may not find this band particularly special. They never had a Moving Pictures or Who's Next, ya know that wildly successful album that both the masses and diehards went nuts over. Most of their albums fall in the good to very good range. There are just so many good songs over the years. Even the lesser albums I can listen to and find a handful of songs I love returning to often, although the jury is still out for me on 2020's The Symbol Remains, the majority of which was pretty forgettable.
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I dig 'em.
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Is their new album still coming out in October '20?
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I Love the Night is one of my favorite ballads by any band/artist.
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The BOC album that our guitarist Ruben played a lot was Secret Treaties. In junior high, we did a lot of hanging around at Ruben's, smoking things that were illegal at the time, and listening to Blue Oyster Cult, Aerosmith, KISS, and other mid-70's rock and roll. Good old Hard Rock, before there was metal. We were vaguely aware that there was something out there that girls liked called "soft rock" but that's just stupid, and an oxymoron to boot.
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I Love the Night is one of my favorite ballads by any band/artist.
That was one of the songs that really got me to love BOC back in the early 90s. A couple friends used to play them often, and eventually the songs got in my head and I wanted to listen to them on my own. I Love the Night and Black Blade were two that really stood out.
The BOC album that our guitarist Ruben played a lot was Secret Treaties. In junior high, we did a lot of hanging around at Ruben's, smoking things that were illegal at the time, and listening to Blue Oyster Cult, Aerosmith, KISS, and other mid-70's rock and roll. Good old Hard Rock, before there was metal. We were vaguely aware that there was something out there that girls liked called "soft rock" but that's just stupid, and an oxymoron to boot.
Secret Treaties appears to be the consensus most highly ranked BOC album just about everywhere. And it is very good. It's not my favorite, but I can see why it gets the highest rating. Interestingly, it's the only BOC album where Buck Dharma does not have a single lead vocal.
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Not sure if there are any B.O.C. fans left here, but they are the next band a friend and I are doing a deep dive from start to finish (we finished Maiden last week). I'd be up for any chatter about the albums here as well, if anyone is interested, but given that their first album in nearly 20 years last year generated zero discussion, I am guessing what fans they had here are long gone. :lol
There was some discussion of The Symbol Remains in the B.O.C. Discography thread.
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=41614.msg2711396#msg2711396
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Secret Treaties appears to be the consensus most highly ranked BOC album just about everywhere. And it is very good. It's not my favorite, but I can see why it gets the highest rating. Interestingly, it's the only BOC album where Buck Dharma does not have a single lead vocal.
That's the feeling I always got too, and I would include myself in that group :) It might be a relatively obvious choice, but I love that album.
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I just saw them live last Friday night in Leesburg VA. Good show marred by some technical difficulties that sapped some of the show's momentum. I was pleasantly surprised that they were promoting new material, playing four songs from The Symbol Remains in a 17-song set. If you get a chance to see them, I would recommend it.
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Secret Treaties appears to be the consensus most highly ranked BOC album just about everywhere. And it is very good. It's not my favorite, but I can see why it gets the highest rating. Interestingly, it's the only BOC album where Buck Dharma does not have a single lead vocal.
That's the feeling I always got too, and I would include myself in that group :) It might be a relatively obvious choice, but I love that album.
It is a really good album. For me, Cultosaurus Erectus, which has probably four of 10 favorite BOC songs, is nearly impossible to equal or top.
I just saw them live last Friday night in Leesburg VA. Good show marred by some technical difficulties that sapped some of the show's momentum. I was pleasantly surprised that they were promoting new material, playing four songs from The Symbol Remains in a 17-song set. If you get a chance to see them, I would recommend it.
Hell yeah! I wish they would come to St Louis again. From 1994 to 2003, I saw them seven times, but have not seen them since. I need me some live BOC again. :metal :metal
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I'm a fan :) I haven't actively listened to them in a little while (except for lending an ear to their last album, which wasn't bad), but I have all of their albums and at some point a few years ago I was quite into them (that was the time when I discovered them).
I can't say I know the intricacies and the background of their history, but the run from Tyranny and Mutation through Fire of Unknown Origin is pretty amazing. Plus there are redeeming features in albums that are generally considered lesser entries in the discography. And I really like Imaginos, despite the fact it's not really a BOC album ;)
Anyway, I'd be happy to follow if you post comments as you do your deep dive - might be a good chance for me to rediscover them as well.
This is pretty much me to a T.
I'd definitely follow and listen along. :metal
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A few notes on the debut:
I like it, but I don't think it is one of their better albums, unlike many fans. There are probably nine BOC studio albums I like more than this one.
Then Came the Last Days of May is a favorite of mine, although it is much better live with the extended guitar solo.
Also a big fan of Before the Kiss, A Redcap. Other favorites are Cities on Flame..., Transmaniacon MC, Workshop of the Telescopes and Redeemed.
Stairway to the Stars has a nice riff, but I've never thought the rest of the song was anything better than average, yet it's a song they play live pretty regularly.
Overall, a nice listen, and even the lesser tunes sound good within the flow of the record.
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Secret Treaties is my favorite album from BOC.
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A few notes on the debut:
I like it, but I don't think it is one of their better albums, unlike many fans. There are probably nine BOC studio albums I like more than this one.
Then Came the Last Days of May is a favorite of mine, although it is much better live with the extended guitar solo.
Also a big fan of Before the Kiss, A Redcap. Other favorites are Cities on Flame..., Transmaniacon MC, Workshop of the Telescopes and Redeemed.
Stairway to the Stars has a nice riff, but I've never thought the rest of the song was anything better than average, yet it's a song they play live pretty regularly.
Overall, a nice listen, and even the lesser tunes sound good within the flow of the record.
I'm a fan of the entire album. I even like Screams and She's As Beautiful As A Foot, which a lot of people aren't too keen on. If the production were better I'd put the album in the top five.
For me, Cultosaurus Erectus, which has probably four of 10 favorite BOC songs, is nearly impossible to equal or top.
:tup :tup
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Screams does a good job of keeping the vibe going, but doesn't have much meat on its bones, IMO. She's as a Beautiful as a Foot isn't notable, but there are elements of it I like a lot.
Will say more later today, but I gave Tyranny and Mutation a fresh listen last night and wow I think I had underrated it. I always knew it was good, but it sounded better than ever. :hat :hat
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A few notes on the debut:
I like it, but I don't think it is one of their better albums, unlike many fans. There are probably nine BOC studio albums I like more than this one.
Then Came the Last Days of May is a favorite of mine, although it is much better live with the extended guitar solo.
Also a big fan of Before the Kiss, A Redcap. Other favorites are Cities on Flame..., Transmaniacon MC, Workshop of the Telescopes and Redeemed.
Stairway to the Stars has a nice riff, but I've never thought the rest of the song was anything better than average, yet it's a song they play live pretty regularly.
Overall, a nice listen, and even the lesser tunes sound good within the flow of the record.
Gave the debut a fresh listen too. It's a very cool record. Production is not great, but it doesn't bother me. There's surely a classic early 70s feel, but there's already a good hint of that dark/eerie BOC vibe that they would develop more fully later on. Cities on Flame is definitely a highlight, with its "homage" (?) to Black Sabbath. Love the mood in Then Came the Last Days of May. And speaking of eerie, musically there's plenty of that in She's as Beautiful as Foot and Workshop of the Telescopes. I agree with you on Stairway to the Stars - it's good, but I'm not sure why it's such a live staple. Also - is the ending of I'm On the Lamb... a preview of the riff in the Red & the Black?
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Also - is the ending of I'm On the Lamb... a preview of the riff in the Red & the Black?
Red and the Black is actually I'm On the Lamb, But I Ain't No Sheep sped up a bit...just without the "mush you huskies" bit, and a little middle jam added.
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Also - is the ending of I'm On the Lamb... a preview of the riff in the Red & the Black?
Red and the Black is actually I'm On the Lamb, But I Ain't No Sheep sped up a bit...just without the "mush you huskies" bit, and a little middle jam added.
That's right :facepalm: I remember now from way back...it's been a while since I revisited this. Having it in the background, as the closing riff started I went "this sounds familiar"...of course it did!
Thanks for the useful tidbit :tup
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Are you guys saying that BOC literally rewrote songs and released them later as other (new) songs, or is it more like the main riff and/or song structure is so similar that it's basically the same song, but not officially?
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The Red and The Black is much faster and rocking than I'm On the Lamb..., but, while the music is different, it is essentially the same vocal melody, mostly the same lyrics, etc. Not sure why they did that, but the songs are different enough to where they sound like different songs. I like both, but prefer The Red and The Black.
The only other time BOC re-wrote any of their own songs for a new album was on Imaginos when Albert Bouchard turned Subhuman into the song called Blue Oyster Cult, and then the new and faster version of Astronomy (which I still say is better than the Secret Treaties version).
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A few musings on Tyranny and Mutation...
Hot Rails to Hell and 7 Screaming Dizbusters were my instant favorites from this, and both have held up well. Side 2 didn't grab me right away, but grew on me to where I love it almost as much as Side 1 now.
Teen Archer is one that I always liked, but never loved, until I saw them play it in 2000. Then I was like, holy crap this song is money!! More killer bass work, and yet another killer lead riff. I love how so many of their solos are almost like little snapshots, like they come to us in bite sizes rather than feeling the need to overdo them. The breakdown at the end of the instrumental section is one of the best moments on the album, with the rhythm section allowed to shine with brief little solos. And the way they come out of that last chorus and go back into the main riff and slow it down is so well done, and then, almost like they faked us out, they speed it up to end the song, before transitioning into Mistress of the Salmon Salt...Quicklime Girl!!!!
Incidentally, that 2000 show was unreal. It was at Pops over on the east side (near all of the strip bars across the river in Sauget, IL) and they made up a lot of the set list as they went along. You could hear them talking in between songs deciding what to play next, and there were a few times when fan requests that were yelled out were played. They played Unknown Tongue, The Vigil and Golden Age of Leather all at that show, three songs I never thought I'd see them play. And the performance of Dominance and Submission, with the band singing "dominance" and then getting us all to sing "submission" was awesome. And I remember a guy near us, some big dude who looked like one of those guys who rides around on a Harley every day, spent the whole show rocking out and drinking beer straight from the pitcher with his huge mitt wrapped around it. :metal :metal
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The only other time BOC re-wrote any of their own songs for a new album was on Imaginos when Albert Bouchard turned Subhuman into the song called Blue Oyster Cult, and then the new and faster version of Astronomy (which I still say is better than the Secret Treaties version).
This is a tough call...I think I prefer the Secret Treaties version as it's so iconic...but the whole vibe on the Imaginos version is fantastic too. Better or not, it's a great re-interpretation for sure
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The only other time BOC re-wrote any of their own songs for a new album was on Imaginos when Albert Bouchard turned Subhuman into the song called Blue Oyster Cult, and then the new and faster version of Astronomy (which I still say is better than the Secret Treaties version).
This is a tough call...I think I prefer the Secret Treaties version as it's so iconic...but the whole vibe on the Imaginos version is fantastic too. Better or not, it's a great re-interpretation for sure
I Prefer the Imaginos version too, although I did hear that one before the original version.
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A few musings on Tyranny and Mutation...
Hot Rails to Hell and 7 Screaming Dizbusters were my instant favorites from this, and both have held up well. Side 2 didn't grab me right away, but grew on me to where I love it almost as much as Side 1 now.
Teen Archer is one that I always liked, but never loved, until I saw them play it in 2000. Then I was like, holy crap this song is money!! More killer bass work, and yet another killer lead riff. I love how so many of their solos are almost like little snapshots, like they come to us in bite sizes rather than feeling the need to overdo them. The breakdown at the end of the instrumental section is one of the best moments on the album, with the rhythm section allowed to shine with brief little solos. And the way they come out of that last chorus and go back into the main riff and slow it down is so well done, and then, almost like they faked us out, they speed it up to end the song, before transitioning into Mistress of the Salmon Salt...Quicklime Girl!!!!
I'm not as hip on T&M as the debut, but really there's only two songs I consider skippable; O.D.'d and Wings Wetted Down...still they are both interesting songs in their own right. I just don't need to hear them again.
It took me ages to come around to Teen Archer, but I'm in your boat now.
My favorite from this, which I consider essential BÖC, is Mistress of the Salmon Salt.
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I actually think T&M is the best of the first three. I listened to Secret Treaties twice yesterday and enjoyed it a lot both times. Easily a top 5 BOC record, but their best? Nah. Better than Tyranny and Mutation? Nah. Flaming Telepaths and Harvester of Eyes are definitely two of my favorites of those early years, and it's hilarious to think that Patti Smith wrote the lyric "I'd love to do it your daughter on a dirt road" :lol from Career of Evil, another fine tune. ME 262 is particularly great as well. I don't skip it like I used to, but Cagey Cretins definitely stands out as an average tune on album full of otherwise all winners.
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Are you guys saying that BOC literally rewrote songs and released them later as other (new) songs, or is it more like the main riff and/or song structure is so similar that it's basically the same song, but not officially?
It was more organic than simply rewriting a song from the first album. On their first tour they were support for other acts and had limited sets. Over time they began to speed up "I'm on the Lamb..." and play the main riff with heavier power chords rather then the plucky guitars on the first album. They liked it better because it would get the audience going. By the end of the tour it became their opening number and had rewrote the whole middle section to showcase the band's chops. I guess they figured it would make a good opener for the second album now that it hardly resembled the original.
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Yeah, Secret Treaties is all kinds of win. Even Cagey Cretins...it fits the bands sense of humor so perfectly! :lol
Career of Evil, Flaming Telepaths, Harvester of Eyes, ME 262, Astronomy. All classics.
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A few musings on Tyranny and Mutation...
Hot Rails to Hell and 7 Screaming Dizbusters were my instant favorites from this, and both have held up well. Side 2 didn't grab me right away, but grew on me to where I love it almost as much as Side 1 now.
Teen Archer is one that I always liked, but never loved, until I saw them play it in 2000. Then I was like, holy crap this song is money!! More killer bass work, and yet another killer lead riff. I love how so many of their solos are almost like little snapshots, like they come to us in bite sizes rather than feeling the need to overdo them. The breakdown at the end of the instrumental section is one of the best moments on the album, with the rhythm section allowed to shine with brief little solos. And the way they come out of that last chorus and go back into the main riff and slow it down is so well done, and then, almost like they faked us out, they speed it up to end the song, before transitioning into Mistress of the Salmon Salt...Quicklime Girl!!!!
Incidentally, that 2000 show was unreal. It was at Pops over on the east side (near all of the strip bars across the river in Sauget, IL) and they made up a lot of the set list as they went along. You could hear them talking in between songs deciding what to play next, and there were a few times when fan requests that were yelled out were played. They played Unknown Tongue, The Vigil and Golden Age of Leather all at that show, three songs I never thought I'd see them play. And the performance of Dominance and Submission, with the band singing "dominance" and then getting us all to sing "submission" was awesome. And I remember a guy near us, some big dude who looked like one of those guys who rides around on a Harley every day, spent the whole show rocking out and drinking beer straight from the pitcher with his huge mitt wrapped around it. :metal :metal
T&M is fantastic...both the more "urgent" Black side and the super-cool Red side. In fact, I'd say I prefer the latter. 7 Screaming Diz-Busters is a definite highlight, as is The Red & the Black, among the more aggressive tunes. I honestly like all of side B, but I agree with you Teen Archer is such a great performance from all band members.
For my taste, I still put Secret Treaties ahead of this, but not by much. One of my favorites from BOC, and certainly one of their most consistently good albums.
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Yeah, Secret Treaties is all kinds of win. Even Cagey Cretins...it fits the bands sense of humor so perfectly! :lol
Career of Evil, Flaming Telepaths, Harvester of Eyes, ME 262, Astronomy. All classics.
Hard to argue with that. :tup :tup
T&M is fantastic...both the more "urgent" Black side and the super-cool Red side. In fact, I'd say I prefer the latter. 7 Screaming Diz-Busters is a definite highlight, as is The Red & the Black, among the more aggressive tunes. I honestly like all of side B, but I agree with you Teen Archer is such a great performance from all band members.
For my taste, I still put Secret Treaties ahead of this, but not by much. One of my favorites from BOC, and certainly one of their most consistently good albums.
:coolio :coolio
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When does the listening party start? Is there someone leading it?
Didn't we have a discography thread a couple of years ago?
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Are you guys saying that BOC literally rewrote songs and released them later as other (new) songs, or is it more like the main riff and/or song structure is so similar that it's basically the same song, but not officially?
It was more organic than simply rewriting a song from the first album. On their first tour they were support for other acts and had limited sets. Over time they began to speed up "I'm on the Lamb..." and play the main riff with heavier power chords rather then the plucky guitars on the first album. They liked it better because it would get the audience going. By the end of the tour it became their opening number and had rewrote the whole middle section to showcase the band's chops. I guess they figured it would make a good opener for the second album now that it hardly resembled the original.
Thanks, Greg. That's the insight I was looking for.
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When does the listening party start? Is there someone leading it?
Didn't we have a discography thread a couple of years ago?
Listen on your own and then report back, dingleberry. :P :P
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How far behind am I?
....ok well there's a softball down the middle.. :lol
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Actually, nevermind. I can't participate with the new DT album out.
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I hear ya on that. Fortunately, most of the BOC albums are so ingrained in my head that I can do long and detailed reviews from memory, but I am listening to all of them fresh anyway. Most of their albums were made back when albums were not super long, so easy to plow through one a day, for me anyway.
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True Confessions is a steaming pile of horse manure, but the rest of Agents of Fortune is money. It took me a long time to warm up to some of the songs on this one, but I got there eventually. It almost feels like a Queen album, in the sense that there is a lot of variety and they kind of bounce all around stylistically from one song to the next.
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Just adding more praise to Secret Treaties - I have re-listened to it in its entirety after a while, and it's as good as ever. The music, the lyrics, the vibe...it's "classic" and yet different. I enjoy all of it, including Cagey Cretins :)
Regarding Astronomy and the comparison with the version on Imaginos - I'm sure the fact that I heard the Secret Treaties' version first has something to do with me preferring it. But that main, iconic riff in the chorus, and the change of pace for the ending...it's probably what I miss in the other version (which is incredibly cool for a bunch of other reasons, by the way)
As a bonus - I've also revisited On Your Feet or On Your Knees. Man, what a great live album to cap the first three-album run. All songs have tons of energy and are just fun to listen to.
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I really like the albums I've heard from them, those being the s/t, Tyranny and Mutation, Secret Treaties, Mirrors, Cultosaurus Erectus, and The Symbol Remains.
Symbol Remains is great. They have very clearly been taking great care of their voices throughout the years. The Alchemist :metal
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True Confessions is a steaming pile of horse manure, but the rest of Agents of Fortune is money. It took me a long time to warm up to some of the songs on this one, but I got there eventually. It almost feels like a Queen album, in the sense that there is a lot of variety and they kind of bounce all around stylistically from one song to the next.
This Ain't the Summer of Love and Tattoo Vampire need to be twice as long as they are so that True Confessions and Debbie Denise could have been kicked to the curb. Otherwise, great album! Morning Final is criminally under appreciated, IMO.
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This Ain't the Summer of Love and Tattoo Vampire are still staples in their sets.
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Yes, Agents of Fortune is great too. I guess I agree it's not quite as good as what came immediately before and after, although I love how wonky it is overall. Plus, the mere presence of (Don't Fear) The Reaper elevates it...no matter how overplayed or parodied it is, it's a timeless classic. The album truly hits its stride with Reaper, E.T.I, and Vera Gemini...the latter is probably my second favorite on the album.
Hard to disagree that True Confessions and Debbie Denise are the low points on the record, although I don't hate either of those.
And yes, Morning Final is another definite highlight...the keyboards create a fantastic mood on that one.
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I bought Agents of Fortune when I was a teenager and I couldn’t listen to it for a few year because Patti Smith’s vocals on The Revenge of Vera Gemini creeped me out. :lol
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Just adding more praise to Secret Treaties - I have re-listened to it in its entirety after a while, and it's as good as ever. The music, the lyrics, the vibe...it's "classic" and yet different. I enjoy all of it, including Cagey Cretins :)
Regarding Astronomy and the comparison with the version on Imaginos - I'm sure the fact that I heard the Secret Treaties' version first has something to do with me preferring it. But that main, iconic riff in the chorus, and the change of pace for the ending...it's probably what I miss in the other version (which is incredibly cool for a bunch of other reasons, by the way)
As a bonus - I've also revisited On Your Feet or On Your Knees. Man, what a great live album to cap the first three-album run. All songs have tons of energy and are just fun to listen to.
I am not a big live album guy, but that one has my favorite rendition of Them Came the Last Days of May, and the version of Before the Kiss, A Redcap is particularly outstanding as well. :tup :tup
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I really like the albums I've heard from them, those being the s/t, Tyranny and Mutation, Secret Treaties, Mirrors, Cultosaurus Erectus, and The Symbol Remains.
Symbol Remains is great. They have very clearly been taking great care of their voices throughout the years. The Alchemist :metal
I am hoping that one sounds better to me when I get to here in a couple weeks. :)
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This Ain't the Summer of Love and Tattoo Vampire need to be twice as long as they are so that True Confessions and Debbie Denise could have been kicked to the curb. Otherwise, great album! Morning Final is criminally under appreciated, IMO.
I like Debbie Denise a lot. It's kind cheesy, the melodies are nice, I really like the acoustic guitar bits, and that mellotron!! :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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This Ain't the Summer of Love and Tattoo Vampire are still staples in their sets.
Really? I am not sure they ever played either in the eight times I saw them between 1994 and 2002. Possibly This Ain't..., but not Tattoo Vampire. I would have remembered that.
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Yes, Agents of Fortune is great too. I guess I agree it's not quite as good as what came immediately before and after, although I love how wonky it is overall. Plus, the mere presence of (Don't Fear) The Reaper elevates it...no matter how overplayed or parodied it is, it's a timeless classic. The album truly hits its stride with Reaper, E.T.I, and Vera Gemini...the latter is probably my second favorite on the album.
Hard to disagree that True Confessions and Debbie Denise are the low points on the record, although I don't hate either of those.
And yes, Morning Final is another definite highlight...the keyboards create a fantastic mood on that one.
Love me some Morning Final. Just a great melody, and very tasteful playing throughout. It really shows how well they can play when going for a lighter touch rather than dark and sinister.
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I bought Agents of Fortune when I was a teenager and I couldn’t listen to it for a few year because Patti Smith’s vocals on The Revenge of Vera Gemini creeped me out. :lol
Haha, I always thought her voice suited that song so well.
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I bought Agents of Fortune when I was a teenager and I couldn’t listen to it for a few year because Patti Smith’s vocals on The Revenge of Vera Gemini creeped me out. :lol
Haha, I always thought her voice suited that song so well.
The recording of it is so...in your ear too. If your listening in your car, it's like she's in the back seat leaning next to your head rest. Creepy, perfect!
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I bought Agents of Fortune when I was a teenager and I couldn’t listen to it for a few year because Patti Smith’s vocals on The Revenge of Vera Gemini creeped me out. :lol
Haha, I always thought her voice suited that song so well.
The recording of it is so...in your ear too. If your listening in your car, it's like she's in the back seat leaning next to your head rest. Creepy, perfect!
Yes, her voice seems disembodied, which contributes to the creepy vibe.
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While doing some finish work for our grand, main floor remodel, I had occasion to do some BÖC listening. I ran through AoF, Spectres, and Mirrors.
I was struck by how much I enjoyed both AoF and Mirrors more than Spectres. My memory had both albums rated lower, but the reality was that other than the bookends of Godzilla/Golden Age, I Love the Night/Nosferatu, Spectres doesn't really do it for me anymore. The middle bits aren't bad, I just would rather listen to those other albums. :dunno:
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Spectres is unique in that they put (what I feel are) clearly the best songs in the first two and last two slots. Tracks 3-8 all range from solid to good, but Godzilla, Golden Age of Leather, I Love the Night and Nosferatu all stand far above. Golden Age of Leather is one of my favorite BOC songs from any era.
My fresh listen of Mirrors is coming tomorrow most likely, but I will say in advance that this has some good stuff. I knew it was the red-headed stepchild of their 70s albums, and it is certainly the least best of the lot, but there are a handful of songs on there I would call really good or great. Definitely a few throwaways, too, IIRC.
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I am very fond of Spectres. I gave it a fresh re-listen for this, of course, and I still love it. Another "uniquely-BOC" album. Godzilla is not among my very favorites here, actually, despite being a fun song/staple of live shows and having a pretty awesome subject matter :biggrin: Golden Age of Leather, I Love the Night and Nosferatu surely are, though. What an amazing group of songs.
Of the middle pack, I'm not too crazy about R.U. Ready 2 Rock and Going Through The Motions (fun listens, though), but I really enjoy Death Valley Nights, Searching for Celine and Fireworks...they all have these interesting moods, oscillating between playful, nostalgic and vaguely eerie.
My remastered version has some bonus tracks - among those, Night Flyer is pretty good. What's the story behind that track? I could dig up my CD to check liner notes, but I'd rather rely on the BOC scholars in the thread :)
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Ya know, I have little memory of those bonus tracks. When I do these re-listens, I try to stick to the proper albums, most of the time anyway. I can talk about all day about the album tracks, but the bonus tracks is where I get lost. :lol :facepalm:
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I've never heard of it, Nick. I'll pull up Spotify and see if I can find it.
edit: I found it. I don't know of any story behind it. It sounds like one of Buck's solo efforts that he would occasionally bring to the band. I think the lyrics are about trying to talk his SO into to stealing a lot of money and then escape on a midnight flight...that sounds like Buck too, IMO.
Also, IMO, they were right to leave it off the album. Oh boy, howdy, they were right. :biggrin:
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I checked it out as well. Decent at best, forgettable at worst, so yeah I agree that leaving it off of the proper album was very wise.
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Meanwhile, my favorite BOC album is next: Cultosaurus Erectus. :coolio :coolio
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Wait a minute Kev. I thought you were running this listening/pajama party. You've not mentioned your Mirrors listen.
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Damn, you are right. Way to keep me honest. ;)
Mirrors is one I did not get till around five years after I got in the band. The friends I had were BOC fans (who helped get me into the band) all said it was not worth getting, and that was back before we had the internet (later 90s) and it wasn't so easy to just anything and everything, so I just never got it, but once I heard the live version of In Thee on Heaven Forbid, I wanted to hear the original, so I said to hell with it and bought Mirrors. It was a pleasant surprise.
On the one hand, it was clearly a drop-off from their other 70's work, but it has some great stuff. The Vigil is one of their best songs ever; the structure of that song is masterful. The Great Sun Jester is almost as good. Lonely Teardrops, which feels like their attempt to do a yacht rock song :lol, is so damn fun and catchy, I can't but love it. The original In Thee is also great of course, and I like the title track a lot. Dr. Music is also pretty solid. The other three songs are all just okay. All in all, while somewhat of a hiccup, they still gave us some great songs.
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I've only listened to a compilation album (The Essential BOC) to get a nice overview of their catalogue and the big hits. Is Agents Of Fortune a nice starting place to go next?
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I've only listened to a compilation album (The Essential BOC) to get a nice overview of their catalogue and the big hits. Is Agents Of Fortune a nice starting place to go next?
That is tough to say as it took me decades to really get into that album, and track 2 is so awful that it could turn you off of the band right away. I would say start with any of their other 70s albums first (except Mirrors), or even Cultosaurus Erectus (my favorite) or Fire of Unknown Origin, both of which have great songwriting, while both possessing that streamlined, more accessible production.
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Damn, you are right. Way to keep me honest. ;)
Mirrors is one I did not get till around five years after I got in the band. The friends I had were BOC fans (who helped get me into the band) all said it was not worth getting, and that was back before we had the internet (later 90s) and it wasn't so easy to just anything and everything, so I just never got it, but once I heard the live version of In Thee on Heaven Forbid, I wanted to hear the original, so I said to hell with it and bought Mirrors. It was a pleasant surprise.
On the one hand, it was clearly a drop-off from their other 70's work, but it has some great stuff. The Vigil is one of their best songs ever; the structure of that song is masterful. The Great Sun Jester is almost as good. Lonely Teardrops, which feels like their attempt to do a yacht rock song :lol, is so damn fun and catchy, I can't but love it. The original In Thee is also great of course, and I like the title track a lot. Dr. Music is also pretty solid. The other three songs are all just okay. All in all, while somewhat of a hiccup, they still gave us some great songs.
Hmmm. You don't like I Am The Storm, eh? I dig it.
Mirrors is tough for me, because I really like quite a bit of the album (Now. I hated it when it came out), but the ear worms can annoy me for days..."Pretty girls, can't look away. Pretty girls, cant look away." :lol
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I've only listened to a compilation album (The Essential BOC) to get a nice overview of their catalogue and the big hits. Is Agents Of Fortune a nice starting place to go next?
That is tough to say as it took me decades to really get into that album, and track 2 is so awful that it could turn you off of the band right away. I would say start with any of their other 70s albums first (except Mirrors), or even Cultosaurus Erectus (my favorite) or Fire of Unknown Origin, both of which have great songwriting, while both possessing that streamlined, more accessible production.
I think AoF isn't a bad starting point, Zydar. Don't be put off by Kev's unreasonable hate for True Confessions. It's not great, but it's not as bad as he makes out.
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Damn, you are right. Way to keep me honest. ;)
Mirrors is one I did not get till around five years after I got in the band. The friends I had were BOC fans (who helped get me into the band) all said it was not worth getting, and that was back before we had the internet (later 90s) and it wasn't so easy to just anything and everything, so I just never got it, but once I heard the live version of In Thee on Heaven Forbid, I wanted to hear the original, so I said to hell with it and bought Mirrors. It was a pleasant surprise.
On the one hand, it was clearly a drop-off from their other 70's work, but it has some great stuff. The Vigil is one of their best songs ever; the structure of that song is masterful. The Great Sun Jester is almost as good. Lonely Teardrops, which feels like their attempt to do a yacht rock song :lol, is so damn fun and catchy, I can't but love it. The original In Thee is also great of course, and I like the title track a lot. Dr. Music is also pretty solid. The other three songs are all just okay. All in all, while somewhat of a hiccup, they still gave us some great songs.
Agreed that it's drop-off from their previous 70s work - in fact I'd say I'm not quite as positive about it as you are, even controlling for that. However, I'm 100% with you on the highlights. The Great Sun Jester and The Vigil are the clear favorites. And yes, I really enjoy Lonely Teardrops too :)
It's a pleasant listen - it just doesn't have the same amount of that secret BOC sauce ;D
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Hmmm. You don't like I Am The Storm, eh? I dig it.
Mirrors is tough for me, because I really like quite a bit of the album (Now. I hated it when it came out), but the ear worms can annoy me for days..."Pretty girls, can't look away. Pretty girls, cant look away." :lol
"Pretty girls, can't look away..." feels like their Beach Boys moment.
I Am the Storm isn't awful, just kinda there.
I think AoF isn't a bad starting point, Zydar. Don't be put off by Kev's unreasonable hate for True Confessions. It's not great, but it's not as bad as he makes out.
It's probably worse, and I say that in the most reasonable way possible. :biggrin: :biggrin:
Agreed that it's drop-off from their previous 70s work - in fact I'd say I'm not quite as positive about it as you are, even controlling for that. However, I'm 100% with you on the highlights. The Great Sun Jester and The Vigil are the clear favorites. And yes, I really enjoy Lonely Teardrops too :)
It's a pleasant listen - it just doesn't have the same amount of that secret BOC sauce ;D
In that regard, it is missing that dark and sinister vibe that was so prevalent prior. It's a nice departure when sitting back and viewing their career as a whole, but I can see why fans were so bummed with it in real time back in 1979.
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I am falling behind again...
Cultosaurus Erectus is still my favorite BOC album. Gave it a few spins this week and yep it holds up. Great from start to finish, no weak spots. And it has three of my top 10 BOC songs - Black Blade (my number 1 BOC song), Deadline and Lips in the Hills - and Monsters is pretty darn close as well. Some dark, twisted lyrics on this one as well (see: Monsters, Unknown Tongue). The album retained the streamlined approach of Mirrors, but brought back the dark vibes and tones from the early years. Killer record.
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Yeah, I listened to Cultosaurus Erectus last night, and, yup, still the best thing the band ever did. Not a dull moment, yet a very diverse record with musical chops, great melodies, laughs, and genuine chills. For me, this is a contender for my favorite album, period.
I am falling behind again...
Cultosaurus Erectus is still my favorite BOC album. Gave it a few spins this week and yep it holds up. Great from start to finish, no weak spots. And it has three of my top 10 BOC songs - Black Blade (my number 1 BOC song), Deadline and Lips in the Hills - and Monsters is pretty darn close as well. Some dark, twisted lyrics on this one as well (see: Monsters, Unknown Tongue). The album retained the streamlined approach of Mirrors, but brought back the dark vibes and tones from the early years. Killer record.
I've always been drawn to the horror imagery portrayed in Unknown Tongue. I don't know why.
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Sounds like I'll have to check out this album then.
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Sounds like I'll have to check out this album then.
:tup :tup
I've always been drawn to the horror imagery portrayed in Unknown Tongue. I don't know why.
The song being about a Catholic girl who discovers self love and then punishes herself by cutting herself might be the reason. ;) :lol
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:lol
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Fire of Unknown Origin is one I always think, "really good album, but probably not one of their best," but a few listens this week were good reminders that it really is one of their best. Very consistent, and has a few very high highs, including one of my five favorite BOC songs in Veteran of the Psychic Wars. It almost feels like the last in the trilogy with Mirrors and Cultosaurus Erectus (as all three albums have a pretty similar mix). It retained a lot of the shine and brightness introduced on Mirrors, while retaining the more consistent songwriting of CE as well as touching on some of the darker vibes again. Great stuff.
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I’ll have to take a break from Mastodon and have a refresher listen.
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I didn't buy Fire of Unknown Origin until long after it's release, and realized I had missed out on something special. It maybe my favourite BOC album.
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The Revolution by Night is often maligned by the fanbase, and usually considered one of their worst albums, but I cannot agree. I like this one a lot, although I would concede that it is not one of their best. Shooting Shark is a top 3 BOC song in my book, Take Me Away might be top 5, and Feel the Thunder is probably top 10. Any album with 3 of my 10 favorites is very worthy in my book. I get that the 80s elements might be a bit much for some old school purists, with some electronic drums and the more 80's sounding synths, but the songwriting is all good.
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I listened to FoUO today, and really enjoyed it. I love this album. The title song, Veterans, Sole Survivor, Heavy Metal, Vengeance, After Dark, and of course Joan Crawford (I love listening to this song with my Air Pods. The creepy whispers of, "Christina...Mommy's home."), all terrific and proper BÖC songs.
Revolution by Night, I'll give it a listen tomorrow, but I doubt my feelings will change. It's like taking a dump the day after Thanksgiving...you can't help but be reminded of the previously fantastic meal, but ultimately, it still smells like shit.
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Revolution by Night, I'll give it a listen tomorrow, but I doubt my feelings will change. It's like taking a dump the day after Thanksgiving...you can't help but be reminded of the previously fantastic meal, but ultimately, it still smells like shit.
:eek :eek
:rollin :rollin :rollin
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I'm falling behind here :)
Will try to catch up, but I've been away a few days and it'll be a bit busy with work.
I did revisit Cultosaurus last week, though, and yes it's a great album. Regardless of what one thinks of Mirrors, it's certainly noticeable how they went back to many of the elements that make them "BOC", after a more lightweight album. So much good stuff, constantly straddling the light/fun and dark/creepy. Black Blade, Monsters, Deadline, Unknown Tongue are my overall favorites, but there are no duds, really, which is relatively unusual for any of their albums ;) Also, am I hearing a couple of The Who references? The synth-y stuff at the end of Black Blade and the verses of Fallen Angel definitely give me those vibes...
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Okay, okay, so TRbN isn't as bad as I implied above.
Shooting Shark is, of course, the highlight here. Take Me Away is a great Aldo Nova song. Shadow of California, Feel the Thunder and Dragon Lady (and to a lesser extent, Veins) are all proper BÖC songs but suffer (IMO) from the production and mix not having enough thunder and sharp edges. Even Let Go and Light Years of Love weren't as bad as I remembered, but Eyes on Fire doesn't belong on anyone's album, let along Blue Öyster Cult.
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I'm falling behind here :)
Will try to catch up, but I've been away a few days and it'll be a bit busy with work.
I did revisit Cultosaurus last week, though, and yes it's a great album. Regardless of what one thinks of Mirrors, it's certainly noticeable how they went back to many of the elements that make them "BOC", after a more lightweight album. So much good stuff, constantly straddling the light/fun and dark/creepy. Black Blade, Monsters, Deadline, Unknown Tongue are my overall favorites, but there are no duds, really, which is relatively unusual for any of their albums ;) Also, am I hearing a couple of The Who references? The synth-y stuff at the end of Black Blade and the verses of Fallen Angel definitely give me those vibes...
I had never really noticed the Who influences before in BOC, but the friend I am doing this run through with has opined on more than one occasion that some of the higher pitched vocal harmonies that they did remind him of early Who songs, and I was like, "okay, I hear it now."
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Okay, okay, so TRbN isn't as bad as I implied above.
Shooting Shark is, of course, the highlight here. Take Me Away is a great Aldo Nova song. Shadow of California, Feel the Thunder and Dragon Lady (and to a lesser extent, Veins) are all proper BÖC songs but suffer (IMO) from the production and mix not having enough thunder and sharp edges. Even Let Go and Light Years of Love weren't as bad as I remembered, but Eyes on Fire doesn't belong on anyone's album, let along Blue Öyster Cult.
The production is definitely slicker and less edgy than many of their other albums, but I think that is part of the charm. Shooting Shark wouldn't be nearly as awesome on any other BOC album; that song benefits greatly from the sound they used on that record. That alone makes it a good decision, if you ask me. ;) Again, no way would I call this one of their best, but it's still a good record, all things considered. :)
The next album, however, is where the real shit smell really kicks in.
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Club Ninja has some good stuff. Perfect Water is killer, Madness to the Method is quite good, and both White Flags and When the War Comes are quirky yet likable, but songs like Beat 'Em Up, Shadow Warrior and Make Rock Not War are just plain bad.
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White Flags is one of my favourite BOC tunes.
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I listened to Club Ninja today. Not much to enjoy. Like I said in the discography thread, some pretty nice instrumentation at times, but overall it's pretty meh.
Kev. Have your heard either of these albums:
Re Imaginos - Albert Bouchard (https://open.spotify.com/album/3zz6Vx6RgSMhnijMTg3ZUi?si=_sPU6zd7TeWVITgadllNBA)
Imaginos 2 - Albert Bouchard (https://open.spotify.com/album/4sjhtlfJLQpGR0d2rjAQAi?si=_WYQz97tQ0SFIck5Ry1J9w)
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Joe lives in my town. I'm not positive, but I think Albert lives in the next town over. They used to play acoustically often at a local bar here.
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Uuuuum... okay. :tup
I live in the same State that Donny and Marie Osmond come from.
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Uuuuum... okay. :tup
I live in the same State that Donny and Marie Osmond come from.
I think I've written that before too; it's basically all I have to offer to a BOC thread. :) :) :)
I was on a plane once with Marie. Man was she GORGEOUS in person.
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:lol
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I listened to Club Ninja today. Not much to enjoy. Like I said in the discography thread, some pretty nice instrumentation at times, but overall it's pretty meh.
Kev. Have your heard either of these albums:
Re Imaginos - Albert Bouchard (https://open.spotify.com/album/3zz6Vx6RgSMhnijMTg3ZUi?si=_sPU6zd7TeWVITgadllNBA)
Imaginos 2 - Albert Bouchard (https://open.spotify.com/album/4sjhtlfJLQpGR0d2rjAQAi?si=_WYQz97tQ0SFIck5Ry1J9w)
I don't do Spotify, but I heard the new Imaginos he released last year. It was interesting to hear some of the different arrangements, but his vocals were brutal. I will stick with the 1988 version, which is still great. I will say more on that one later...
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Imaginos 2-Bombs Over Germany (minus zero and counting), is just as interesting as Re Imaginos, IMO. Eric, Buck, and even Richie guest on it. Albert's take on these songs and the order in which they are presented is fascinating.
When War Comes
Independence Day
7 Screaming Dizbusters
OD'd On Life Itself [different lyrics]
Il Duce
Bombs Over Germany [formerly ME262]
Before the Kiss (A Redcap)
Three Sisters
Quicklime Girl (Mistress of the Salmon Salt)
The Red and the Black
Dominance and Submission
Shadow of California
Cities on Flame (With Rock and Roll)
Half Life Time
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I wasn't aware of Imaginos 2-Bombs Over Germany, but I couldn't make it past a few minutes of it just now. His singing is beyond dreadful now. Just cannot deal with it.
As for the real Imaginos, it was my favorite BOC album for a while, and it's still pretty high on my list. The Siege and Investiture of Baron Von Frankenstein's Castle at Weisseria, In the Presence of Another World, Les Invisibles, Blues Oyster Cult and Astronomy (I still prefer this version to the one from Secret Treaties) are all still among my favorite songs by the band. I know some fans don't think it's a real BOC album because of blah, blah, blah, but I say who cares.
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Heaven Forbid is still quite good. I used to think it was one of their best, but after listening to all of these in order, I can't climb that mountain anymore, but I still like it a lot. It doesn't have the cohesiveness of most of their early albums; it seems more like a collection of songs. But a good collection. Harvest Moon and Real World are still two of my favorites of theirs, and Live for Me is really darn good as well. I have always like Damaged a lot as well. Hammer Back is the one clunker.
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Zydar, let's bring this here!
What are your favorite songs and albums so far? So much to discuss!! :coolio
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Well this is how I would rank the albums I've heard.
1. Cultösaurus Erectus
2. Fire Of Unknown Origin
3. Spectres
4. Agents Of Fortune
5. Secret Treaties
6. Mirrors
7. Tyranny And Mutation
And my favourite songs right now? In chronological order.
Wings Wetted Down
Flaming Telepaths
Astronomy
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Fireworks
I Love The Night
In Thee
Mirrors
Deadline
Hungry Boys
Fallen Angel
Burnin' For You
Veteran Of The Psychic Wars
Vengeance (The Pact)
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Nice!
Your number 1 album is my number 1 album! *high fives*
You need to get Tyranny and Mutation up higher, though. ;)
Nice list of favorite songs as well. Deadline and Veteran of the Pyschic Wars, most notably, are in my top tier of favorite BOC songs, and of course the greatness of (Don't Fear) The Reaper goes without saying. I Love the Night rates very high for me as well.
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*high five*
Yeah I remember reading that your favourite is CE so I started out with that one. I'm more into that period of the band (1977-1981) than the very early one (1972-1974). I guess that's why Tyranny isn't higher up, and I haven't bothered with the debut yet.
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I like the debut, but, boy, does it sound...raw. The good news is that it has a bit more bottom end than T&M and Secret Treaties, both of which, despite being really good, suffer a tad from having that 70s dead drum sound.
I was a fan of the 1978-1988 for years before I ever heard the first three albums, so the later 70s/early 80s will always be my favorite era, but I get why for many fans the early albums are where it's at.
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Where do I go beyond Fire Of Unknown Origin?
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Where do I go beyond Fire Of Unknown Origin?
Go for The Revolution by Night next. Many fans weren't wild about it, as it sounds a bit more 80s, but it has some fantastic songs on it. Three of my favorite songs by the band are on that record, and the rest all ranges from very good to pretty good, IMO.
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The band did three shows in NY this week, where the first three albums were played in full (first album at the first show, second album at the second show, etc.). Amazing set lists across all three shows. This band is so damn good.
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Saw them earlier this year. My BOC friend and I have been going over the setlists.
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Saw them earlier this year. My BOC friend and I have been going over the setlists.
I was stunned to see that they played I Love the Night last night. Feels like they never play that song. Black Blade and Joan Crawford also played last night, which are major rarities.
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Yeah, Joan Crawford is an amazing song. Saw it live once.
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I can't recall if I saw that one. It might have been played once in the 7-8 times I saw them from the mid 90s though the early 00s. Only saw Black Blade once, and I have never seen a set list since the 90s where I Love the Night was played, so that was quite the surprise to see that one get played.
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I Love the Night
Their best song imo.
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Kev, check you IM.
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Oh, you and your illegally recorded videos. :lol :lol