Author Topic: Blue Öyster Cult Discography: Curse of the Hidden Mirror  (Read 43417 times)

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Online Podaar

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Blue Öyster Cult Discography: Curse of the Hidden Mirror
« on: May 23, 2014, 02:19:49 PM »
Blue Öyster Cult
Tyranny and Mutation
Secret Treaties
Agents of Fortune
Spectres
Mirrors
Cultösaurus Erectus
Fire of Unknown Origin
The Revölution by Night
Club Ninja
Imaginos
Heaven Forbid
Curse of the Hidden Mirror
The Symbol Remains

------------------------

Introduction

I’m going to start out with a little different method than the other discography threads. To appreciate where BÖC was coming from, I feel it is crucial to understand the importance of their manager/producer first. In 1967, Sandy Pearlman was a philosophy grad who was also a New School Fellow in sociology and was part of the progressive scene around Greenwich Village. He’d also been writing articles for Crawdaddy! magazine, the pioneers of rock criticism.

His immersion into the New York rock scene gave him access to musicians as well as the connections to help bands get signed. He began to develop ideas for a band based on what he was writing about. During his college days he’d written a series of poems called The Soft Doctrines of Imaginos or just Imaginos. These poems detailed a fictional history of a secret alien society behind two world wars. They were thick with Lovecraftian flavored themes of paranoia and the occult. He also imagined rock n’ roll as a vehicle for right-wing propaganda to control the unwashed masses (or conversely, as a defense against control) so, it was in his mind to find musicians with the talent to put his artistic vision to music.

When a good friend of his, Richard Meltzer (another rock critic), started hanging out with and writing lyrics for a band in Long Island, Pearlman was introduced to the core members of what would become BÖC. Pearlman sold his vision to the group and over the next several years they worked on refining the idea while playing clubs in and around N.Y. They struggled to get a record deal and had multiple false starts all with Pearlman at the helm as manager. With the success of Black Sabbath’s debut album and follow-up Paranoid, Pearlman and Murray Krugman saw a market for Sandy’s ideas and pushed the band to become the U.S. answer to Black Sabbath.

In 1971 the band got a record deal with Columbia, largely through Krugman’s efforts, and a brand new name; Blue Oyster Cult (the umlaut was suggested later by Allen Lanier). The name comes from Pearlman’s earlier mentioned Imaginos poetry.

Another interesting thing about Pearlman, and the band itself, is they largely saw the enterprise as a collaboration effort. People outside the band, that happened to be in their collective orbit, were involved in writing lyrics, music and even playing in the studio at times. From my point of view as a fan, this implies that egos were in short supply. Expect this topic to pop up as we go through the discography.

This brings us to:

Blue Öyster Cult (1972)



Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser - lead guitar, vocals
Eric Bloom - lead vocals, stun guitar, keyboards
Albert Bouchard - drums, vocals
Joe Bouchard - bass, vocals
Allen Lanier - rhythm guitar, keyboards
----------

Transmaniacon MC                                 3:21
I'm on the Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep      3:10
Then Came the Last Days of May         3:31
Stairway to the Stars                    3:43
Before the Kiss, a Redcap            4:59
Screams                                  3:10
She's As Beautiful as a Foot                 2:58
Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll                  4:03
Workshop of the Telescopes                           4:01
Redeemed                                                   3:51
Total length: 36:48

While the band was being promoted as heavy metal it’s probably more appropriate, in retrospect, to characterize the sound as hard rock. Buck Dharma has been quoted as jokingly describing the sound as light metal. The presence of distorted guitars is certainly prominent but more with nod to Steppenwolf and MC5 rather than the angular, doom heavy riffing of Black Sabbath. The compositions are firmly rooted in blues-based rock and at times Haight-Ashbury brand of psychedelica--genres that the band members cut their teeth on while touring around New York.

Right out of the gate, “Transmaniacon MC” sets the tone perfectly for BÖC ‘s signature sound and atmosphere. The guitars and organ explode with a sunny, almost welcoming, intro that declares the show has begun. Then almost immediately, it steps back into a restrained groove for the verses. Bloom snarls out Pearlman’s creepy lyrics, sung from the point of view of a secret cabal of bikers who deliberately brought about the horror of Altamont for their own obscure purposes: A beer-soaked, anthem for alien-illuminati in sleeveless leather jackets. The Bouchard brothers, jointly keep the rhythm on the back end of the beat, while Buck Dharma adds his fire-breathing lead in the middle section. A funky piece of trivia about this song is, it inspired 26 year old science fiction writer John Shirley to pen his first novel in 1979. Years later, he would write lyrics for BÖC on their Heaven Forbid album.

With tongue firmly in cheek, “I’m on the Lamb, but I Ain’t No Sheep” is an Al Bouchard written song that was popular with fans when the band toured as Soft White Underbelly. The original lyrics were reworked by Sandy, along with Al, to provide a pseudo-sadomasochistic sexual overtone. Buck’s soloing throughout the middle refrain of “ride, mush you huskies” is a highlight for me.

Next up is a haunting, soulful ballad penned by Buck. He also sings the lead vocal and his voice is so much softer than Bloom's that it really provides a nice contrast to the previous rockers. “Then Came the Last Days of May” details the tragic shooting death of two young men after a drug deal goes wrong in an Arizona desert. This song is a nice showcase for Buck’s softer, bluesy, lead sound and has always been a favorite with me.

“Stairway to the Stars” seems to be a dismissive swipe at autograph seekers. This is strange, because I’m sure no one in the band was being swamped by groupies or anything. :biggrin:  Richard Meltzer wrote the lyrics and I can only assume he was imagining the annoyance...and the resulting dreams of violence. My favorite line is, “You can drive my motorcar, it’s insured to thirty-thou, kill them all if you wish.” Anyway, it’s a poppy tune, played to distorted guitars, with a nice hook chorus. Albert and Buck wrote the music, and it once again features some great leads by Buck.

Finishing out side 1, of the original album, is the bizarre and completely awesome “Before the Kiss, a Redcap.” Allen, and presumably Eric, chug out some pretty gritty guitar work, while Buck sprinkles accent leads at the end of each line of the plodding verses that bookend this song. Buck takes the lead vocals on this one, and frantically spits out the completely strange lyrics during the sinister, cartoonish, boogie of the middle section. I can’t be sure what’s going here, but there seems to be some organized effort, in a bar, to distribute “redcaps”, via tongue, between the fascist owners and their patrons?! The song ends with a big climax that allows Lanier the opportunity to exchange short lead runs with Buck.

I distinctly remember sitting there stunned the first time I listened to this record. I was eager, yet a little scared, to find out what was on the other side. :lol

“Screams”, that’s what’s on the other side! A rare writing contribution by Joe, this song is a spacey, psychedelic, drug-addled nightmare, in the tradition of the Doors or Jefferson Airplane. The song slowly builds through some tasty keyboards and wailing guitar, to end with a frantic drum roll that tumbles down the basement stairs, into one of the great moments of the record…

…a haunting guitar slowly cries the disturbing hook for “She’s as Beautiful as a Foot”. Another lyrical contribution by Meltzer with music by Albert and Allen, this is a voyeuristic love song for a cannibal with a foot fetish. I kid you not! Do you think this is relevant? I’ve always had a difficult time deciding if the band, and by extension Meltzer, intended this song to be funny. On the surface it would seem so, but Eric’s vocal delivery is disturbing enough that the comedy gets drowned by the horror.

Now we come to the BÖC’s signature song from this record. The record’s only single “Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll” was played frequently on FM radio in my town and thus this was the only song I was familiar with prior to getting the album. Buck and Albert are credited with writing this song, but while researching this album, I found out that, to a man, the entire band admits that the riff was directly lifted from “The Wizard” by Black Sabbath, since that’s who they were being pressured to sound like. It’s obvious now, and I’m amazed that it never occurred to me before. Anyway, it’s certainly the heaviest song on the album, with sludgy guitars and a thunderous staccato rhythm. Even though he didn't write the lyrics, Pearlman’s influence is on display--with imagery of an apocalyptic war fought with “three-thousand guitars” opposing each other in partisan camps devoted to Marshall and Fender. Rock n’ roll as a weapon, baby. The lead vocal is provided by Albert and his warbling voice provides a perfectly subtle menace.

“Workshop of the Telescopes”, is medium-light rocker, with a mystic vibe that seems to pack eight minutes of material into 3-1/2 minutes. Pearlman made an interesting choice when mixing this song, in that he placed the guitars directly over Eric’s vocals, and even cranked up their volume, on the last verse, effectively blurring them into incomprehensibility. I've read Sandy’s explanation of the lyrics, but the explanation seems as cryptic as the actual words. The gist is, the song describes an alchemical method to gain superior awareness to penetrate the lies of the political establishment. Pretty trippy, eh?

The album closer, “Redeemed”, is an upbeat, countrified folk tune, in the tradition of the Grateful Dead and was also a holdover from the Soft White Underbelly days. Writing credits go to Albert and Allen along with Harry Farcas. Farcas was a folk guitarist, and roadie, who worked for the band and helped them work out this song. See what I mean about their collaborative spirit? The song is deceptively light-hearted--disguising a sinister story by Pearlman of a man imprisoned in ice, tortured by an evil group, and his eventual redemption by teaching their children a country song. But was he released or did they just speed along his death to release him from pain? The ending seems to infer the latter. Blue Öyster Cult would revisit this particular motif throughout their career and this is the aesthetic of theirs that I love the most. In my mind this is the spiritual forbearer of “Don’t Fear the Reaper” and its ilk.

------------------------

A note on credits: Eric Bloom is credited on nearly every album as playing “stun guitar”. As near as I can tell this is an inside joke with the band about his playing ability (or lack thereof) and possibly the amount of fuzz he uses in his distortion. Also, the album credits list him as co-song writer on Transmaniacon MC, I’m on the Lamb, and Workshop of the Telescopes but he admits that the band was pretty free with credits and that he only helped smooth out vocal melodies.

A happy accident for the band came in the form of their album art and the now famous “hook and cross”. Bill Gawlik (I laugh every time I read that name) was an eccentric designer that Sandy Pearlman knew from Stony Brook University. According to Sandy, Gawlik was designing a future America on a scroll that was long enough to encompass the school. Some of the designs on this scroll appealed to Sandy as potential album covers. The hook and cross was just part of Gawlik’s drawing but not long after the album came out the band members and their friends started seeing the emblem showing up at concerts and around Long Island. It added to the mystery and ominous overtones they were hoping to inspire. They adopted it permanently.

The album was well received by the U.S. east coast press. It gathered in some glowing reviews and even a positive review by Lester Bangs in Rolling Stone! Lester hates everything! It sold pretty well too, got some radio play and the band embarked on long nationwide tour for nearly two years to promote the album.

------------------------

So what do you think? Did they accomplish what they set out to do? Did Columbia finally have their answer to Atlantic’s Black Sabbath and Warner Bros’ Alice Cooper? In my mind, yes…but not, perhaps, in the way they intended. Sabbath was a scary music act in the vein of gothic monster movies and Cooper was a psychotic slasher gore-fest. BÖC was more akin to a psychological thriller, paranoid conspiracy theory or alien invasion. You may need to listen closer to get your chills. The musicianship and songwriting was top notch but there was also an overlaying mood that they maybe hadn’t quite bought into the heavy metal scene completely. In some ways they were seriously executing a parody, or so it seems to me. Insincere? That being said, I love this debut album and in my mind it’s right up there with the greatest debuts ever. When I want a fix of BÖC, this album is generally the one I reach for along with a couple others that we'll get to later.

In 1972 I turned 11 years old and wouldn't buy my first stereo until later that same autumn (I saved my money from working on a neighboring farm all summer to buy it). I heard “Cities on Flame” during the Skinny Johnny Mitchell show on Stereo X FM many times but I would not buy my first BÖC album for few years yet. I backed into this album, along with their sophomore and junior efforts, several years later.
« Last Edit: October 18, 2020, 07:37:10 AM by Podaar »
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2014, 02:24:09 PM »
Yes!! Definitely will be following and contributing heavily in this thread. :)

Don't have time now, but I'll post my thoughts on the debut later today or tomorrow... :hat

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2014, 02:35:41 PM »
Yes!! Definitely will be following and contributing heavily in this thread. :)

Don't have time now, but I'll post my thoughts on the debut later today or tomorrow... :hat

Yeah, I maybe should have waited until Tuesday to post this but I'm curious to see who will be interested other than us!  :lol  I'm not sure how often I'll be able to check in over the long weekend but I'll see what I can do.
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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2014, 02:45:40 PM »
When I've got a couple of hours of downtime, I'll read the OP.   ;D  I'm not sure what'll take longer... reading it, or listening to the album.

But, following and shit.
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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2014, 03:49:11 PM »
I just got the box set!!  I need to download but I'm in!
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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #5 on: May 23, 2014, 03:58:21 PM »
Thats one hell of an OP, Pod!  Very interesteing. As DTF's biggest Alice Cooper fan, i appreciate the references.

I didnt realize Cities On Flame was a track from 1972!
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2014, 04:15:04 PM »
Thats one hell of an OP, Pod!  Very interesteing. As DTF's biggest Alice Cooper fan, i appreciate the references.

I didnt realize Cities On Flame was a track from 1972!

Alice was a big influence to them. After the release of their album, they did like an eleven city tour (if I'm remembering correctly) as the opening act for Alice Cooper (the band) and Eric Bloom has been quoted as saying it was really important for their development as stage act. Until then they had only played bars and smaller venues so learning the ropes of "arena shows" from AC was a big deal.
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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #7 on: May 23, 2014, 04:18:57 PM »
Thats very interesting. Those early Alice Cooper albums are incredible, especially for the years they were released. There is some incredible and thoughtful spngwriting.

I still maintain that the original Alice Cooper band is the most underrated American rock band.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #8 on: May 23, 2014, 04:38:49 PM »
I still maintain that the original Alice Cooper band is the most underrated American rock band.

Frank Zappa agreed with you!

I'd love to get into that with you sometime TAC! I was a big fan up until around '75 or so (although my collection was hit and miss) there just always seemed to be other music I wanted more.

Is there a AC thread here?
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Offline Lowdz

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #9 on: May 23, 2014, 04:39:31 PM »
Following. Not heard anything from this other that Cities On Flame.
Not the biggest fan up to now - will this change? Of to Spotify I go.

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #10 on: May 23, 2014, 06:16:05 PM »
I still maintain that the original Alice Cooper band is the most underrated American rock band.

Frank Zappa agreed with you!

I'd love to get into that with you sometime TAC! I was a big fan up until around '75 or so (although my collection was hit and miss) there just always seemed to be other music I wanted more.

Is there a AC thread here?

Things got a little sketchy after 75. I thought there was an AC thread a few years ago. Yeah, we'll have to take it there sometime!
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #11 on: May 23, 2014, 08:19:04 PM »
My only experience with BOC came with the Don't Fear the Reaper greatest hits set, and I love every song on that album. I only explored the self-titled recently, but it's a really nice debut. Some of the songs are kind of forgettable, but I absolutely love Transmaniacon, Last Days of May, and Cities on Flame. Cities in particular sticks out for its brilliant structural choices. The keyboard lead-in to Buck's solo sets it up so wonderfully.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #12 on: May 23, 2014, 11:16:17 PM »
Wait, is this an Alice Cooper thread, or a B.O.C. one? :lol

Anyway, I didn't get any of the first three B.O.C. albums for several years after becoming a fan.  My friends Matt and Mike, both of whom got me into the band, were both very high on the band, but only from Agents of Fortune forward.  Mike, in particular, talked about how horrible he remembered the earliest CDs sounded, sound quality-wise, when he originally checked them out, so being that he was sort of my music guide back then, and I wasn't rolling in cash then and couldn't just buy any CD I wanted at the drop of a hat, like I can now, I took his word for it.  However, after seeing the band several times over the years, I noticed that they always played tons of songs I didn't know, and I knew everything from Agents of Fortune through Imaginos (their most recent album at the time), so I figured those songs had to be from the first three albums.  At some point, we saw them at Riverport, the outdoor venue here in St. Louis, and we had 2nd row center, and at some point, nearly everyone in the first two rows was in the front row and the area in front of the stage, and nearly everyone was getting high, literally except me and a few others.  However, there was some so much smoke, that I am pretty sure I got a second hand high, it was awesome, and it enhanced the awesomeness of this fairly long song the band played that had one of the most awesome guitar solos I had ever heard.  I had no idea what the song was, but I knew it was awesome.  Assuming it had to be from one of those early albums, weeks later I stumbled across one of those 3 CD-packs that Columbia records used to sell back in the day for like $15 or so, and it was the first three B.O.C. albums, so I finally figured, what the hell, and got them.  It didn't take me long to figure out that that song I was in search of was Then Came the Last Days of May.

Now, the fact that the studio version was only 3 1/2 minutes long was slightly disappointing, but that vocal melody had been stuck in my head since the concert, so I was thrilled to finally have it.  And it's still a favorite of mine. As for the rest, I, of course, recognized the Cities on Flame riff, as that gets played at every B.O.C. show, but everything else was pretty much new to me.  I can't say I like every song from it, but I have always loved Before the Kiss, a Redcap and Redeemed a ton, and I think Transmaniacon MC is a pretty kicking track 1 off album 1 song.  Even though it's a live favorite of the band's, Stairway to the Stars has always been just an okay song for me, and while I like the creepy vibe of She's As Beautiful..., the song falls a bit flat.  Fortunately, that is a vibe the band would not only revisit quite often, but do way more justice to in the future at letting the songwriting match the coolness of the vibe.  I have no use for Screams, and while I like I'm on the Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep, especially cause the title is awesome, they improved it drastically when they reworked it for the second album. 

Overall, this is a very solid first album, despite the rather dreadful sound quality, even by 1972 standards.  I am not sure I would recommend this to someone who isn't familiar with the band, as I can see many not wanting to explore any further after hearing this, but I think it's interesting to go back to after hearing almost everything else and seeing what they sounded like at the start.  I usually don't take that stance, but with this band, I do.

Offline hefdaddy42

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #13 on: May 24, 2014, 05:38:28 AM »
Listening now, this opening track is outta sight!  And for a 1972 album, I am not noticing any glaring sound issues.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2014, 05:54:33 AM by hefdaddy42 »
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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #14 on: May 24, 2014, 05:58:47 AM »
Just finished listening.  Nice album.  I guess Then Came the Last Days of May would have been considered a ballad back then, but it feels like more of a blues track imo.  The nod to The Wizard from Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll is pretty obvious when you're listening for it.

Not nearly as heavy as Paranoid, but I can totally have seen that being the comparison.  I could also totally have seen me going all in with BOC 25 years ago.  Absolutely nothing bad about this album, it's just a few degrees off what I prefer to explore nowadays.  I'm sure if I gave it multiple listens, I'd be all over it like a cougar on a wounded chicken.  I just don't have the disposable time to do so - considering I still have a few TFK albums to absorb.
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Offline hefdaddy42

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #15 on: May 24, 2014, 06:20:36 AM »
Just finished this.  I love exploring older albums, you can dig fairly deep without taking all day to do so  :lol

At any rate, my first time ever hearing this album.  Absolutely fantastic, I can easily see myself returning to this again and again.
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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #16 on: May 24, 2014, 06:41:49 AM »
So I had all the albums except for Imaginos which was my only CD so I haven't listened for years.  I'm loading all the box set disks now and I'll delve into the self titled today!

BTW, I saw them in April and here was the setlist.


This Ain't the Summer of Love
Golden Age of Leather
Burnin' for You
Dancin' in the Ruins
Harvest Moon
The Vigil
ME 262
Then Came the Last Days of May
Godzilla
(with Bass and Drum Sllos)
Guitar Solo
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Encore:
Hot Rails to Hell
Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll
« Last Edit: May 24, 2014, 06:51:46 AM by kingshmegland »
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Offline senecadawg2

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #17 on: May 24, 2014, 08:52:19 AM »
I'll definitely be following this thread. I've only heard the greatest hits, and would love to check out more of the back catalogue. I love the cover art.

That sounds like quite the show, Kev!
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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #18 on: May 24, 2014, 09:01:49 AM »
A Blue Oyster Cult thread, oh yes.  :metal

It is significant that you started with Sandy Pearlman, since he truly was the driving force behind the band throughout its heyday-which wound up being problematic later, as only Martin Birch really understood how to produce them other than Pearlman-but it was his vision that guided the band in the early years. I mentioned this in my write up of Secret Treaties in my top 50 thread, but time has dulled how dangerous a band early BoC were-they produced peerless high octane rock that owed musically as much to Steppenwolf and the Doors as the early metal bands they were positioned as the answer to-but the lyrics tended to be unsettling and bizarre.

The debut suffers from sound, and BoC doesn't quite exist yet-Secret Treaties is arguably when the BoC we recognize today finally snapped into focus-but I'm trying to imagine how people reacted to it when it came out, and the likely reaction was "what the fuck is THIS?" Strong debut, though I'm fonder of Tyranny & Mutation and Secret Treaties out of the first three.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #19 on: May 24, 2014, 10:56:11 AM »
  And for a 1972 album, I am not noticing any glaring sound issues.

For me, it's especially glaring whenever I listen to B.O.C. on random play.  Whenever anything from the first album plays, the drop-off in sound quality, compared to almost everything else, is severe.  However, unlike some of the next few albums, at least the debut does have some low end in the mix.

I guess Then Came the Last Days of May would have been considered a ballad back then, but it feels like more of a blues track imo.

That is how I see it, too.  Definitely more bluesy than balladry. :lol



That sounds like quite the show, Kev!

Oh, it was. :hat :metal

A Blue Oyster Cult thread, oh yes.  :metal

It is significant that you started with Sandy Pearlman, since he truly was the driving force behind the band throughout its heyday-which wound up being problematic later, as only Martin Birch really understood how to produce them other than Pearlman-but it was his vision that guided the band in the early years. I mentioned this in my write up of Secret Treaties in my top 50 thread, but time has dulled how dangerous a band early BoC were-they produced peerless high octane rock that owed musically as much to Steppenwolf and the Doors as the early metal bands they were positioned as the answer to-but the lyrics tended to be unsettling and bizarre.

The debut suffers from sound, and BoC doesn't quite exist yet-Secret Treaties is arguably when the BoC we recognize today finally snapped into focus-but I'm trying to imagine how people reacted to it when it came out, and the likely reaction was "what the fuck is THIS?" Strong debut, though I'm fonder of Tyranny & Mutation and Secret Treaties out of the first three.

Me too, but we'll get to those soon enough. :coolio

I do wonder what the reaction was to B.O.C. at the time back then as well, although who knows how much radio airplay those early albums got, if any.  Even when our classic rock stations would play some deeper B.O.C. cuts back in the day, they were never ones from the earliest albums. 

Offline GentlemanofDread

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #20 on: May 24, 2014, 10:58:42 AM »
I'm gonna follow and listen to the album later this evening, but man, the OP is making me feel better about the post I'm writing to start the Pink Floyd discography thread.
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Offline Lowdz

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #21 on: May 24, 2014, 12:27:54 PM »
Just finished listening.  Nice album.  I guess Then Came the Last Days of May would have been considered a ballad back then, but it feels like more of a blues track imo.  The nod to The Wizard from Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll is pretty obvious when you're listening for it.

Not nearly as heavy as Paranoid, but I can totally have seen that being the comparison.  I could also totally have seen me going all in with BOC 25 years ago.  Absolutely nothing bad about this album, it's just a few degrees off what I prefer to explore nowadays.  I'm sure if I gave it multiple listens, I'd be all over it like a cougar on a wounded chicken.  I just don't have the disposable time to do so - considering I still have a few TFK albums to absorb.

Yup, Chad is spot on. Enjoyed my listen. Some good stuff. Would have been a fan if I'd heard this back in the day (had I not been 4 years old). Some nice guitar. Production sounds solid for the time.

Offline ytserush

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #22 on: May 24, 2014, 12:55:45 PM »
I think they accomplished what they set out to do.

I really have a fondness for those first three albums. That's your blueprint right there.

Oddly enough I was listening to Cult Classic a few days ago (The one were they rerecorded everything) and it's interesting to notice the difference from the original recordings. I don't think they quite caught the spirit on that.

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #23 on: May 24, 2014, 12:57:47 PM »
I'm taking a break from my weekend activities to respond to a few things that have come up.

First of all, I think we are getting conflicting comments about the quality of the recording because the 2001 reissue sounds so much better than the previous releases. Although there is no mention of remixing or remastering something was done because if you compare my vinyl to the 2001 reissue there is a marked difference in volume and treble. The original vinyl is quiet and very thick sounding. On the reissue you can hear some upright piano in spots where none existed previously. I didn't think to bring up the sound of the original recording in the OP because I just plain forgot.

Speaking of the OP, I get the feeling that some folks have a little heartburn with the length of the write-up?!  :lol  Trust me, I paired that sucker down tremendously compared to what could have been in it. The mountains of text that have been written about the origins and the people surrounding BÖC could fill an entire thread by itself. I also took a clue from the excellent Chicago discography thread of Orbert's. So, if there are no real objections I'll stick with the format I'm inspired to use.

I guess Then Came the Last Days of May would have been considered a ballad back then, but it feels like more of a blues track imo.

That is how I see it, too.  Definitely more bluesy than balladry. :lol


My bad. I was thinking ballad in the tradition of blues storytelling, i.e. The Ballad of John Henry.

Overall, this is a very solid first album, despite the rather dreadful sound quality, even by 1972 standards.  I am not sure I would recommend this to someone who isn't familiar with the band, as I can see many not wanting to explore any further after hearing this, but I think it's interesting to go back to after hearing almost everything else and seeing what they sounded like at the start.  I usually don't take that stance, but with this band, I do.

Are you saying that you don't recommend this album or not to listen to it first?
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Offline The King in Crimson

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #24 on: May 25, 2014, 10:15:08 AM »
I gave this a listen yesterday and I must have the remastered or remixed version as the sound wasn't bad at all. Was very similar to a lot of early 70's/late 60's recordings that I've listened to honestly. I'm only vaguely familiar with BoC. I know some hits, some deeper cuts and I love Fire of Unknown Origin (the album) which is just packed to the gills with goodness, but I've never really been able to truly get in to any of their other albums. They've always seemed a bit uneven in quality, some great songs and some that are forgettable. It's hard to judge an album after just one listen, but some songs definitely stood out a lot more than others. Transmaniacon, Stairway to the Stars, Cities on Flame..., and Before The Kiss, A Redcap immediately stood out to me. I also liked Then Came The Last Days of May, but after it was over I couldn't remember a single thing. You're As Beautiful As A Foot has a really cool, creepy atmosphere, but the lyrics do not compliment that at all being more comedic in tone.

Overall, this was actually a pretty good debut. BoC's bizarreness is on full display here, although it's fairly unpolished at this point, they do get better at incorporating that heavy rock groove with weird lyrical subject matter later on. Also, I'm not sure if anyone else thought this but Eric Bloom (I think it was Bloom) sounded a lot like Joe Strummer on some songs. He didn't quite have that untempered, punk energy but I immediately thought of Strummer right as the vocals kick in on Transmaniacon.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #25 on: May 25, 2014, 12:09:00 PM »


Overall, this is a very solid first album, despite the rather dreadful sound quality, even by 1972 standards.  I am not sure I would recommend this to someone who isn't familiar with the band, as I can see many not wanting to explore any further after hearing this, but I think it's interesting to go back to after hearing almost everything else and seeing what they sounded like at the start.  I usually don't take that stance, but with this band, I do.

Are you saying that you don't recommend this album or not to listen to it first?

I was saying that I think it'd be better to start elsewhere, but given that some here listened and liked already, I could very well be wrong. :lol  I am probably just going off my experience of not hearing it until years after becoming a fan.

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #26 on: May 25, 2014, 02:38:46 PM »
Pod, just listened to Trans MC. I see what you are saying about the Alice Cooper influence. That song could have easily been lifted from Love It To Death or Killer.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #27 on: May 25, 2014, 05:37:47 PM »
I think the self-titled is a fine place to start for BOC newbies. There's a lot of great stuff on that record. Probably a bit more consistent than most of the albums the hits came off of as well.
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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #28 on: May 25, 2014, 07:38:07 PM »
As someone who has heard the original vinyl version-get off my yard, ya whippersnappers-even by the standards of 1971 the debut sounded awful. Subsequent releases have helped, but the vinyl version was kind of bleh.
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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #29 on: May 25, 2014, 08:00:01 PM »
As someone who has heard the original vinyl version-get off my yard, ya whippersnappers-even by the standards of 1971 the debut sounded awful. Subsequent releases have helped, but the vinyl version was kind of bleh.

Thank god for Spotify then!
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #30 on: May 25, 2014, 09:44:35 PM »
I think the self-titled is a fine place to start for BOC newbies. There's a lot of great stuff on that record. Probably a bit more consistent than most of the albums the hits came off of as well.

That might be true for Don't Fear the Reaper and Agents of Fortune (which has their most hideous song ever, which we'll get to...), but definitely not of the others.

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #31 on: May 25, 2014, 10:33:52 PM »
As someone who has heard the original vinyl version-get off my yard, ya whippersnappers-even by the standards of 1971 the debut sounded awful. Subsequent releases have helped, but the vinyl version was kind of bleh.

Thank god for Spotify then!

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #32 on: May 25, 2014, 10:41:13 PM »
While we are on the subject of reissues. The 2001 reissue has four bonus songs that are from the Soft White Underbelly demos.

Donovan's Monkey    Meltzer, A. Bouchard   3:50
What Is Quicksand     Meltzer, Lanier   3:40
A Fact About Sneakers     Meltzer, A. Bouchard   2:50
Betty Lou's Got a New Pair of Shoes     Bobby Freeman   2:34

In my opinion every one is an automatic skip and not relevant to their catalog. Buck Dharma has mentioned that he really liked Donovan's Monkey but even he admitted that it's not really a BÖC song. I bring this up because some of the other reissues do have rare song's and B-sides that may be interesting to discuss. I'll bring them up as we go get to each one.
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Offline Scorpion

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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #33 on: May 25, 2014, 10:55:11 PM »
Figuring that I might as well join in and do this chronologically, the debut is now officially the first BÖC album that I have heard - not counting (Don't Fear) The Reaper, which I am passingly familiar with.

I liked it. It as nothing mindblowing, at least for the most part, but I definitely like their style - very groovy, with a weird vibe going on. My favourites are the opening three tracks and the closing three tracks - I don't much care for the middle part of the album, oddly enough. While they are nice enough to listen to and have some cool stuff going on, they are all ultimately quite forgettable. We'll see if this changes on repeated listens.

Buck Dharma's guitar playing is pretty much all kinds of awesome, especially on Then Came the Last Days of May and Cities on Flame. He's not really shredding, but there's no denying that he's a skilled guitar player and what he does on the whole album is completely awesome. Love the vocals as well, in almost every song, though I have no idea who does which vocal part.

I have a feeling that this band might turn out to be my next big discovery. Will give this album a few more spins over the week and then advance to the next album as this thread advances as well.
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Re: Blue Öyster Cult Discography
« Reply #34 on: May 25, 2014, 11:08:11 PM »
Very cool Scorpion!  :tup

Let us know if the middle of the album grows on you. It does with most people but as always, results may vary.


Buck Dharma's guitar playing is pretty much all kinds of awesome, especially on Then Came the Last Days of May and Cities on Flame. He's not really shredding, but there's no denying that he's a skilled guitar player and what he does on the whole album is completely awesome. Love the vocals as well, in almost every song, though I have no idea who does which vocal part.


Buck is largely the virtuoso of the band although some argument could be made for Albert as well. The first album he pretty well sticks with blues licks but "Cities" does foreshadow some of the pyrotechnics that are yet to come. I don't want to get ahead of the game just yet though--I need fodder for my next wall of text.  :lol

I truly hope you enjoy the discography. BÖC may not be my favorite band, nor have they ever really been, but their music has been an important and enjoyable part of my life. Of course, us fans always want others to feel the same way!
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