Blue Öyster Cult

I got Blue Oyster Cult's-Don't Fear The Reaper for 1 song...that. I came out liking 3 of 'em. Yet, Don't Fear The Reaper is 1 of my all time favorite songs. Namely, due to it being a song on Stephen King's list (The Dark Tower) saga. A die-hard Constant Reader

"don't fear the reaper is definately the best song on the cd - that being said, I loved the whole thing!!!!

I bought this cd to get one song, "Don't Fear the Reaper." I found the rest of the music just ok. I often purchase cds for one song.

There are a couple of good and a bunch of average tracks on this album.

'Dont Fear the Reaper'is such a great tune! The entire cd rocks. Brings back memories of the 80's. I bought this to get reaquainted with the songs, I am going to see a show in July at the Santa Cruz Beachboardwalk 'free' beach concert series. Anyone out there, dont forget Eddie Money is coming back this year. You can also get Money Mans music here!
Once listening to the cd, I started to recall all of the songs I had not heard in so long. Its fun, you should too buy it.

This is my Favorite BOC album. I liked it immensely back in the early 80s and I still dig it today. There is no weak point on the entire sequence of songs in my opinion. The songwriting is ecclectic and holds your interest, while the music itself is tightly structured and well produced. I hope they remaster it soon. The latter sequence of songs on the CD are equally as strong as the more well known songs up front. It stays in my collection until the grave.

You know, I don't mind this album. Most of it isn't all that great. "The Pact" and "Sole Survivor" are pretty lame, but the rest of the album is alright. But the mixing job is awful. Normally Martin Birch did a pretty good job of getting decent drum sounds and bass/low end into the mix to make it sound fat and full, but he struck out here. And granted he was mixing primarily for cheesy early 80's car stereo speakers that couldn't handle deep bass, it's no excuse for this. This album needs a 2008 style remaster/remixing.

Hi, when I saw 'Heavy Metal The Black and Silver', and 'Burnin For You', I thought wow they're awsome songs, wonder if the rest of the album has that vibe!? No it doesn't, it's benign and doesn't groove at all like the songs I mentioned.

I tend to like the 'Death Valley Nights', 'Don't Fear the Reaper', 'Godzilla' type stuff of their's only, so if you're the same you should listen to the little samples on here first to check (I didn't so the cd goes in my B-class unfortunately ie 1 or 2 good songs on the album only collection, as opposed to A-class like Mountain Climbing, Beatles Revolver, George Harrison All Things Must Pass, Stooges Raw Power, Wings Red Rose Speedway, Lennon's Imagine to name a few of many - I'm a snob lol)

Happy Listening!

And that says something!
Fire of Unknown Origin to me is the best album BÖC ever recorded, it's even one of the best albums from any band, ever.
Some will say their first 3 albums far surpass this one, but those sound a bit too dry to me. Fire of Unknown Origin has everything, happy songs, sad songs, eerie songs, love song, very forceful stuff and softer stuff. This is an album where the music truely lives.
Songs to check out are especially Burnin' for You, Veteran of the Psychic Wars, Joan Crawford and Don't Turn Your Back.
If you like this one I'd recommend especially the bands earlier album Spectres.

This is the best boc cd AND THEY DIDN'T remaster it. What kind of brain dead people do they have doing these? Hoping and Waiting for the remaster.

Blue Oyster Cult had finally hit the big time with their previous album "Agents Of Fortune". The band was headlining big arenas with a full production light and laser show in tow. In fact during this period the band were one of the pioneers in the use of laser lighting effects that have since become standard fare for all kinds of modern rock and theatrical shows. The back cover of the "Specters" album shows a picture of the band with lasers shooting out of their hands and eyes. To me "Specters" was Blue Oyster Cult getting back into form after what I consider the rather mediocre "Agents Of Fortune" album. This album has a lot of variety and I pretty much like every track. Hard rock is represented with their AOR classic "Godzilla" and "RU Ready To Rock" which it's "I only live to be born again" chorus. The band does pop rock with "Searching For Celine" and "Going Through The Motions" co-written with Ian Hunter. Although both songs sound like deliberate attempts at writing something palatable to top 40 radio, I like them both. "Golden Age Of Leather" is almost prog-ish in spots and contains some outstanding guitar work from Buck. "I Love The Night" is a cool little ballad. "Death Valley Nights", "Fireworks", "Celestial The Queen" and "Nosferatu" are all just cool songs with trademark Blue Oyster Cult strangeness. I really like this album and consider it an essential B.O.C. release.

Blue Oyster Cult put out alot of music in the mid 70's. Heavy metal purists claimed BOC for themselves and then cried in dissapointment over this album. Not hard enough or heavy enough they cried. They're still crying to this day, hence the lousey reviews you see. Facts are that this is some of BOC's best work. Very well thought out, well written, and well performed. Ninety percent of this album could have charted hits had they been released as singles. But then the purists would have abandoned them entirely. The purists need to get over it. Making hit records ain't nessessarily a bad thing.

Anyone who is just experiencing BOC for the first time would do well to make this album their first choice. Unless of course, you're a heavy metal purist (A dying breed anyways)...

You know, back in 2000/2001 when my obsession with Blue Oyster Cult reached an all-time high, I said to myself "You know, if there's one album that I might lose interest in as the years go by, it will be Spectres". But, eight years later, I STILL love it. Sometimes we don't know what the future will hold.

Spectres is not at *all* like what most typical hard rock bands would release- this is some of the most creative, both musically and lyrically, rock music I've ever heard. The band used to have a talent for making each song sound different from the other, despite being tagged a hard rock band "that sounds like Black Sabbath". Nah, not really.

"Godzilla" has been compared to Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" because the guitar riff that opens the song will splice your speakers apart. That's exactly the sound the band was going for, and it works. It's a classic. "Golden Age of Leather" is a fast-paced rocker with a memorable chorus, great guitar playing, an interesting intro and outro (with the female chorus) and a strange unexpected moment when the tune turns into the Beach Boys "Good Vibrations" for a few seconds.

"R.U. Ready 2 Rock" reminds me of Black Sabbath's "Rock and Roll Doctor" or anything the band KISS might have been creating at the time. Some people will call it "sell out" rock, but it's catchy, so I'm happy with it. "Celestrial the Queen" features a delicately soft chorus that might remind someone of running through fields catching butterflies, but some scorching guitar work to quickly bring us back to the realisation BOC means business and can easily stand tall with the best of them.

"Goin' Through the Motions" points to the direction their next album "Mirrors" would be like, with lots of friendly pop songs. "I Love the Night" has a verse melody that sounds almost identical to something Billy Joel would do, but with a very dreamy chorus. I love this song a lot. "Nosferatu" is the ULTIMATE Halloween tune! I can't even explain "Death Valley Nights". It has a ghost town-like verse melody with the moody singing style, and the spooky piano bits combined with an upbeat chorus really make the tune special to me. Very unusual.

A true classic album that everyone -whether you like BOC or not- needs to own.

For me, this review is A) My very 1st review on Amazon & B) unequivocally my all-time favorite L.P ever. Big statement to make, so here's my little piece on just why this album gets to me like no other...

Firstly a little plug for Martin Popoff's excellent book on the 'cult "Blue oyster cult-Secrets revealed". It is a very well written book with lots of great insights about the key reason for their success-the great music they produced together. If you are a fan of the band, then i urge you to buy the book. It is well worth the money !!! But crucially in acknowledging this book, what it did was give me unparalleled insight into how "Spectres" came into being, Where the band in terms of their overall career, personal relationships between members & management and so on. Armed with this extra knowledge, i feel vastly more confident in giving a more considered, balanced & more objective review than if i had not read the book previously. O.K, thats enough background. On with the review...

Coming off the heels of a successful tour & major career boost that was "Dont fear the reaper" , the bands confidence was very high & all came into this project wanting to do an album that would connect with a bigger audience, hence the album containing more poppish sounds than previously.
To progress, you have to try different things which may at the time be slightly alien to some sectors of your fanbase, but the greatest artists never settle. They need to keep challenging themselves-didn't Neil Young head for the ditch on more than one occasion ???. Anyways, all band members came into the sessions armed with great ideas. Which to digress slightly is another crucial aspect of why this group is so great. All band members could write great songs-individually & together when the opportunity arose.

Before the song reviews, heres an idea of mine on what was a crucial part of their success, but rarely (if ever) gets mentioned in any review i've ever read on B.O.C. The vocal harmonies are for me one of the bands secret weapons. They enhance the music beyond compare !!! Add that all 5 guys could sing lead as well & and you have a great base to work from. It adds so much more color to the songs-elevating their music above the other more traditional bands of that tiime (I.E a solitary lead singer-with no back-up vocals). Righto, finally the songs review part !!!

"Godzilla" Shout it, dont just say it !!! Most guitarists would give their left testie to come up with a great riff like this...
Everything about this stomper screams big. Big riff, big vocals etc. Very tasty midsection spoken section (bloom learnt japanese especially for this song-and subsequent tour).
"Golden age of Leather" This prog-ish multi-part mini operatic epic is one of the overlooked classics of this album. Fantastic arrangement & vocal enchancements (A boys choir) make this even by their own standards, unique.
"Death valley nights": Absolutely-with out hesitation, my alltime fav B.O.C track due to stunning vocal harmonies & impeccable arrangements. This track i always repeat when listening to the album. The re-master revealed far more depth in the vocal harmonies. And, this is Albert's finest vocal/written contribution to B.O.C's legacy.
"Searchin' for Celine": Laniers 1st song is one of 2 that ive had the most trouble with over the years, but now i love it !!! Totally different to the rest of the album(accusations of 'disco-ish' have been thrown at this track), but with its bright poppy beat, it kinda just nags away at you. To like it, that is!!!!
"Fireworks": the 2nd Albert classic. Killer impassioned vocal & celestial harmonies, beautiful piano melody & well structured arrangement make this song very special indeed. Pity it never got more exposure in the live arena.
"R U Ready To Rock": Again, another killer guitar riff !!! Justifiably a live favorite, this rocker is a behemoth of a tune.
"Celestial the Queen": Joe Bouchards 1st tune & the 2nd track that has taken its time to reveal its unique charm! The re-master hugely improved my appreciation of another overlooked song. BTW, joe shoulda sung more lead vocals!!! Great synth work by Lanier as well.
"Going through the motions": The poppiest tune, without question. But 'ohhh, what a thrill'!!!! Fantastic keyboard/synth work & great sympathetic guitar melody line/solo from Buck.
"I Love the Night": This song would have to be the most exquisitely arranged track of the whole B.O.C catalogue. A guitar masterclass from Buck, this haunting track never fails to entrance you every time you hear it.
"Nosferatu": And lastly, Joe B's Epic that is this shimmering evocative Vampire ode. Huge production, stunning arrangements, intense guitar work make this another classic in their vast canyon of work. A major way to finish the album.

Lastly, i'd like to thank the main people who need to be thanked.

Albert, Alan, Buck, Eric & Joe. Thanks from this fan for creating what is for me, my album of choice !!! It is, IMHO, a masterwork...

Regards

Jamie

Finally , this disc wasn't even listed when I looked for it a year ago,This is an amazing CD, I had it when it came out on vinyl and it still Rocks out to this day,
Imagine being in BOC ,Having released the Agents of Fortune album and having a hit skyrocket up the charts touring extensivly in support of that album ,along with doing public appearances , and then finding time to Write ,Rehearse and Record (No Easy Task 30 years ago)
a follow up to such as Agents of Fortune, I think BOC did a phenominal album inspite of the afore mentioned circumstances, Being a musician and having opened for Robin Trower and Pat Travers myself ,I know what it is like in the Music buisness and how the record companies relentlessly push artists to produce great music, Waht a beautifully creative album Spectres is , Godzilla of course ,But my favorites are "I Love The Night " and Nosferatu (German for Vampire) have those haunting melodies .Very tasteful licks are on this CD .And the Bonus cuts are well produced as well. Yeah buy this disc it's a keeper, Warren Nelson Tibbs II, wtibbs5@aol.com

I first learned of BOC at age 16 through hearing this album. I was mightily impressed:thinking man's lyrics(OK--smart aleck thinking men) and great rock melodies with the inimitable Buck Dharma's blistering leads.Songs like "Career Of Evil", "Dominance and Submission", "Astronomy", "Flaming Telepaths", "Cagey Cretins" and the rest were just too original not to like. This one was the beginning of a long love affair with their music. Still listening to these old ones today. On your feet or on your knees!

I was happy to find this old BOC at Amazon.Ever track on it is a keeper! Blue Oyster Cult was just hitting their stride back then and Im happy to have this.

Secret Treaties is BOC at their most sensual, most seductive and most sinister. The brutal cynicism of "Career of Evil" sums up the Cult's "espirit de corpse": "I'd like to do it to your daughter on a dirt road/And then I'd spend your ransom money/But still I'd keep your sheep." I'm not sure if there's a more succinct testament of post-Nixonian American rapacity anywhere in the history of rock. But the holocaust has just begun, ladies and gentlemen. There's the creepy sub-aquaeous radioactive glow of "Sub-human"; the metal mayhem of "Dominance and Submission"; and the satirical blitzkrieg of "ME262," with Eric Bloom's savage vocal brazenly declaring that "Hitler's on the phone from Berlin sayin' he's gonna make you a star." The epics of sci-fi apocalypse are also noteworthy, especially the brilliant "Flaming Telepaths," with its monstrous synth solo, and the sublime "Astronomy," easily one of the group's best songs ever. Secret Treaties still holds up rather well after all these years (as do the group's first two albums and, to a lesser extent, Agents of Fortune), despite the protestations of some of the previous reviewers.

The 3rd and probably best album to date from the blue oyster boys. This is the first time that they show off their prowess as rock gods with a mystical twist. I see the thinking mans band has proven they can get better with age like a fine wine. Alittle different than the first 2 releases in that I think they really took their time and planned this one almost like a concept album instead of the "lets get something out fast and good" like the first 2. BOC also puts on a great Live Show and the jams here show a more live feel as well. some lengthy and well organized tunes that blen well together. Like I said, well planned album, perfectly layed out and brilliant music. Better things to come, you bet. BOC was a powerhouse in the 70's arena rock circuit. I ranked them with Zep, Sabbath, and Pink Floyd as far as great bands. They never have received their just due. Buck Dharma is one of the greatest guitarists that ever lived and yet you here so little about him. Perhaps it is because they didn't care about commercial success, the music is awsome, though I never did like Eric Bloom as a singer. Buck is better. His guitar playing is what made them as good as they are.

SECRET TREATIES is yet another great Blue Oyster Cult CD, although the song "Cagey Cretins" is, in my view, an insult to people with disabilities. Overall, despite this misstep, the overall quality of the CD is very high, with "Subhuman", "Career Of Evil", "Flaming Telepaths", and "Astronomy" standing out in particular. This album easily measures up to the debut, AGENTS OF FORTUNE, MIRRORS, SPECTRES, CULTOSAURUS ERECTUS, and FIRE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN. If you like those CDs, you'll like SECRET TREATIES.

I do admit the first three (the black and white albums) are the best overall albums but i think because this was their break-thur album some people put it down.This ain't the summer of love,don't fear the reaper and E.T.I.(Extra Terrestial Intelligence) are all very important BOC songs and hold up very well today.Amazingly BOC holds up better than most of their peers because the lyrics were so different and their songs have a very good groove to them,unlike the stop and start sounds of Sabbath or Led Zep.The best thing about the remasters is that BOC did not make the whole cd louder they just cleaned things up and punched it up abit.The drums and vocals are just as clear as the originals.The extra songs are cool also with the demo of Don't fear the Reaper the most interesting.BOC always had a little tongue in cheek side to their music but the grove and guitar work is very good here and worth another listening too.

Although this is the album where B.O.C. finally got their commercial breakthrough with one of the great classic rock songs of all time "Don't Fear The Reaper", the album itself has never been a favorite of mine. "Reaper" indeed is a great great song, and deserves the iconic status it has accumulated in the years since it's release. Listening to this again though, "Reaper" sticks out like a beacon in a fog of mediocrity. It is completely different from anything else on the album and unique really from anything else the band has done before or since. The rest of the album just does not compare. There are a few good songs in the first half of the album including "This Ain't The Summer Of Love", "E.T.I." which was a minor AOR hit for the band and "The Revenge Of Vera Gemini" is also decent. The second half really falls off and I can't say that I am a big fan of any of the tracks. A lot of B.O.C. fans will disagree with me on this, but I actually think that "Agents Of Fortune" is one of the band's weaker overall efforts. It is not a bad album by any means, but Blue Oyster Cult did better albums before it and better albums after it. It is worth owning for "Reaper", but there are a lot of B.O.C. albums that I would purchase before this one.

is what I know.The power and might and sexuality of BlUe Oyster Cult.The songs like "E.T.I" which iS what I'm going to Marry (and make sweet love..)Ms. Gawlik With.

Even though Agents of Fortune is one of Blue Oyster Cult's more commercial albums, I can't get enough of it. For one thing, the guitar playing is spectacular throughout the album. Every guitar note is beautiful and haunting. That's what makes Blue Oyster Cult so great- the way they make their music haunting and chilling, while rocking and rolling at the same time.

I find it odd that the album ends with a country-like tune. It's hard to explain what Blue Oyster Cult does that makes them so great. It's probably their ability to explore different sounds and styles and mix it in with hard rock. They truly are much different than other hard rockers.

It is unfortunate that Don't Fear the Reaper had to be on this album. Potential new fans picking up Agents of Fortune expecting more of the same must have been disappointed. My first exposure to the Blue Oyster Cult was Spectres, a more solid effort that sent me running to the record store to discover Secret Treaties, and I've been hooked ever since.

This album marks a major departure for the band in so many respects. While Tyranny and Mutation and Secret Treaties were collaboratively written on the road during a brutal touring schedule that resulted in the amazing On Your Feet or On Your Knees, Agents was written by individual band members at their leisure using multi-track recording equipment in their homes and demo'd for the full band prior to going into the studio. As a result, individual personalities really show through.

Another notable change is that only one song is credited to the dynamic writing duo of Pearlman/Meltzer (ETI - Pearlman).

The polished sound of the album is due to their first venture outside of CBS Records' antiquated studios (evident in the otherwise excellent first three albums).

The final and most evident departure is the marked shift from a raw, heavy-metal sound to a more approachable mainstream sound. Reaper gave the Oyster Boys a taste of commercial success that would elude them for five years until Fire of Unknown Origin and Buck's second hit Burnin' for You.

Of course, those of you who are longtime BOC fans know that this album was percussionist Gene Frenkle's last, as he tragically died shortly after the album was released. Agents also marks the retirement of Eric's stun guitar. ;)

Don't Fear the Reaper is a rock masterpiece and deserves all of the acclaim it received. Reaper aside, Agents is not without further merit. Extra Terrestrial Intelligence is a longtime concert staple and This Ain't the Summer of Love is another decent rocker. The two hidden gems on the album are (The Revenge of) Vera Gemini, a Patti Smith penned song which picks up where Baby Ice Dog left off, and Morning Final, another of the many haunting songs from the fertile macabre mind of Joe Bouchard.

And now to the awful truth. True Confessions, Tenderloin and Debbie Denise are the three worst songs to this point in the BOC's young history. Helen Wheels penned Sinful Love and Tatoo Vampire leave something to be desired as well (God rest her soul). So out of ten songs, you could fashion a solid Side One of an LP and there would be no need to play the flip side. Hardly the greatest album in the BOC catalog as some here would lead you to believe.

No BOC collection would be complete without Agents of Fortune and there are a handfull of good songs here worth owning, but Secret Treaties, Spectres, Fire of Unknown Origin, and Tyranny and Mutation are more rounded studio albums worth owning before this one.

"Cultosaurus" may be Blue Oyster Cult's most underrated album. The band had had huge success with "Agents Of Fortune" and it's classic "Don't Fear The Reaper" in the mid 70's, but by the end of the decade record sales had fallen sharply. The album prior to this one was the very slick and somewhat commercial "Mirrors" album which many fans absolutely hated (I personally like it, but I understand where the detractors are coming from). With "Cultosaurus" the band enlisted metal master Martin Birch as producer and went back to their hard rock / metal roots for one of the heavier albums of their career. Like "Mirrors" before it, this album did not sell all that well, which is a pity as I think it is as solid as any album the band produced. There really is not a bad song on this one and indeed there are several downright classics included here. "Black Blade" is almost prog-ish in spots. "Monsters" is another cool one. "Devine Wind" is the band's take on the Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran, but could be about any current Islamic fundamentalist leader. "The Marshal Plan" is the classic tale of a kid who just wants to rock. "Lips In The Hills" and "Unknown Tongue" are just plain weird in a way that only Blue Oyster Cult can write them. Buck Dharma has some killer guitar over the course of the record and the band in general is tight throughout. For me this album is essential for any fans of Blue Oyster Cult and has really stood up quite well over the years and remains a hard rock classic.

This was the first real metal album I owned. Anybody who thinks of BOC as some cheesy has-been classic rock band has never listened to Cultosaurus Erectus. It is brilliantly bizarre and rocks hard as hell. Check out the intro to "Lips in the Hills" to get a feel.
I'd like to think this is what heavy metal could have been, had there been more brains to go round the rock'n'roll gene pool.

Check it out.

The success of Don't Fear the Reaper in 1976 would send the Oyster Boys down a dark path in search of further popular acclaim. That search would lead them to the depths ironically known as Mirrors, an album that would make the band look in the mirror and realize that they were not being true to themselves or their fans.

Cultosaurus Erectus took the band in a decidedly different direction and, like their own Disco Demolition Night, obliterated the notion that it would follow in the same vein as Mirrors. Perhaps in an overreaction to the disdain heaped upon Mirrors, Cultosaurus may be the darkest (Tyranny and Mutation is hard to top) and possibly the heaviest album (again, Tyranny and Mutation is pretty hard stuff) in their catalog, only letting the listener up for a brief gasp of air during the Marshall Plan.

Black Blade kicks off the album with a bang. The second of several collaborations with Sci-fi writer Michael Moorcock (see The Great Sun Jester and Veteran of the Psychic Wars), Black Blade offers a glimpse into the cursed life of anti-hero Elric The Eternal Champion. Its a great song marred only by an eternally long bridge (I was able to seamlessly edit out about half of it) and cheesy synth at the end.

Monsters is a funky rocker about space adventurers with an ironic ending ala "I Love the Night". The song includes some funky jazz sax, ala the Mos Eisley cantina.

Divine Wind, while plodding in tempo, is a decent song about the Ayatollah Khomeini and his western intolerance. The ending is worth the wait.

Deadline is one of the lighter songs musically but has a dark lyrical tone, inspired by the murder of an acquaintance.

The Marshall Plan is a tongue in cheek rocker laced with irony. The title is a play on words, borrowing the name of the US plan to rebuild Europe after WWII, but actually refers to the "big amps" that guitar hero Johnny will use to win back his Suzy dear. This song predated Foreigner's Juke Box Hero and Bryan Adams' Summer of '69 and in hindsight, could have been a hit if not deliberately made so cheesy.

Hungry Boys is a fast paced rocker about cocaine addiction.

Fallen Angel is a lighter rocker and another collaboration between Joe Bouchard and Helen Wheels about...who else but Lucifer.

Lips In The Hills is a heavy enigmatic rocker that is occasionally trotted out on the road. What is it about? I haven't a clue.

Unknown Tongue is one of many dark collaborations with one-time band member and friend David Roter. The song is a dark tale that just when you think you know where it is going knocks you out of your shoes with its twisted ending.

All in all, Cultosaurus is a fairly solid album that bears listening to in its entirety, and a welcome return to BOC's roots.

Yes, BOC is almost a nostalgic act now. But they are still inventive, energetic, humorous, and challenging. This album is one of the band's best. Each song is a winner. The band manages to rock without losing musicianship...a quality sorely lacking in much of today's Post-Grunge-Death-Metal porridge. If you like the feel of Don't Fear the Reaper, check out Deadline on this album. I highly recommend it.

This is one of my favorite Blue Oyster Cult collections. After the dissapointing "Mirrors" album, BOC joined forces with Martin Birch and the result is a highly focused, triumphant return to their heavy guitar driven sound coupled with mysterious dark overtones. Right from the start, you can hear the improvement in the mix: multiple guitars up front, keyboards used only as an effect in the backround, and perfectly smooth vocals. For example, "Divine Wind" sounds almost Pink Floyd-ish with it's subtle vocal and dreamy backround keyboard blending perfectly with Don Roeser's fluid guitar playing. The song features a wicked guitar solo and ends with a soulful, agnst ridden, somewhat sarcastic offer to the late Ayatolla. This is Blue Oyster Cult at their very best, during a creative period (1980-1982) that I deem to be even better than their works in the '70's. For example, one of the heaviest songs on this collection, "Lips In The Hills" features one of Eric Bloom's best vocal performances, with a guitar sound that was never duplicated again on later albums. But this isn't your run of the mill formulaic hard rock fare as compared to AC/DC, or even BOC's own schlocky "Beat'em Up" from the Club Ninja collection 6 years later. This is hard rock aimed at a more adult audience, a "thinking man's" band. For example, the opening songs "Black Blade" & "Monsters" are like watching a really good science fiction flic. Monsters features a jazz interpolation complete with sax, and a King Crimson -like jam the likes of which is so intense, you will be left begging for seconds. "Black Blade" is science fiction done masterfully, with a touch of art-rock influence. "Deadline" features a dreamy smooth vocal, nice melody and a very addicting bass line. "The Marshall Plan" mentions "surf music", an apparent ode to Hendrix, and also pays homage to Deep Purple when they almost start playing "Smoke On The Water". "Unknown Tongue" tells the chilling story of a young schoolgirl with certain tendencies: "...she took the razor....and watched it cut.. into her palm. She held her hand, up to her mouth, to taste the blood, so holy and warm." So creepy, it's actually fantastic, if you are in the mood to watch "American Pyscho". Get this record. Highly recommended.

That's right I said BOC's BEST record. I am a lifelong BOC fan and MIRRORS is the record to hit my heart most. It's definitely the Cults softest record agreeably. However, in my experience it is the BOC record that keeps me interested most from the first note to the last. BOC may have some better songs on some GREAT records like Agents or Spectres or Fire Unknown Origin or Cultosaurus, but none of those records are as good... as a whole....

Disco? What the F#@$% are you talking about. This album stands on its own. The Vigil is worth the price. Plenty of other good stuff on here as well. Been a fan of this band from the beginning and they are always different and interesting. Some people just can't handle a band changing or growing. Great guitar work from Buck as always. Buy it.

Mirrors, with all of its faults, hardly qualifies as BOC's worst album (an honor more likely bestowed on Revolution by Night or Club Ninja). Like many reviewers here, the first time I listened to this album my jaw hit the floor during the opening throes of Dr. Music and I nearly snapped the needle off my turntable trying to turn it off (My nickname was not chosen out of my love for this song). To my shock and amazement, BOC opened their shows with Dr. Music for several years. The non-conformist in me despised Disco at the time and despite warming to The Trammps' Disco Inferno and a few other Disco tunes in later years, Dr. Music has NEVER grown on me.

The Great Sun Jester is the first collaboration between British sci-fi author Michael Moorcock and Eric Bloom (an avid sci-fi fan) and one of the better songs on the album. With its compelling lyrics, excellent vocals and musicianship, Sun Jester stands up to almost any of BOC's best and would be right at home on Agents of Fortune, Spectres, or Fire of Unknown Origin.

The acoustic love song In Thee is a bit of a departure for the band but has withstood the test of time to become a concert favorite; allowing its writer, Allen Lanier, to come out from behind his keyboards and solo on guitar.

Mirrors is an infectious piece of pop that seems to rise above the Disco influence to remain a pleasant song today in the same vein as Goin' Through the Motions.

Moon Crazy seems to have fans divided over its appeal. I am on the fence, finding the song listenable in most respects and love Buck's work on the end of the song.

The Vigil is my favorite song on the album. Alien theme aside, Vigil has actually taken on new meaning for me as corporate and political corruption, greed and lack of will are sending our improbably habitable world to the brink of destruction. Like Golden Age of Leather (Spectres), The Vigil seems to change style and tempo every other verse but still manages to hold together musically. The line: "They say the earth has fallen" followed by Buck's ringing guitar bridge is absolutely chilling.

I Am The Storm is a classic rocker that sadly is never performed live. This song is vengeance personified and cathartically speaks for every victim of infidelity or jilting.

You're Not The One (I Was Looking For) and Lonely Teardrops are scarcely worth mentioning and are the likely source of the album's nickname "Errors" mentioned by Popoff in his book, Blue Oyster Cult: Secrets Revealed!

All in all not their worst album, but a far cry from BOC's best. Like Agents of Fortune, there is half a good album here but it lacks the draw of a Don't Fear the Reaper or Burnin' for You that would compel you to buy it. A must for any BOC fan nonetheless.

I will have to say that the criticism of this album is very unfair in my opinion. While this album has much sentimental value to me (first girlfriend introduced it to me), I can see why some would consider it a commercial sellout. I tend to think BOC was trying to capitalize on a more varied direction, which they started with Agents. Nevertheless, I still look at BOC's other works, and this stands out along with Agents and Fire of Unknown Origin as their best. Maybe I am not a BOC purist, but I have a true appreciation for their 5 or so years that started with Agents and ended with Fire of Unknown Origin. It was a special time for me and a special time for BOC - they were selling large numbers of albums, filling arenas and producing some very classic rock.

Looking at Mirrors, the start off song `Dr. Music' is probably the weakest and most dispensable song on the album. It's a throw away song and probably keeps Mirrors from 5 stars. Fast-forward to `Sun Jester', `In Thee' and `Mirrors' and you have three perfect songs that really showcase the mainstream feel that BOC could perfect if it wanted. `In Thee', which is a love ballad unlikely to appear on any BOC album, is pure perfection. Allan Lanier wrote it, Buck Dharma's vocals are never better and the production is flawless. I love this song for everything it is not - hard driving, psychedilic, Eric Bloom vocals etc.

The Vigil and I Am The Storm are probably the two songs the feel the most familiar for BOC purists. Both are very well done and showcase some extremely tasteful and slick guitar. `You're Not The One' is another one of those `where did this come from?' songs - however, I love it. `Lonely Teardrops' is such a fantastic closing ballad. The traces of lost love are all over this album and `Teardrops' is a somber but satisfying closer. I cannot say whether or not you will love this album like I do. However, I think anyone would find something they like on it.

Mirrors is THE single MOST DIFFERENT album of all of BOC's 13 studio albums, and is generally not well-received by most hard-core fans who like to call it the "disco album". It is vastly underated, and due to this fact, some new-comers give it only one listen (if that) before wanting to hate it. I however, am one of the fortunate ones who remained patient with it and gave it an honest try, and I am glad I did! Though not in my top five BOC favorites, it is still a pleasure to listen to. It starts off with "Dr. Music", an up-beat little rocker that assures you that you're in for a somewhat "different" BOC ride than you're used to. My favorite songs are "Dr. Music", "In Thee", "The Vigil" (the ABSOLUTE BEST track on Mirrors), "You're Not The One(I Was Looking For)" and the perfect closer "Lonely Teardrops". These songs are amazing. "Mirrors" however, is one of those lame songs I just can't get into as much as other BOC songs- it sounds too "sissy". But on the album as a whole, I think that alot of people dislike it because it's BOC's most soft and radio-friendly album of them all. However, you yourself might feel differently if you "step out of the box" a little and stop thinking of BOC as strictly a good rock & roll band, but also as one of the most interesting one of the bunch who aren't afraid to take a risk and experiment a little. If you're a die-hard "Black & White Period" BOC fan, then chances are you WON'T like Mirrors. But if you like to hear them evolve from that era and experiment a little, you'll like Mirrors. I gave it only a four because all though it IS good, it is not typically the FIRST CD I pop in when in the mood for some BOC. But however different, I still think it is a very good BOC album, and you may agree. Worth a listen!

Blue Oyster Cult, in their very early years together was a performance band of guitar slingers, very cocky and very sure they would take on the world and conquer it. Slaves, were being reeled in from every show that The Cult played all over America. The submission was controled by layer upon layer of guitars, that would not stop, this attack was relentless.

This live double record from early 1975, is exactly what BOC was for the fans, a driving force of frantic forceful rock. With the already legendary songs: "Cities On Flame", "Seven Screaming Dizbusters", "Hot Rails To Hell", "Harvester Of Eyes" and "The Subhuman", you kinda knew what you were in for, by those titles alone. This is music for parts of a teenagers body, that we cannot discuss in print. This is music to torture your parents. The message of The Blue Oyster Cult was screaming from your stereo speakers: "Submit & Worship!" and it was a FUN message.

To be young in the early 1970's was a joy. To release a world of teenaged crap, trying to suck the youth right out of your mind and body, great records such as this one were tailor-made to order as the medicine to take all that garbage away. Blue Oyster Cult, will never be thought of {by the music scribes} as a great band, they will never be tossed into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame...So what??? That ain't the point, and I don't need Cleveland when I got T-Rex!!!

For every kid who got the message in 1975, this record will for ever induce a big wide grin still today. I don't need another thousand plays of: "Don't Fear The Reaper" on some classic rock station, to sell me the importance of BOC. This group was already important years before "Reaper" brought in the lesser-mortals into the fold. Shove those poseurs into the back of the arena! I'll be right down front with the old crew, sweatin', jumpin', bangin' and screamin' to: "Cities On Flame".

Sometimes, being a slave and being allowed to worship at the feet of your Gods, can be heaps of fun!
4.5 Stars for this record.
20 Stars for the memories!

BOC was the quintissential live band back then. The ultimate laser light show before they outlawed it. Lasers hitting mirror balls raining down on the crowd while Astronomy played. Incredible. Never duplicated. Listen to the crowd go wild after astronomy on Some Enchanted Evening. Great Band. All of their albums are worth having.

BOC used to tour in the late 70's early 80's each summer with Black Sabbath, on the double bill "Black and Blue Tour". I saw them together several times, including the infamous downpour rainout at Phoenix Stadium with Molly Hatchet and Shakin' Street (look it up). This album captures that energy like no other. Buck Dharma's Gibson through a few Marshall stacks. The sound is raw, tight, and aggresive. No digital effects, no overdubs, no jive studio harmonies, just the concert. "Cities On Flame" should be a workshop lesson for any young band that wants to understand syncopation, playing tight, letting the song breath with some space, and then bringing the hammer down. Study it.

Absolutely a great representation of the powerhouse that BOC was back in the 70's. This is to date still one of my favorite live albums. I saw them live a lot and they put on a hell of a show. This album really does make you feel like your in the arena watching them perform. Great production and a perfect example of how raw yet powerful BOC was live. Buck is at the top of his game and blisters the lead solos from beginning to end. The Last days Of May (A True Story) has a hauntingly brilliant and beautiful yet all too short lead guitar solo. Buck Dharma (Donald Rosier) is a superior lead guitarist that never ever got his just due. He is great throughout this release. A Must have for any true rock fan of any era.

Nowadays we can look back and see that BOC have released at least 4 live albums, "On Your Feet........", the first in 1975, Some Enchanted Evening in 1978, Extra Terrestrial Live about 1980 en finaly in 2003 Long Days Night. Each of them proves the strenght of BOC as a live act, with a very good show that is equally impressive as say a show of KISS with different kind of effects. Being Dutch I had the honor of seeing them way back on several occasions in Holland and Germany. They were a somewhat mystic band with tremendous players, for instance Donald Roesers way of guitar playing is more fluent than Ace Frehley. "On Your Feet ...." is an epic document of their show and setlist midways the seventies, after having released the 3 black and white studioalbums, with nonalbumtracks such as "Bucks Boogie" (now is the studiorecordering as bonus available), the Blues Brothers song "I Aint Got You" and Steppenwolfs showstopper "Born to be Wild". Every track is outstanding and gives you the idea of being part of the audience. With 5 musicians on stage, some of them playing different instruments (i.e. guitar and keyboards) and 4 of them singing lead this must be a hell of a job to record but the band succeed in it. They had often incomprehensible lyrics which adds to their mysterous aura. Sometimes the music is utterly chaos, among them "ME 262" which culminates in "5 guitars" but beautiful recorded. A very strong album, simply one of the best live rockalbums ever made.

The relatively new reissue label American Beat inaugurated themselves to the more discerning rock listener with their release of the Blue Öyster Cult classic "Imaginos". For some reason Columbia has kept this album out of print in the US for ages, and aside from some generally low-quality mp3's (or expensive imports), this is the first time many listeners have had a reasonable opportunity to hear what many consider one of BÖC's finest (if most confusing) works.
The musician credits have been revised, the artwork is reproduced nicely enough, and there has been some minimal remastering done; on the downside, there are no lyrics nor any liner notes explaining the concept. No matter; the lyrics and various and sundry notes and analyses are everywhere on the internet. "Imaginos" is a masterpiece that the band's following has been fascinated with for decades even if the general rock landscape has largely forgotten it. Maybe now these tunes will receive their due.
Thanks, American Beat, and keep up the good work.

(The label was supposed to have reissued the other long unavailable BÖC album "Club Ninja"; what happened with that?)

This was the album that finally sold me on BOC. Now I'm a diehard fan. My uncle gave me Agents of Fortune for Christmas when I was 12 or 13 years old, which I thought was merely OK, I didn't pick this one up until I saw it at the record store a couple years later. I thought the cover looked awesome, it was a total impulse buy. Best impulse buy I ever made. Years later, I own all of BOC's records, but Imaginos remains my favorite.

BOC really got screwed by their record label at the time Imaginos was released, as not only did CBS/Columbia drop all support/promotion of the album once it hit the stores but they dropped BOC from the label completely. Because of this bad blood and other factors BOC likes to try to forget the Imaginos days and pretend the record doesn't exist. I can't say I blame them. Despite these facts, Imaginos is packed with some really killer music and some of BOC's best lyrics to date. Also, lots of guest musicians on here including Joe Satriani and Robbie Krieger of the Doors.

Support BOC and see them the next time they hit your city. They still rock, even after 35 years.

First off, I have been a BOC fan for about three years now, and I have to say that this is definately the most fantstic and hidden masterpiece the band has ever created. I say this having heard virtually EVERY BOC song from EVERY album at least once. While no BOC song can top "(Don't Fear) the Reaper", just about every song on this album is close at one time or another, and I really feel that this creative effort shold have been more recognized in its own time, as well as in ours. The mystic titles, songs, and lyrics on this album make for a very entertaing and enjoyable listening experience. I must say I am officially BLOWN AWAY BY BLUE OYSTER CULT'S UNDERRATED HIDDEN GEM!!!!!!

I had to add my few cents worth after reading some cringe-worthy reviews....("I found myself only listening to half the songs, then skipping to the next one???!!!) When I first purchased this album, when it first came out it WAS different than what I had expected, and I was initially disappointed. But after several listens (and listening to each song ALL THE WAY through), I became hooked on this release. Each song is a masterpiece in it's own right, and just when you think you've heard everything you think there is to hear in a song, there is some suprise to mix things up. So...all I can say before throwing this in your scrap heap, is give it a chance. Then another chance. Then another. Then, hopefully, you'll be hooked as well.

Imaginos is a worthy purchase for any BOC fan. The album presents you with some nice, refreshing remakes of classic Cult fare, some enjoyable new tunes, and even an adventurous work in Siege and Investiture that breaks new ground, bordering, at times, on prog rock.

Make no mistake, though, this album is not a classic in the vein of Secret Treaties, Agents of Fortune, or Fire of Unknown Origen. All of the songs are quality, but none but the remakes are deeply memorable (in that way Imaginos even falls a bit short of, say, Spectres). The heavy use of studio musicians at times provides a different sound in a refreshing way, but it gives a few songs a bit too much 'generic 80's tune' aura.

I listen to Imaginos on many occasions and enjoy it, but it gets fewer hits in my Blue Oyster Cult library than, I'd say, 5-7 other Cult albums.

This was my first BOC album. I consider it their creative peak at a point when their "art" had not yet given way to the ever-broadening audience that would follow. Every song is well-crafted and tightly played, and there are seamless transitions from one song to the next.

It was late 1973, if memory serves, when I got it on vinyl. That's probably right because I wrote a review of it for my sophomore English class. (Got a "D" in that class, btw.)

By 1976 or so, I was playing in a local band, and we did covers of "O.D.'d on Life Itself" and "Quicklime Girl." We did them pretty well, too. I remember how faithful we were to the double-leads and the keyboard and drum parts. And the Eric Bloom screaming at the end of "Quicklime." I did those honors, and one of our dear roadies would laugh to tears as my face turned totally red, holding that final, loud note.

Funny how we didn't realize it soon enough, but those BOC songs would put us in "crisis mode" at a high school dance. We were actually SCARING the kids with those lyrics. But, as I look back on it, it was a normal reaction there, in one of the stauncher Bible-belt enclaves in Southern Indiana. Whoops!

But the rest of the stuff was too challenging. Buck Dharma's guitar work here is AMAZING. The bridge on "Teen Archer," the solo on "Hot Rails to Hell," and just the playing on the rest are a feast for the ears.

And it was too weird, too. "Seven Screaming Diz-Busters?" I get the Biblical "7" reference, but what's a "Diz-Buster?" Anyway, that song is really creepy. It makes you think you're entering Hell. But the call-and-response between the singing and the rippin' fast guitar make it fun.

This album should be featured on VH1 as an example of "early metal." It wasn't just Sabbath and Deep Purple, important though they were. It deserves at least the respect of very much belated hindsight.

Tyranny is a blistering group of dark songs - ranging from speedy angst driven protopunk (The Red & The Black, 7 Screaming Diz-Busters) to elegiac piano/guitar ballads (Wings Wetted Down, Mistress) and so much else - and who can forget the strange and wonderful lyrics that no one else has conjured in the pantheon of rock? At this point in their career most of the songs were written by Albert and Joe Bouchard, lyrics courtesy Sandy Pearlman for the most part. (If you want to hear what this album might sound like if made in the ninties, get The Brain Surgeons' Malpractice lp - Albert's band - from '97). Tighter and harder than BOC's debut, the production crystalline, tuneful with brilliant arrangements, beautiful harmonies, drumming and guitarwork, this may be the record I'll take to that desert island. Note for devoted fans - some of Joe Bouchard's lyrics on this lp were influenced by Pablo Neruda's poetry from "Residence on Earth," and I highly recommend it. Neruda's writing definitely shares the dark impressionistic feel of the album, especially side B.

Through the years, there haven't been a whole lot of hard rock bands willing to go the extra mile and add some creativity to their music as a way to spice up the fun, but Tyranny and Mutation is an album full of interesting and flat out mind-boggling WEIRD musical ideas. In addition to that, this is also the fastest rock Blue Oyster Cult ever put on record (since most of their stuff was slow, dreary and disturbing).

It's a really fast-paced rocking record. The vocal melodies are quite good as well. Blue Oyster Cult should be remembered for years to come, thanks to the band members choosing to make their music distinct, clever and exciting in the early days.

This is a great recording for anyone who enjoys the Blue Oyster Cult. They have one of the best lead guitarist in the world. He's right up there with Clapton and Page. This recording shows a lot of his talent. Check out their new live CD with a DVD included and watch him play that guitar. He's great. they're great and this recording is great.

BOC's second album mines similar territory to their debut with it's mix of hard rock, metal, jams, and just plain weirdness. The original vinyl album was divided into two sections, side one called "The Black" and side two "The Red". Side one is pretty much straight ahead rock and roll. The album starts out with "The Red And The Black" which is a re done version of "I'm On The Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep" which appeared on their first album. It is followed by "O.D.'d On Life Itself", "Hot Rails To Hell" and "& Screaming Diz-Busters" all former concert staples. Side two, The Red, mixes in more variety with some of BOC's patented mysterious lyrics. You can tell just by the titles that this is not your average stuff, "Baby Ice Dog", "Wings Wetted Down", "Teen Archer", and "Mistress Of The Salmon Salt", all delightfully strange. Personally I don't think this album is quite as good as their debut, but it is a good one and the first half is some of the most rocking music BOC produced in their career.