Blue Oyster Cult !

[davis]

Those of you only familiar with the hits or later albums need to go here:

speaking for myself, thank you for the recommendations. I'm attempting to go album by album from the start. I found I like the debut enough to buy it. i'll start on TAM as soon as I have time.

Except for Buck & Eric, I know they have a revolving door, but the BOC name is nearly as old as the Stones or Golden Earring. There oughta be a documentary about the band and its history.

[JIF]

BOC was my favorite band for a number of years. Still love 'em, but Eric and Donald have (in my eyes) turned the band into a joke. They are the stereotypical county fair/casino oldies circuit band, trotting out the hits and not recording anything new since 2001.

Blue Coupe is where it's at for me now. Joe Bouchard, Albert Bouchard and Dennis Dunaway. Two original (and vital) BOC members and an original Alice Cooper member. They are working on their second album now. Joe and Albert have stayed quite busy over the past couple of decades, recording new materials with various groups, apart and together. They have just as many classic BOC members as the official BOC. Albert and Joe may not have written the "big 3" hits, but they did co-write Astronomy, as well as writing many of the best classic era tunes.

I believe it was SteveSly who said that Agents is not one of his favorite BOC albums. I totally agree. I like it, but it is somewhere between mid-pack and the bottom on my BOC list. If not for Reaper causing so many people to buy and thus become familiar with Agents, I don't think it would be so well regarded compared to the rest of their catalogue.

I never got the Mirrors hate. Any album with a song as great as The Vigil is worth buying. I dig the rest of the album, as well. Fits right in with the rest of that era for me.

Club Ninja? Yeah, I like it. When the War Comes is killer, even with the "Ooga-chaka" vocal bit.

Cultosaurus, Fire and Spectres have all taken turns as my favorite over the years.

Some of my other favorite BOC cuts are Vengeance (The Pact), Monsters, I Love The Night, Golden Age of Leather, Nosferatu, Flaming Telepaths, Unknown Tongue, Screams/She's As Beautiful As A Foot, Wings Wetted Down, Then Came The Last Days of May (from On Your Feet...), Real World, The Old Gods Return, In The Presence of Another World, Take Me Away...ok I could make this a really long list.

I think it was SteveSly (again) who mentioned the Martin Popoff book, BOC: Secrets Revealed. I totally second that book. It is not just some Behind The Music style gossip rag, it is mainly about the songs throughout the vast BOC catalogue. Who wrote each song and why. It really is written for people who love the music of BOC rather than those looking for a lurid tell-all tome. His Rush Under Pressure book is also quite good.

You can't win them all, can you? Maybe Eric and Buck don't want to make any more BOC's albums, because they don't sell well. Same reason that Styx doesn't want to make any more albums. I think the guys from Frontiers Records should make bands like Styx and BOC offers they can't refuse.

[ronmac]

Just listened to AoF last night for the first time many years. (It used to get regular rotation on my 8-track player. )

Really a great album. I have to agree that "Debbie Denise" is a bit lame, though.

[sotdude]

Great band, so many killer albums...been listening to these guys since around 1980. Saw them recently at their 40th anniversary show in NYC and had a great time. Favorite albums are Secret Treaties, Tyranny & Mutation, Cultosaurus Erectus, Fire of Unknown Origin, Agents of Fortune, the first, and Spectres, but I really do enjoy them all, and they have a handful of really great live albums to their credit as well. Prog? No, but certainly a melodic hard rock band with elements of prog, psych, and metal.

[davis]

I can't recommend Imaginos.

A good friend of mine at work is a huge fan of BOC and saw them play many times over the years. Imaginos is one of his all time favorite albums.

There are a lot of tunes I love on Imaginos....even if it has it's flaws.

ahhh, good old-fashioned country conflicting opinions. A friend of mine thinks that album is fantastic. For anyone that's interested, it's being rereleased sooner than you think. I'm considering getting the Columbia box set. http://www.importcds.com/music/25776...-cult-imaginos

[notallwhowander]

Just to be clear, I would love the band to revisit Imaginos. Forget the guest musicians, forget the studio arrangements. Road-test some stripped-down live arrangements so they really rock, and then record with minimal overdubs. That would be an awesome album.

[davis]

^ Yeah, and they can road-test that material in my neighborhood during the summer.

[Plasmatopia]

Just to be clear, I would love the band to revisit Imaginos. Forget the guest musicians, forget the studio arrangements. Road-test some stripped-down live arrangements so they really rock, and then record with minimal overdubs. That would be an awesome album.

While we're fantasizing...how about maximizing the number of original members and expanding the album to its original intending size/concept?

[rapidfirerob]

I would love to see the original members get back together and tour, possibly record. There is a recording on Dime of all of them playing some tunes
together for the 40th anniversary of the band.

[sotdude]

I would love to see the original members get back together and tour, possibly record. There is a recording on Dime of all of them playing some tunes
together for the 40th anniversary of the band.

I was there in NYC, it was great!

[davis]

I would love to see the original members get back together and tour, possibly record. There is a recording on Dime of all of them playing some tunes
together for the 40th anniversary of the band.

If anybody wants a copy of that show, let me know. I'll put it together and send it via WeTransfer

[Howler Monkey]

You can't win them all, can you? Maybe Eric and Buck don't want to make any more BOC's albums, because they don't sell well. Same reason that Styx doesn't want to make any more albums. I think the guys from Frontiers Records should bands like Styx and BOC offers they can't refuse.

Yeah you would think that Frontiers would be all over them. They sign EVERYBODY that used to be anybody. I have a few old artists/new material albums from Frontiers. Still some life left in many of the old guard.

[Howler Monkey]

Oh, and to chime in on Imaginos... I love it, even though it is not "really" a BOC record. When it was released, I was fooled enough by the credits in my cassette to believe that the original band had somehow regrouped. Ha! Not so much, eh?

A quick search on YouTube will turn up all of Al Bouchards demos for Imaginos. Pretty cool for the hardcore fan to compare and contrast with what was actually released. There are some big differences. Frankly, as much as I love Al, some of those record company imposed changes were for the better.

[SteveSly]

You can't win them all, can you? Maybe Eric and Buck don't want to make any more BOC's albums, because they don't sell well. Same reason that Styx doesn't want to make any more albums. I think the guys from Frontiers Records should bands like Styx and BOC offers they can't refuse.

I remember seeing a farily recent interview on youtube with Eric, where he basically said just that. The amount of time and effort it takes to put into putting a new album together is not worth the dismal amount of sales that their two most recent achieved. It is sad as I thought they were both decent (especially "Heaven Forbid")

As for the current band, I think they are still killer live. I need to check out the Blue Coupe stuff though. I know they have a new album coming out this spring, but they have never toured anywhere near me that I know of.

Steve Sly

[SteveSly]

I think it was SteveSly (again) who mentioned the Martin Popoff book, BOC: Secrets Revealed. I totally second that book. It is not just some Behind The Music style gossip rag, it is mainly about the songs throughout the vast BOC catalogue. Who wrote each song and why. It really is written for people who love the music of BOC rather than those looking for a lurid tell-all tome. His Rush Under Pressure book is also quite good.

Popoff has written some other great ones as well. He has also written similar books about UFO, Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio, and a couple of others I can't remember off the top of my head, all of them of similar quality to the BOC book.

Steve Sly

[rapidfirerob]

I want that book, for sure, but $35 is not in the cards currently.

[SteveSly]

I want that book, for sure, but $35 is not in the cards currently.

I don’t know why it is so expensive unless it is out of print. When I bought it the book was a normal price if I remember correctly. I know I didn’t pay $30+ bucks for it.

Steve Sly

[rapidfirerob]

There is actually a new edition of the book on his website.

[SteveSly]

There is actually a new edition of the book on his website.

Yes, I have that one, but I am pretty sure I paid a lot less than what he is asking. The newer addition has an added chapter and additional pictures.

Steve Sly

[Howler Monkey]

My wife got mine a few years ago for my birthday, with Popoff's autograph and personal message to me. I love my wife.

I would like to get more of his books. The Sabbath one, in particular, has been on my list for a while but I always forget about it when I have the extra funds.

I agree that the last two BOC albums were good. If Eric said that dismal sales are the reason for no new albums, that only solidifies my respect for the Brothers Bouchard even more. Last I looked at the Blue Coupe website, they couldn't even reach their fan-funding goal to record their new album, but they are still keeping at it, making new music for the love of the music, as they have been for years with their various bands.

When my wife and I saw Al's Brain Surgeons in St Louis, Missouri in 2006, there were only four of us left in this tiny club when Al and company took to the stage. This guy used to play to arena crowds and had Rush among many others as an opening act. He was playing a small dive for me, my wife and two guys who seemed like acid casualties and still rocked the place and gave it his all. Considering the circumstances, many former big stars would not have even bothered. Al may not be a perfect human being (who is?), but he has my utmost respect as a musical artist.

[davis]

This guy used to play to arena crowds and had Rush among many others as an opening act. He was playing a small dive for me, my wife and two guys who seemed like acid casualties and still rocked the place and gave it his all. Considering the circumstances, many former big stars would not have even bothered.

From what I've heard/read, the music business is pretty volatile & to earn a living as a musician is very difficult. If I was doing that, I don't think it wouldn't matter to me if I worked an arena or a county fair; if people want to hear the music, I'd be there. If BOC comes to Louisville, I'm buying 2 tix for whatever venue they play. I'm keeping an eye on their road schedule for that.

[jlneudorf]

I remember seeing a farily recent interview on youtube with Eric, where he basically said just that. The amount of time and effort it takes to put into putting a new album together is not worth the dismal amount of sales that their two most recent achieved. It is sad as I thought they were both decent (especially "Heaven Forbid")

Such a shame really. Especially since the last two records were very good. Love me some "Heaven Forbid"! Too bad the rest of humanity has such a lousy taste in music.

Regards,
Jon

[Banquo]

From what I've heard/read, the music business is pretty volatile & to earn a living as a musician is very difficult. If I was doing that, I don't think it wouldn't matter to me if I worked an arena or a county fair; if people want to hear the music, I'd be there. If BOC comes to Louisville, I'm buying 2 tix for whatever venue they play. I'm keeping an eye on their road schedule for that.

BOC has been known to do the occasional "free" show during the spring and/or summer, usually as part of some town's seasonal festivities.

[SteveSly]

Such a shame really. Especially since the last two records were very good. Love me some "Heaven Forbid"! Too bad the rest of humanity has such a lousy taste in music.

Regards,
Jon

Agreed, to me "Heaven Forbid" is up there at least in the top 5 albums that they ever did and the song "Harvest Moon" should have been the next "Don't Fear The Reaper" if there was any justice in this world.

Steve Sly

[SteveSly]

BOC has been known to do the occasional "free" show during the spring and/or summer, usually as part of some town's seasonal festivities.

The last two times I have seen them have been at downtown festivals (Ribfest was the last one) which both cost a whopping $10 to get in. They were great both times.

Steve Sly