Tag: blue oyster cult (Page 1 of 2)

I’m a huge fan of Blue Oyster Cult, especially the early albums. And, the live album On Your Feet Or On Your Knees is one of the best and is a very under appreciated album, I love the rawness of it.

I really like the fact that this album opens with one of my favourite BOC tunes, Dominance And Submission, it’s one of four early tracks represented on this set. In fact, Cites On Flame rips in straight after it with that oh so cool riff. Godzilla is a classic that has been covered by many but it’s the original that’s the best, and there is plenty of room for audience participation. Burning For You is such a good song, it’s from my favourite later period album Fire Of Unknown Origin.

On Your Feet is still my favourite BOC album, but this is close because it still has that raw live feel.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

This is the band’s second album, which came out way back in ’73. Yup, fifty years ago!

A far different beast from what they came to be. This album is more in line with what the MC5 and the Amboy Dukes were playing, rather than the slick machine that put out Imaginos. They were even called punk rock four years before that became a thing.

Yes, it does sound dated that’s for sure but tracks like The Red & The Black, Hot Rails To Hell, and my favourite 7 Screaming Diz Busters still sound great. It must have been the producer’s favourite as well as it’s a lot louder than everything else, especially the intro riff.

BOC are a very intriguing band and they have a great body of work that is worth investigating.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

This is album number six for Blue Oyster Cult, and the last album of their 70’s original golden period. They didn’t mean a whole bunch outside of the US until they struck gold with Don’t Fear The Reaper. I’ve always found them a difficult band to pigeonhole as they cross musical styles with each record. Their first album was almost punk/garage rock in style, and compared to this, which is quite a polished sound, they could be a different band altogether.

There are a couple of very radio-friendly tunes on this album namely opener Dr. Music with its super catchy hook line, In Thee which has a very mid west country sound, and the killer Moon Crazy. I tend to swing towards the Prog sounding tracks like The Great Sun Jester which is my favourite, and the great album closer Lonely Teardrops with the Trampled Under Foot riff.

A very underrated band that have consistently made good records.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

It’s amazing how one song can define a band and how they are perceived. Don’t Fear The Reaper is undoubtedly one of the best songs of the 20th century, and yet, before that they were just another rock band playing the halls and theatres of America. Their first three albums were quirky hard rockin’ albums that had been called punk (before it was a thing), biker rock, and everything in between, but when Agents was released everything changed.

This album is still a quirky beast of a thing, and its still very hard to pin down. The vibe is all over the place and yet it’s still a very accessible album. Other than Reaper, I love Tattoo Vampire with its rockin’ riff and groove, Morning Final with that slightly evil main riff and angelic hook and chorus, and the very cinematic Revenge Of Vera Gemini. The most hard rockin’ track on the album is ETI, which has a great riff and killer solo from Buck Dharma.

It’s a weird album for the band as it’s not their best, but it’s the one that everyone remembers.

8/10 from The Grooveman.