Blue Oyster Cult: Classic or Dud?

they really have everything that's good about rock...the drive of punk, the chops/gorgeous production of classic rock, weird/oblique disturbing biker version of steely dan lyrics, pop hooks, strange instrumental breaks, etc etc

and hella cheap used copies EVERYWHERE

haha yeah absolutely

with a somehow mysterious compilation called Cult Classics.
Should I buy it?

Cult Classics is a redo of the band's favorited tunes. Some hacks in the mix playing stuff that was recorded by original band members kicked out. It was done to get some new royalties flowing from stuff Columbia had probably choked them off on. It's decent but not essential.

Thanks for the info!

I can only repeat what Matt and all the others wrote above: Blue Oyster Cult are a kind of adult pleasure, their greatness is in how they do not really fit any musical niche while being at the same time the quintessential 70's band.

Maybe I am the only one, but I find the Screams/ She's As Beautiful As A Foot couplet from their first album one of the most outright bizarre moments in classic rock.

Until now, I've only owned the 2CD best-of Workshop of the Telescopes, but I just took the plunge and ordered the first five studio albums and Fire of Unknown Origin from Barnes & Noble.com. Happy birthday to me.

Yeah, those two songs are seriously fucked up. Great stuff though. I even like the C&W song Redeemed.

xpost

Love to hear your take on those, unperson. My personal favorite is Tyranny and Mutation, but I love all of it through Spectres.

x x xposts

couple of songs, even - but couplet is ok anyway.

i have a weird affection for Club Ninja

So I finally dove in last night, picking up a really cheap threefer with the self-titled debut, Fire of Unknown Origin, and Extraterrestrial Live. Only listened to the self-titled so far, but really wishing I'd have given these guys more of a chance years ago.

it all seemed so innocent at first...

Hilarious video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KhMomocD28

was just listening to Cultosaurus Erectus. very underrated; Deadline in particular is really great and The Marshall Plan just really fun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhFNxiaills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVR290bND7E

^ some days my favorite BOC outside the 1st three. agree that "deadline" is a secret classic. added without apology:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCxL3-Fl7bM
B*L*A*C*K B*L*A*D*E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIznbshinug
U*N*K*N*O*W*N T*O*N*G*U*E

True story: I used to work in an auto salvage yard, and one day a customer noticed my Clash t-shirt. He said, "Hey, you know that album Give 'Em Enough Rope? My partner produced that." "You mean Sandy Pearlman?" "Yeah, we worked together for years, did all the Blue Oyster Cult stuff..."

I couldn't pass up this opportunity. "So, that means you worked on 'Don't Fear The Reaper'...?" The man sighed, looked at the ground, and said, "Yeah....yeah. I think I'm the only person on earth who doesn't think that sketch is funny."

(Yes, it turned out to be Murr4y Kru6man)

That sketch just totally isn't very funny. It's as awful as any other awful saturday night live sketch.

that story is kinda sad! :(

Extraterrestrial Live is currently helping me make it through a rough afternoon of office programming.

BÖC are great because it's equally fun to sing along with the words and the riffs. "Lucifer... the light! Bermp-ba-derna-derna! FROWM!"

So, Phil posted this news on twitter:

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT: 'The Columbia Albums Collection' Due In October

Damn. That is gonna be hard not to pick up.

Cannot believe it/am beside self/678&%&GRE#BIGB#FV^b8of)&*E#%^&

Gonna try to go to the concurrent Times Square show too.

Amazing.

Looks like "On Your Feet ..." is finally being remastered. I wonder if that will be released individually? I pretty much have everything else. I only have the vinyl On Your Feet and its old and not great shape.

I dunno I mean only 6 out of these 16 CDs have been out in the remaster series. Pretty worth it IMO!

I would be surprised if these get individual releases. They still haven't issued the Sad Wings and Rocka Rolla remasters from the Priest box. Or any of the Cheap Trick remasters, either.

Yeah, stuff in the boxes tends to stay in the boxes - the bonus disc of live Mahavishnu Orchestra stuff would generate huge interest if it got a stand-alone release, but they're not doing it.

Wonder if the early CD's will come with those lyric sheets (printed in that "futuristic" font) that you could get with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Oh man, I need to get this… Probably going to be damn expensive, though.

Up for $112 bucks on pre-order at barnes and noble today...

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s?view=grid&store=Music&CAT=1025851&PRO=13

Wanna buy one of Albert Bouchard's guitars? Only $550.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/190731028279?item=190731028279&ViewItem=

If you stood that guitar up it would probably be taller than Al.

man i hope that's not the box art, not that cool :(

Tonight's Times Square show rescheduled due to frankenstorm.

http://bestbuytheater.com/eventdetail.php?id=37375

The above link does not say to when, but Al Bouchard said on BOC-L that it's resched to tomorrow night...

^make that NEXT monday night, not tomorrow. I misread.

~O~M~G~

So the rescheduled Times Square 40th anniv show is happening tomorrow night. And E. Bloom just announced on fb that Albert and Joe are going to be playing at least 5 songs with them! And Allen Lanier even!

(plus not very subtle hints that a certain rather famous occasional BOC lyricist will get up for some guest vox) (NOT michael moorcock).

AIIEEE so psyched!

Um.... holy shit how did I miss this?

So...how was this? I might have journeyed out if not for the spotty post-Sandy LIRR service.

It was awesome. For the moment, here's the set list and I'll try to get more descriptive later. Awesome highlights marked with ***

[current lineup takes stage to 'Game Of Thrones' theme. E. Bloom, Buck Dharma, Richie Castellano (gtr, keys), Kasim Sulton (bass), Jules Radino (drums)]
1. This Ain't the Summer of Love
2. Golden Age of Leather
3. Burnin' For You
4. Harvest Moon***
5. ME 262
6. Then Came the Last Days of May***
7. Lips in the Hills***
8. Shooting Shark (guest: sax player from Letterman band, apparently an old time friend of the band)***
9. Godzilla (including portions of 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot', 'Bang the Drum All Day', 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light' and the theme from 'Night Court')
10. I Love the Night***
[brief break, return with acoustic setup and additional percussionist]
11. Harvester of Eyes***
12. Astronomy***
13. Gil Blanco County***
14. Death Valley Nights (guest: Albert Bouchard, vocals)
15. In Thee (guest: Allen Lanier, guitar)
[brief break, return to electric setup]
16. Summa Cum Laude (song recorded for the soundtrack of Teachers but rejected, included on the new box set apparently)***
17. Arthur Comics
18. Black Blade
[brief break, return without Castellano/Sulton/Radino but Bouchard/Bouchard/Lanier instead]
19. OD'd on Life Itself
20. Career of Evil***
21. The Red and the Black***
22. Don't Fear the Reaper [orig lineup joined by current lineup-- 8 ppl onstage]

wow, would have loved to go. i heard they were going to do one more song with albert singing (cities on flame, maybe?) but bumped against an 11pm curfew so went straight to reaper.

Amazing setlist imo

Just as FYI, there's a recording of this on D 1 m 3 @ d 0 z 3 n

9. Godzilla (including portions of 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot', 'Bang the Drum All Day', 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light' and the theme from 'Night Court')

!?

Well, basically the 'bass solo' in the middle of Godzilla consisted of Bloom listing all the bands Kasim Sulton has been in (Joan Jett, Utopia, Meatloaf) with the band busting into a few bars of a corresponding hit. And then Sulton did an unaccompanied solo which if my memory isn't playing tricks on me was riffing off Night Court (and if my memory is playing tricks on me maybe it was Seinfeld...)

9. Godzilla (including portions of 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot','Bang the Drum All Day', 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light' and the theme from 'Night Court

Did the same bit when I saw them

Wow @ the Stalk-Forrest stuff!

been working through the lovely Columbia box set. sound quality is terrific. haven't gotten quite all of it listened to yet but - the Rarities disc - "stepping razor" is killer; another cover, "it's not easy" shows how underrated Albert B. may have been - his playing is economical and jazzy. Best of the Broadcasts has awesome versions of "lips in the hills" and "black blade".
never heard imaginos before. "del rio song" is a treat. and "perfect water", mentioned upthread, has such a incredible Buck solo, i hate to say that it's up there with Hendrix 'cuz i don't know what that even means.......

I wondered if anyone had broken down and bought it. Sounds pretty great.

y'all might've already seen this but if not: http://bigozine2.com/roio/?p=1285

it's so lonely in the state of maine

Gonna buy it pretty soon. Maybe before end of year. Outdoor Miner did you download the free concert recordings that come with it yet?