After dark (Blue Öyster Cult) (LP 445 - 446 )

Blue Öyster Cult Fire Of Unknown Origin (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1981) ****

Blue Öyster Cult The Revölution by Night (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1983) ***

Genre: Heavy Metal 

Places I remember: Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Plenty to choose from on these albums but as a highlight I'll go with Burnin' For You.

Gear costume:  Take Me Away, Shooting Shark, Shadow Of California (TRBN) 

Active compensatory factors: These two are bracketed because they form the twin peaks of the BÖC in their eighties pomp and power.

Title track, Fire Of Unknown Origin, has lyrics by one Patti Smith and that's a good omen. Although Burnin' For You instantly became a stand out, each song on the album is a winner for various different reasons. It's also produced by Martin Birch who always creates an amazing soundscape.

The Revölution by Night continued the high quality control with another great set of catchy pop/rock songs. Note: Patti's lyrics appear again on Shooting Shark.

Where do they all belong? That's it for the BÖC albums. Quite a ride!

Tenderloin (Blue Öyster Cult) (LP 411 - 412)

Blue Öyster Cult Agents Of Fortune (Vinyl, CBS, 1976) ****
Blue Öyster Cult CultÖsaurus Erectus (Vinyl, Columbia, 1980) ***

Genre: Heavy Metal

Places I remember: Real Groovy (Auckland, NZ); Amoeba Records (Hollywood)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Sinful Love (featuring the immortal line: I love you like sin but I won't be your pigeon)




Gear costume:  (Don't Fear) The Reaper; Revenge Of Vera Gemini; Tattoo Vampire; Debbie Denise  

Active compensatory factors: Patti Smith appears on the track The Revenge Of Vera Gemini (she was dating Allen Lanier at the time), but that's only one of the highlights on this sparkling album of thinking person's metal.

Of course (Don't Fear) The Reaper looms large over this album but there are other songs here that could have been as huge with repeated exposure: Sinful Love; Tattoo Vampire; This Ain't The Summer Of Love; The Revenge Of Vera Gemini; Morning Final; Debbie Denise; Tenderloin...each one has catchy hooks and great presence.

Only one weak song - True Confessions, means this is a flawed classic.

In truth I only bought CultÖsaurus Erectus for the cover (Spectres and Mirrors were disappointing after Agents Of Fortune and CE is in the same vain), as it's a thing of true beauty!

The album is not bad, it's produced by Martin Birch so it sounds terrific! 


Where do they all belong? On reflection, I'm not sure how much Blue Öyster Cult belong in the Heavy Metal genre - too smart and too much invention, but there's no denying those guitars!