Blue Oyster Cult
Biography
Blue Öyster Cult was the thinking man's heavy metal group. Put together on a college campus by a couple of rock critics, it maintained a close relationship with a series of literary figures (often in the fields of science fiction and horror), including Eric Von Lustbader, Patti Smith, Michael Moorcock, and Stephen King, while turning out some of the more listenable metal music of the early and mid-'70s. The band that became Blue Öyster Cult was organized in 1967 at Stony Brook College on Long Island by students (and later rock critics) Sandy Pearlman and Richard Meltzer as Soft White Underbelly and consisted of Andy Winters (bass), Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (guitar), John Wiesenthal -- quickly replaced by Allen Lanier -- (keyboards), and Albert Bouchard (drums), with Pearlman managing and Pearlman and Meltzer writing songs. Initially without a lead singer, they added Les Bronstein on vocals. This quintet signed to Elektra Records and recorded an album that was never released. They then dropped Bronstein and replaced him with their road manager, Eric Bloom, as the band's name was changed to Oaxaca. A second Elektra album also went unreleased, though a single was issued under the name the Stalk-Forrest Group.
Cut loose by Elektra, they changed their name again, to Blue Öyster Cult, and signed to Columbia Records in late 1971, by which time Winters had been replaced by Albert Bouchard's brother Joe. Blue Öyster Cult, their debut album, was released in January 1972 and made the lower reaches of the charts. Columbia sent a promotional EP, Live Bootleg, to radio stations in October, and followed with BÖC's second album, Tyranny & Mutation, in February 1973. Their third album, Secret Treaties, was released in April 1974 and became their first to break into the Top 100 bestsellers. (It eventually went gold.) BÖC released a live double album, On Your Feet or on Your Knees, in February 1975. In May 1976, came their fourth studio album, Agents of Fortune, including the Top 40 (Top Ten on some charts) hit single "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (featured in the classic John Carpenter horror film Halloween), which became their first gold and then platinum album. (On Your Feet went gold shortly after.) BÖC's sixth overall album, Spectres, was released in October 1977 and went gold in January 1978. In September 1978 came a second live album, Some Enchanted Evening, which eventually would become BÖC's second million-seller, followed by the studio album Mirrors in June 1979. A year later, BÖC released its ninth album, Cultosaurus Erectus, with the gold Fire of Unknown Origin, containing the Top 40 hit "Burnin' for You," following in June 1981.
In the summer of 1981, drummer Albert Bouchard was replaced by the band's tour manager and lighting designer, Rick Downey. BÖC's third live album, Extraterrestrial Live, was released in April 1982, followed by the studio album The Revolution by Night in October 1983. Downey left in 1984 and was replaced in 1985 by Jimmy Wilcox. The same year, Lanier left and was replaced by Tommy Zvonchek. BÖC released its 13th album, Club Ninja, in January 1986. Bassist Joe Bouchard left in 1986 and was replaced by Jon Rogers. In 1987, Lanier returned to the group, and Ron Riddle replaced Wilcox on drums. BÖC's 14th album, the concept recording Imaginos, became their final new album on Columbia Records in July 1988. BÖC scored the movie Bad Channels in 1992, by which time Chuck Burgi had replaced Ron Riddle on drums. In 1994, Blue Öyster Cult released Cult Classic, an album of re-recorded favorites, in connection with the use of their music in the TV miniseries of horror novelist Stephen King's The Stand. Numerous lineup changes ensued throughout the '90s (as the band kept on touring the world), and in 1995, were the subject of a double disc anthology, Workshop of the Telescopes. By the late '90s, BÖC had signed with the CMC label, resulting in their first album of all-new studio material in ten years, 1998's Heaven Forbid, and three years later The Curse of the Hidden Mirror. The group's music reached a whole new generation of hard rock fans when Metallica covered the BÖC classic "Astronomy" for their best-selling Garage Inc. album in 1998, as a few other best-of collections surfaced around the same time -- Super Hits and Don't Fear the Reaper: The Best Of. In 2001, Columbia/Legacy reissued BÖC's first four releases with a newly remastered sound and added bonus tracks. ~ William Ruhlmann & Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Selected Discography
clockwork, they tour, too bad that they are touring at the casinos >:O, but they are thinking about touring somewhere where everyone young and old can rock on to their legendary tunes, but yeah, they need to go back to the studio, even though buck is around 50
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Best band ever! Wish they would return to the studio. Sucks they were booted from their label.
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i have a 1 out of 3 photo of them together, and i know them indirectly, however, my mom knows them personally,< : 3
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One thing I love about these guys is the use of the synth in metal, I think this is completely underused IMO. At least as far as metal bands go...
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Have always loved their music since Agents of Fortune was released and I discovered the previous material after buying that first vinyl in our local music store. Never did concerts while growing up but made up for it after joining the service. Still never saw BOC until a few years ago when they played at the House of Blues in Orlando. Probably looked like an idiot standing there staring in awe LOL. I own everything they put out(as far as I know) including the soundtrack to Bad Channels.
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WOOOOO, just saw these guys last night and they rocked our azzz off!! All the great BOC songs were played including 1 of my favs, Then Came The Last Days Of May!!!Got all of their autographs!B O C 4evr!!!
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I saw this band in 1979,in Los Angeles.They played under the name Soft White Underbelly!! M u c h Luv for B.O.C.!!
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Only one week to BB King's NYC for the annual "January" double shot!! It's been a long 7 months since Hoboken - get ready to dial it up Buck! Need to dust off something from way back. Anything from Imaginos?
Me: 175 times since 1980. Hardest touring band ever. |
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The last time I saw BOC I was shocked to hear them play two of my favorites out of the archives "Shooting Shark" and " I Love the Night". You will never be dissappointe d with these guys in concert!!
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I lost count on the times I've seen BOC-but they still play from the heart! Thanks BOC!
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Secret Treaties is at the top - I'm not sure there can be an argument. Not only is it their best, it must be included in rock's top "whatever" list.
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I think that their best album is Agents Of Fortune. I love Blue Oyster Cult, they are one of my most favorite bands ever besides Pink Floyd.
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dhartjes3, You confuse me. First you state that Revolution came out before Treaties which it did not. Treaties came out almost ten years prior. You also say that Treaties is not one of your favorites, but the song you claim is overlooked, "Astronomy", is from Treaties. You may want to re-visit your BOC history.
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Yes they are bringing out the albums remastered now and they
have "Be My Baby" (originally a hit by the The Ronettes) on the new version of SPECTRES. They do a good cover but I have to reply to all the people who oppose the nonlisting of SECRET TREATIES, not one of my favorites,BO C hits it big with THE REVOLUTION BY NIGHT, that comes before SECRET TREATIES. I play "Astronomy" on my local radio station,it is overlooked. |
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Jeff, Chuck, Pete, Tim & I would also agree that Secret Treaties is their best.
Much track weed was consumed to that particular album. We even made our own BOC logo jewelry in metal and ceramics shop and flew a BOC flag from the top of Jeff's garage while imbibing. 1974 was fun. |
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Secret Treaties and Imaginos are the two best BOC Albums. Just ask Susan and her brother, Charles the grinning boy....
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Good thing about BOC is you can play any song randomly from their records and it is good. Its the only band that can repeatedly tap into concepts like space travel, vampires, drugs, without sounding hokey.
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I believe Tyranny and Mutation was their second album - probably around 1974
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I agree with other posters that there are glaring omissions here that need to be mended. Secret Treaties is an obvious example, to which I would add Fire of Unknown Origin and Revolution by Night. The worst omission, however, is the album Imaginos.
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what happened to secret treaties?
saw them last year and were AWESOME!!!!! ! |
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.......hey doug!! ......Michae l Moorcock.... . . . h o w much moor can this group do? ......well.. . . . o k . . . . . . . m o o r cowbell.
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Where's Cultosaurus Erectus ? ? ?
Black Blade, Monsters, Lips In The Hills, etc. |
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Saw them at the Ironhorse Bar in Crystal, Minnesota in 1988. Small venue, and this show blew away any arena concert that I have ever seen.
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Blue Oyster Cult!
One the best Live Concerts! Anyone remember... "Soft White Underbelly" at Queen's Boulavard,Qu e e n s , N Y C ? Saw them In NYC...now I live in Tucson,Arizo n a . Total of 9 times. The BEST Albulm was "Imaginous"! Many other guitarists played in this albulm...IE; Joe Satriani Best Song: Astronomy! Steven King did the backround of that song,Live! in one of the Concerts. I had it in my Computer, but it crashed. Anyone here has that "tape", please email me! wleon714@aol . c o m Again! |
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Saw them with Dio's Sabbath in Detroit in 1981 on the black and blue tour. Greatest show ever! I recommend the DVD.
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One of my all time favorite bands. Their first album was my first album. Cities on Flame is and always was a fave. Highly underrated in my opinion. Two of my favorite albums were Agents of Fortune and Fire of Unknown Origin. My veyr first concert was BOC at the Spectrum in Philly with Foghat as the opener in 1981! Kick-a** show.
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These guys rock, but never took themselves too seriously. Listen to Cities on Flame or 7 Screaming Diz-busters and tell me that they weren't having fun!
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I agree...Wher e is Secret Treaties? Still, this is a great cross section of one of the all time greats!
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I've been a fan since the first BOC album. Inspired me to play electric guitar. One of my favorite bands of all time!
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