Blue Oyster Cult - 1972-1975

I basically ignored Blue Oyster Cult for the majority of my life. I didn't hear them until Don't Fear The Reaper became a radio phenomenon and then the other radio tracks like Godzilla, Burnin' For You and Joan Crawford. While I admit that Reaper is a classic song...and there are scattered great tracks on their later 70's & early 80's albums...it still kind of feels like the loss of a really cool, experimental band in favor of the more radio-friendly/arena ready band they would become.

Not so with the first 3 studio albums and the monolithic masterpiece of a live album that is "On Your Feet Or On Your Knees".

I really can't think of any other US bands that were doing stuff like "Before The Kiss, A Redcap", "The Subhuman", "7 Screaming Diz-Busters", etc.

There's something so wonderfully tongue-in-cheek about the whole thing, while staying musically serious the entire time. A band not afraid to throw in a little gonzo humor, a little ribbing of fellow "proto-metal" bands and who were musically fearless. Not a slouch musician in the band, the rhythm section was just KILLER. The stream of consciousness lyrics provided by Patti Smith and others helped this along.

People that don't like live albums are really missing something with "On Your Feet...", no overdubs, no studio trickery, just straight-forward KICK ASS rock n roll with all the warts remaining. The energy the band hits on tracks like Buck's Boogie and The Red And Black would put alot of metal bands to shame....

A metal band smart enough to not take themselves too seriously...in a genre overrun by bands doing just that.

I love Blue Oyster Cult and those early albums, especially the first three are all classics in my book. Also the band was not afraid to poke fun at themselves and the genre and sadly younger metal fans who worship at the altar of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc seem to have forgotten about this band and are rarely name checked when speaking of great metal bands of the 70's, even one as successful as B.O.C. where.

Well, B.O.C. is another of those groups that fall between the "categorical cracks". They're not quite metal, not quite just straight ahead rock, not quite a progressive band, not quite a biker rock band...but have elements of all the above (among a variety of other things).

They fit into that "nether-region" of fantastic bands that the media was never quite smart enough to figure out (ala King Crimson, King's X, Voivod)...but the pure music fans and amateur musicians everywhere WORSHIP.

If you like early BOC, check 'em out before they became BOC. Stalk-Forrest Group-St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings, very interesting.

Will do, thanks for the suggestion.

I've also been listening to their later catalog and found some items I like. I'm a bit surprised by how much I enjoyed "Fire Of Unknown Origin" and "Extraterrestial Live" is totally kick ass, with much better live versions of some of these later songs like Black Blade.

I've always been negative towards Fire Of Unknown Origin except for Burnin' For You. I recently listened to it again and I actually like more of the album now but still not one of my fave BOC. I actually enjoy Club Ninja a lot for some odd reason.

I really like the song "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" that was used in Heavy Metal, that's a cool track and a great vocal.

Burnin' For You was never a favorite of mine, it's a good song, but it doesn't sound like BOC at all.

Akeldama wrote:

If you like early BOC, check 'em out before they became BOC. Stalk-Forrest Group-St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings, very interesting.

Is this a bootleg release? I knew they had recorded under the name but my understanding was this album had been buried by their record label who refused to release it

manny wrote:

Akeldama wrote:

If you like early BOC, check 'em out before they became BOC. Stalk-Forrest Group-St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings, very interesting.

Is this a bootleg release? I knew they had recorded under the name but my understanding was this album had been buried by their record label who refused to release it

I have the CD and it was released by Rhino, I'd post the pics but dial-up blows goats.