Easily my favorite band. I've seen these guys 12 times since '86 (the Club Ninja tour}. Even met the band three times. The current line-up includes three of its original members: Eric Bloom, lead vocals, keyboards, stun guitar; Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, lead guitar vocals (lead on "Burnin' For You" and "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", both of which he wrote.); and Allen Lanier, keyboards and guitar. Original drummer Albert Bouchard was fired during The Fire of an Unknown Origin tour. His current replacement is Bobby Rondenelli. Original bass player Joe Bouchard (Albert's brother) quit after the album The Revolution By Night. His current replacement is Danny Miranda. Albert has a new band, The Brain Surgeons and Joe has the X-Brothers.

B.O.C. has a new album, The Curse of the Hidden Mirror due next week on the fifth.

so, any other B.O.Cultists out there?

Here's my take on all the BOC albums:

THE UNTITLED DEBUT: I'm not as big a fan of this as I am of most of the other stuff. Although the playing is excellent, the production is lousy. Apart from "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll" BOC's first really classic song, there's no really memorable songs, although there are several good moments.

TYRANNY AND MUTATION: Now this album is a killer, one of the hardest rocking things ever done by anyone. It sizzles all the way through and contains several apocolyptic tunes sung at a breakneck pace. Awesome.

SECRET TREATIES: While not quite up to the standard of T&M, this album contains many early BOC classics. My favorite is the devastating "Flaming Telepaths", and the totally evil "Career of Evil" and "Harvester of Eyes" provide support.

AGENTS OF FORTUNE: This is the album where BOC supposedly went commercial. It is also usually considered the best BOC album, primarily on the strength of "Don't Fear The Reaper". It also has a few other really good songs, but some filler as well.

SPECTRES: This is actually a more consistent album than AOF, and contains several really good songs in "Death Valley Nights", "Searching For Celine", "Celestial Queen", "Going Through The Motions", and "I Love The Night". None of those songs is really good enough to be a blockbuster, however, and the album's one hit song "Godzilla"'s value is mainly camp.

MIRRORS: I've stated elsewhere that this is my favorite BOC album, because it contains good songs well-written and is the most consistent of their records to date. "In Thee" is one of the band's best songs, and the Michael Moorcock-penned "Sun Jester" is another classic as well.

CULTOSAURUS ERECTUS: Another Moorcock offering, "Black Blade" (based on his Elric novels) is the highlight opener of this one. Although this is far from being the best BOC album, it does hearken at times to the classic sinisterism of the first three records. Indeed, some of the songs on here I found downright scary, particularly "Unknown Tongue".

FIRE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN: This album contains the excellent single "Burning For You" as well as the awesome "Veteran Of The Psychic Wars", but sadly, not much else.

THE REVOLUTION BY NIGHT: Probably has to be considered the weakest BOC album ever, but it doesn't go down without a fight. The opening three tracks, "Take Me Away", "Eyes On Fire", and "Shooting Shark" are all excellent. Productiopn problems hamper this one.

CLUB NINJA: A "comeback" record of sorts, this album is full of awesome songs well-performed for the most part, although a couple of them go on a minute too long. However, the opeinings of "hite Flags", "Dancing In The Ruins", and "Shadow Warrior" will never fail to do it to me.

IMAGINOS: A concept album which sinks under its own weight. Not enough memorable music to justify the storyline (which the original album track order skewers) and uninspired remakes of "The Subhuman" and "Astronomy".

HEAVEN FORBID: The most recent effort, which came nearly a decade after Imaginos. A very good album which updates the band's sound without sacrificing any of its essentials. "X-Ray Eyes" and "See You In Black" are my favorites.

And now my view of the albums.

Blue Oyster Cult (1972)
Originally B.O.C. was a psychedelic band called The Stalk-Forrest Group. The sound is carried over on this, the Cult's debut album. I disagree with Todd. There are some excellent songs on here. The standout cuts for me are "Stairway to the Stars", "Then Came the Last Days of May", "Before the Kiss (A Redcap)", "She's As Beautiful As a Foot" and, "Cities On Flames". "I'm On the Lamb, But I Ain't No Sheep" is the only track to survive the band's days as the Stalk-Forrest Group. It reappears on Tyranny and Mutations as "The Red & The Black".

Tyranny and Mutation (1973)
Surprisingly good for a sophomore effort (most acts have already used their best material on their first albums). This album finds the Oyster Boys getting their musical legs. Highlights include "O.D.'d On Life Itself", "Hot Rails to Hell", "7 Screaming Diz-Busters" and "Mistress of the Salmon Salt (Quickline Girl)".

Secret Treaties (1974)
The prequel to Imaginos. One of the hardest rocking albums the band's done. Seems to be B.O.C.'s favorite, as I've heard everything but "The Subhuman" and "Crazy Cretins" performed live. "Dominance and Submission" is the album's highlight (for anyone who doesn't think B.O.C. is heavy metal, this is the track to play them).

On Your Feet Or On Your Knees (1975)
B.O.C.'s first live album. Notable for being the only album with concert staples "Born To Be Wild" (though they haven't played it in years) and "Buck's Boogie", the group's only instrumental.

Agents of Fortune (1976)
By this time the band members are working on the songs individually. Originally all five would hammer out each of the tunes together, now they each worked separately. A good effort nevertheless. Of course, Buck Dharma's breakout hit, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is on here, but there are other notable cuts; "Morning Final", "E.T.I.", "Debbie Denise" (hilarious if try to picture these guys in the studio trying to keep a straight face while singing "La-la-la"), "This Ain't the Summer of Love", "Tenderloin" and "Tattoo Vampire". Allen Lanier makes his debut as lead vocalist on "True Confessions".

Spectres (1977)
My personal favorite. Lighter and more pop-ish than the previous albums, it's still retains the darkness the band's been known for. "The Golden Age of Leather" is the standout cut on this album. "I Love the Night" and "Nosferatu" are also excellent.

Some Enchanted Evening (1978)
Marks the end of B.O.C.'s second era. (They like using live albums to act as demarcations.) While containing the fewest songs of their live albums, it is still the better of the three.

Mirrors (1979)
Known as Errors to many fans. It actually is a good album. Despite its heavy disco influence "Dr. Music" is good, as are "The Great Sun Jester", "Mirrors", "The Vigil" and "You're Not the One (I Was Looking For)". However, the band members are very much taking a more individualstic approach to the songs.

Cultosaurus Erectus (1980)
Several great songs, but overall not very satisfying. "The Marshall Plan (Here's Johnny)" is very funny. "Hungry Boys" is yet another drug song (yet a personal favorite). "Divine Wind" is a political commentary, I believe (about the Iranian situation it seems). "Monsters" shows the jazz influence Buck and Albert grew up with. "Unknown Tongue" is excellent.

Fire of Unknown Origin (1981)
Three of the songs were written for inclusion on the soundtrack for Heavy Metal. The one that made it ("Veteran Of the Psychic") wasn't one of
the three. This was Blue Oyster Cult's last commercial success, containing two hits, and two other tracks that got significant radio airplay. "Joan Crawford", "Burnin' For You", "Vengeance (The Pact)" are the highlights.

Extraterrestrial Live (1982)
The second best live album. Robbie Krieger cameos on "Roadhouse Blues". (The Doors were a major B.O.C. influence.) Albert Bouchard was fired during this tour and replaced by Rick Downey. Not much else needs to be said.

The Revolution By Night (1983)
I used to really like this one. But my tastes have changed. There are still songs I really like on it. "Shooting Shark" is my second favorite Cult song. As Todd mentioned, "Take Me Away" and "Eyes On Fire" are also good. I'd also add "Shadow of California" and "Light Years of Love". Blue Oyster Cult was only spinning their wheels on this one. This was the first B.O.C. album I bought.

Club Ninja (1986)
By this point, the band was disintegrating. Allen Lanier left because he disliked the quality of the songs. Joe Bouchard would leave the band during this tour. Probably their weakest album. It's redeemed by "Dancin' In the Ruins", "Perfect Water" and "Madness To the Method". Novelist Eric Van Lustbader contributed lyrics to "Shadow Warrior".

Imaginos (1988)
This was originally Albert's solo album. However Columbia wanted it to be a Blue Oyster Cult album, so the other four original members dubbed in their parts. At no time were they all in the studio together for this one. Musically, it is the most metallic of the band's work. Lyrically, it's a disaster. Imaginos was originally meant to be a double album. The removal of songs did not help this record the way The Who's Who's Next was saved by having it's "Lighthouse Elements" removed. It currently is deleted. Albert Bouchard has recorded some of the missing Imaginos songs with his current band, The Brain Surgeons.

Bad Channels (soundtrack) (1992)
B.O.C. provided the music for this Z-movie. This disc also contain tracks by other bands that have never gotten anywhere (for some damned good reasons! They weren't that good. Although, I do think "Manic Depresso" by Sikotik Sinfoney is funny as hell.). Noteworthy for having the first two new Blue Oyster Cult songs in four years. Neither are really all that great though. "The Horsemen Arrive" is better than "Demon's Kiss" however.

Heaven Forbid (1998)
I just about wore my copy out. I think it's excellent! The B.O.3 (it signifies that there are three original band members) are re-energized by the newer members Bobby Rondinelli (drums) and Danny Miranda (bass). Eric, Buck and Allen aren't just cranking out product, they like and believe in these songs and it shows.

Here's hoping The Curse of the Hidden Mirror continues the trend.

Incidentally, a poll taken by the Official Blue Oyster Cult website ranks the albums thus:

1. Secret Treaties
2. Imaginos
3. On Your Feet Or On Your Knees
4. Agents of Fortune
5. Fire of Unknown Origin
6. Cultosaurus Erectus
7. tie Blue Oyster Cult and Tyranny and Mutation
8. Spectres
9. Heaven Forbid
10. E.T.L.
11. Some Enchanted Evening
12. Mirrors
13. tie The Revolution By Night and Club Ninja

Okay, here's my initial review of Blue Oyster Cult new disc, Curse of the Hidden Mirror. I gotta preface this by saying I've only heard the album once, I have not yet listened to it. Please note the distinction. I was busy doing other things when I played it yesterday, so these thoughts of mine are only impressions.

That said, some technical points need to be discussed. First of all, late last year, earlier this year, B.O.C. held a contest on their website to name the new album. Nobody won. The original title was Manic Aggressive. The title Curse of the Hidden Mirror refers back to a song that was part of their repertoire when they were The Stalk-Forrest Group.

Buck Dharma is once again the album's producer. Eric Bloom is the Associate Producer. There are 11 songs on Curse. Except for Allen Lanier, all B.O.C. band members got a song-writer's credit. John Shirley again handles most of the lyrics writing. However, J. Travers ("Sun Jester", "Sole Survivor", "After Dark", etc.) co-wrote "Showtime" with Eric. The real surprise is that Richard Meltzer co-wrote "Stone of Love" with Buck. In his book, Gulcher, Meltzer indicates there's bad blood between him and Buck. Seems Meltzer was owed royalty from his lyricist stint on "Burnin' For You". Guess he got over it.

So, how is it? The opening track is "Dance On Stilts", a bluesy song by Buck (and the album's longest cut). It's pretty good. However, the next two cuts, "Showtime" and "The Old Gods Return" weren't that good.

Then comes "Pocket", the new single. It kicks ass! From this point on, Curse hits its stride, and it's a good run. Of special note are "I Just Like to Be Bad" (with a title like that, I knew it'd be good!), "Out of Darkness" and "Stone of Love".

Curse of the Hidden Mirror is more melodic, maybe even more pop, than its predecessor Heaven Forbid. It is definitely more experimental. I suspect Danny Miranda and Bobby Rondinelli, the new guys, are responsible for that. Still, the album is definably Blue Oyster Cult.

The musicianship is up to par (and then some). Give me three or four runs through it, and I may come to like it even better.

Unlike Heaven Forbid, Curse does not have the lyrics in it. Nor any pictures of the band.

So far, I'd give it either a B+, or A-.

Happy birthday to B.O.C.'s keyboardist/guitarist Allen Lanier!

Tomorrow the first four Blue Oyster Cult studio albums will be reissued with four bonus cuts each. I'll start hopping on them Wednesday.

I'll post an updated review of Curse of the Hidden Mirror asap.

Ya' know, BOC and Dinosaur band are synonymous. A very good example of a REAL Spinal Tap.

David, didja hear wot he said? He said we're not the real Spinal Tap.

What? Of co'rse we're the real Spinal Tap, Nige. Who.. who said that?

Him. Over there. The funny lookin' chap. Slut butt.

Slu- Slut Butt? *laughs* Nigel that's not a real name. Nobody's name is "Slut Butt".

Well, I dunno. I mean, it's wot he said his name was. Do ya, do ya know who he said was the real Spinal Tap.

No. Who?

No. No! Not the bleedin' Who. No mate, he said Bach was the real Spinal Tap. Can ya believe that? Bach. I mean he's been dead for wot, a thousand years? I don't think he played electric either.

He didn't play "electric". Electric wot? D'you mean guitar? Oh please Nige. Look. He's obviously one...one...one of those crazy people. You, you shouldn't listen to people like that. You know how confused you get.

Well, yeah, I know. It's just that he...

Nigel. Look we don't have time for this, do we? Don't... Look you don't need to pay attention to whatever Slut Butt, Slum Bum, Slim Jim or whatever his name is, do you? Now, c'mon. We've gotta rehearse. We've got a show tonight.

Alright.

*Pause*

Are we opening for the puppet show again tonight?

No! We're not opening for some bleedin' puppet show tonight!

No, Nigel's right. That's the name of the band we're opening for, The Puppet Show. I think they do a Metallica set.

I am making tentative plans to see BOC this August at a local club!

B.O.C. was supposed to play Richardson back in May. Unfortunately, they changed venues. The change resulted in their being the opening act. They opened for a kid named Joe Stark, who opened for Survivor, who opened for Billy Squier, who opened for Bad Company. Headlining this bill was Styx (or what's passing itself off as Styx nowadays). I didn't go. I went to see The Go Go's instead. B.O.C., according to the Dallas Morning News performed only "The Big Three": "Burnin' For You", "Godzilla" and "The Reaper".

In case you do go, you'll hear an instrumental before they hit the stage. It took me years to learn what that song was. It's "Blade Runner End Titles" by Vangelis.

The first four B.O.C. studio albums have been re-issued this week. They all have four bonus tracks on them. I bought Blue Oyster Cult today. The bonus tracks on it are demos the band recorded for Columbia Records when they were The Soft White Underbelly. these represent some of the earliest Cult recordings.

I don't think they'll be any danger of the Cult having a truncated set at this show. The club they are playing at here in Northern Virginia, Jaxx, books classic rock acts on a regular basis and has local bands open for them. They draw big names and I have to consider them the best local concert venue. I saw Uriah Heep there last week and will see Asia there on the eleventh. Those two together already make this the greatest concert-going summer I could have hoped for and BOC would just be icing on the cake.

Okay, time for a second opinion of B.O.C.'s newest disc, Curse of the Hidden Mirror.

I like it. But it's not great. I haven't played it over and over the way I did Heaven Forbid. Call it a case of sophomore slump. Oh yeah, I know, this is hardly Blue Oyster Cult's second album.

Well... In a way it is. Before Heaven Forbid, the Cult's last album was 1988's Imaginos. There's a ten year gap there between the two records. The thing is, Imaginos was really Albert Bouchard's solo album. The other members of Blue Oyster Cult were added on. It's a Blue Oyster Cult album, because Columbia Records said it had to be. That makes Club Ninja the true B.O.C. album before HF. That's a twelve year gap. So in a sense, when the Oyster Boys released HF, they were starting over.

This is why I almost never took Heaven out of the CD player when I first got it. It had been too damned long since a new album had come out.

Heaven has another advantage over Hidden Mirror. At least three of the songs had been performed live by the Cult since 1992. In other words, they had time to hone "See You In Black", "Harvest Moon" and "Still Burnin'". "In Thee" was a remake of one of the earlier tracks. So again, they were on familiar ground.

This is definitely not the case with Curse of the Hidden Mirror. These songs were still new to the band when they entered the studio. They had not had the chance to fine tune these songs. I think as a result, some cuts are longer than they should be. I also think that a little woodshedding with them might have made the tracks stronger.

Still, it is a good album. I get many of the songs stuck in my mind quite a bit. It just doesn't have the extra something that will keep drawing me back to it. Maybe I just need to play it some more.

If anyone's interested, Buck Dharma has some free "Are you in the pocket of the moment"/Curse of the Hidden Mirror bumper stickers. Just send a self-addressed stamped envelope to

Dharma
P.O. Box 6145
Fairburn, NJ 07701.

I got mine today. In fact, I wound up getting two of them!

Also of interest to Cultophiles: Back in the Seventies, Marvel Comics had a series called The Defenders. (Yes, it has recently been revived.) Issues #58, 59, & 60 all make a large number of references to Blue Oyster Cult. Issues #58 and 60 are dedicated to them. The story titles are respectively, "Agents of Fortune", "Tyranny & Mutation" and "The Revenge of Vera Gemini" (who's the villainess). B.O.C. even makes a cameo in #60. The story is dopey, but if you're a B.O.C. fan, it's fun to find all the B.O.C. references.

Anybody know what the backmasking on "You're Not The One I Was Looking For" on Mirrors says?

It's not backmasking. It's the Lord's Prayer sped up considering. Allegedly, this is something the producer, Tom Werman, threw in. B.O.C. claims not to have anything to do with it. If you want to learn some other stuff like that, go http://www.members.aol.com/bocfaqman. I learned a lot about Blue Oyster Cult from that site.

Buck Dharma's solo album also features the sound of a ping-pong game being played backwards.

Well, I had to miss the boys this time around because I went on an out of town trip. They'll be back, though, and I'll catch 'em next time round.

Ah man. Well I skipped their show this year, too. For reasons given earlier. The closest The Oyster Boys are coming to Dallas later this year is either El Paso or South Padre Island. Sigh. Oh well, in two weeks The Monkees'll be in Grand Prairie (close enough). I've got that at least. Besides, last month on Rockline, Eric Bloom said they were planning on releasing a live DVD. Yay!

Well, it looks as if I didn't miss the show after all. I just checked the Jaxx page and apparently BOC canceled the August date and have tentatively rescheduled for some time in October.

Where are you? You can check www.blueoystercult.com and get tour info there. I believe Eric Bloom's the one who posts them. Now the closest they're coming to Dallas is San Antonio. Close, but no ciggie.

Meanwhile House of Blues website (www.hob.com) has a live concert of B.O.C. available for viewing. I haven't had the chance to watch it yet. The site contains several other artists as well.

Boy, this has been the year for Blue Oyster Cult albums! First, the legendary Stalk Forrest-Group is officially released. Then an all new B.O.C. disc, Curse of the Hidden Mirror. That's followed by the reissue of the first four studio albums, remastered with bonus tracks. And now, this week we get Tales of the Psychic Wars, a two disc live album. The songs are from the 1981 and 1983 tours. Can't wait to get my own copy of it!

Okay, I'm now planning to see BOC on Friday, 10/26.

So,that means you're in or near Springfield, VA, eh, Todd?

Yeah . . . Fairfax.

So, Todd, did you go to the show? How was it? Did they do "Divine Wind"? Any Stalk-Forrest Group songs?

Thanks to eBay, I've just gotten a copy of the movie Black and Blue. It was pretty cool seeing it finally. That was the first time I had ever seen the mechanical Godzilla B.O.C. used to perform with. (Not to mention seeing Eric ride his bike on stage as they started "Born to Be Wild".)

I've also have gotten a couple of B.O.C. bootlegs, and have finally gotten the new Tales of the Psychic Wars double disc set. Haven't played any of them yet, though.

Some of the lastest news on B.O.C., if anyone's interested:

Eric Bloom will soon have his own website up and running (Buck Dharma's is already up and even has a message board). The address is www.ericbloom.com

On the 24th of this month, Blue Oyster Cult will be releasing their fourth official live album (neither Live 1976 or Tales From the Psychic Wars are considered official). The album will be called A Long Day's Night. It was recorded in June at the Navy Skyline Pier in Chicago. B.O.C. annually plays the Navy Pier and it is in tribute to this venue that the set was recorded. (I've had the pleasure of seeing B.O.C. at the Pier in '95.) The CD's set list will be

1. "Stairway to the Stars"
2. "Burnin' For You"
3. "OD'd On Life Itself"
4. "E.T.I. (Extraterrestrial Intelligence)"
5. "Dance On Stilts"
6. "Harvester of Eyes"
7. "Buck's Boogie"
8. "Quicklime Girl (Mistress of Salmon Salt)"
9. "Flaming Telepaths"
10. "Harvest Moon"
11. "Then Came the Last of May"
12. "Cities On Flames (With Rock and Roll)"
13. "ME 262"
14. "Astronomy"
15. "Perfect Water"
16. "Lips In the Hill"
17. "Godzilla"
18. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"
19. "Dominance and Submission"
20. "The Red and the Black"

Looks like a pretty good setlist to me. (Though I would have liked to have seen more Curse of the Hidden Mirror cuts on it.)

The CD will be followed by a DVD/VHS of the same show. The film will not, however, have "Astronomy" on it. The DVD of A Long Day's Night will be released on October 8th. The DVD will have interviews with the band and fans, as well as soundstage and backstage footage.

Also on October 8th, at long last, the concert film, Black and Blue will be issued on DVD for the first time. The movie, which also features the Ronnie James Dio lead version of Black Sabbath, has been out of print since the early Eighties.

(Thanks to Melne, webmaster of B.O.C.,'s website, www.blueoystercult.com, for providing the info.)

n.p. - Capitol Collector's Series Grand Funk Railroad (It's a greatest hits package. I'll be seeing them and Blue Oyster Cult next Saturday. Yay!)

What happened to the BOC remasters? They seem to have stopped at Agents. When are we going to get the remasters and bonus tracks for Spectres, Mirrors, Cultasouras and Fire?

I wish I knew. I've been waiting for them myself. The last album releases mentioned on the B.O.C. website are The Essentials (yet another Greatest Hits package of the classic Cult era. What? Wasn't Don't Fear the Reaper: The Best of Blue Oyster Cult enough?) And then there's Then & Now, a compilation of recent "hits" from their last two studio albums. (A bit premature, doncha think?)

By the way, there's going to be a benefit concert for the victims of Great White's infamous Rhode Island concert. B.O.C. will be among the acts performing. For a complete listing of who's performing at the "Night of Healing" concert on April 22nd, just go to http://207.68.164.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=061a7cec8842a792287c007b40650690&lat=1050456256&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2eturnto10%2ecom%2fclubfire%2f2087762%2fdetail%2ehtml

Here's an enlightening interview with drummer Albert Bouchard on the making of the Fire Of Unknown Origin album.

http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/classic%20trax%20boc.htm

Thanks Todd! I've read the other interviews that site has conducted with Eric, Buck and Joe Bouchard. I'm gonna be very interested in reading this one. It was during the Fire tour that Albert was fired from Blue Oyster Cult, so this could be very interesing.

"It's all one song" - Neil Young (I plan to use this as a signature for my Music boards posts.)

np - The Long Run - the Eagles

Not much of an interview really, was it? Still, Albert's comments on the tracks for Fire of Unknown Origin was enlightening. Thanks, Todd!

Well, Benn, I see that our respective favorite all-time bands have teamed up and are currently touring together in Germany. Quite a bill, too bad they can't bring that show over to this side of the pond!

Actually, make that were on tour together. The final show was last Friday, judging by the tourdates listed on the websites for both acts. And yeah, it is a shame the tour hasn't been extended to the States.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

The two bands toured the U.S. together way back in the summer of 1975(!) They also shared billing for a New Year's Eve concert 1977 in Richfield, Ohio. In December 1993, they previously toured Germany together on a monster festival package that also included Girlschool, Wishbone Ash and Molly Hatchet.

I've been poring through Martin Popoff's just recently published, incredible book "The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal (Vol. 1 The Seventies.)" This guy knows his stuff, and it contains detailed reviewed of every (and I mean every) hard rock record released during the decade. Although I don't agree with his assesment of some albums, I take my hat off to him for his comprehensive coverage and knowledge. This is the best and most complete record guide I think I've ever seen.

Of course, Popoff gives extensive treatment to Blue Oyster Cult. What's funny is, he actually AGREES with me that the much maligned Mirrors was the Cult's best album of the seventies!! He even ranks it as the number 19 heavy metal album of the seventies on his list of 100.

Other BOC albums on Popoff's top 100: Spectres (20), Agents of Fortune (34), and Secret Treaties (54).

Well, it seems that Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser is moving from his home in New Jersey. As part of the move, he's selling some of his personal items. They're up for bidding on eBay. And yes, I am bidding on one of the items. Unbelievably, I'm the current high bidder. The auctions end this Wednesday. (I'd love to get the Backpacker guitar, but there's no way in hell I could afford it.)

"Music is a world within itself and a language we all understand."

More cowbell!

LOL

Well, in addition to the eBay auctions, Buck and his wife, Sandy, have some other items up for bid on Buck's own website. To check out the items go here: Buck Dharma Garage Sale. Additionally, on eBay is this, Buck's couch. It's worth looking at, if only to see the Roesers' dog.

"Music is a world within itself and a language we all understand."

Son
of
a
b1tch!

I won.

I'm actually going to get something that was owned by the lead guitarist of my favorite band! It'll be autographed by Buck, too.

(What I won was an entry mat that a fan made for Buck years ago. It has the letters "B. Ö. C." embossed on it, and Buck's autograph on the reverse side.)

Can't wait to get it. Now I've gotta figure out where to put it...

np - Mexican Moon - Concrete Blonde

"Music is a world within itself and a language we all understand."

Well, first of all, I've got my B.Ö.C. floor mat. Very proud to have it. Also, from Buck's online "garage sale", I won a B.Ö.C. button. Buck sent an autograph with it.

Now on to other B.Ö.C. news. Got this bit of info from an email I get from the band's website:

" NEW BOC BOOK PUBLISHED

"Here is the press release:

****** ****** ******

"Blue Öyster Cult: Secrets Revealed!
By Martin Popoff
(200p., Metal Blade Records, ISBN 022334435-4)

"Blue Öyster Cult: 35 years in the biz, six gold and platinum U.S. albums,
classic trax like '(Don't Fear) The Reaper', 'Godzilla', 'Burnin' For You',
'Astronomy' and 'E.T.I.' Indeed, Donald 'Buck Dharma' Roeser, Eric Bloom, Allen
Lanier, Albert Bouchard and Joe Bouchard comprised one of the great stadium
acts of the '70s and '80s. BOC were heavy metal enough to duke it out with
Kiss, Rush, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent and Black Sabbath, yet smart, funny,
ironic and jaded enough to please the tough New York critics, of which more
than a couple mingled within their ranks.

"Martin Popoff: has written seven books on heavy metal and one on southern
rock. He is the Senior Editor of Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, and also
contributes to Guitar World, Lollipop, Goldmine, Record Collector, Classic
Rock, Chart, Brazil's Roadie Crew, bravewords.com, chartattack.com and
hardradio.com. Born and raised in Trail, British Columbia, Martin went on to
complete an MBA, work for Xerox, then co-own a graphic design and print
brokering firm, before becoming a full-time rock critic in 1998, part time
since 1994. He currently resides in Toronto.

"Blue Öyster Cult: Secrets Revealed!: This 200-page book is not a biography
as such, but a biography of the band's albums, a canon of work Martin calls
one of the finest in rock, and truly superlative on the lyrical front.
Indeed, Martin, in radio, print and TV interviews, has consistently called
the band's lyrics the best in the business, tied with those of Captain
Beefheart and Pye Dubois (Max Webster, Kim Mitchell).

"The book examines the complicated early days of the band, graphically
demonstrating the show biz sweat that goes into making an act an act. The
majority of the book however is centred around the peerless intellectual
quality of the songs, a quality made entertaining by the band's psychotropic
and ghoulish humor, and by its interest in all manner of conspiracy
theories, cults, monsters, vampires, UFO tales, foul play, arcane
spiritualism, alchemy, love lost and love buried, science fiction and
science friction.

"Along the way, Martin talks (in some cases numerous times) with Buck, Eric,
Albert and Joe, along with new drummer Bobby Rondinelli, legendary producer
of the band Murray Krugman and BOC expert Bolle Gregmar. For insight into
the band's fantastic lyrical world, Martin went right to the source, the
penners of BOC classics. Some of the best insights into creativity Martin's
ever heard - through 900 interviews as metal's most widely recognized
journalist - came from Sandy Pearlman (also the band's manager during the
golden years), Richard Meltzer, Helen Wheels, David Roter and John Shirley,
along with cover artists Greg Scott and Ioannis. Helen Wheels and David
Roter are since deceased; Martin's chats with them are among their last
interviews.

"The result is a 'biography' pointedly about what matters the most - the
recorded documents, the works, the masterwerks. Indeed, each chapter bears
the title of a BOC record, because that's what you get in the chapter -
detailed, track by track analysis about the music and the lyrics (not to
mention some of the personal stuff swirling around the sessions).

"Blue Öyster Cult: Secrets Revealed! zestfully fulfills the mandate set out
by Martin at the onset, a mandate that Martin has always felt to be the mark
of a good rock bio - it sends you scampering back to your CDs and LPs for a
second and third and fourth, very detailed, listen, one that results in new
appreciation for the genius of the artist examined.


"Martin Popoff Bibliography:
Riff Kills Man! 25 Years Of Recorded Hard Rock & Heavy Metal (1993),
The Collector1s Guide To Heavy Metal (1997),
Goldmine Heavy Metal Records Price Guide (2000),
Heavy Metal: 20th Century Rock And Roll (2000)
Southern Rock Review (2001).
The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs Of All Time (2003),
The Collector1s Guide To Heavy Metal - Volume 1: The Seventies (2003),
The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums Of All Time (2004).

****** ****** ******


"How do you get this book? well, read on, here is the information from the
author, Mr. Martin Popoff himself:

+++++

"I can take orders now on the BOC book! All books bought through me will be
signed by me to YOU, so please let me know if they are for someone else.
Here's the deal:

"Price including shipping:
US orders: $22.00 US funds
Int'l orders (surface mail): $24.00 US funds
Int'l orders (air mail): $30.00 US funds
Canadian orders: $27 Canadian funds

"Send payment to (personal check in US funds is fine):
Martin Popoff
P.O. Box 65208, 358 Danforth Ave.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M4K 2Z2

"PayPal also now accepted.
Pay to martinp@inforamp.net

"Or email to martinp@inforamp.net with any questions, or peer into
www.martinpopoff.com at your metal convenience. Also at my site, you can
find details on my other six available books: 20th Century Rock And Roll:
Heavy Metal, The Collector1s Guide To Heavy Metal - Volume 1: The Seventies,
The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs Of All Time, Goldmine Heavy Metal Record Price
Guide and Southern Rock Review and The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums Of All
Time."

I have got to get that book!

np - Instrumentally - various artists (my double disc set of my favorite instrumentals)

"Music is a world within itself and a language we all understand."

Wow, that sounds like a book I'd like to have too.

Martin Popoff is the world's greatest living expert on the history of heavy metal, maybe of hard rock period. I highly recommend his "Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal", see my earlier post on this board for 12/31/03.

I was talking with Snickerdoodle on AIM when he brought up the story that B.Ö.C got their from an anagram of Cully Stout Beer. (I've seen two variations of this story. In one it is Richard Meltzer, a future lyricist and producer for the band, and band manager, Sandy Pearleman who come up with the anagram. In another, it's lead singer, Eric Bloom. In both tales, no one is quite sober.) It makes a great story, but there's one problem. As far as I can tell, the brand does not, nor has it ever existed. Can anyone confirm this? The closest I can come to finding a picture of Cully Stout Beer is here: Cully Stout Beer keg. (You'll have to scroll down.)

So, was there ever a Cully Stout Beer brand?

np - Equal Scary People - Sara Hickman

"Music is a world within itself and a language we all understand."

Well, B.Ö.C. is looking for a drummer and bass player. Seems drummer Bobbi Rondinelli and bassist Danny Miranda have decided to leave the band after being with them these last several years. No permanent replacements have been announced for the now former band members who've appeared on the albums Heaven Forbid, Curse of the Hidden Mirror and A Long Day's Night. I'm gonna miss Danny. He was such a great presence in the band. Lot of fun to watch on stage. Both he and Bobby (whom I've had the opportunity to meet) are excellent musicians. Good luck to the Öyster Boys in finding suitable replacements for them. And good luck and thanks to Bobby and Danny!

"Music is a world within itself and a language we all understand."

So, was there ever a Cully Stout Beer brand?
- Benn

I just noticed the post above, Benn, and while I can't offer anything definitive I'll offer up what I can. I grew up on Long Island in the 70's and have absolutely no recollection of that particular brand. Granted, it may have been a defunct brand by the time that I started paying attention but I have also never come across any reference to it from any contact that I have had with the local brewing community, some of whom are published researchers. Supposedly this 'anagram event' took place in Oyster Bay so you'd think that the beer was available there fairly recently (early 70's- which is really not that long ago in terms of local beer lore). The next time I talk to some of these guys I'll make it a point to ask about it, though.

When we grew up it was pretty much accepted that the band's name came from the wild Blue Point oysters that were available in Oyster Bay at the time. That may have been just an assumption, though, but we did consider them to be 'hometown boys'.

---

As an aside, I just had to respond to this statement from the Cully Stout Keg link:

The name seems to make no sense, as a stout is not a beer, nor is a beer a stout.

Dude- get your facts straight before you publish something. That's an annoyingly ignorant statement grummmmble...

Yeah, I've read the Blue Point oysters origin in a book some years back and have always accepted it as the origin of the Cult's name. Then Snick brought up the Cully Stout Beer tale. I suspect that the truth is the name (Blue Öyster Cult) was thought up first, then Eric (their lead singer) or Sandy (the band's manager) or Richard Meltzer (a lyricist for the group) came up with the Cully Stout Beer anagram.

Thanks for the information and any other you turn up, though.

np - Natural Disasters - Blue Öyster Cult

"Music is a world within itself and a language we all understand."

Well, I finally got myself a copy of Blue Öyster Cult Secrets Revealed! And I've just started reading it. Soon as I finish reading it, I'll let you know what I think of it.

np - Blue Öyster Cult - Blue Öyster Cult (Of course.)

"Music is a world within itself and a language we all understand."

According to Joe Bouchard on page 15 of the book the true origin of the name of the band is as follows:

"The true story is that Sandy (Pearlman, the group's original manager) wrote a poem, 'The Soft Doctrine of Imaginos' that was part of the Imaginos song cycle. I guess he wrote it when he was going to graduate school, Brown University. And he dreamed up this whole Imaginos thing and that was one of the songs. So it's nothing to do with the anagram story. (Cully Stout Beer)."

Buck notes on page 16, "We got a contract, we did the first record and decided on the Cult name about a week later. We had about eight names. We couldn't agree. But that was par for the course. We're not really the same kind of guys at all. We never agree on anything. So a couple of names we were considering were Big Bullet, The Santos Sisters, The Night Wailing: Scumbags was proposed. We had to sign the contract the next day, so we said to Sandy, "OK, pick something. 'The Blue Oyster Cult'. The what? It turned out to be the name of one of Sandy's songs, which eventually became 'Subhuman'." ("Subhuman", of course was reworked into the song, "Blue Öyster Cult" for the Imaginos album.)

Just for the record, I'm just about finished reading about Secret Treaties. So far, despite numerous typos, this has been a damned good book. I'm glad I got it.

"Music is a world within itself and a language we all understand."

Finally, the "Spectres" remaster. FINALLY.

Yeah, I've got it. I like all of the bonus tracks except "Please Hold". I dunno, maybe if I give it a few more plays it'll grow on me.

I should also mention that Some Enchanted Evening has also been remastered and re-released. In addition to bonus tracks, it includes a concert DVD. Unfortunately, the concert does not contain "The Reaper" or "Godzilla". Still, it's a nice documentation of what Blue Oyster Cult's shows were like in the late '70s.

np - "The New Timer" - Bruce Springsteen

Did they ever do a remaster for "On Your Feet or On Your Knees"?

Nope. 'Fraid not. But then, supposedly, SEE is B.O.C.'s biggest selling album.

Benn, you could probably answer this gentleman's question:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/discussionboard/cd/discussion.html/ref=cm_cd_ef_tft_tp/104-6623272-6149557?ie=UTF8&cdForum=Fx27W1S3VWL232L&cdItems=25&cdAnchor=B0001WPSIQ&asin=B0001WPSIQ&cdThread=Tx104BFG5OACTB5

Well, I answered it as best as I could. Follow your link, Todd, and and you'll see my response.

np - "Tear You Apart" - She Wants Revenge

For those who do not know, three bands have done "Reaper" covers. And they are really good!

Big Country-Scottish rock.

Apollo 440-English techno/electronica.

HIM-I don't know anything about them.

Check them out!

Three? The Mutton Birds and Gus have also covered the song. R.E.M. has performed it live. Then there's the Goo Goo Dolls's version, not to mention versions by Thanatos, Clint Ruin and Lydia Lunch and Heaven 17, among others.

HIM (His Infernal Majesty) is a Finnish goth rock band. I like them. They did an excellent version of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game".

Just a note to let folks know - the Blue Oyster Cult History project over on the Hot Rails site is on the lookout for people's BOC gig stories so if you've got a tale to tell - or even just some information to fill in that may be currently missing (such as support band details, venue info etc) - then please get in touch.

URL: http://www.hotrails.co.uk

Just to let you know, Benn, I was not aware that so many bands had done covers of Don't Fear The Reaper. I only knew of three, and I liked two of them.

Usually, in the last 20 years when I heard a song that I liked, I would be surprised later when I would hear the original version of the song. I'd be like, I didn't know that song wasn't the original, I had no idea it was a cover!

Most of the time, I either like the original better, or I like the cover better. Rarely do I like both versions. But with both Big Country and Apollo 440's covers of Reaper, I like both versions!

Guess what, Benn? I just found out that Oingo Boingo covered Don't Fear The Reaper too!

I would still like to hear the Goo Goo Dolls version. My favorite cover so far is the one by Big Country. I really miss that band, Rest In Peace, Stuart Adamson!