A-Z: Blue Öyster Cult

Continuing though the alphabet...

B is for Blue Öyster Cult

BÖC are probably my favourite US band. Their multi-layered sound combined with high wierdness lyrics worthy of Ken Hite makes them a cut above most other hard rock bands from their era. In their 70s peak all five members of the band were songwriters, and most of them also sang, which gave them a hugely varied sound. While they could rock hard, I felt they were always more than just a heavy metal band; even if some diehard metalheads disliked some of their lighter songs. Buck Dharma in particular had (and still has) a knack for catchy pop songs with a darker, more sinister edge to them; their big hit (Don't Fear) The Reaper, perhaps the only song of many people know, is just one of many.

I'd never heard of this band until a friend at university, Mark Huggett, played me the live version of "Astronomy" from the album "Some Enchanted Evening". That song, with it's incredible extended solo at the end, put that album straight to the top of my 'must buy as soon as I can scrape together enough pennies' list. Not long after than, their next studio album, "Cultasaurus Erectus" appeared in the shops. Over the next few years I gradually accumulated all of their back catalogue, as well as buying each new album as it came out. I've even got the "Bad Channels" soundtrack, which has just two actual BÖC songs on it, since the rest is filled with cheese from several forgotten (and deservedly so!) late 80s hair metal acts.

Since they didn't tour Britain that often, I didn't get to see them live until 1988, when they were promoting "Imaginos". It was well worth the wait, and still sticks in my memory as one of the best gigs I've attended. It was also the only time (as far as I know) that they ever played any material from Imaginos live.

They rather faded from sight in the early 90s, and I assumed the band had split. But no, although they didn't release any albums for something like ten years (apart from that Bad Channels soundtrack), they continued touring the US, even if they were now playing clubs rather than enormodomes. In the late nineties they started releasing albums again, and came back to Europe. I've seen them three more times live, a disappointing show in London plagued by equipment problems, a much better show a couple of years later at the same venue, and a superb show in Manchester last year. Each time, the setlist was quite different, a testament to the strength of their extensive back catalogue.

As for that back catalogue, all their albums are good. Their best, in the opinion not only of me, but of most other fans, is their third, Secret Treaties. It's one of those classic albums where every single song is outstanding, without any filler whatsoever. Other favourites are Agents of Fortune (which has their Big Hit Single), or their dark and mysterious debut. If by some strange quirk of fate you've never heard any of their albums, Secret Treaties is a very good place to start. Alternatively, of the many, many compilations of their work, the most complete is the double album "Workshop of the Telescopes", which has almost all their standards, and manages to pick the standout tracks from their uneven late 80s albums.

Long live the Umlaut!