BOC are one of my all time favorite bands and their first three LPs are among their best imo. Astronomy is actually my favorite song ever. Pure audial perfection.

In 1975, after the hugely successful "Secret Treaties", the group released their first official live album, "On Your Feet Or On Your Knees" on Columbia Records.

The first BOC album to crack the top 40, "On Your Feet..." is one of the best live albums of all time. I won't do my usual track-by-track review since I've already talked about most of these songs, so I'll just give a general overview. The band sounds great, and every bit as good as they do in the studio. Eric Bloom's interaction with the crowd is also quite entertaining. The whole disc is great, featuring mostly heavier renditions of songs from their first three studio efforts, but a certain few songs stand out to me. The epic version of "Subhuman" is a highlight, and the cover of Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" is cool, and "Then Came The Last Days of May", my favorite song on the album, is a SERIOUSLY creepy version of a song off of the debut. As usual, Buck Dharma tears it up on this album.

A fantastic live show from the Blue Oyster boys, capturing them at their peak. I've never gotten a chance to see them live, but from the sound of this record, I'm missing out on a lot.

...keep going...

I generally hate live albums; why pay money to hear "cheering" when you already have the band's entire discography?

There are rare exceptions like Bob Seger's "Live Bullet" but for me, I usually don't buy my favorite band's live albums because I already own everything by them.

Bring on "Agents Of Fortune".

From that point on, I'll be posting here constantly.

I have always LOVED live albums, in fact I never feel like I really "know" a band until I either see them or hear some live recordings. It completes the puzzle for me.

In my mind, the best bands are the ones that are generally BETTER live than on their studio albums. The groups that don't sound so great in concert slip a few notches on my "respect meter".

I am a huge fan of live albums and this album is so exception. In the era of live albums where bands reputation were being enhanced by live recordings (KISS, Humble Pie, Ted Nugent, Peter Frampton to name a few) this also provided to be the case for Blue Oyster Cult.

This album captured the live energy and spontaneity that was sometimes missing from the studio recordings, these live recordings also spot light what an excellent guitarist Buck Dharma is and why critics and fellow guitar geeks where pouring over their thesaurus in order to find new ways to praise his tone and technique.

good live album

Secret Treaties - I actually like this album the least of the first 3, hard to describe why...but I don't really think the songwriting is quite up to par. There are some great songs, particularly Subhuman and Astronomy. But for whatever reason some of this album sounds intentionally "gimmicky" to me. The humor is still there, but not quite as sharp as the previous two.

On Your Feet Or On Your Knees - Excellent live album, as snoopy mentioned quite a few of the tracks are heavier on this album than the studio versions. Since this early material is my favorite BOC stuff, this album is a nice summation of that era of their career. It's worth buying for the track "Buck's Boogie" alone....

Riding the success of "Secret Treaties" and "On Your Feet...", Blue Oyster Cult released their most successful album yet, "Agents of Fortune" in 1976.

"Don't Fear The Reaper", the lead single from the album, would propel "Agents of Fortune" to platinum status and would become one of the best and most famous rock songs of all time. Still, the rest of the album was quite good, and contained several forgotten BOC classics.

The opener "This Ain't the Summer of Love" is the 2nd most well known song here. It's a great one too, with a pounding three-chord guitar riff, smooth vocals from the one and only Eric Bloom, and a short but satisfying solo from Mr. Dharma. Actually, that's a good way to describe the song; short but satisfying.

"True Confessions" is sung by keyboardist-rhythm guitarist Allen Lanier. I really don't like this song very much. Sounds too much like a Rolling Stones reject for my tastes, but it's not horrible. The short saxophone solo is a nice touch.

Next up is the iconic "Don't Fear the Reaper". What is there to say about this song that hasn't been said a million times? The planets really lined up for this one. Everything about this song is just perfect, the beautifully creepy vocals, the short guitar fills leading up to one of the most epic solos in history, and the sweet sweet cowbell. A lot of people diss this tune for the lyrics, interpreting them as pro-suicide, but really it's just about love that can survive beyond death and prosper throughout time. Anyway, just a beautiful song and deserving of all the respect it gets.

"E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) is a great song, with very heavy guitar and a killer chorus. The only thing that's kind of weird is the production on this one. It really sounds more like a demo than a studio track. Despite that, I really love the vocal harmonies and the background guitar fills. Speaking of guitar, this song contains one of Buck's coolest solos.

"The Revenge of Vera Gemini" starts off with a spoken word intro by Patti Smith, and then turns into an almost Pink Floyd-like space rock song that would have fit perfectly on any of the first three BOC albums. Albert Bouchard and Patti Smith do a cool duet, proving what a great vocalist the band had in Albert. The organ and bass make this song. They really make the song very creepy and surreal, which is what Blue Oyster Cult do best.

"Sinful Love" is another Albert Bouchard song, and is not that far off from the previous one. I love the chorus on this one. I guess I'm a sucker for those high harmonies. The one-note-played-over-and-over-again piano riff is something I usually hate, but it works here, complementing the guitar very nicely.

"Tattoo Vampire" is my favorite song on here. The guitar and drums would send Tony Iommi and Bill Ward running for the hills with their badass simplicity and crunchy tone. The chorus is a monster too, with damn creepy imagery and haunting background vocals. ...but the best part comes in at the end of the guitar solo. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA :metal:

"Morning Final" is the lone Joe Bouchard song here. I kinda have mixed feeling about this one. Sometimes I love it, and sometimes it drives me up the walls. I think it's the keyboards that do it, as they make the song sound a bit watered down. Still, a good song. It's got a mellow, kind of psychedelic vibe to it while still maintaining BOC's signature creepiness.

Next we have "Tenderloin", the obligatory cocaine song. I love the way the guitars and keyboards work together on this one, and if you can manage to hear the bass, it's got a very cool groove to it. Just a 'meh' song for me.

"Debbie Denise" closes the album in a very weird way. This sounds like a sodomized version of some Beatles song. Not that it's bad, it just sounds nothing like Blue Oyster Cult. Albert Bouchard and Patti Smith once again lend their voices to this track. A rather lukewarm ending.

So that's "Agents of Fortune". It peaked at a very respectable #29 on the Billboard charts, and yielded their biggest hit ever. Overall, I find the album to be a bit spotty, but I still say it's good, and contained some forgotten Blue Oyster Cult gems.

YES, YES, YES!!!!!

This album rules! I even learned to appreciate Debbie Denise upon repeated listens. My favorite track off this one is Tattoo Vampire but Morning Final is a close second ("Paper Mistah?")

Actually, aside from Debbie Denise which I think is just OK, this whole album rules!

Agents Of Fortune is a classic. Awesome from beginning to end. My faves are (Don't Fear) The Reaper (needs more cowbell), E.T.I. and Sinful Love.

A classic album from Blue Oyster Cult from beginning to end, from the opener 'This Aint the Summer of Love' to even the closer 'Debbie Denise'

My favorite songs on this album are 'E.T.I.' 'The Revenge of Vera Gemini' and 'Sinful Love', how can you not love with a chorus like:


Dare devil, She Devil, printer's devil, evil
I love you like Sin but I won't be your pigeon.

Agents is definitely a good album with a memorable cover (same artist who did the cover for Heaven And Hell btw).

If you were listening to the radio in the late 70's you couldn't get away from Don't Fear The Reaper, it was on constant rotation and was one of my favorite songs. I got this record probably around the time I was 8. Anyway, haven't owned it in years but it was fun revisiting.

I still think I prefer the earlier BOC sound, some of the experimental nature was set aside and that's the part I really enjoyed. However, Reaper is a classic song with one of the most memorable guitar solos of all-time...and other tracks like E.T.I. and Tattoo Vampire are great.

The album from this era I like the best is probably Spectres.

every stoner kid who lived in the canyon where I grew up and down in the highlands of Berdoo owned this album

At this point, Blue Oyster Cult were at the peak of their popularity, and in the midst of their success, they released "Spectres" in 1977.

"Spectres" followed mostly the same formula that "Agents of Fortune" did, striking a balance between the heavy metal side and the surreal, spacey side. The group had been toying with this formula since their debut, but I think that they finally found the equilibrium they were looking for on this album.

The opening song, "Godzilla" is one of Blue Oyster Cult's best and most famous song. Just hearing that opening guitar riff, you know that you're about to get your ass kicked. With some cool lyrics about (duh) Godzilla, Eric Bloom's distinctive voice, a great drum and bass groove, and a slew of fiery guitar fills from Buck. A fantastic way to open the album.

"Golden Age Of Leather" opens with a boys choir, indicating that this may not be the kickass heavy metal album you may have thought, but then the guitar riff comes in, and you know this is gonna be good. This is a classic song, and I find it very surprising that it wasn't a hit. It's got all the elements of a rock anthem; a great riff, a catchy chorus, even a freakin boys choir! Ah well, just a great and underrated BOC track.

"Death Valley Nights" is an Albert Bouchard sung track, that kind of sounds like something off of "Secret Treaties". The very soft, moody guitar and piano mixed with Albert's unique voice make the verses very dreamlike and kind of psychedelic. Then the chorus comes in, switching to a more hard rockin' sound, complete with vocal harmonies and guitar fills. Another cool Albert penned song. It's a shame he's not with the band anymore. They're not the same band without him.

"Searching For Celine" is penned by keyboardist Allen Lanier, and is a good enough song. I love the verses, combining Eric Bloom's vocals with Allen's very loud piano, but I'm not crazy about the chorus. It's like a bad TV jingle that gets stuck in your head all day. Still, it's got a cool riff and contains some cool guitar solos.

"Fireworks" is yet another Albert Bouchard song, and probably his best. It's got a kind of "Don't Fear the Reaper" vibe to it, with the arpeggiotic guitar riff and high, haunting vocals. The verses have the creepy, surreal feeling BOC does so well, and the chorus is pretty memorable and has cool harmonies by the band. One of the best songs on the record.

"R.U. Ready 2 Rock" is an Albert-Sandy Pearlman song, and another great tune. Heavy as hell guitar riffs make this one, combined with some cool background guitar riffs. Lyrically, this might be the only time BOC's lyrics have ever even been CLOSE to cliche, but it still works. This is just what you'd expect by the title, a hard rock anthem that just asks the simple question, "Are you ready to rock"?

I've heard mixed opinions on the Joe Bouchard track "Celestial the Queen", but I love it. It sounds like Bachman Turner Overdrive. Once again, the high vocal harmonies make the chorus catchy and memorable, and everybody in the band just seems to be doing their part. The drums are loud and heavy, the two guitars are both evident, the keyboard is a great background effect, and the bass is audible and thumping. Teamwork ftw! Anyway, this is just another great song on the record.

"Goin' Through The Motions" is the lone Eric Bloom composition here. Eric has always been more or less the leader of the band, but for some reason this doesn't sound very much like Blue Oyster Cult other than the vocals. Still, it's a good song, albeit a bit cheesy (Handclaps? Really?)

"I Love the Night" is another classic from this album. Buck wrote and sang on this one, and it shows. His voice is softer than most of the band, and the song reflects that. Everything is very mellow and gentle on this one, and at the same time, kind of creepy and bordering on uncomfortable. The cool poetic lyrics seem to be about a guy dating a vampire or something like that.

"No mortal was meant to know such wonder
One look in the mirror told me so
Come darkness I'll see her again
Yes I'm gonna go 'cause now I know"

And then we come to the last track on the album, "Nosferatu". I'm just gonna come out and say it, this is my favorite BOC song. It's like "Don't Fear the Reaper" but 10 times more disturbing. Joe Bouchard wrote most of this one, and sings it. Usually he's my least favorite vocalist in the band, but he really shines here. His voice makes this such a damn creepy song, and one of the most twisted songs the band ever did. The lyrics just describe Nosferatu the vampire, but the music is fantastic, slowly progressing from a soft, horror-movie piano piece into a full blown psychopathic mental breakdown from the band, all culminating in one of the most incendiary Buck Dharma solos ever!

And thus ends "Spectres". It's probably my personal favorite Blue Oyster Cult album and certainly one of their most atmospheric and downright eerie records. It also gave them a gigantic hit in "Godzilla", and the album went platinum in 2004.

My second favorite BOC album. My two favorite tracks off this one are Nosferatu and Golden Age Of Leather.

I still haven't entirely figured out what Golden Age is about. It has something to do with two rival motorcycle gangs disappearing in the desert near as I can figure. I love the "college frat anthem" beginning that leads into the main riff.

Regarding Goin' Thru The Motions, I swear someone else performed the song but I'm not sure. Need to do some research.

Oh, (and it pains me to say this), I think "Godzilla" is one of the most overrated songs in the BOC catalog. It just doesn't really do anything for me. In fact, when I spin this one, I usually start with Golden Age.

And has anyone else noticed the piano at the beginning of Death Vally Nights sounds "warped"? It sounds like the analog tape wasn't spinning at a consistent speed or something. I got the remastered version hoping it would sound different but it doesn't.

EDIT: I was right; Bonnie Tyler covered Goin' Through The Motions

Blue Oyster Cult's "black and red" or "black and white" period as its also been called has long been my favorite era from them despite liking pretty much every album they've done (there's at least 2 good tracks on each). During this period they had Richard Meltzer and Sandy Pearlman helping in the lyrical department which made for some of the most bizarre, dark, intriguing and ultimately tongue in cheek lyrics ever to grace an album.

Blue Oyster Cult: The debut, while unfocused still managed to roar out at you through its own brand of early heavy metal, or more what I like to think of as biker metal accompained by some off the wall lyrics that really made you think and the guitar heroics of Buck Dharma. The other thing I really love about this album is the cryptic tinged sound it has to it, layered over top of a generally quite grimy sounding mix. Through this and classic tracks such as "Transmaniacon MC", "Stairway To The Stars", "Before The Kiss, A Redcap", "Citites On Flame With Rock N' Roll", "Screams", and "Workshop Of The Telescopes" are what makes BOC one of the best early metal bands, not to mention the most bizarre. The remaster also contains the first demo cut by them as "The Soft White Underbelly" which is a great look at how they morphed into what they eventually became, with the only real throwaway track being a cover of "Betty Lou's Got A New Pair Of Shoes"

Tyranny And Mutation and Secret Treaties: I've never really been able to pick between these two as which one is my favorite, I like them both about equally, with T&M squeezing ahead by a hair maybe. In any event, Id say both of these are perfect albums by BOC and showcase them in all their power quite well, there's not a bad song on either album. Some definate standout's are The Red And The Black, O.D.'d on Life Itself, 7 Screaming Diz-Busters, Teen Archer, Mistress Of The Salmon Salt, Career Of Evil, Dominance And Submission, ME 262, Flaming Telepaths and Astronomy, though their is NOT a bad track on either album.

On Your Feet Or On Your Knees: A pretty good live album from the Oyster Boys, the biggest point to mention here is that the songs sound alot beefier live.

Agents Of Fortune: While I prefer the sound of the first three albums and that overall vibe of immense oddity, this album blew my mind when I first heard it. Why? because stylistically its all over the place, but it manages to bring it all together in perfection, and come on Sinful Love and Tattoo Vampire are worth the price of the album alone

On a side note, has anyone else ever noticed that most BOC albums have a "murky" sound to them? The cymbals sound muffled and the bass drum sounds like it has a blanket on it.

The only one that doesn't sound this way to me is Mirrors. It's really pronounced on Imaginos.

Spectres is another great album from BOC, I like it about as equally as Agents Of Fortune, if not more. Death Valley Nights is one of my favorite BOC songs ever. The only problem I ever had with this album is I believe it would flow better, if Nosferatu and I Love The Night switched places. I also like how they experiment more on this album "Goin Through The Motions" being written with Ian Hunter gives that track in particular a great glam vibe, and other moments on the album teeter the line between AOR and BOC's own brand of rock. Theres also a very sinister feel to most of the songs that I cant quite put my finger on.