=======================================================================
BOC FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about BLUE OYSTER CULT
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Version: 3.0 Date of Latest Revision: May 1, 1998
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Notes: This FAQ was created on an Apple Macintosh computer using a
font of 10-point Monaco -- if the BOC symbol above does not look right
on your screen, setting your font to a fixed-size font (such as either
"Monaco" or "Courier") should fix the problem. With the help of
numerous individual contributors (named below), this FAQ has been
compiled by John Swartz (referred to herein as "the editor"), Please
send any suggestions, corrections or changes to him at the address
listed at the end of this FAQ.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================
1. The Nexus Of The Crisis, And The Origin Of Storms -- FAQ Information
a. Why a BOC FAQ?
b. The *real* people that made this FAQ possible
c. Version history
d. Archive location of this FAQ
e. Commonly used abbreviations
2. The Oyster Boys Are Swimming Now -- Who Are Blue Oyster Cult?
a. Who are BOC?
b. No really, who are BOC?
c. History of the Band
d. Pre-history of the Band
3. My Ears Will Melt, And Then My Eyes -- Blue Oyster Cult Discography
a. Domestic (U.S.) Album Releases
b. Solo Albums, Movie Soundtracks, and Special Compilations
c. Compilation Albums (domestic)
d. Compilation Albums (foreign)
e. Import Live Recordings
f. Other Releases (Singles, Promos, Etc.)
g. The Brain Surgeons Discography
4. R. U. Ready 2 Rock? -- Frequently Asked Questions
a. What are BOC up to these days?
b. When is the new (*not* a "Greatest Hits") album coming out?
c. Is *Flat Out* available on CD?
d. What is the "best" BOC album?
e. What is the story behind the recording of the album, *Imaginos*?
f. What is the story told by the album, *Imaginos*?
g. Is there a BOC/H.P. Lovecraft connection?
h. Where is the BOC symbol on the _____ album?
i. Where can I get a complete set of BOC lyrics?
j. What is a (Diz-Buster, ME-262, Stun Guitar, . . .)?
k. Who is (Suzy, Celine, Debbie Denise, Sir Rastus Bear, . . .)?
l. Where can I get BOC live recordings?
m. Where can I find Rossignol's book, 'The Origins of a World War'?
n. What do the Japanese words in "Godzilla" mean?
o. Are there other BOC songs, and how can I hear them?
p. Are BOC Nazis?
q. When did Buck Dharma shave off his moustache?
r. Will the original line-up ever get back together again?
5. A Harvest of Life, A Harvest of Death -- Other Items of Interest
a. Use of Umlauts, and the Origin of the Name, "Blue Oyster Cult"
b. BOC in Concert
c. The Movie "Heavy Metal"
d. Other Releases of BOC Music
e. The Buck Dharma Band Ricky Browning Benefit
f. Song References
g. References to BOC
h. Bands Covering BOC
i. The BOC/Michael Moorcock Connection
j. Hidden Messages
k. BOC on Video
l. BOC Collectibles
6. Three Men in Black Said, "Don't Report This" -- More Sources Of Info
a. Bolle Gregmar -- BOC/Brain Surgeons Fan Clubs
b. Church Of The Cult -- BOC Fan Club For French Fans
c. Buck Dharma Mailing List
d. Albert Bouchard and Deborah Frost -- The Brain Surgeons
e. BOC-L -- The BOC/Hawkwind E-Mail List
f. BOC on AOL
g. BOC on the Web
(1) Official BOC Sites
(2) Fan and Reference Sites
(3) Artwork and Photography Sites
(4) BOC-Related Sites
(5) Other Related Commercial Sites
h. Other Online Sources
7. Think I'll Write "Good Health To You" -- Copyright and Disclaimer
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1. The Nexus Of The Crisis, And The Origin Of Storms -- FAQ Information
Why a BOC FAQ?
==============
Short Answer: Why not?
Slightly-Longer Answer: *Everybody* needs a FAQ, don't they?
Long Answer: Blue Oyster Cult has, these days, a fairly small, but
loyal, and somewhat rabid following. The band has a history of over 20
years, and many people who were not fans back then want to know about
the band's origins. In addition, the various themes of BOC's music are
interesting to discuss. Finally, BOC fans on the internet seem to ask
the same questions over and over again - of course, part of this is
because we *like* to re-hash the topics, and usually come up with
something new when we do.
Editor's Smart-Mouthed Answer: After you've read through this FAQ,
which will probably printout to over 50 pages, you'll realize what a
stupid question that was.
Note: This FAQ was originally created for, and circulated on, "BOC-L",
a group of individuals who regularly communicate using electronic mail
(E-Mail) to discuss, among other things, BOC. Information on how
people with internet access can subscribe to this group (also referred
to as the BOC/Hawkwind E-Mail list) appears elsewhere in this FAQ.
The *real* people that made this FAQ possible
=============================================
This FAQ has finally come into being for two reasons, (1) because
someone volunteered to finally take on the project, and (2) because
lots of knowledgeable BOC fans contributed. While I am somewhat proud
to say that I took on the project of generating the BOC FAQ, it is only
by the many submissions of input from BOC fans that made this FAQ
possible. While I am a fan, I don't claim to be the most knowledgeable
on all things related to BOC. My job as editor was mostly to layout
the format of the FAQ, and enter in the data. I am in debt to the
following individuals, who are listed in no particular order:
Jean Lansford Bryan Irby Steve Swann
Ben Cohen Bryce Baker Dave Hardman
Andy Gilham David Kuznick Warrick Bell
David Dean Terry Poot Tim Fulcher
Alun Hughes Carl Anderson Ken Alexander
John McIntyre Craig Shipley Eric Falk
Dan Weissman Jason Gool Ed Tidwell
Mark Mitchum Ken Harward Jason Scruton
Tom Gannon Jonathan Padgett James DeWitt
Keith Frazier Gary Wingert Craig Matsumoto
Chuck Rosenberg Scott Heller Rob Maerz
Todd Ellenberg Ken Drew Ken VanTassell
Robert Reich Miles-Kevin Baron Alan Siebert
Robert Sedler Joseph Brooks Craig Marciniak
Steven Hulvey Andrew Lloyd Skip Galvin
Andrew Apold Alexandre Garcia Wallace McBride
Jack Taylor Jean-Luc Carrier Rich Kulawiec
Jack Heffling Dan Clore Shawn Quinn
Douglas Pearson Alexis Gavras Chuck Saden
Ted Alger Steven Tice Teri Cruzan
Chris Jackson Thorsten Thielen Todd Seely
William Pickett Goran Janicijevic Phill Ash
Rob Gorman Chris Baker John Riviello
Manuel Delacour Bill Futreal Christian Mumford
Tony DeStefano Michael Sharpe John Trimble
Todd Yam Rus Hall Mark DeLugt
Wesley Elsberry
John Shirley (BOC lyricist)
Melne Murphy (of the BOC Fan Club)
Les Braunstein (of "Soft White Underbelly" and "Les Vegas")
Andrew Winters (of "Soft White Underbelly" and "Stalk-Forrest Group")
Tommy Zvoncheck (of "Blue Oyster Cult")
Eric Bloom (of "Blue Oyster Cult")
Donald Roeser (a.k.a. "Buck Dharma" of "Blue Oyster Cult")
Joe Bouchard (of "Blue Oyster Cult" and "The Cult Brothers")
Albert Bouchard (of "The Brain Surgeons" and "Blue Oyster Cult")
Deborah Frost (of "The Brain Surgeons")
And finally, and most importantly, special thanks go out to Bolle
Gregmar, head of the BOC Fan Club. First and foremost, he (along with
Melne Murphy) has done all of us BOC fans a great service by providing
the fan club, and keeping it going even after BOC was something less
than a household name. Beyond that, he has spent several hours on the
phone with me going over this FAQ, providing me lots of interesting
information, correcting various inaccuracies, and helping me with some
legal issues. You will see his name sprinkled throughout the FAQ -- he
is probably the singularly most knowledgeable individual on Blue Oyster
Cult, other than members of the band themselves (and in some cases,
because of all the things he's collected on the band, he may still know
about things that members of the band may have forgotten) -- one of the
band members once said, "Bolle is the Blue Oyster Cult - we're just the
band".
Version history
===============
This version of this FAQ, identified as version "3.0", supersedes
all previous versions. It contains the following changes over version
2.3: Most significantly, one of the most frequently asked questions,
"Will BOC ever release a new album, and when?" has been at long last
answered. BOC's first full studio album of new material in 10 years,
*Heaven Forbid*, was released in March of 1998 on CMC International
Records. In addition, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab released a re-mastered
"gold" CD of *Agents Of Fortune* (complete with restored album sleeve
artwork and new liner notes penned by Buck Dharma). Some additional
random bits of information have been sprinkled throughout the FAQ. In
particular, some new information has been added/updated based on issues
4-10 of "Morning Final", the former newsletter for the BOC fanclub.
New BOC websites come and go, or change addresses.
Version 2.3 contains the following changes over version 2.2: Some
additional random bits of information have been sprinkled throughout
the FAQ. In particular, some new information has been added/updated
based on issues 1-3 of "Morning Final", the former newsletter for the
BOC fanclub (note: the next revision of the FAQ will include updated
information based on issues 4-10). Numerous new BOC and related
websites have been added to website listing. A section about a very
special benefit performance by Buck Dharma has been added. Information
about BOC's planned upcoming album is updated, including information on
the *Summerdaze* album, which contains one of the songs scheduled to be
on the new BOC album. Finally, Sony Music has released 2 new BOC
compilation albums (*On Flame With Rock And Roll* and *Don't Fear The
Reaper* - not to be confused with earlier Columbia BOC compilations of
the same names), Joe Bouchard has released a CD of songs he wrote and
performed with the "Cult Brothers" (*Joe Bouchard Presents the X
Brothers: Solid Citizens*), and the Brain Surgeons have released a
promotional cassette (*Pull The Plug*) and new CD (*Malpractise*),
which have been added to the discography.
Version 2.2 contains the following changes over version 2.1: Some
additional random bits of information have been sprinkled throughout
the FAQ. Minor errors continue to be found and corrected. Some of the
information has been expanded upon or corrected, based on an article on
BOC by Steve Roeser and Bolle Gregmar that appeared in the June 7, 1996
issue of *Goldmine* magazine. Editor's comment: This article may be
the most comprehensive work ever written about BOC to date -- it
contains an extensive history and lots of trivia, not to mention many
photographs of the band. The authors have also acknowledged the BOC
FAQ and its editor in the article. The article is based on the two
author's extensive knowledge of the band, as well as recent interviews
with Sandy Pearlman, Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma, Allen Lanier, Albert
Bouchard and Joe Bouchard. The list of BOC-related web sites has been
expanded. Two new sub-sections (Bands Covering BOC, and BOC
Collectibles) have been added, as well as answers to two more questions
(Are BOC Nazis? and When did Buck Dharma shave off his moustache?).
Information about BOC's planned upcoming album is also included.
Finally, Sony Music has released another BOC compilation album
(*Revisited*), and the Brain Surgeons have released a new album (*Box
Of Hammers*), which have been added to the discography.
Version 2.1 contains the following changes over version 2.0:
Minor corrections that various individuals have spotted have been made.
Some additional random bits of information have been sprinkled
throughout the FAQ, and some of the information is now better
organized. The information pertaining to Michael Moorcock has been
split into a separate sub-section. Finally, since the last release of
the FAQ, Sony/Columbia has released the BOC compilation double CD,
*Workshop Of The Telescopes*, and this information has been added to
the discography.
Version 2.0 contains the following changes over version 1.0:
Information in sections 4 and 5 has been modified and expanded, based
on conversations with Bolle Gregmar, head of the BOC Fan Club. Minor
corrections that various individuals have spotted have been made. Some
additional bits of information have been sprinkled throughout the FAQ,
and sections 3, 4, and 5 have been re-organized in several areas. Eric
Bloom provided me with information on some of his various musical
projects, and Buck Dharma has provided information on the song,
"Harvester Of Eyes". I received e-mail from Soft White Underbelly
vocalist Les Braunstein, and he gave me some insight into the band's
early history. A new section on miscellaneous releases (singles,
promos, etc.) has been added, as well as a portion of Bryce Baker's
interpretation of the *Imaginos* saga. More neat BOC stuff can now be
found on the Internet and the World Wide Web. The Brain Surgeons have
released a new album (*Trepanation*), which has been added to the
discography. Finally, since the last release of the FAQ, *Flat Out*
has become available on CD as an import.
The generation of this version of the BOC FAQ began on August 4th,
1994, when, after seeing the words "we need a FAQ" in them for about
the 10th time on a BOC discussion group (BOC-L), the editor decided to
take a stab a writing a FAQ -- not particularly for BOC-L members, but
for BOC fans in general. "Draft" versions of the FAQ were circulated
on BOC-L, with lots of comments by it's members. Draft versions of the
FAQ were also sent to former band members Albert Bouchard (who is a
member of BOC-L) and Joe Bouchard (who has internet access), as well as
to the head of the BOC Fan Club. The first "official" version of the
FAQ, version 1.0, was released to BOC-L on 15 February, 1995. It was
subsequently sent to the internet newsgroups, "alt.rock-n-roll" and
"alt.rock-n-roll.classic". It later appeared on several links on the
World Wide Web (WWW).
Archive location of this FAQ
============================
For the most up-to-date information regarding the FAQ, including
links to text and HTML versions of the FAQ, the editor has a BOC
website at the following URL:
http://members.aol.com/bocfaqman/
The latest version of this FAQ can be found in the BOC-L archives.
The archives are located via anonymous FTP from <ftp.spc.edu> in the
[.boc-l] directory. In other words, use whatever FTP program you have
to access the following address:
ftp.spc.edu
and use the following username:
anonymous
Use your E-Mail address as a password. Once in, set the directory to
[.boc-l], and use the "get" command to transfer the FAQ to your system.
The filename is:
BOC_FAQ-version#.txt
(e.g., This version is: BOC_FAQ-3_0.txt)
Along with the FAQ, a few other items of interest may be found.
The FAQ, along with other BOC-L archives, can also be accessed by
the World Wide Web. Using your web browser, open the following URL:
ftp://ftp.spc.edu/boc-l
There are now several WWW links with BOC-related information,
including links to the BOC-L archives, including the FAQ (where the
most up-to-date version will always be kept). See the listing located
near the end of the FAQ for a listing of these links.
Commonly used abbreviations
===========================
AOF, AF Agents Of Fortune (album title)
BB Buck's Boogie (song title)
BFY Burnin' For You (song title)
BOC Blue Oyster Cult (band name, album title, song title)
BOC-L BOC Listserver (BOC/Hawkwind E-Mail discussion group)
CC Cult Classic (compilation album title)
CE Cultosaurus Erectus (album title)
CGLOD Cold Gray Light Of Dawn (song title)
CN Club Ninja (album title)
COE Career Of Evil (song title, compilation album title)
COF[WRAR] Cities On Flame [With Rock And Roll] (song title)
DFTR (Don't Fear) The Reaper (song title)
D&S, DAS, DS Dominance And Submission (song title, way of life)
ETI Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (song title)
ETL Extraterrestrial Live (album title)
FO Flat Out (Buck Dharma solo album title)
FOUO Fire Of Unknown Origin (album title, song title)
FT Flaming Telepaths (song title)
GAOL Golden Age Of Leather (song title)
HF Heaven Forbid (album title)
HM Harvest Moon (song title)
HOE Harvester Of Eyes (song title)
KOTJ Kick Out The Jams (song title)
LFM Live For Me (song title)
MC Motorcycle Club (as in the song, "Transmaniacon MC")
ME 262 Messerschmitt 262 (song title, WWII German warplane)
MF Morning Final (song title, BOC fanclub newsletter)
OFWRAR, OFWR&R On Flame With Rock And Roll (compilation album title)
OYFOOYK On Your Feet Or On Your Knees (album title)
PUD Power Underneath Despair (song title)
TRATB, TR&TB The Red And The Black (song title)
SABAAF She's As Beautiful As A Foot (song title)
SB Still Burnin' (song title)
SEE Some Enchanted Evening (album title)
SFG Stalk-Forrest Group (former band name)
ST Secret Treaties (album title)
STTS Stairway To The Stars (song title)
SWU Soft White Underbelly (former band name)
SYIB, CUIB See You In Black (song title)
tBS The Brain Surgeons
[T]RBN [The] Revolution By Night (album title)
T&M, TAM, TM Tyranny And Mutation (album title)
WGGOOTP We Gotta Get Out Of This Place (song title)
WOTT, WOT Workshop Of The Telescopes (song, compil. album title)
And, here's a few commonly used abbreviations by folks on the internet:
BTW By The Way
FWIW For What It's Worth
HTML HyperText Markup Language
IMHO In My Humble (or Honest) Opinion
LOL Laughing Out Loud
Ob Obligatory
ROTFL(MAO) Rolling On The Floor Laughing (My Ass Off)
WWW World Wide Web
Editor's Note: To avoid people having to keep coming back to this
section while reading the FAQ, I have avoided using the abbreviations
in the FAQ (other than "FAQ" of course; but if you've gotten this far
and don't know what "FAQ" stands for, I suggest you start over right
now).
2. The Oyster Boys Are Swimming Now -- Who Are Blue Oyster Cult?
Who are BOC?
============
A group of aliens who serve "Les Invisibles" (see discussion on the
story told by the album, *Imaginos*).
No really, who are BOC?
=======================
A 5-man rock band from New York (see below).
History of the Band
===================
Note: The following is taken mostly from liner notes written by Arthur
Levy in the "Career of Evil" album, portions of which also appeared in
BOC tour programs and press kits. Additional information appears in
[brackets]. Some of the history, and pre-history (which appears in the
next section) information was taken from the liner notes to a German
import compilation CD (Editor's note: Thanks to Andy Gilham for
translating the German to English for me.).
In the early 1970's, in the utter chaos of an embattled America
cast adrift by the fires that plagued it for a decade, there arose a
rock band whose destiny was no less than to bring ultimate meaning to
the concept of heavy metal. When Blue Oyster Cult played, it was the
sound of monsters in the hills. The wind carried the band's unknown
tongues across continents until it felt as if earth's very crust could
tear away.
The agents of fortune responsible for this rage of heavy-metal
thunder were a shadowy quintet, indeed. Their primal rumblings were
first heard in the late 60's, in the band known as Soft White
Underbelly, which evolved into the Stalk-Forrest Group as an antidote
to that era's "success-rock" syndrome. The dusty nightmare of Altamont
settled into rock's fabric, and a thoroughly professional band emerged
from the SWU/SFG heiarchy.
As Blue Oyster Cult then, a familiar lineup would remain unchanged
for a dozen years: leather-clad Eric Bloom (vocals, guitar) leering at
audiences behind silver-mirrored shades; white-suited Donald "Buck
Dharma" Roeser (lead guitar, vocals) attaining pyrotechnic levels that
earned him Top-10 honors in rock-guitar polls; menacingly frail, pale
Allen Lanier (keyboards, guitar, vocals), longtime companion to poetess
Patti Smith, lurking near the fringes of BOC's pulse; and Long Island
brothers Albert Bouchard (drums, vocals) and Joe Bouchard (bass,
vocals), drifting effortlessly from pile-driving, bottom-end work to
more exotic rhythms with enviable finesse. High above them all hung
the ominous BOC banner, ancient symbol of Kronos (Saturn) in white on a
field of black. [An interesting note is that Eric Bloom, according to
the liner notes written by Volker Koerdt on the German import BOC CD,
*The Reaper - Best*, stated that it was difficult to find his leather
gear in those days -- "You couldn't get that stuff in those days, I had
to buy it in gay stores or sex shops."]
The indispensable sixth member of this American rock 'n' roll
cabal was Sandy Pearlman. As producer, songwriter, and manager of BOC,
Pearlman's knowledge of history and philosophy have enjoyed free reign
for nearly 20 years. His production credits grew to include The Clash,
Dream Syndicate, and Dictators. As one of the acknowledged founders of
modern rock criticism (with Richard Meltzer, Paul Williams, and Jon
Landau), he was the first to apply the term "heavy metal" to the music
at hand. And as eternal student and teacher, his quest for true cosmic
enlightenment is forever.
BOC drew upon its collective talent as composers and musicians for
the aptly titled debut album on Columbia, *Blue Oyster Cult* (released
January, 1972), produced by Pearlman and Murray Krugman, a Columbia A&R
executive. This team (with engineer David Lucas) would stay together
through BOC's first seven years and as many LPs. The songwriting
pattern was also set, a fusion of terror and madness, wit and irony,
pop culture, social psychology, science, mythology, intellectual
calisthenics, gutter outrage -- tactical directions that remained
constant.
A discernible popular following took hold as American rockers
accepted BOC at a level previously reserved for U.K. bands only. In
order to whet the appetites of these enlightened ones, a limited
edition "Live Bootleg" 12-inch EP was circulated by the label. Since
its release in October, 1972, this cherished item has become the
Maltese Falcon of heavy metal collectibles. [Note: This recording is
known under several names (see discography), and, while not widely
circulated, is available as an import.]
Over the next three years, BOC steadily ascended to headlining
status, notwithstanding the absence of a Top-40 single or million-
selling gold LP sales, just "Cult Power" (bolstered by rock critic
establishment endorsements in the press and on the FM airwaves) and
sheer musical depth. The LPs reflected this: *Tyranny And Mutation*
(February, 1973) and *Secret Treaties* (April, 1974) both reinforced
and exaggerated BOC's many obsessions, just as the band's public image
threatened to overtake its existential reality. They bought some
breathing space with the release of their first live album, the double
LP, *On Your Feet Or On Your Knees* (February, 1975). The album
contained live performances of songs off the first three albums, plus
"Buck's Boogie", "Maserati GT" (Pearlman's dream car, or a re-working
of the Yardbirds' "I Ain't Got You") and Steppenwolf's elegy to the
summer of love, "Born To Be Wild" -- in which Eric and Donald's Texas
chainsaw guitar duel attains brain-shattering modulation.
The inevitable commercial breakthrough took place with the next
two LPs, which presented more individual contributions by the members
of the band: the RIAA platinum *Agents Of Fortune* (May, 1976), with
the Top-10 hit "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (later quoted by Stephen King
in *The Stand*); and *Spectres* (November, 1977), whose "Godzilla" set
off another explosion, especially in Japan, where BOC was greeted as a
messenger of the gods, not unlike "Godjira" itself. This phase of
BOC's career culminated in a second live album: *Some Enchanted
Evening* (September, 1978) "made up for" the various sins of
omission/commission on *On Your Feet Or On Your Knees*, while it also
capitalized on having played more than 250 shows before a half-million
people since *Spectres* was issued.
In 1976, on the *Agents Of Fortune* tour, BOC also unleashed a new
dimension in staging as they joined forces with one of the country's
most advanced optical physics laboratories and developed the
sophisticated and powerful (hence, controversial) laser light shows in
rock, at a cost of $200,000. Upon the release of *Spectres*, an even
more advanced laser presentation was unveiled at twice the cost, with
twice the power. [Due to the controversy surrounding BOC laser shows
(there were rumors that the lasers caused some people to go blind, and
certain groups claimed that BOC must be evil to do such dangerous
things at their shows), some venues would not allow their use. BOC
later abandoned the use of lasers at their shows, citing cost and a
desire to get "back to basics".]
BOC's excursion out of the 70's and into the 80's unfolded over
the course of its next three studio LPs. On *Mirrors* (June, 1979),
BOC's first California recording, Pearlman and Krugman relinquished
production to Tom Werman, a CBS staff producer (Cheap Trick and Ted
Nugent, later Motley Crue). *Cultosaurus Erectus* (June, 1980),
produced by Martin Birch (of Black Sabbath/Deep Purple/Whitesnake
renown) included "Black Blade", a collaboration with British
fiction/fantasy novelist Michael Moorcock. But it took *Fire Of
Unknown Origin* (June, 1981), again produced by Birch, to bring BOC
into the new video/Top-40 generation, with "Burnin' For You" and the
controversial "Joan Crawford".
BOC's third (and most likely final) live LP [like *On Your Feet Or
On Your Knees*, a double LP] was the result of four months of recording
and painstaking track selection. *Extraterrestrial Live* (April, 1982)
became the standard by which BOC would be measured on stage.
[It was also during this timeframe (August of 1981, to be more
precise) that the first change of personnel in the band occurred.
Albert Bouchard, the band's original drummer, apparently failed to show
up on time for a show in Norfolk, England. Rick Downey, one of the
members of BOC's road crew, happened to be a capable drummer himself,
and was asked to play in Albert's absence. Albert arrived after the
band had played five songs, and finished the show. Two days later, a
very similar situation occurred, with Albert arriving late to the show,
and Rick playing the first five songs in his absence. After this,
Albert left the band, which was presumably only a "leave of absence"
resolve some personal issues. Rick Downey continued to fill in as
BOC's drummer, and was made the permanent drummer about a year after
Albert left. Most of the songs on *Extraterrestrial Live* feature Rick
Downey's drumming. However, two songs on the album feature Albert
Bouchard on the drums -- Albert is credited as playing on "Dominance
and Submission", and "Black Blade" (the recordings used of those two
songs were made prior to Albert's leaving BOC). In addition, Albert
Bouchard's likeness (along with Rick Downey and the rest of BOC) is
pictured on the back of the album.]
A year of minimum performances, maximum rehearsals and recording,
and some unexpected personnel changes [i.e. Albert Bouchard] resulted
in the release of *The Revolution By Night* (October, 1983). The LP
was produced by Bruce Fairbairn (who worked with Loverboy since its
inception, and went on to produce Bon Jovi). [In January of 1985, Rick
Downey (upset that BOC wanted to use a different drummer in the studio
for their next album) quit the band (After leaving BOC, he became the
lighting designer for Utopia and Motley Crue, then tour manager for The
Outfield and Anthrax, before returning in 1994 to be lighting designer
and tour manager for BOC). As BOC had a 2 week tour of California in
February, and no drummer, the band asked Albert Bouchard to fill in.
However, Albert was only hired as a temporary replacement, much to the
dismay of those who thought that the original line-up would be
restored. On recommendation from Rick Derringer, Jimmy Wilcox became
BOC's new drummer (although Billy Idol drummer Thommy Price was to
provide some drum work in the studio for the next album). In addition,
Allen Lanier took a leave of absence, presumably due to artistic
differences with the band (he reportedly did not like the new BOC
sound, or the use of so many writers outside the band) and was replaced
by Tommy Zvoncheck on keyboards. With 3 of the original 5 band members
remaining when the band resumed touring in May 1985, band insiders
often referred to them as "3OC".]
[These] further personnel changes [i.e. Rick Downey and Allen
Lanier] were evident on *Club Ninja* (January 1986), BOC's first new
album in 27 months, as Pearlman returned to produce his first LP with
the band in nine years. Its title is derived from the song "Shadow
Warrior" (literal translation of the Japanese ninja), which contained a
lyric by best-selling novelist Eric Van Lustbader, author of *The
Ninja*. [After a returning to the U.S. in February of 1986 from the
European leg of the *Club Ninja* tour (where nearly everyone on the
tour got sick), bassist Joe Bouchard left the band for personal
reasons. On recommendation from Tommy Zvoncheck, Jon Rogers became the
new bassist (having only a week to learn the songs). With only Eric
and Buck remaining of the original lineup, band insiders often referred
to them as "Two Oyster Cult".]
[In September of 1986, after the *Club Ninja* tour was over, the
band, according to singer Eric Bloom, "semi-officially broke up".
However, the break was short-lived, as Allen Lanier rejoined Eric and
Buck (returning the band to "3OC"). According to Buck, "We re-formed
because we had an offer to go to Greece. Then we ended up playing some
shows in Germany and just sort of fell back into it to make a living."
On Buck's recommendation, Ron Riddle became BOC's drummer when they
resumed touring in June of 1987 (beginning in Greece). During this
timeframe, the *Imaginos* (July 1988) album was finished and released,
but more details of that album appear in another part of this FAQ.]
[In May of 1991, drummer Ron Riddle left the band (and joined the
Stuart Hamm Band), and was replaced by Chuck Burgi (who had played as a
session drummer for Meatloaf, Rainbow, and other bands; and had played
in the Eric Bloom band with Eric, Dennis Feldman of Heaven, and Bob
Kulick of Meatloaf -- this band played a few shows in the New York area
in 1987, and became known as Skull after Eric left the band). In 1992,
Chuck Burgi took some "time off" to record a Japan-only release CD with
ex-Rainbow keyboardist David Rosenthal -- John Miceli, drummer for
Meatloaf, filled in for him (he had only one day to rehearse with the
band).
Blue Oyster Cult toured off and on between 1988 to 1998, mostly in
smaller concert venues than they had been accustomed to during the peak
years of their popularity (roughly 1975 - 1983). During this time, no
new BOC albums were released, partly due to contractual issues between
CBS records and the band. However, CBS released two compilation
albums, *Career of Evil - The Metal Years*, and *On Flame With Rock And
Roll*, in 1990. Also, BOC appeared on the soundtrack to the 1992
science fiction movie, *Bad Channels* -- the album includes two new BOC
tunes ("Demon's Kiss" and "When Horsemen Arrive"), along with a myriad
of instrumental pieces (created by Buck Dharma using his guitars and
Macintosh computer) that were used for the score of the movie.
In 1994, the band released *Cult Classic* on Herald records. This
album came about due to interest in the band by horror writer Stephen
King, who wanted to use "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" as part of the
soundtrack in the TV Mini-Series adaptation of his novel, *The Stand*.
Due to contractual issues between CBS and the band (CBS owned the
footage rights to BOC's music), BOC got a "one-off" deal from Herald
records to re-do the songs (Herald had a similar arrangement with Rick
Wakeman, formerly of Yes).
In May of 1995, bassist Jon Rogers left the band to pursue a
career with a new band. He was temporarily replaced by Greg Smith, who
has previously worked with Alice Cooper, Ritchie Blackmore, Vinnie
Moore, and the Plasmatics. Greg came on recommendation from Chuck
Burgi, who had worked with Greg on David Rosenthal's album. In August
of 1995, Greg left the band to support tours with Alice Cooper and
Ritchie Blackmore. Based on recommendations from Greg Smith and John
Miceli, the new bassist for BOC is Danny Miranda, from Long Island, New
York.
In September of 1995, drummer Chuck Burgi left the band to work
with Greg Smith in Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Chuck was replaced by
former Rainbow drummer John O'Reilly, but returned in August of 1996.
During John O'Reilly's tenure with BOC, both John Miceli and Rainbow
drummer Bobby Rondinelli (who has also played with Black Sabbath)
filled in for John O'Reilly on a few occasions. John Miceli also
filled in for Chuck Burgi for a few dates in late 1996 and early 1997,
and was replaced by BOC's current drummer, Bobby Rondinelli, in
February of 1997.
Also in September of 1995, CBS-Sony released a double CD titled,
*Workshop Of The Telescopes*, a compilation of BOC's greatest hits with
some previously unreleased versions of BOC tracks. CMC International
Records released the *Summerdaze* album in conjunction with 1997 summer
tour BOC did with Foghat, Pat Travers, and Steppenwolf. This album
featured 2 live BOC tracks plus a new studio track ("Power Underneath
Despair").
In March of 1998, CMC International Records released the long-
awaited new BOC album, *Heaven Forbid*. This album had been delayed
for a number of years due to difficulties in securing a proper business
deal between the band and a recording label. Now that these
difficulties have been resolved, BOC fans around the world are
rejoicing.
And what of Albert Bouchard, the original drummer, and one of the
driving creative forces behind BOC? After his departure from BOC,
Albert spent a lot of time working on a solo album (to be titled,
*Imaginos*), along with Sandy Pearlman (also a driving conceptual force
behind BOC), who was still managing BOC. Eventually, *Imaginos* was
released in 1988. However, due to problems with CBS records, the album
was released as a BOC album, with many of the tracks re-worked, against
Albert's wishes. More on the recording of *Imaginos* appears in
another part of this FAQ. In addition, Albert had hoped that he would
be able re-join the band's original line-up. This however, was not to
be. As previously mentioned, Albert was asked to fill in for a two-
week tour of California in early 1985 when BOC was in-between drummers
(Rick Downey and Jimmy Wilcox). He agreed, hoping to patch things up
with the band. However, they made it clear to him that he was merely a
temporary hired hand, and his "final" performance with BOC was in
February 1985.
After Joe Bouchard left BOC, he and Albert both played with the
Spencer Davis Group (Joe on keyboards, Albert on drums). After that,
they formed "The Bouchard Brothers", but due to artistic differences,
Albert left that band before their first show - Joe continued with the
band under the name, "The Cult Brothers". For this band, Joe played
mostly keyboards and guitar, and singing lead. Also in this band was
Billy Hilfiger on guitar, Andy Hilfiger on bass, and Jimmy Cacala on
drums. They played a number of BOC covers, plus some original songs.
Also, the Cult Brothers played as a Doors tribute band, Crystal Ship,
with a different lead vocalist (Joe Tag) on several occasions. The
original material created by the Cult Brothers was released on CD in
1997 (*Joe Bouchard Presents the X Brothers: Solid Citizens*) on the
"Cellsum" record label (see next paragraph).
Albert in his post-BOC days also played with Helen Wheels (who
dated Albert in the 60's, and provided lyrics for several BOC songs),
David Roter, Richie Stotts (former guitarist for The Plasmatics) and a
band called "Imaginary Playmates" that he formed with his wife, Deborah
Frost. This project would later become their current band, "The Brain
Surgeons". A drummer herself, formerly of the 1970's all-girl band
"Flaming Youth" (which inspired the KISS song of the same name),
Deborah was better known as a rock journalist, writing for such
publications as The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly,
The New York Times, Creem, Spin, and Musician, to name a few. Also in
The Brain Surgeons is guitarist Billy Hilfiger (who played in King's
Flux, as well as with Albert for Helen Wheels, and then The Cult
Brothers), guitarist Peter Bohovesky (who's old band, Kablamachunk, had
an album produced by Albert before breaking up), and bassist David
Hirschberg. The Brain Surgeons released their first album,
*Eponymous*, in early 1994 on their own independent label (Cellsum).
The album was later released in October 1994 on the "Ripe and Ready"
record label. They released their second album, *Trepanation*, in 1995
on the Cellsum label, and in 1996 by "Ripe and Ready". Their third
album (*Box Of Hammers*) was released in 1996, and their fourth album
(*Malpractise*) was released in 1997, both on the Cellsum label - both
of these albums were released by "Ripe and Ready" in 1998.]
Blue Oyster Cult made choices many years before, and their
decision stands: to face the real politics of rock survival in a
nightly stand of metallic force. In a world where science and nature
are at war, and survival depends on the delicate balance of the natural
and supernatural, BOC are more than just informed observers. They are
served by forces that many cannot understand. Now the voices call in
hunger: That is why we need them. It is why they are here.
Pre-history of the Band
=======================
Not surprisingly, the first two members of Blue Oyster Cult to
play together were brothers Albert Bouchard (b. 24 May 1947) and Joe
Bouchard (b. 9 November 1948). Both originally learned to play guitar
and keyboards (Albert even played organ for his church for a few
years). In their teens, Albert played drums, and Joe played guitar in
a band known as "The Regal Tones" (with their cousins). They covered
numerous U.S. and Canadian radio hits. While starting out playing
mostly surf music, they later copied British bands such as the Rolling
Stones and the Beatles (complete with Beatle wigs).
Donald Roeser (b. 12 November 1947), while he did take both
accordion and drum lessons in his early years, was basically self-
taught on guitar. He first took up the instrument after breaking his
wrist playing basketball as a teenager. Soon after the cast came off,
Donald started playing lead guitar in a band known as "The Montereys".
While the rest of the band that would become Blue Oyster Cult grew
up in New York, Allen Lanier (b. 25 June 1946) was raised mostly in the
south (although he attended high school in Connecticut). He played in
a few forgettable bands in high school, and immersed himself in the
blues during his two years at the University of North Carolina. his
primary instrument was guitar, but would often get "stuck" playing
keyboards due to his ability to handle that instrument -- so too would
it later be with BOC.
Eric Bloom (b. 1 December 1944) attended Hobart College in upstate
New York in the early 60's. He gained some notoriety at the small
school for having a PA system (and convincing the school to buy a
decent PA). He was also the singer for "The Lost and Found", which
also had Pete Havalind on guitar and John Trivers on bass. The band
broke up in 1968 and Eric moved to Long Island, getting a sales job at
a Sam Ash music store.
Albert and Donald met as freshmen at Clarkson College of
Technology. The two had met once or twice there, but were formally
introduced to each other by mutual friend Bruce Abbott (co-author of
the songs, "Golden Age Of Leather" and "Mirrors"). Albert (drums),
Donald (guitar), Bruce (bass), Jeff Latham (guitar, who also later
played in Soft White Underbelly when Allen Lanier spent about six
months in the army in 1968), and Skip O'Donnell (vocals, mostly because
he could sing at practices with no mike and be heard over the
amplifiers), formed "The Disciples". The band played a mix of Beach
Boys, Coasters, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Lee Dorsey, Lou Christie,
Temptations, Impressions, Smokey Robinson, etc. The band was fairly
short-lived, but reformed during Albert and Donald's sophomore year as
"The Travesty", a copy band of "The Blues Project". During the summer
either before or after the Travesty was formed, both Albert and Joe
Bouchard played in a band called "The Clansmen", which coincidentally
included Pete Havalind (guitarist in Eric Bloom's band, "The Lost and
Found").
Donald and Albert both dropped out of college after two years, and
tried to get jobs and find musicians in New York City and Albany with
no success. Albert moved to Chicago to briefly play with his old
bandmate Jeff Latham. Donald, still in Long Island, met Samuel (Sandy)
Pearlman (writer for the rock magazine *Crawdaddy*, who at some point
also had the knickname, "Memphis Sam") and Richard Meltzer (who were
both attending Stony Brook college on Long Island). Donald had begun
jamming with high school friend Andrew Winters (bass, who also worked
in Pearlman's father's drug store), Meltzer's buddy John Wiesenthal
(keyboards), and Allen Lanier (guitar, keyboards - he was introduced to
the band by Wiesenthal). Donald called Albert to join them (Wiesenthal
dropped out around that time), and a psychedelic band by the name of
"Soft White Underbelly" (a named dubbed by Sandy Pearlman), was born in
1967 (note: Richard Meltzer reportedly wanted to call the band,
"Cow"). Prior to finding a lead singer, lead vocals were shared by
Albert and Donald.
When Soft White Underbelly formed, the band concentrated not on
cover tunes, but on free-form improvisations and extended musical jams.
They got some fairly immediate exposure by opening for bands like Muddy
Waters, the Grateful Dead, the Band, and Jefferson Airplane. Richard
Meltzer, and possibly Sandy Pearlman, tried to front the band briefly
as the lead singer, but both proved to be more effective as lyricists
for the band. Also briefly fronting the band was a saxophone player
named Jeff Richards. The man who became the band's lead singer would
be Hobart College (the same school Eric Bloom attended) graduate Les
Braunstein. Les had gained some fame and fortune for having written a
song titled, "The Blue Frog Song", which was recorded as "I'm In Love
With A Big Blue Frog" by Peter, Paul, and Mary. He met the Soft White
Underbelly back in 1967, and began hanging out with them regularly.
One day at one of the rehearsals, Les plugged a microphone into one of
the amplifiers and started singing while the band jammed. Soon after,
Les was officially asked to join the band. Richard Meltzer apparently
didn't think too highly of Les Braunstein. According to Buck Dharma,
Meltzer wrote the lyrics to "She's As Beautiful As A Foot" (originally
titled "He's As Beautiful As A Foot" - the "he" referring to Les) in
order to make Les look stupid while singing them. However, according
to Les, Meltzer hadn't written those lyrics until after Braunstein had
left the band. Nevertheless, Braunstein's charisma (he had a style and
look similar to Jim Morrison of the Doors) was no doubt part of the
reason that Elektra records offered the Soft White Underbelly a record
deal. Elektra's president and founder, Jac Holzman, who has been
credited for "discovering" the Doors, was impressed with the band. It
is also interesting to note that New York comedian David Roter, a
friend of Sandy Pearlman's, sat in a few times with Soft White
Underbelly as the lead singer. However, his outrageous material
concerned the band (although he would later contribute to a few BOC
songs).
Around the time that the Soft White Underbelly was securing a
record deal, Joe Bouchard was playing guitar in various fraternity
party bands in college at Ithaca, New York. During his junior year,
while he was "between bands", he saw a latin/jazz band called "Que
Pasa", whose leader happened to be his classical guitar teacher. He
happened to have a class with the bass player, who told him he was
leaving the band. Joe went to his teacher and asked for the job, and
became the official bass player for "Que Pasa" for the next two years.
During this time, Eric Bloom had been working as a salesman at a
music store. Members of the Soft White Underbelly happened to be in
the store one day (to buy new equipment with money advanced to them by
Elektra), and Eric recognized them. He later asked the band if he
could be their road manager. With access to a van or truck and PA
equipment, he was a good candidate for the job, but it would be his
voice that ultimately proved to be a more important asset.
In early 1969, Soft White Underbelly recorded material for an
album for Elektra that was never released. Due to differences with the
rest of the band, Les Braunstein left the band after recording the
album (or possibly before it was completed). Braunstein's departure
was probably a factor in Elektra's decision not to release it. Albert
Bouchard, Sandy Pearlman, and Richard Meltzer all tried to sing.
According to Albert Bouchard, he and Pearlman wanted Patti Smith (who
had met the band around that time, and later formed a personal
relationship with Allen Lanier) to sing, but the rest of the band out-
voted them. As it turned out, the best sounding was Eric Bloom.
After leaving Soft White Underbelly, Les Braunstein had various
musical projects. In 1973, he recorded three songs with Albert
Bouchard, Buck Dharma, and John Trivers. Since about 1975, he has
performed as "Les Vegas", which he still performs as to this day.
After Braunstein's departure, and an embarrassing performance at
New York's Fillmore East (opening for Jethro Tull and Jeff Beck with
Rod Stewart -- this performance was notable for the fact that Buck wore
a pair of pants with pennies glued all over them), the band's name was
changed to "Stalk-Forrest Group". Meanwhile, Pearlman spent several
months trying to convince Elektra to take another chance with the band
(with Eric Bloom now the lead vocalist). They finally agreed, and in
early 1970, the band traveled to Los Angeles to record another album.
However, Elektra decided not to release that album either (reasons are
sketchy). Soon after recording the second unreleased Elektra album,
Andrew Winters left the band (and although he presumably never played
with the band again, he did play with David Roter, and he provided an
uncredited bass part for the 1979 Roter single release, "I Think I
Slept With Jackie Kennedy Last Night"/"He's A Rabbi"). Albert called
up his brother Joe, and by the summer of 1970, the line-up that would
soon call themselves "Blue Oyster Cult" (but not before briefly going
by the names of "Oaxaca" and "Santos Sisters") was complete.
The band continued to perform in the New York area club scene,
slipping in future BOC tunes in between Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks,
and Grand Funk Railroad covers. During one of the band's performances
(at a swingers/nudist party at an off-season summer camp in the
Catskills), David Lucas, a TV/radio commercial jingle producer, saw the
band perform. He liked them so much he let them use his studio to cut
a demo. It is believed that the demo included "Siren Singalong" (which
later became "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll"), two Allen Lanier
compositions ("Sun Comes Up" and an untitled song), and "Then Came The
Last Days Of May" (which is believed to be the version that was remixed
and put on BOC's first album). Sandy Pearlman convinced Columbia
marketing man (and future co-producer) Murray Krugman (who believed
that Columbia was looking for a heavy metal group in the same vein as
Black Sabbath) to get the band another demo and audition with Columbia.
The rest, as they say, is history.
3. My Ears Will Melt, And Then My Eyes -- Blue Oyster Cult Discography
Note: Songwriting credits, as they are listed on the album, follow the
title of each song. Additional notes (including who is listed as
having played on the album) follow the song listing.
Domestic (U.S.) Album Releases
==============================
*Blue Oyster Cult*
Transmaniacon MC -- (S. Pearlman, A. Bouchard, D. Roeser, E. Bloom)
I'm On The Lamb, But I Ain't No Sheep -- (S. Pearlman, A. Bouchard,
E. Bloom)
Then Came The Last Days Of May -- (D. Roeser)
Stairway To The Stars -- (R. Meltzer, A. Bouchard, D. Roeser)
Before The Kiss, A Redcap -- (S. Pearlman, M. Krugman, A. Lanier,
D. Roeser)
Screams -- (J. Bouchard)
She's As Beautiful As A Foot -- (R. Meltzer, A. Bouchard, A. Lanier)
Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll -- (S. Pearlman, D. Roeser,
A. Bouchard)
Workshop Of The Telescopes -- (S. Pearlman, BOC)
Redeemed -- (S. Pearlman, H. Farcas, A. Bouchard, A. Lanier)
Notes: Released January 1972 on Columbia. Produced by Murray Krugman
and Sandy Pearlman. Instruments: Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (lead
guitar, vocals), Eric Bloom (lead vocal, stun guitar, keyboards),
Albert Bouchard (drums, vocals), Joe Bouchard (bass, vocals), Allen
Lanier (rhythm guitar, keyboards). The song "Redeemed" is alternately
known as "Sir Rastus Bear". The song, "Before The Kiss, A Redcap", was
originally titled "Conry's Bar". The remaining information was
provided by Albert Bouchard: "Cities on Flame With Rock And Roll",
originally titled "Siren Singalong", was inspired by Black Sabbath's
"The Wizard" (note the similarities to the start of the main riff),
MC5's "Motor City is Burning" (Sandy Pearlman got the idea for some of
the lyrics from this song), and King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid
Man". The main riff to "I'm On The Lamb, But I Ain't No Sheep" was
inspired by a Jimi Hendrix lick during his song, "Hey Joe".
*Tyranny And Mutation*
The Red & The Black -- (A. Bouchard, E. Bloom, S. Pearlman)
O.D.'d On Life Itself -- (E. Bloom, A. Bouchard, J. Bouchard,
S. Pearlman)
Hot Rails To Hell -- (J. Bouchard)
7 Screaming Diz-Busters -- (A. Bouchard, J. Bouchard, D. Roeser,
S. Pearlman)
Baby Ice Dog -- (A. Bouchard, E. Bloom, P. Smith)
Wings Wetted Down -- (A. Bouchard, J. Bouchard)
Teen Archer -- (D. Roeser, E. Bloom, R. Meltzer)
Mistress Of The Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl) -- (A. Bouchard,
S. Pearlman)
Notes: Released February 1973 on Columbia. Produced by Murray Krugman
and Sandy Pearlman. The album reached #95 on the U.S. charts.
Instruments: Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (guitar, vocals), Eric Bloom
(vocal, stun guitar, all synthesizers), Albert Bouchard (drums,
vocals), Joe Bouchard (bass, vocals, keyboard), Allen Lanier
(keyboards, rhythm guitar). A quadraphonic pressing of this album was
also made. The album is the only one in the band's discography where
the band is listed as *THE* Blue Oyster Cult. The album was originally
planned to be titled, "The Red And The Black", and the sides of the
final product were dubbed "The Black" (physical, sensual, aural
activation) and "The Red" (phantasmagorical id-teasers and supernatural
beings). The following was printed in the liner notes: "Seepage from
deep, black, brittle experiments which failed and transformations too
hard to find. 'I was overcome and turned to red.' Duster's dust
became the sale. Lucifer the light. A restless motion came to move
and then subside. In endless knocking at the door - it's time.
Tyranny & Mutation. Tyranny & Mutation." According to Joe Bouchard,
most of the lyrics for "Wings Wetted Down" came from a book of poems by
Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet (referred to as one of the 3 or 4 greatest
Spanish-language poets of this century, and won the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1971). According to Albert Bouchard, the music to "Baby
Ice Dog" was inspired by the Blues Project song, "I Can't Keep From
Crying."
*Secret Treaties*
Career Of Evil -- (A. Bouchard, P. Smith)
Subhuman -- (E. Bloom, S. Pearlman)
Dominance And Submission -- (A. Bouchard, E. Bloom, S. Pearlman)
ME 262 -- (E. Bloom, D. Roeser, S. Pearlman)
Cagey Cretins -- (A. Bouchard, R. Meltzer)
Harvester Of Eyes -- (D. Roeser, E. Bloom, R. Meltzer)
Flaming Telepaths -- (A. Bouchard, E. Bloom, S. Pearlman, D. Roeser)
Astronomy -- (J. Bouchard, A. Bouchard, S. Pearlman)
Notes: Released April 1974 on Columbia. Produced by Murray Krugman
and Sandy Pearlman. The album, originally planned to be titled, "Power
In The Hands Of Fools", reached #44 on the U.S. charts, and eventually
went gold (in 1992). Instruments: Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (lead
guitar, vocals), Eric Bloom (lead vocal, keyboards, stun guitar),
Albert Bouchard (drums, vocals), Joe Bouchard (bass, vocals), Allen
Lanier (keyboards, rhythm guitar, all synthesizers). A quadraphonic
pressing of this album was also made. The printing on the CD
incorrectly lists D. Roeser's name as "E." Roeser on the credits for
"ME 262". In addition, there is a slight glitch on the CD version of
"Cagey Cretins" - during the guitar solo, there is a brief sway of key
and tone, as if the tape was bumped during the creation of the CD. The
following was printed in the liner notes: "Rossignol's curious, albeit
simply titled book, 'The Origins of a World War', spoke in terms of
'secret treaties', drawn up between the Ambassadors from Plutonia and
Desdinova the foreign minister. These treaties founded a secret
science from the stars. Astronomy. The career of evil." The book
mentioned does not exist. According to Albert Bouchard, the riffs from
"Cagey Cretins" are based on the Soft White Underbelly songs, "Bark In
The Sun" and "Mystic Stump". The song "Career Of Evil" was based on
Patti Smith's poem titled "Poem Of Isadore Ducasse". According to an
issue of Morning Final, a riff from "Astronomy" was inspired by David
Bowie's "Panic In Detroit". In a 1975 critics poll in the U.K. music
magazine *Melody Maker*, this album was voted "Top Rock Album of All
Time".
*On Your Feet Or On Your Knees* (live)
The Subhuman
Harvester Of Eyes
Hot Rails To Hell
Red & The Black
7 Screaming Diz-Busters
Buck's Boogie -- (Buck Dharma)
Last Days Of May
Cities On Flame
ME 262
Before The Kiss (A Redcap)
Maserati GT (I Ain't Got You) -- (C. Carter)
Born To Be Wild -- (M. Bonfire)
Notes: Released February 1975 on Columbia. Produced by Murray Krugman
and Sandy Pearlman. The album went gold, spending 10 weeks on the U.S.
charts (reaching as high as #22). Instruments: Donald "Buck Dharma"
Roeser (lead guitar, vocal on "Before The Kiss" and "Last Days Of
May"), Eric Bloom (vocals, stun guitar, synthesizer), Albert Bouchard
(drums, vocal on "Cities On Flame"), Joe Bouchard (bass, vocal on "Hot
Rails To Hell"), Allen Lanier (rhythm guitar, all keyboards). The CD
liner mis-spells Buck's last name as "Rooser". On the CD version,
there is a strange EQ shift during Eric's on-stage talking prior to the
start of "7 Screaming Diz-Busters". "Maserati GT" is a re-working of
"I Ain't Got You", originally by the Yardbirds. "Born To Be Wild" was
originally done by Steppenwolf. "Buck's Boogie" is dedicated to Ron
McCoy, who was a DJ in Los Angeles in the 70's, and let Buck sit in one
night as a guest DJ on his show. According to Bolle Gregmar, Albert
Bouchard should also receive a writing credit for "Buck's Boogie" (a
credit which eventually appeared on the compilation CD set, *Workshop
Of The Telescopes*) -- Albert derived the song from the Stalk-Forrest
Group song, "Arthur Comics", and then gave it to Buck to add his
personal touch. According to Buck Dharma, the riff in "Buck's Boogie"
was inspired by the Beatles song, "You Can't Do That". The songs were
recorded at the following locations: Academy of Music, New York;
Paramount Theatre, Portland & Seattle; Show Palace, Phoenix; Long Beach
Arena, California; P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver; and Capitol Theatre, New
Jersey. The "introduction" of the band that appears before the final
song was done by BOC lighting director Carol Dodds, who usually did the
nightly introduction of the band.
*Agents Of Fortune*
This Ain't The Summer Of Love -- (M. Krugman, A. Bouchard, D. Waller)
True Confessions -- (A. Lanier)
(Don't Fear) The Reaper -- (D. Roeser)
E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) -- (D. Roeser, S. Pearlman)
The Revenge Of Vera Gemini -- (A. Bouchard, P. Smith)
Sinful Love -- (A. Bouchard, H. Robbins)
Tattoo Vampire -- (A. Bouchard, H. Robbins)
Morning Final -- (J. Bouchard)
Tenderloin -- (A. Lanier)
Debbie Denise -- (A. Bouchard, P. Smith)
Notes: Released May 1976 on Columbia. Re-mastered on "gold" CD and
released January 1998 by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab. Produced by Murray
Krugman, Sandy Pearlman, and David Lucas. The album went platinum,
reaching #32, and spending 35 weeks on the U.S. charts (it reaches #26
on the U.K. charts). As a single, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" reached
#12 on the Billboard charts (a U.K. re-release in 1978 reached #16 on
the U.K. charts). In addition, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper was listed in
the August 1997 issue of *MOJO* magazine as #80 on the magazine's list
of the "100 Greatest Singles of All Time". Instruments: Eric Bloom
(vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion), Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser
(guitar, vocals, synthesizer, percussion), Joe Bouchard (bass, vocals,
piano), Albert Bouchard (drums, vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion,
harmonica), Allen Lanier (keyboards, vocals, guitar, bass), Patti Smith
(vocal on "The Revenge of Vera Gemini"). Helen Robbins also goes by
(and has been credited on BOC albums) as "Helen Wheels". The lead
vocal on "True Confessions" is Allen Lanier -- his only lead vocal on
all of BOC's albums. The songs "Tattoo Vampire" and "Debbie Denise"
were originally titled "Tattooed Vampire" and "To Remember Debbie
Denise" respectively. The song "E.T.I.", originally an instrumental
track, was tried with different lyrics by Sandy Pearlman (titled
"Punishment Park", it may have even had a vocal track by Sandy) and Joe
Bouchard (titled "Des Pot Soup") before using the current lyrics. Also
according to Albert Bouchard, Randy Brecker plays saxophone on "True
Confessions". His brother Michael Brecker also played a fluglehorn
part for "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", but it was edited out of the final
mix. The riff to "This Ain't The Summer Of Love" was inspired by the
song, "Ascension Day" by Third World War. The cover depicts someone
holding 4 Tarot cards: Death, The Queen, The King, The Sun. Stories
say that these cards were part of an actual Tarot card reading done for
the band.
*Spectres*
Godzilla -- (D. Roeser)
Golden Age Of Leather -- (B. Abbott, D. Roeser)
Death Valley Nights -- (R. Meltzer, A. Bouchard)
Searchin' For Celine -- (A. Lanier)
Fireworks -- (A. Bouchard)
R. U. Ready 2 Rock -- (S. Pearlman, A. Bouchard)
Celestial The Queen -- (H. Wheels, J. Bouchard)
Goin' Through The Motions -- (E. Bloom, I. Hunter)
I Love The Night -- (D. Roeser)
Nosferatu -- (H. Wheels, J. Bouchard)
Notes: Released November 1977 on Columbia. Produced by Sandy
Pearlman, Murray Krugman, David Lucas, and Blue Oyster Cult. The
album, originally planned to be titled, "The Big Hurt", went gold.
Instruments: Eric Bloom (vocals, guitar), Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser
(lead and rhythm guitar, vocals), Joe Bouchard (bass, vocals, guitar),
Albert Bouchard (drums, vocals, harmonica), Allen Lanier (keyboards,
guitar). According to Albert Bouchard, parts of "Godzilla" were
inspired by a song titled, "Go Go Gorilla". According to Joe Bouchard,
the bass break on "Godzilla" is a direct tribute to Stanley Clarke.
According to "Morning Final #11", "I Love The Night" had a 3rd verse on
the original demo, which has been included on occasion when the band
performed the song live. The song "Fireworks" was originally titled,
"Blazing Red". A version of the song "Searchin' For Celine" was demoed
by Allen Lanier for the *Agents Of Fortune* album.
*Some Enchanted Evening* (live)
R. U. Ready 2 Rock
E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)
Astronomy
Kick Out The Jams -- (MC5)
Godzilla
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
We Gotta Get Out Of This Place -- (B. Mann, C. Weil)
Notes: Released September 1978 on Columbia. Produced by Sandy
Pearlman, Murray Krugman, and Blue Oyster Cult. The album reached the
top 20 in the U.K. charts, and eventually went platinum. Extra
percussion was provided by Tony Cedrone and Rickey Reyer. "Kick Out
The Jams" was originally done by MC5 - BOC's version also included a
riff from the MC5 song, "Ramblin' Rose" during the guitar solo. "We
Gotta Get Out of This Place" was originally done by The Animals. The
songs were recorded at the following locations: Fox Theatre, Atlanta,
Georgia - 4/13/78 (R. U. Ready To Rock, Kick Out The Jams); Municipal
Auditorium, Columbus, Georgia - 4/11/78 (E.T.I., Astronomy); Barton
Coliseum, Little Rock, Arkansas - 4/9/78 (The Reaper); Newcastle City
Hall, Newcastle, England - 6/1/78 (Godzilla, We Gotta Get Out Of This
Place). The version of "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" that's on the
CD version of this album is from a different show than the original
LP/cassette version. The version on the CD is from a show in either
Edinburg or London, not Newcastle. According to Bolle Gregmar,
somehow, the boxes containing the shows in question got switched, and
this error (sometimes called "Murray's Choice", in reference to Murray
Krugman) resulted in the CD being made with the song from the other
site, and not Newcastle (which is also erroneously spelled "New Castle"
on the album). The live ending of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" was based
on the ending of the Stalk-Forrest Group song, "Gil Blanco County".
*Mirrors*
Dr. Music -- (R. Meltzer, J. Bouchard, D. Roeser)
The Great Sun Jester -- (M. Moorcock, J. Trivers, E. Bloom)
In Thee -- (A. Lanier)
Mirrors -- (D. Roeser, B. Abbott)
Moon Crazy -- (J. Bouchard)
The Vigil -- (D. Roeser, S. Roeser)
I Am The Storm -- (J. Bouchard, R. Binder)
You're Not The One (I Was Looking For) -- (A. Bouchard, C. Bouchard)
Lonely Teardrops -- (A. Lanier)
Notes: Released in June 1979 on Columbia. Produced by Tom Werman.
The album reached #63 on the U.S. charts. As a single, "In Thee"
reached #74 on the charts. Additional instruments: Genya Ravan, Ellen
Foley (backing vocals on "Dr. Music" and "Mirrors"), Wendy Webb
(backing vocals on "Lonely Teardrops"), Mickey Raphael (harmonica on
"Dr. Music"), Jai Winding (strings on "In Thee"). The printing on the
CD incorrectly lists B. Abbott as "B. Abbot". The cover of the album
is not a photo of a rearview mirror, but a painting by Loren Salazar
(according to Eric Bloom, "quite famous in the Seattle area"). If you
look closely on the left side of the album cover (you probably need a
magnifying glass for the CD or cassette), two sperm cells can be seen
painted in the clouds and sky. The song "The Vigil" originally had
different lyrics by Patti Smith, and was titled, "Devil's Hangnail" or
"The Devil's Nail". The song "Lonely Teardrops" was originally titled,
"Wind In My Veins". According to Morning Final #8, the song "You're
Not The One (I Was Looking For) was inspired by the Cars' song, "My
Best Friend's Girl". According to Joe Bouchard, the "Dr. Music" was
inspired by the Larry Williams' "Bony Moronie" and Roy Orbison's
"Pretty Woman".
*Cultosaurus Erectus*
Black Blade -- (E. Bloom, M. Moorcock, J. Trivers)
Monsters -- (A. Bouchard, C. Bouchard)
Divine Wind -- (D. Roeser)
Deadline -- (D. Roeser)
The Marshall Plan -- (Blue Oyster Cult)
Hungry Boys -- (A. Bouchard, C. Bouchard)
Fallen Angel -- (J. Bouchard, H. Robbins)
Lips In The Hills -- (D. Roeser, E. Bloom, R. Meltzer)
Unknown Tongue -- (A. Bouchard, D. Roter)
Notes: Released in June 1980 on Columbia. Produced by Martin Birch.
The album reached #52 on the U.S. charts, and entered the U.K. charts
at #14 (reaching #12). Instruments: Eric Bloom (guitar, keyboards,
vocals), Albert Bouchard (drums, vocals), Joe Bouchard (bass, vocals),
Allen Lanier (guitar, keyboards), Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (guitars,
bass, keyboards, vocals), Mark Rivera (saxophone on "Monsters"). Helen
Robbins also goes by (and has been credited on BOC albums) as "Helen
Wheels". On the CD version of "Deadline", the downbeat of the first
note of the song is missing. The songs "Fallen Angel" and "Hungry
Boys" were originally titled, "Falling Angel" and "Hungry Boys In
Brooklyn" respectively. The song "Lips In The Hills" originally had
different lyrics by Buck Dharma, and was titled, "Hold Me Tight". When
released as a single, the song "The Marshall Plan" was titled "Here's
Johnny". The printing on the CD incorrectly lists C. Bouchard as "K.
Bouchard".
*Fire Of Unknown Origin*
Fire Of Unknown Origin -- (J. Bouchard, P. Smith, E. Bloom,
A. Bouchard, D. Roeser)
Burnin' For You -- (D. Roeser, R. Meltzer)
Veteran Of The Psychic Wars -- (E. Bloom, M. Moorcock)
Sole Survivor -- (E. Bloom, J. Trivers, L. Myers)
Heavy Metal: The Black And Silver -- (A. Bouchard, E. Bloom,
S. Pearlman)
Vengeance (The Pact) -- (A. Bouchard, J. Bouchard)
After Dark -- (E. Bloom, J. Trivers, L. Myers)
Joan Crawford -- (A. Bouchard, D. Roter, J. Rigg)
Don't Turn Your Back -- (A. Lanier, D. Roeser, A. Bouchard)
Notes: Released in June 1981 on Columbia. Produced by Martin Birch.
The album went gold, reaching #41 on the U.S. charts (staying on the
charts for 3 and a half months), and #24 on the U.K. charts. As a
single, "Burnin' For You" hit #40 on the charts, staying there for 3
weeks. Instruments: Eric Bloom (lead vocals, bass on "Heavy Metal"),
Albert Bouchard (drums, synthesizer, vocals), Joe Bouchard (bass,
vocals), Allen Lanier (keyboards), Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (lead
guitar, vocals, bass and sound effects on "Joan Crawford"), Karla
DeVito (background vocal on "Sole Survivor"), Sandy Jean (background
vocal on "Don't Turn Your Back"), Bill Civitella, Tony Cedrone, Buck
Dharma (additional percussion on "Veteran Of The Psychic Wars"), Jess
Levy (string arrangements on "Veteran Of The Psychic Wars" and "Joan
Crawford"). The song "Veteran Of the Psychic Wars" appears in the
movie "Heavy Metal". A version of the song "Fire Of Unknown Origin"
(with Albert Bouchard on lead vocals) was originally worked-up during
the sessions for the *Agents Of Fortune* album. The song "Burnin' For
You", based on Richard Meltzer's poem, "Burn Out The Day" (which both
Albert and Joe attempted to put to music before Buck's music was used)
may have been originally intended for Buck's *Flat Out* album. The
song "Vengeance (The Pact)" began as a song called "Dakota Silo Sitter"
with different lyrics by Joe, before Albert supplied lyrics based on
the movie "Heavy Metal", and titled it "Taarna's Theme". The song
"Heavy Metal: The Black And Silver" was originally titled "Ear Damage".
The piano intro for "Joan Crawford", one of Allen Lanier's spotlights
in many live BOC shows, was actually written by Joe Bouchard.
*Extraterrestrial Live* (live)
Dominance And Submission
Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll
Dr. Music
The Red And The Black
Joan Crawford
Burnin' For You
Roadhouse Blues -- (The Doors)
Black Blade
Hot Rails To Hell
Godzilla
Veteran Of The Psychic Wars
E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Notes: Released in April 1982 on Columbia. Produced by Sandy Pearlman
and George Geranios. The album, originally planned to be titled, "Cult
in the Act", reached #29 (#95 in the U.K.), and spent 11 weeks on the
U.S. charts. Instruments: Eric Bloom (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Joe
Bouchard (bass, vocals), Rick Downey (drums), Allen Lanier (keyboards,
guitar), Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (lead guitar, vocals), Albert
Bouchard (drums on "Black Blade" and "Dominance And Submission"),
Special Guest: Robbie Krieger (guitar on "Roadhouse Blues") -- note:
The CD liner incorrectly lists his name as "Bobbie" Krieger.
"Roadhouse Blues" was originally done by The Doors. The songs were
recorded at the following locations: Hollywood Sportatorium,
Hollywood, Florida - 10/9/81 (Burnin' For You, E.T.I., The Red And The
Black, Joan Crawford, Godzilla, Veteran Of The Psychic Wars, The
Reaper); Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, New York - 12/30/81 (Dr. Music,
Hot Rails To Hell) and 10/17/80 (Black Blade); Tower Theatre,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 12/31/81 (Cities On Flame With Rock And
Roll); The Country Club, Reseda, California - 12/15/81 (Roadhouse
Blues); Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York - 2/11/80
(Dominance And Submission - originally recorded for the "King Biscuit
Flower Hour"). The drum fills before the final verse of "Cities On
Flame With Rock And Roll" are not as they were played live - some of
the beats were removed in the mixing. This is believed to be the last
BOC album that was available on 8-track tape.
*The Revolution By Night*
Take Me Away -- (E. Bloom, A. Nova)
Eyes On Fire -- (G. Winter)
Shooting Shark -- (D. Roeser, P. Smith)
Veins -- (D. Roeser, R. Meltzer)
Shadow Of California -- (J. Bouchard, N. Smith, S. Pearlman)
Feel The Thunder -- (E. Bloom)
Let Go -- (E. Bloom, D. Roeser, I. Hunter)
Dragon Lady -- (D. Roeser, B. Blotto)
Light Years Of Love -- (J. Bouchard, H. Wheels)
Notes: Released in October 1983 on Columbia. Produced by Bruce
Fairbairn. The album, originally planned to be titled, "Night Makes
Right", reached #93 on the U.S. charts. As a single, "Shooting Shark"
hit #83 on the U.S. charts. Instruments: Eric Bloom (guitar, vocals),
Joe Bouchard (bass, electric and Spanish guitar, vocoder, vocals), Rick
Downey (drums), Allen Lanier (piano, synthesizers), Donald "Buck
Dharma" Roeser (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Larry Fast/Synergy
(additional synthesizer programming), Randy Jackson (bass on "Shooting
Shark"), Marc Baum (saxophone on "Shooting Shark"), Greg Winter
(background vocals on "Eyes On Fire"), Aldo Nova (guitar and
synthesizer on "Take Me Away").
*Club Ninja*
White Flags -- (Leggatt Bros.)
Dancin' In The Ruins -- (L. Gottlieb, J. Scanlon)
Make Rock Not War -- (B. Halligan Jr.)
Perfect Water -- (D. Roeser, J. Carroll)
Spy In The House Of The Night -- (D. Roeser, R. Meltzer)
Beat 'Em Up -- (B. Halligan Jr.)
When The War Comes -- (J. Bouchard, S. Pearlman)
Shadow Warrior -- (E. Bloom, D. Roeser, Eric Van Lustbader)
Madness To The Method -- (D. Roeser, D. Trismen)
Notes: There were three different releases on Columbia of this album,
each with a slightly different mix. A somewhat rushed mix was released
in England in November of 1985 (this release is believed to be
available only on LP and cassette, but not on CD). Another mix was
released in Holland in December of 1995. The third mix (released in
the U.S. and elsewhere), was released in January 1986. Produced by
Sandy Pearlman. Instruments: Eric Bloom (vocals, guitar), Joe
Bouchard (bass, vocals, guitar), Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (vocals,
guitars, keyboards), Jimmy Wilcox (background vocals, percussion),
Tommy Zvoncheck (synthesizers, piano, organ), Thommy Price (drums),
Phil Grande (additional guitars), Kenny Aaronson (additional bass).
This is the first CD recorded by BOC (as opposed to previous releases,
where the CD was later cut from the LP masters). The spoken words at
the start of "When the War Comes" ("When the bones of our oppressors...
All hail the revolution") are done by New York DJ Howard Stern (who's
mother is presumably related to Eric Bloom's wife's mother). The
European releases of this album do not contain these spoken words. In
addition, on the first (England) mix, "White Flags" does not end via
fade-out. This version is available on some single versions of this
song. There are other various discrepancies between the album and
single releases due to the various mixes (there are noticeable
variations in "White Flags", "Make Rock Not War", "Spy In The House Of
The Night", "When The War Comes", "The Shadow Warrior", and "Madness To
The Method"). According to "Morning Final #2", the song "Shadow
Warrior" was originally a song called "I'm A Rebel" (with different
lyrics), and written (but not used) for the 1984 film, *Teachers*.
This album was discontinued in the U.S., although it was re-released in
March of 1997 on Koch records. EPIC records released this album as a
"Collector's Choice" edition in 1992 using the Holland mix.
*Imaginos*
I Am The One You Warned Me Of -- (S. Pearlman, D. Roeser, A. Bouchard)
Les Invisibles -- (S. Pearlman, A. Bouchard)
In The Presence Of Another World -- (S. Pearlman, J. Bouchard)
Del Rio's Song -- (S. Pearlman, A. Bouchard)
The Siege And Investiture Of Baron Von Frankenstein's Castle At
Weisseria -- (S. Pearlman, A. Bouchard)
Astronomy -- (S. Pearlman, J. Bouchard, A. Bouchard)
Magna Of Illusion -- (S. Pearlman, D. Roeser, A. Bouchard)
Blue Oyster Cult -- (S. Pearlman, E. Bloom)
Imaginos -- (S. Pearlman, A. Bouchard)
Notes: Released in July 1988 on Columbia. Produced by Sandy Pearlman
- associate producer: Albert Bouchard. Instruments: Eric Bloom
(vocals), Albert Bouchard (guitar, percussion, vocals), Joe Bouchard
(keyboards, vocals), Allen Lanier (keyboards), Donald "Buck Dharma"
Roeser (guitars, vocals), Kenny Aaronson (bass), Thommy Price (drums),
Jack Secret (additional vocals), Tommy Moringiello (guitars), Jack Rigg
(guitars), Tommy Zvoncheck (keyboards), Shocking U (background vocals
on "In The Presence Of Another World"), Joey Cerisano (additional lead
vocal on "The Siege And Investiture Of Baron Von Frankenstein's Castle
At Weisseria"), Jon Rogers (additional lead vocal on "Imaginos"), The
Guitar Orchestra of the State of Imaginos (Marc Biedermann, Kevin
Carlson, Robbie Krieger, Tommy Moringiello, Aldo Nova, Jack Rigg, Joe
Satriani). According to Bolle Gregmar, Joe Satriani played the lead on
"The Siege And Investiture Of Baron Von Frankenstein's Castle At
Weisseria", and Robbie Krieger played the lead on "Blue Oyster Cult".
According to Albert Bouchard, Robbie Krieger also played the lead on
"Magna Of Illusion". In addition, Albert Bouchard says that several
musicians were either improperly credited, or not credited at all. See
the specific FAQ question on the recording of *Imaginos* for more on
this topic. The house on the album's cover is a photo from the early
1900's of the famous Cliff House Hotel in San Francisco, which later
burned down. This album is no longer in print in the U.S.
*Heaven Forbid*
See You In Black -- (J. Shirley, E. Bloom, D. Roeser)
Harvest Moon -- (D. Roeser)
Power Underneath Despair -- (J. Shirley, E. Bloom, D. Roeser)
X-Ray Eyes -- (J. Shirley, D. Roeser)
Hammer Back -- (J. Shirley, E. Bloom, D. Roeser)
Damaged -- (J. Shirley, D. Roeser)
Cold Gray Light Of Dawn -- (J. Shirley, E. Bloom, D. Roeser)
Real World -- (J. Shirley, D. Roeser)
Live For Me -- (J. Shirley, D. Roeser)
Still Burnin' -- (J. Rogers, D. Roeser)
In Thee -- (A. Lanier)
Note: Released in March 1998 on CMC International. Produced
by Buck Dharma - additional production by Steve Schenck and Eric Bloom.
The album was originally planned to be titled, "Ezekiel's Wheel".
Instruments: Eric Bloom (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Buck Dharma
(guitar, keyboards, vocals), Allen Lanier (guitar, keyboards), Danny
Miranda (bass, vocals), Chuck Burgi (drums, vocals) Bobby Rondinelli
(drums on "Live For Me"), Jon Rogers (bass, vocals on "Harvest Moon",
"Power Underneath Despair", and "Still Burnin'"), Tony Perrino
(additional keyboards), George Cintron (additional vocals). "In Thee"
was recorded "live at Millbrook". The song, "Power Underneath Despair"
had been released by CMC on the *Summerdaze* album in 1997. The back
of the CD mispells the word "despair" (for the song, "Power Underneath
Despair") as "dispair". The distribution for European copies of this
album was handled by SPV records. The European release is sold with an
insert of the CD tray liner artwork (a blond woman, holding a scepter
with the BOC symbol) displayed on the front of the CD.
Solo Albums, Movie Soundtracks, and Special Compilations
========================================================
*Flat Out* (Buck Dharma solo album)
Born To Rock -- (N. Smith, D. Roeser)
That Summer Night -- (D. Roeser)
Cold Wind -- (D. Roeser)
Your Loving Heart -- (D. Roeser, S. Roeser)
Five Thirty-Five -- (D. Roeser)
Wind Weather And Storm -- (R. Meltzer, D. Roeser)
All Tied Up -- (D. Roeser)
Anwar's Theme -- (D. Roeser)
Come Softly To Me -- (G. Christopher, B. Ellis, G. Troxel)
Notes: Released in 1982 on Portrait Records. Produced by Donald
Roeser. Instruments: Buck Dharma (all vocals, instruments, effects
and noises, except those that follow), Sandy Roeser (vocal on "Come
Softly To Me", backing vocals on "That Summer Night"), R. Downey (drums
on "Your Loving Heart", "Five Thirty-Five", "Anwar's Theme"), Neil
Smith (drums on "Born To Rock", "That Summer Night"), Dennis Dunaway
(bass on "Born To Rock"), Giis de Lang (additional rhythm guitar on
"Born To Rock"), Richard Crooks (drums on "Cold Wind"), Will Lee (bass
on "Cold Wind", "All Tied Up"), Billy Alessi (synthesizer on "Cold
Wind" and "All Tied Up"), Craig MacGregor (bass on "Your Loving Heart",
"Five Thirty-Five", "Anwar's Theme"), Spyke Grubb (backing vocal on
"Five Thirty-Five"), Teruo Nakamura (bass on "Wind Weather And Storm"),
Richie Cannata (sax, clarinet, and horn arrangement on "Wind Weather
And Storm"), Steve Jordan (drums on "All Tied Up"), Sue Evans
(percussion on "Anwar's Theme", "Come Softly To Me"), D. Roeser (a.k.a.
Buck Dharma, drums on "Wind Weather And Storm", synthesizer on "All
Tied Up"), Jan Allen, Terry Bretone, Sandy Roeser, Richard Bifulco
(hospital staff on "Your Loving Heart"), (2K) Kessie (PA voice on "Your
Loving Heart"). A special thanks is listed to Chris Cassone "for Gnop
Gnip" (see "hidden messages" section of FAQ). The song "Wind Weather
And Storm" was demoed by Buck for BOC's *Agents Of Fortune* album.
This album is currently no longer in print in the U.S., however
Sony/Portrait in France released the album on CD in 1995 (see elsewhere
in the FAQ for more information).
*Bad Channels* (movie soundtrack, available only on CD)
Demon's Kiss -- (E. Bloom, D. Roeser, J. Shirley)
The Horsemen Arrive -- (E. Bloom, D. Roeser, J. Shirley)
[the following 9 tunes are by bands other than BOC]
Joker - That's How It Is, Jane Jane (The Hurricane)
Fair Game - Somewhere In The Night, Blind Faith
Sykotik Sinfoney - Manic Depresso, Mr. Cool
DMT - Myth Of Freedom, Touching Myself Again
The Ukelalliens - Little Old Lady Polka
Bad Channels Movie Soundtrack (instrumental pieces written and
performed by Buck Dharma of BOC):
Bad Channels Overture
Power Station
Power Station II
Shadow
V.U.
Cosmo Rules, But Lump Controls
Battering Ram
This Dude Is F****d
Pick Up Her Feed
Spray That Scumbag
Out Of Station
Tree Full Of Owls
Cookie In Bottle
Corky Gets It
Eulogy For Corky
Spore Bomb
Remodeling
Ginger Snaps
Moon Gets It
Notes: Released in 1992 on Moonstone Records. Instruments: Eric
Bloom (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Buck Dharma (lead guitar,
vocals, keyboards), Allen Lanier (guitar, keyboards), Jon Rogers (bass,
background vocals), Chuck Burgi (drums, background vocals). The CD
liner notes incorrectly list the names of Jon Rogers and Chuck Burgi as
"John Rogers" and "Chuck Burgie" respectively. "The Horsemen Arrive",
should actually be titled, "When Horsemen Arrive" - this song was tried
with different lyrics, and titled "Out Of The Darkness". The film
credits incorrectly list the song by this alternate title.
*Summerdaze* (compilation of the 4 acts from the 1997 Summerdaze tour)
John Kay and Steppenwolf:
Bad Attitude
Rocket Ship
Make The Best Of What You Got
Blue Oyster Cult:
Power Underneath Despair -- (E. Bloom, D. Roeser, J. Shirley)
(Don't Fear) The Reaper -- (D. Roeser)
Godzilla -- (D. Roeser)
Foghat:
Honey Hush
Nothing But Trouble
You'll Be Mine
Pat Travers:
Ice Queen
Just Enough Money
Lookin' Up
Notes: Released in 1997 by CMC International Records. Instruments
(for BOC): Eric Bloom (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Allen Lanier
(guitar, keyboards), Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (guitar, vocals),
Danny Miranda (bass, vocals), Bobby Rondinelli (drums). The instrument
credits on the album refer to the BOC line-up appearing on the tour,
however, the credits for the actual recordings are somewhat different.
"Power Underneath Despair", a studio track recorded in 1995, was
produced by Steve Schenck, Buck Dharma, and Eric Bloom; and featured
Danny Miranda on bass and Chuck Burgi on drums. "(Don't Fear) The
Reaper" (Moscow, Idaho), and "Godzilla" (Kalispell, Montana), both
recorded live in 1992, feature Jon Rogers on bass and John Miceli on
drums. The band photograph in the liner notes is circa 1993 showing
Chuck Burgi, Eric Bloom, Allen Lanier, Buck Dharma, and Jon Rogers.
*Joe Bouchard Presents The X Brothers: Solid Citizens*
Pray -- (J. Bouchard)
Hot Time In Hell -- (J. Gray)
On Fire With Love -- (J. Bouchard, A. Hilfiger, B. Hilfiger, N. Smith)
Love's A Killer -- (J. Bouchard, D. Dunaway, N. Smith)
Pearls -- (J. Bouchard)
Inner Bit -- (J. Bouchard)
Wild Ones -- (J. Bouchard, D. Dunaway, N. Smith)
Dreamland -- (J. Bouchard)
The Van Song -- (J. Bouchard, A. Hilfiger, J. Cacala)
Dream Machine -- (J. Bouchard)
End Post -- (J. Bouchard)
All Things Paramount -- (J. Bouchard)
Run For The Sun -- (J. Bouchard, R. Meltzer)
Notes: Released in 1997 by Cellsum Records (see address listed for
Albert Bouchard/Deborah Frost elsewhere in this FAQ for ordering
information). Produced by Joe Bouchard. Instruments: Joe Bouchard
(vocals, guitar, piano, organ, bass, mandolin), Andy Hilfiger (bass,
vocals), Billy Hilfiger (guitar, vocals), Jimmy Cacala (drums, vocals).
A version of the song "Love's A Killer" originally appeared on the
Deadringer album, *Electrocution Of The Heart* -- Joe Bouchard also
played keyboards on that album. A version of the song "Wild Ones" was
originally submitted and demoed to Alice Cooper for his album, *Raise
Your Fist And Yell*, but was not used. The lyrics for "Run For The
Sun" were originally used for a song called, "Hot Desert Sand", which
was demoed for BOC's *Fire Of Unknown Origin* album, but not used.
More information about this CD, including lyrics, can be found on the
World Wide Web at http://w3.nai.net/~xbros/
Compilation Albums (domestic)
=============================
*(Don't Fear) The Reaper* (compilation) (available only on tape)
(Don't Fear) The Reaper [from Agents Of Fortune]
You're Not The One (I Was Looking For) [from Mirrors]
7 Screaming Diz-Busters [from Tyranny And Mutation]
Career Of Evil [from Secret Treaties]
Born To Be Wild
Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll [from Blue Oyster Cult]
Buck's Boogie [from Blue Oyster Cult - Live NY '72?]
Redeemed [from Blue Oyster Cult]
Notes: Released in 1989 on Columbia, and should not be confused with
the 1997 Sony release of the same name. Some of the versions used on
this recording were the single, not the album versions. The most
notable differences include the edited version of "(Don't Fear) The
Reaper" (the guitar solo section was cut), and "Career Of Evil"
(Apparently the line, "Do it to your daughter on a dirt road" was
considered too controversial -- the vocals were either re-recorded or
re-mixed so the line says "Do it like ya oughtta on a dirt road").
Also, this version omits the second verse of the song. "Born To Be
Wild" is a studio version of the song (the riff is different) which
appeared as the b-side to a single release of the live version (from
*On Your Feet Or On Your Knees*). The version of "Buck's Boogie" is a
live version from a 1972 show in New York that appeared on Columbia's
promo issue "Bootleg EP" (see section on import live recordings).
*Career Of Evil - The Metal Years* (compilation)
Cities On Flame [from Extraterrestrial Live]
The Red And The Black [from Extraterrestrial Live]
Hot Rails To Hell [from Extraterrestrial Live]
Dominance And Submission [from Extraterrestrial Live]
7 Screaming Diz-Busters [from On your Feet Or On Your Knees]
ME 262 [from On Your Feet Or On Your Knees]
E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) [from Agents Of Fortune]
Beat 'Em Up [from Club Ninja]
Black Blade [from Cultosaurus Erectus]
Harvester Of Eyes [from Secret Treaties]
Flaming Telepaths [from Secret Treaties]
Godzilla [from Extraterrestrial Live]
(Don't Fear) The Reaper [from Some Enchanted Evening]
Note: Released in 1990 on Columbia. On the cassette version of this
album, the jam at the end of "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll" was
removed - the song ends with Buck's trill way up the neck. The CD
version of the album does not have this edit. According "Morning Final
#2", this CD was originally issued in place of a CD release of
*Extraterrestrial Live* (although that album was later released on CD).
*On Flame With Rock And Roll* (compilation)
(Don't Fear) The Reaper [from Agents Of Fortune]
Transmaniacon MC [from Blue Oyster Cult]
Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll [from Blue Oyster Cult]
Kick Out The Jams [from Some Enchanted Evening]
R. U. Ready 2 Rock [from Spectres]
Career Of Evil [from Secret Treaties]
Godzilla [from Spectres]
Burnin' For You [from Fire Of Unknown Origin]
Dominance And Submission [from Secret Treaties]
Death Valley Nights [from Spectres]
Notes: Released in 1990 on CBS Special Products, and should not be
confused with the 1997 KRB Music Companies release of the same name.
The version of "Career Of Evil" used on this recording was the single,
not the album version (Apparently the line, "Do it to your daughter on
a dirt road" was considered too controversial -- the vocals were either
re-recorded or re-mixed so the line says "Do it like ya oughtta on a
dirt road"). Also, this version omits the second verse of the song.
Two of the tracks ("Dominance And Submission", "Death Valley Nights")
do not appear on the cassette version of this album.
*Cult Classic* (re-recording of old BOC tunes)
Don't Fear The Reaper -- (D. Roeser)
E.T.I. (Extraterrestrial Intelligence) -- (S. Pearlman, D. Roeser)
M.E. 262 -- (S. Pearlman, E. Bloom, D. Roeser)
This Ain't The Summer Of Love -- (D. Roeser, D. Waller, M. Krugman)
Burning For You -- (D. Roeser, R. Meltzer)
O.D.'d On Life Itself -- (S. Pearlman, E. Bloom, D. Roeser,
A. Bouchard)
Flaming Telepaths -- (S. Pearlman, E. Bloom, D. Roeser, A. Bouchard)
Godzilla -- (D. Roeser)
Astronomy -- (S. Pearlman, A. Bouchard, J. Bouchard)
Cities on Flame With Rock 'N' Roll -- (S. Pearlman, A. Bouchard,
D. Roeser)
Harvester Of Eyes -- (R. Meltzer, E. Bloom, D. Roeser)
Buck's Boogie -- (D. Roeser)
Don't Fear The Reaper (TV Mix) -- (D. Roeser)
Godzilla (TV Mix) -- (D. Roeser)
Notes: Released in 1994, on Herald/Fragile/Caroline Records. Produced
by Donald Roeser and Eric Bloom. Executive producer: Steve Schenck.
Associate producer: Jeff Kawalek. Instruments: Eric Bloom (lead
vocals, guitar, keyboards), Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (lead guitar,
lead vocals, keyboards), Allen Lanier (keyboards, guitars), Jon Rogers
(bass, background vocals), Chuck Burgi (drums, percussion, background
vocals). The CD was released in 1996 in Europe under the title,
"Champions Of Rock".
*Workshop Of The Telescopes* (double CD compilation)
Disc 1
Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll [from Blue Oyster Cult]
Transmaniacon MC [from Blue Oyster Cult]
Before The Kiss, A Redcap [from Blue Oyster Cult]
Stairway To The Stars [from Blue Oyster Cult]
Buck's Boogie [from "Guitars That Destroyed The World"]
Workshop Of The Telescopes [from promo release]
The Red And The Black [from promo release]
7 Screaming Diz-Busters [from Tyranny And Mutation]
Career Of Evil [from Secret Treaties]
Flaming Telepaths [from Secret Treaties]
Astronomy [from Secret Treaties]
Subhuman [from On Your Feet Or On Your Knees]
Harvester Of Eyes [from On Your Feet Or On Your Knees]
M.E. 262 [from On Your Feet Or On Your Knees]
Born To Be Wild [from b-side of Born To Be Wild single]
Disc 2
(Don't Fear) The Reaper [from Agents Of Fortune]
This Ain't The Summer Of Love [from Agents Of Fortune]
E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) [from Agents Of Fortune]
Godzilla [from Spectres]
Goin' Through The Motions [from Spectres]
Golden Age Of Leather [from Spectres]
Kick Out The Jams [from Some Enchanted Evening]
We Gotta Get Out Of This Place [from Some Enchanted Evening]
In Thee [from Mirrors]
The Marshall Plan [from Cultosaurus Erectus]
Veteran Of The Psychic Wars [from Fire Of Unknown Origin]
Burnin' For You [from Fire Of Unknown Origin]
Dominance And Submission [from Extraterrestrial Live]
Take Me Away [from The Revolution By Night]
Shooting Shark [from The Revolution By Night]
Dancin' In The Ruins [from Club Ninja]
Perfect Water [from Club Ninja]
Notes: Released in 1995 on Sony/Columbia's Legacy label. The versions
of "Workshop Of The Telescopes" and "The Red And The Black" were
recorded live in 1972, and previously not commercially issued, but
released on 12-inch vinyl to the media. The version of "Buck's Boogie"
used on this recording was also from that release (as well as the
Columbia compilation, "Guitars That Destroyed The World"). The
release, which also included a live version of "Cities On Flame With
Rock And Roll", was titled *Live Bootleg*, and is often referred to as
"The Bootleg EP". The version of "Born To Be Wild" is a studio version
which was previously only available either on the b-side of the single
release of "Born To Be Wild" from *On Your Feet Or On Your Knees*, or
on the *(Don't Fear) The Reaper* compilation tape. The band used to
refer to this track as their "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"
version, as the rhythm part of the track sounds very similar to the
song. This CD set credits A. Bouchard and B. Dharma for the writing of
"Buck's Boogie", and credits D. Roeser, A. Bouchard, E. Bloom, and S.
Pearlman for the writing of "The Red And The Black". The version of
"We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" is from the LP version of *Some
Enchanted Evening*, not the CD version (see notes for *Some Enchanted
Evening*).
*Revisited* (compilation)
(Don't Fear) The Reaper [from Agents Of Fortune]
Godzilla [from Spectres]
Transmaniacon MC [from Blue Oyster Cult]
Goin' Through The Motions [from Spectres]
Hot Rails To Hell [from Tyranny And Mutation]
The Red And The Black [from Blue Oyster Cult]
In Thee [from Mirrors]
Before The Kiss, A Redcap [from Blue Oyster Cult]
7 Screaming Diz-Busters [from Tyranny And Mutation]
Notes: Released in 1996 on Sony Music Special Products. M. Krugman
and A. Lanier were left off the credits for "Before The Kiss, A
Redcap". The cover photo used shows the original BOC line-up in
concert performing the "5 Guitars".
*On Flame With Rock And Roll* (compilation)
(Don't Fear) The Reaper [from Agents Of Fortune]
Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll [from Blue Oyster Cult]
Kick Out The Jams [from Some Enchanted Evening]
R. U. Ready 2 Rock [from Spectres]
Godzilla [from Spectres]
Burnin' For You [from Fire Of Unknown Origin]
Notes: Released in 1997 on KRB Music Companies/Sony Music Special
Products, and should not be confused with the 1990 CBS Special Products
release of the same name. This release is part of the "Six Pack"
series, containing six hits by a particular artist. The cover photo is
the same as the photo on the *Revisited* compilation, with the flaming
logo from the first *On Flame With Rock And Roll* compilation above the
photo.
*Don't Fear The Reaper* (compilation)
The Red And The Black [from Tyranny And Mutation]
In Thee [from Mirrors]
Nosferatu [from Spectres]
Shooting Shark [from The Revolution By Night]
(Don't Fear) The Reaper [from Extraterrestrial Live]
Goin' Through The Motions [from Spectres]
7 Screaming Diz-Busters [from Tyranny And Mutation]
Before The Kiss, A Redcap [from Blue Oyster Cult]
Hot Rails To Hell [from Tyranny And Mutation]
Buck's Boogie [from On Your Feet Or On Your Knees]
Notes: Released in 1997 on Sony Music Special Products, and should not
be confused with the 1989 Columbia release of the same name. This CD
credits A. Bouchard and D. Roeser for the writing of "Buck's Boogie",
and M. Krugman and A. Lanier were left off the credits for "Before The
Kiss, A Redcap". The cover photo is the same as the photo on the
*Revisited* compilation.
Compilation Albums (foreign)
============================
*Rock Storia E Musica - Blue Oyster Cult - Gruppo Editoriale Fabri*
(Italian import compilation) (available only on tape)
E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) [from Extraterrestrial Live]
(Don't Fear) The Reaper [from Extraterrestrial Live]
Hot Rails To Hell [from Extraterrestrial Live]
Godzilla [from Extraterrestrial Live]
Dominance And Submission [from Extraterrestrial Live]
Monsters [from Cultosaurus Erectus]
The Great Sun Jester [from Mirrors]
Black Blade [from Extraterrestrial Live]
Notes: Released in 1983 on Columbia.
*Rock Shots - Hins Collection - "Club Ninja" Track Sequence*
(Indonesian import compilation) (available only on tape)
Beat 'Em Up
Make Rock, Not War
Spy In The House Of The Night
Dancin' In The Ruins
The Shadow Warrior
Perfect Water
White Flags
When The War Comes
Madness To The Method
Light Years Of Love
Eyes On Fire
Shadow Of California
Take Me Away
Notes: Released in 1986. The versions on this tape are presumably the
same versions as appeared on *The Revolution By Night* and *Club
Ninja*.
*Il Grande Rock De Agostini* (Italian import compilation)
This Ain't The Summer Of Love [from Agents Of Fortune]
The Red And The Black [from Tyranny And Mutation]
Godzilla [from Spectres]
(Don't Fear) The Reaper [from Agents Of Fortune]
E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) [from Agents Of Fortune]
Joan Crawford [from Extraterrestrial Live]
R. U. Ready 2 Rock [from Spectres]
Astronomy [from Secret Treaties]
The Subhuman [from Secret Treaties]
Blue Oyster Cult [from Imaginos]
Notes: Released in 1991, by Columbia/Sony (Italy). Part of a
"magazine set" - a large series of around 100 or so CDs/pamphlets on
various rock bands. A subscriber would receive a new CD/pamphlet on a
periodic basis until they had the whole set. Only one CD had BOC songs
- #25 in the series. The songs were recorded straight off BOC LPs.
The disc incorrectly credits 5 of the tracks as being from *Some
Enchanted Evening*.
*The Reaper - Best* (German/Holland import compilation)
(Don't Fear) The Reaper [from Agents Of Fortune]
Godzilla [from Spectres]
R. U. Ready 2 Rock [from Some Enchanted Evening]
Then Came The Last Days Of May [from On Your Feet Or On Your Knees]
Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll [from Blue Oyster Cult]
The Marshall Plan [from Cultosaurus Erectus]
Burnin' For You [from Fire Of Unknown Origin]
Joan Crawford [from Fire Of Unknown Origin]
Dr. Music [from Mirrors]
We Gotta Get Out Of This Place [from Some Enchanted Evening]
White Flags [from Club Ninja]
The Vigil [from Mirrors]
Take Me Away [from The Revolution By Night]
Shooting Shark [from The Revolution By Night]
I Am The One You Warned Me Of [from Imaginos]
In The Presence Of Another World (Excerpts From) [from Imaginos]
Notes: Released in 1993. Distributed by Sony Music Entertainment
(Germany), made in Austria, printed in Holland. Most of the writing on
the CD liner, including about 10 pages of history on the band, is
printed in German. Several of the songs ("(Don't Fear) The Reaper",
"Godzilla", "Then Came The Last Days Of May", "Cities On Flame With
Rock And Roll", "Joan Crawford", "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place") have
been enhanced over the original album versions to improve the sound
quality. The version of "In The Presence Of Another World" is an
abbreviated version of the song appearing on *Imaginos* - the song ends
after the line "In the fullness of another world, there is no emptiness
. . ." just prior to the "Your master" coda section. The version of
"We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" is from the LP version of *Some
Enchanted Evening*, not the CD version (see notes for *Some Enchanted
Evening*).
*Champions Of Rock* (European release of *Cult Classic*)
See listing for *Cult Classic*
Notes: This CD was released in 1996 in Europe as part of a series of
artists including April Wine, J. Geils Band, Gentle Giant, Nazareth,
Saxon, Robin Trower, and UFO. It is released on the "Disky" label in
Holland with "all tracks licensed from EMI International Records". The
cover photo is a group shot of the 5 original members of BOC, probably
taken in the mid to late 70's.
Import Live Recordings
======================
Note: With the possible exception of *Live 1976*, most of the
following won't be found in your local (U.S.) record store. How to
obtain these recordings is discussed elsewhere in this FAQ.
*Blue Oyster Cult - Live NY '72* (Columbia promo/numerous imports)
Title (label, release year)
The Blue Oyster Cult Bootleg EP (Columbia, 1972) - LP promo
In My Mouth Or On The Ground (Idle Mind, 1976) - 10" blue or black
Blue Oyster Cult (Maserati, 1976) - LP only
Fantasy Distillation Of Reality (TKRWM, 1977) - LP only
Blue Oyster Cult (Sky Dog International) - vinyl (1989), CD (1990)
The Red And The Black
Buck's Boogie
Workshop Of The Telescopes
Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll
Notes: The above 4 songs were recorded on 4/3/72 at Nugget's Pizza
Parlor in Rochester, NY. "The Red And The Black", "Workshop Of The
Telescopes", and "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll" were part of a
radio broadcast a week later. "Buck's Boogie" lacked publishing
copyrights security at that time, and was not broadcast, but did appear
on a compilation album of various artists, titled, *The Guitars That
Destroyed The World* in the early 70's. Columbia released *The Blue
Oyster Cult Bootleg EP* as a promotional EP to radio stations as a pre-
release to *Tyranny And Mutation*. In 1976, Idle Mind released this
recording on 10" (both black and blue) vinyl with the title *In My
Mouth Or On The Ground*. Also in 1976, Maserati released this
recording (with lyrics to some of BOC's albums, as well as promotional
photos) with the title *Blue Oyster Cult*, but created confusion with a
label on the record reading "Soft White Underbelly" (there are no Soft
White Underbelly recordings on this album). This recording also goes
by the album number of "ME262". In 1977, TKRWM released this
recording, along with the two tracks from the Stalk-Forrest Group
single ("What Is Quicksand?" and "Arthur Comics" - see the section
about other BOC recordings for more information on them) with the title
"Fantasy Distillation Of Reality" (and also erroneously stamped "Live
in Montreal" - creating additional confusion). Finally, Sky Dog
released this recording under the title *Blue Oyster Cult* or *Live In
NY '72*. It is believed that at least one of these releases has the
tracks in the wrong order, putting the "side one" tracks (The Red And
The Black, Buck's Boogie) after the "side two" tracks (Workshop Of The
Telescopes, Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll).
*Live 1976* (U.K. Import)
Stairway To The Stars
Harvester Of Eyes
Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll
ME-262
Dominance And Submission
Astronomy
Buck's Boogie
This Ain't The Summer Of Love
Born To Be Wild
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Notes: Recorded in Largo, Maryland (12/27/76). Released in 1991 on
the Castle Communications label. Instruments: Eric Bloom (vocals,
guitar, keyboards), Allen Lanier (keyboards, guitar), Joe Bouchard
(bass, vocals), Albert Bouchard (drums, guitar, vocals), Donald "Buck
Dharma" Roeser (lead guitar, vocals). The sound quality on the CD is
rather poor. A video by of this performance is also available (also
titled *Live 1976*), which includes all of the above songs, plus
"E.T.I.". See later in the FAQ for a description of this video.
*Still Kicking*
(often mislabeled "Still Ticking"; possible alternative title is "Still
Fighting", often mislabeled "Still Fiction") (available only on LP)
Intro
Dr. Music
Heavy Metal (The Black and Silver)
Joan Crawford
M.E. 262
Flaming Telepaths
Veteran Of The Psychic Wars
Roadhouse Blues
Notes: Released in 1982 on the "Good Shape" label. The songs were
recorded in London at The Venue (8/19/81) and Castle Donnington
(8/22/81). This recording may only be available on LP. The Castle
Donnington show was Rick Downey's first full performance with BOC. The
mislabeling of the titles stems from a very bizarre font which was used
on the cover, that was difficult to read. The sound quality is poor.
"Heavy Metal" included an up-tempo riff at the end of the song that was
only done by the band on the European leg of this tour.
*Violences 3*
(Italy import) (available only on LP)
Born To Be Wild
Arthur Comics
Roadhouse Blues
Notes: Released in 1982 on the "Blam" label, as part of a boxed set of
3 artists (Motorhead, Ozzy Osbourne, Blue Oyster Cult) each doing 3
songs each. The three songs are from the 9/8/80 show at the Old
Waldorf, San Francisco, CA.
*The Thing!* (Italy Import)
(also released as a German import as two individual CDs -- "Blue Oyster
Cult Live And Alive - Vol. 1" and "Blue Oyster Cult Live And Alive -
Vol. 2"; also, the tracks indicated with a + were released as single CD
imports under the titles "Godzilla", and "Burnin' For You")
Disc 1
Dr. Music +
E.T.I.
Burnin' For You +
Fire Of Unknown Origin +
Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll
Joan Crawford +
Flaming Telepaths
Veteran Of The Psychic Wars +
Hot Rails To Hell +
Disc 2
ME-262 +
Heavy Metal
(Don't Fear) The Reaper +
Godzilla +
Born To Be Wild +
5 Guitars +
Roadhouse Blues +
Notes: Released in 1991 on the "Beech Marten" label (The "Live And
Alive Vol. 1/2" import was released on the "PR-Records" label, the
"Godzilla" import was released in 1993 in both vinyl and CD formats on
the "Metal Mess" label, and the "Burnin' For You" import was released
in 1994 on the "Live Line" label). Recorded at Bonds International
Casinos, New York City (6/16/81). Instruments: Eric Bloom (guitars,
vocals), Donald Roeser (guitars, vocals), Allen Lanier (keyboards,
backing vocals), Albert Bouchard (drums), Joe Bouchard (bass, backing
vocals). The "Live And Alive Vol. 1/2" recording has the two discs
reversed (i.e. "Vol. 1" is Disc 2 of "The Thing!", and "Vol. 2" is Disc
1 of "The Thing!"). "The Thing!" has the correct concert order. The
CD has two major typos: The recording was at "Bonds International",
not "Bands International". Also, the recording date was "6/16/81", not
"6/18/81". This recording was broadcast on ABC Radio's "A Night on the
Road" on 8/8/81. According to Bolle Gregmar, some of the songs at the
end of the show (The Reaper, Godzilla, Born To Be Wild, 5 Guitars) were
actually recorded the previous year (9/8/80 show at the Old Waldorf,
San Francisco, CA). These were spliced in by Steve Schenck and George
Geranios when the mixing budget ran out. Steve Schenck had to overdub
the keyboards on "Flaming Telepaths". The version of "(Don't Fear) The
Reaper" sounds as if Buck mistakenly sings the second verse twice,
while the band recovers without missing a beat. Actually, the splicing
of the two shows was done in the middle of the song, but was done in
error. The version of "5 Guitars" is the "Mark III" (Golden Age of
Leather) version. Also, for some unknown reason, "5 Guitars" was mixed
after "Born To Be Wild", when in actuality the band played them in the
opposite order ("5 Guitars" segues into "Born To Be Wild"), and "Heavy
Metal" was actually played as an encore to the Bonds show. The photo
on the front of *The Thing!* CD appears to have been taken in the early
70's (every-one's hair is quite long).
*Nail You Down* (Luxembourg or Italy Import)
(also released as an import with the title, "Rock and Roll Reapers")
Stairway To the Stars
Harvester Of Eyes
Workshop Of Telescopes
Before The Kiss (A Redcap)
Born To Rock
Hot Rails To Hell
Seven Screaming Dizbusters
Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll
Burnin' For You
Joan Crawford
Born To Be Wild
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Roadhouse Blues
Notes: Released in 1992 on the "Oh Boy" label (The "Rock and Roll
Reapers" import was released on the "Metal Mania" label). From the ABC
recording, "Captured Live", recorded on 7/23/83 at Perkins Palace,
Pasadena, CA, and broadcast on 8/29/83. The show also contained some
songs from *Revolution By Night* (Take Me Away, Feel The Thunder,
Veins), but they were not broadcast as the album had not yet been
released. The photo on the back of the CD contains Albert Bouchard.
He was not in the band at the time of this performance. This version
of "Roadhouse Blues" contains, in the middle of the song, a few bars of
the Doors' song, "Love Me Two Times" (which is incorrectly listed on
the "Rock and Roll Reapers" release as a separate track).
*Into The Crypts Of Rays* (Italy Import)
R. U. Ready 2 Rock
White Flags
Take Me Away
Dancin' In The Ruins
The Shadow Warrior
Burnin' For You
Godzilla
Wings Of Mercury
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Born To Be Wild
Let Go
Shooting Shark
Notes: Released in 1993 on the "International Broadcast Recordings"
label. Recorded at the Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, CA on
3/27/86. However, the last 3 songs on the CD are actually from a
2/14/84 show at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. The California
portion of this recording (often incorrectly referred as being from Los
Angeles) was broadcast on "The King Biscuit Flower Hour" on 7/13/86.
"Wings Of Mercury" is credited as written by Donald Roeser, Eric Bloom,
and Albert Bouchard. However, according to Bolle Gregmar, the song was
actually written by Dream Syndicate (K. Percoda), and given to BOC to
use (both Dream Syndicate and BOC were managed by Sandy Pearlman, and
Tommy Zvoncheck plays keyboards on at least one Dream Syndicate album).
It was planned to be played by BOC on the Hear 'n Aid project (a heavy-
metal album project organized by Ronnie James Dio to raise money for
the hungry -- the album featured a group of stars singing one song,
plus a number of tracks by some of the artists), but was not used.
"Wings Of Mercury" was actually played as the first encore of the Santa
Monica show, but was inserted in-between "Godzilla" and "(Don't Fear)
The Reaper" for the radio broadcast. The recording of "Born To Be
Wild" appears to have been edited to remove the "Texas Chainsaw guitar
duel". The second verse of "Shooting Shark" is not on the recording --
either the band did not perform the second verse, or it was edited out
of the mix. The name of this release no doubt comes from the Celtic
Frost song of the same name.
Other Releases (Singles, Promos, Etc.)
======================================
NOTE: This list is not meant to identify every case of which singles
were released in which country. Where a non-U.S. release is unique
from other releases (in terms of tracks on the release, not necessarily
other factors such as artwork), it is indicated here. If another
country is not identified with the release, then it was released in the
U.S. (but may have also been released in other countries as well)
7" vinyl
1972 -- Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll - mono/stereo (promo)
1972 -- Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll/Before The Kiss, A Redcap
1973 -- Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll - mono/stereo
(promo reissue)
1973 -- The Red And The Black/Baby Ice Dog - Japanese single
1974 -- Hot Rails To Hell/7 Screaming Diz-Busters
1974 -- Career Of Evil/Dominance And Submission
1974 -- Flaming Telepaths/Career Of Evil - Japanese single
1975 -- Born To Be Wild - promo
1975 -- Born To Be Wild - live/studio
1975 -- Born To Be Wild/Cities On Flame - Japanese single
1975 -- Last Days Of May/Cities On Flame - Japanese single
1976 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper - mono/stereo (edited promo)
1976 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/Tattoo Vampire
1976 -- This Ain't The Summer of Love - mono/stereo (promo)
1976 -- This Ain't The Summer of Love/Debbie Denise
1976 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/Dominance And Submission - Columbia
"Hall of Fame" reissue
1976 -- Sinful Love/(Don't Fear) The Reaper - Japanese single
1977 -- Goin' Through The Motions - mono/stereo (promo)
1977 -- Goin' Through The Motions/Searchin' For Celine
1977 -- Godzilla - mono/stereo (promo)
1977 -- Godzilla/Nosferatu
1978 -- I Love The Night/Nosferatu - U.K. single
1978 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/R. U. Ready 2 Rock - U.K. single)
1978 -- Godzilla - live/studio (promo)
1978 -- Godzilla - live/studio (special radio station copy promo)
1978 -- We Gotta Get Out Of This Place - mono/stereo (promo)
1978 -- We Gotta Get Out Of This Place/E.T.I.
1978 -- We Gotta Get Out Of This Place/Stairway To The Stars (live) -
U.K. single
1978 -- We Gotta Get Out Of This Place/Kick Out The Jams - Dutch single
1978 -- Godzilla/Born To Be Wild - Japanese single
1979 -- In Thee - promo
1979 -- In Thee/The Vigil - U.K., Australian single
1979 -- In Thee/Lonely Teardrops
1979 -- Your Not The One (I Was Looking For) - promo
1979 -- Your Not The One (I Was Looking For)/Moon Crazy
1979 -- Mirrors/Lonely Teardrops - U.K. single
1979 -- Mirrors/Lonely Teardrops - U.K. single (on clear vinyl)
1979 -- Moon Crazy/I Am The Storm - Japanese single
1980 -- Here's Johnny (The Marshall Plan)/Divine Wind - promo
1980 -- Here's Johnny (The Marshall Plan)/Divine Wind - with special
guest star Don Kirschner
1980 -- Fallen Angel/Lips In The Hills - U.K., Australian, Spanish
single
1980 -- Deadline/Monsters - U.K. single
1981 -- Burnin' For You - LP version/short version (promo)
1981 -- Burnin' For You/Vengeance (The Pact)
1981 -- Burnin' For You/Heavy Metal: The Black and Silver - U.K. single
1981 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/Burnin' For You - Columbia
"Hall of Fame" reissue
1983 -- Shooting Shark - LP version/short version (promo)
1983 -- Shooting Shark/Dragon Lady
1983 -- Shooting Shark/Feel The Thunder - Dutch, Spanish single
1983 -- Take Me Away/Feel The Thunder - U.K. single
1983 -- Take Me Away - LP version/short version (promo)
1983 -- Take Me Away/Let Go
1984 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/R U Ready 2 Rock - U.K. "Old Gold"
80's reissue
1985 -- White Flags/Rock Not War - U.K. single
1986 -- Dancin' In The Ruins - promo
1986 -- Dancin' In The Ruins/Shadow Warrior
1986 -- Perfect Water - promo
1986 -- Perfect Water/Spy In The House Of The Night
1988 -- Astronomy(edit)/Magna Of Illusion - U.K., Dutch single
1994 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/Burnin' For You (from *Cult Classic*) -
U.K. single on Fragile label
12" Vinyl
1972 -- *The Blue Oyster Cult Bootleg EP* - The Red And The Black/
Buck's Boogie/Workshop Of The Telescopes/Cities On Flame With
Rock And Roll - promo
1978 -- Godzilla/Godzilla (live) - promo)
1978 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/R. U. Ready 2 Rock - U.K. single (1978
tour edition)
1981 -- Burnin' For You/Joan Crawford/Sole Survivor/Veteran Of The
Psychic Wars - *Fire Of Unknown Origin* 4 song promo
1981 -- Burnin' For You/Dr. Music (live)/Flaming Telepaths (live) -
U.K. single
1982 -- Roadhouse Blues (LP/edit) - promo
1982 -- Roadhouse Blues (LP/edit)/Veteran Of The Psychic Wars (all from
*Extraterrestrial Live*) - promo
1983 -- Shooting Shark (LP/edit)/Take Me Away/Eyes on Fire -
*Revolution By Night* 4 song promo
1983 -- Take Me Away (from *Revolution By Night)/Burnin' For You (from
*Fire Of Unknown Origin*)/(Don't Fear) The Reaper (from *Agents
Of Fortune)/Dr. Music (live) - U.K. release
1983 -- Shooting Shark/Dragon Lady - U.K. single
1985 -- White Flags/Shooting Shark/Rock Not War - U.K. single
1986 -- Dancin' In The Ruins
1986 -- Dancin' In The Ruins/Shadow Warrior - Holland single
1986 -- Perfect Water - LP version/short version
1988 -- Astronomy/Magna Of Illusion (from *Imaginos*)/(Don't Fear) The
Reaper (from *Agents Of Fortune*) - U.K. Single
1988 -- Astronomy (Wild Mix) (with and without the Stephen King
intro)/Magna Of Illusion - U.K. single
CD
1988 -- Astronomy - *Imaginos* promo (2 LP versions - one with Stephen
King intro, 2 short versions - one with S. King intro)
1988 -- The Next Chapter (In The Presence of Another World) (LP/edit) -
*Imaginos* promo
1988 -- Astronomy/Magna of Illusion (from *Imaginos*)/(Don't Fear) The
Reaper (from *Agents Of Fortune*) - U.K. Single
1989 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper (from *Agents Of Fortune*)/Burnin' For
You (from *Fire Of Unknown Origin*) - 3 inch CD single
1994 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper (from *Cult Classic*) - promo
1994 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/Burnin' For You/Godzilla (from *Cult
Classic*) - promo
1994 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/Burnin' For You (from *Cult Classic*) -
U.K. Single
1994 -- Blue Oyster Cult/Tyranny And Mutation - Double CD release by
Sony in France
1995 -- Blue Oyster Cult/Tyranny And Mutation/Secret Treaties - 3 Pack
release by Sony/Legacy of the first 3 BOC albums on CD
1998 -- See You In Black - *Heaven Forbid* promo
Other
Agents Of Fortune/Spectres - release as a single cassette
Agents Of Fortune/Spectres - Australian double vinyl release
Agents Of Fortune/Spectres - European double CD release
Silver Condor/Fire Of Unknown Origin - Saudi Arabian single cassette
(Imaginos vocalist Joey Cerisano
is Silver Condor's lead singer)
Imaginos - on blue vinyl - U.K. import
Career Of Evil: The Metal Years - on vinyl - U.K. import
Cult Classic - Vinyl with picture sleeve
1989 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper (from *Agents Of Fortune*)/Burnin' For
You (from *Fire Of Unknown Origin*) - cassette single
1994 -- Tyranny And Mutation/Secret Treaties - European double CD
release
1994 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/Burnin' For You (from *Cult Classic*) -
U.K. Cassette Single
Blue Oyster Cult/Cultosaurus Erectus/Club Ninja - European CD 3 Pack
Quadraphonic vinyl -- Tyranny And Mutation, Secret Treaties
"White Label Promo" LPs -- Promo versions of all BOC's albums were made
"White Label Promo" Cassettes -- Club Ninja (4 song sampler, with
Fastway on the b-side), Imaginos (4
song sampler), Imaginos (full), (Don't
Fear) The Reaper, (Don't Fear) The
Reaper/Burnin' For You
Columbia "Playback Series" (4 track, 7-inch promotional EPs):
1971 -- Blue Oyster Cult (Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll)
Messina and Loggins (Listen To A Country Song)
Jack Holmes (Trust Me)
R.E.O. Speedwagon (157 Riverside Drive)
1974 -- Rupert Holmes (Letters That Cross In The Mail)
Blue Oyster Cult (ME-262)
Tanya Tucker (The Man Who Turned My Mamma On)
Colin Blunstone (Smooth Operation)
1975 -- New York's Heavy Metal Sound - Japanese LP - BOC on one side (5
songs from their first 3 albums), Aerosmith on the other side
The Brain Surgeons Discography
==============================
*Eponymous*
Language Of Love -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Most Romantic Place In The World -- (R. Meltzer, A. Bouchard)
I Play The Drums -- (S. Kempner)
Soul Jive -- (P. Smith, D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Brain From Terra Incognita -- (R. Meltzer, D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Love Potion #9 -- (Lieber, Stoller)
Mad Dude -- (R. Meltzer, A. Bouchard)
Big Bang Theory -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
(666) Devil Got Your Mother -- (D. Roter, A. Bouchard)
Name Your Monster -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Time Will Take Care Of You -- (D. Frost, M. Barkan, A. Bouchard)
Notes: Released in 1994 by Cellsum Records, and later by Ripe and
Ready. Produced by Albert Bouchard and Deborah Frost. Instruments:
Deborah Frost (vocals, drums, percussion, guitar), Albert Bouchard
(vocals, drums, guitars, The Legendary Albertron, keyboards, piano,
percussion, sax, synth, slide, jaminator), Mike Leslie (bass, bass
violin, synth), Jacob Bouchard (guitar samples), Ace Bouchard (vocals,
toy drums), Flip Barnes (trumpet), David Hirschberg (alto sax), Steve
Levy (comet). The "Legendary Albertron", according to Al Bouchard, is
"an idea that I borrowed from Glen Branca. A couple 2x4s, old strings,
pieces of pipe, tuning pegs and humbucking pickups. It's played by
striking with chopsticks and has sixteen strings (8 pairs) tuned to the
A Dorian scale. It's sort of like an electric hammer dulcimer. I made
it for the Imaginos Overture back in '83." A version of "(666) Devil
Got Your Mother" appears on David Roter's 1989 release, *Beauty Of The
Island*. A version of the song, "Soul Jive" was originally demoed by
Albert for the sessions for BOC's *Agents Of Fortune* album - different
versions were also demoed again under the names "Jungle Fever" (with
lyrics by Albert) and "White Hot Star" (for the *Cultosaurus Erectus*
album, with lyrics by Helen Wheels).
*Trepanation*
Gimme Nothin' -- (R. Meltzer, D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Stones In My Passway (R. Johnson)
Medusa -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
A Kiss Is A Promise -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Sally -- (P. Smith, A. Bouchard)
My Civilization -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Happy New Year -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Sisters Of The Precious Blood -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Ramblin' Rose -- (Wilkin, Birch)
Hansel & Gretel -- (R. Meltzer, D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Everything Is Blue -- (A. Bouchard, D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
If U Come Close -- (H. Wheels, D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Bad Habit -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Night Of The 1,000 Guitars -- (The Brain Surgeons)
Notes: Released in 1995 by Cellsum Records, and in 1996 by Ripe and
Ready. Produced by Albert Bouchard and Deborah Frost. Instruments:
Albert Bouchard (vocals, drums, percussion, guitars, Albertron, sax,
EBow, keyboards), Deborah Frost (vocals, guitars, percussion,
clarinet), Peter Bohovesky (vocals, lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars,
trumpet), Billy Hilfiger (lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars, vocals),
David Hirschberg (bass guitar, saxophone, percussion), Joe Bouchard
(mandolin on "A Kiss Is A Promise", vocals on "Sally", "Ramblin'
Rose"), Ace Bouchard (percussion on "Happy New Year", "Sisters Of The
Precious Blood", guitar on "Night Of The 1,000 Guitars"). A re-worked
version of the lyrics to "Hansel & Gretel" can be found in Richard
Meltzer's 1995 book, "The Night (Alone)". Versions of the songs,
"Sally" and "Hansel & Gretel" were originally demoed by Albert for the
sessions for BOC's *Agents Of Fortune* album.
*Career Of Christmas* (fanclub release, available only on cassette)
Career Of Evil -- (Bouchard, Smith)
Ciudades Y Navidades -- (Bouchard, Bouchard, Frost, Placio-Linden,
Pearlman)
Baby Ice Dog -- (Bouchard, Smith)
Notes: Released in 1995 by Cellsum Records. Produced by Albert
Bouchard and Deborah Frost. Instruments: Deborah Frost (vocals),
Albert Bouchard (drums, vocals), Peter Bohovesky (guitar, vocals),
Billy Hilfiger (guitar), David Hirschberg (bass), Tommy Mandel (organ),
Ace Bouchard (vocals). Not available commercially, but only as a
limited release to Brain Surgeons' fans. Contact Cellsum Records (see
address listed for Albert Bouchard/Deborah Frost elsewhere in this FAQ)
for availability. These songs were later released in 1997 on the Brain
Surgeons album, *Malpractise*.
*Box Of Hammers*
Saint Vitus Dance -- (A. Bouchard, D. Frost, H. Wheels)
Locked Up -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Gun -- (A. Bouchard, J. Bouchard, D. Frost, H. Wheels)
I'm On Fire -- (Dwight Twilley)
'Lil Egypt -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Earthquake Boogie -- (A. Bouchard, D. Frost, R. Meltzer)
Donkey Show -- (Peter Bohovesky)
Date With A Guitar -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
End In Tears -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Tender Was The Night -- (A. Bouchard, R. Meltzer)
Operation Luv -- (D. Frost, A. Bouchard)
Laura's Plastic Swords -- (A. Bouchard, R. Meltzer)
Casa Del Sol -- (Deborah Frost)
Overture -- (A. Bouchard, J. Bouchard)
Notes: Released in 1996 by Cellsum Records, and in 1998 by Ripe and
Ready. Produced by Albert Bouchard and Deborah Frost. Additional
production and mix by Paul Special. Instruments: Peter Bohovesky
(lead, rhythm guitars, vocals), Albert Bouchard (drums, vocals, banjo,
etc.), Deborah Frost (vocals, clarinet), Billy Hilfiger (lead, rhythm
guitars), David Hirschberg (bass), Joe Bouchard (keyboards on "Saint
Vitus Dance", "Gun", "Tender Was The Night", "Overture"), Jacob
Bouchard (vocals on "Overture"), Louis "Flip" Barnes (trumpet on
"Donkey Show", "Overture"), Crispin Cioe (sax on "Donkey Show", "End In
Tears", "Laura's Plastic Swords"), Dave Dunton (keyboards on "Date With
A Guitar", "End In Tears", "Laura's Plastic Swords"), Don Fleming
(guitar on "Gun", "Overture", theremin on "Gun", "'Lil Egypt"), John
Fried (vocals on "Donkey Show"), Tara Key (guitar on "Saint Vitus
Dance), Jack Rigg (guitar on "Overture"), Felice Rosser (vocals on "End
In Tears"), Jack Secret (vocals on "Earthquake Boogie"), Deena Shoshkes
(vocals on "Donkey Show"). The lyrics for "Operation Luv" were
originally part of another Bouchard/Frost song called, "When You're In,
You're In", which was recorded by Deadringer on their *Electrocution Of
The Heart* album. A different version of "Donkey Show" appears on
Peter Bohovesky's 1997 CD, *Peter Bohovesky*. Different versions of
the song "Gun" were demoed by Joe Bouchard for the sessions for BOC's
*Mirrors*, *Cultosaurus Erectus*, and *Fire Of Unknown Origin* albums,
and played live by BOC a few times in 1979.
*Pull The Plug* (fanclub release, available only on cassette)
Frenchette -- (Johansen, Sylvain)
Language Of Love -- (Frost, Bouchard)
Death Valley Nights -- (Meltzer, Bouchard)
Lady Of The Harbor -- (Frost, Bouchard)
I Am The One You Warned Me Of -- (Pearlman, Bouchard)
Astronomy -- (Pearlman, Bouchard, Bouchard)
Name Your Monster -- (Frost, Bouchard)
Notes: Released in 1997 by Cellsum Records, and in 1998 by Ripe and
Ready. Produced by Albert Bouchard and Deborah Frost. Instruments:
Pete Bohovesky, Albert Bouchard, Deborah Frost, Billy Hilfiger, David
Hirschberg; with Joe Bouchard. The songs on this cassette are done in
an acoustic style, similar to the "Unplugged" format popularized in the
90's by MTV. Not available commercially, but only as a limited
promotional release to Brain Surgeons' fans. Contact Cellsum Records
(see address listed for Albert Bouchard/Deborah Frost elsewhere in this
FAQ) for availability. These songs (with the exception of "Frenchette"
and "Lady Of The Harbor") were later released in 1997 on the Brain
Surgeons album, *Malpractise*.
*Malpractise*
Needle Gun -- (Brock)
Ciudades Y Navidades -- (Bouchard, Bouchard, Frost, Placio-Linden,
Pearlman)
Hassan I Sahba -- (Calvert, Rudolf)
Career Of Evil -- (Bouchard, Smith)
Language Of Love -- (Bouchard, Frost)
The Girl That Love Made Blind -- (Bouchard, Pearlman)
Death Valley Nights -- (Bouchard, Meltzer)
Name Your Monster -- (Bouchard, Frost)
Baby Ice Dog -- (Bouchard, Smith)
Tour Spiel -- (Watt)
I Am The One You Warned Me Of -- (Bouchard, Pearlman)
Astronomy -- (Bouchard, Bouchard, Pearlman)
Notes: Released in 1997 by Cellsum Records. Produced by Snowy.
Instruments: Peter Bohovesky (lead, rhythm guitars, vocals), Albert
Bouchard (drums, vocals, organ, slide, guitar, harmonica, Albertron),
Deborah Frost (vocals, drums), Billy Hilfiger (lead, rhythm guitars,
wit), David Hirschberg (bass), with Ace Bouchard (vocals, sound
design), Joe Bouchard (mandolin, keyboards, bass, vocals), Tommy Mandel
(organ). The recordings of "Ciudades Y Navidades", "Career Of Evil",
and "Baby Ice Dog" originally appeared on the fanclub-only release,
*Career Of Christmas*. The recordings of "Language Of Love", "Death
Valley Nights", "Name Your Monster", "I Am The One You Warned Me Of",
and "Astronomy" originally appeared on the fanclub-only release, *Pull
The Plug*. A version of the song "The Girl That Love Made Blind" was
originally recorded for the album, *Imaginos*, but not used. The song,
"Tour Spiel" (done by Albert Bouchard, Deborah Frost, and Joe Bouchard)
is a re-mix of the version that appears on the Minutemen tribute album,
*Our Band Could Be Your Life: A Tribute To D. Boon And The Minutemen*.
4. R. U. Ready 2 Rock? -- Frequently Asked Questions
What are BOC up to these days?
==============================
BOC (the current line-up consists of Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma,
Allen Lanier, Danny Miranda, and Bobby Rondinelli) are currently
managed by Steve Schenck, the executive producer of *Cult Classic*.
BOC is, as one of their t-shirts sold at a concert from a few years ago
says, "On Tour Forever" (mostly touring large clubs). TicketMaster is
handling the tickets for most of their concerts, which are not highly
promoted. Many of us find out where they are playing after the show is
over. Keep your eyes open! Eric Bloom also posts upcoming show dates
on America On-Line, and these dates have been posted on some pages on
the World Wide Web (see another part of this FAQ for more information).
Buck Dharma may also release more independent music in the future.
The 4/11/97 Rick Browning Benefit performance of the Buck Dharma Band
(Buck Dharma, Danny Miranda, John Miceli, Sandy Roeser) in Atlanta was
professionally recorded and videotaped. The video is available now
(see the section of the FAQ on the Ricky Browning Benefit for more
information), and a CD (with tracks not available on the video) should
be available some time in the near future, with some of the proceeds
going to charities. The band may perform in other locations in the
future. Buck has also up a mailing list and offering t-shirts with the
*Flat Out* logo on it. Members of this mailing list will learn of
future audio releases when they become available. See elsewhere in the
FAQ for more information.
Danny Miranda and Bobby Rondinelli also play in a band called
"Pyramid" with George Cintron on guitar and vocals. They play a
variety of cover tunes, as well as George's original music.
Albert Bouchard is currently playing occasional shows (mostly
clubs in the New York area) with The Brain Surgeons (Albert on drums,
vocals and occasional guitar, Deborah Frost on lead vocals and rhythm
guitar, Peter Bohovesky on guitar and vocals, Billy Hilfiger on guitar,
and David Hirschberg on bass). They play mostly Brain Surgeons' tunes
along with a few BOC tunes -- Baby Ice Dog, The Red And The Black,
Career Of Evil, This Ain't The Summer of Love, Cities On Flame With
Rock And Roll (in English and Spanish), Death Valley Nights, Dominance
And Submission, Astronomy, and I Am The One You Warned Me Of have been
played on different occasions.
Joe Bouchard, according to Bolle Gregmar, is now really "Dr.
Music", having received his Master's Degree in Music (at the University
of Hartford). His thesis/grad test was a four movement dance work for
orchestra, computers and a rock band, which he composed and scored.
Aside from his previous involvement in "Deadringer" and the "Cult
Brothers", Joe has produced at least one album (*Burn To My Touch* by
"Liege Lord" in 1987). One of his non-music hobbies is brewing lots of
beer. He also teaches at the National Guitar Workshop, and has just
recently submitted a guitar instruction book/CD titled "Rock Guitar
(for beginners)" to be published soon. Joe has also played occasional
shows with "The Cult Brothers", and provided support to albums by The
Brain Surgeons. He has released a CD with original music written and
performed by the "Cult Brothers", titled *Joe Bouchard Presents The X
Brothers: Solid Citizens*.
Sandy Pearlman, according to Bolle Gregmar, is running his studio
Alpha & Omega in San Rafael, California. He is hoping to turn
*Imaginos* into a multi-media project, however the status of this
project is unknown at this time. He currently is not involved with
BOC.
When is the new (*not* a "Greatest Hits") album coming out?
===========================================================
Short Answer: Have you not heard of the new BOC album? HEAVEN FORBID!
Another Short Answer: That was a hint!
Long Answer: This has probably been one of the biggest questions
surrounding BOC in the 90's. There have been several "false starts"
over the past few years as far as a new album goes, with deals falling
through, or compilation albums being released instead. However, as of
this writing, the band has released it's first complete studio album in
10 years. *Heaven Forbid* was released on March 24th, 1998 by CMC
International Records. With the exception of "Still Burnin'", "Harvest
Moon" (which was written around 1986), and "In Thee", most of the
lyrics have been supplied by Sci-Fi/cyberpunk author John Shirley.
It should be noted that John Shirley has his own band, The Panther
Moderns, and they recently released a CD titled *Red Star*, which
contains a track titled "See You In Black". While the lyrics are the
same as BOC's song, the music is different. BOC had no involvement
with the track on *Red Star*.
Also, prior to the release of *Workshop Of The Telescopes*, Sony
had indicated that there was additional BOC material that might be
released in the future, depending on the what arrangements can be made
with the band. Speculation among some BOC fans (including the editor)
is that Sony will only venture further in this endeavor if *Workshop Of
The Telescopes* sells reasonably, indicating to Sony that such
endeavors might be worthwhile from a financial standpoint. Possible
material might include other single b-sides, re-mixes, live cuts, and
the Soft White Underbelly and Stalk-Forrest Group demo material, among
other things. Time will tell if such a product is merely a "fantasy
distillation of reality".
In addition, King Biscuit Flower Hour Records intends to release a
live BOC album in 1998. This album will contain songs from the 7 times
that King Biscuit broadcast live BOC shows over the radio (spanning the
years 1975 to 1986). A future revision of the FAQ will list this
recording in the discography.
Finally, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, will be offering a "gold" CD
release of BOC's *Agents Of Fortune* album in 1998. This will be a re-
mastered CD of presumably superior sonic quality to the current CD
release. Mobile Fidelity has an extensive catalog of re-mastered gold
CDs for a number of artists, and this will be their first BOC release.
The track listing will be identical to the original release of *Agents
Of Fortune*.
Is *Flat Out* available on CD?
==============================
Short Answer: YES!
Longer Answer: The album was never released in the U. S. on CD.
However, it is available as an import. According to Bolle Gregmar,
it's a French release on SONY/PORTRAIT (14-477942-10) -- part of their
"Mr. Collector" series.
Future?: At one time, Bolle Gregmar had been discussing with Buck
Dharma the possibility of letting Rhino Records release *Flat Out* on
CD, possibly with an additional track. The status of this project is
not currently known. However, the next release of music by Buck
outside of BOC will most likely be music from the Buck Dharma Band
Ricky Browning Benefit Concert.
What is the "best" BOC album?
=============================
Perhaps this question should be: "What BOC album should I buy?",
which gets asked every now and then, usually by people who have only
heard BOC on the radio (i.e., "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Godzilla",
and "Burnin' For You", sometimes collectively referred to as "The Big
Three"), and are looking to buy one BOC album. Or it gets answered
when someone voices their dislike for a particular album. Editor's
note: *Club Ninja*, and sometimes *Mirrors* (which is sometimes
referred to as "Errors"; and in a magazine interview, Albert Bouchard
claimed that his song, "You're Not The One (I Was Looking For)" is in
reference to using Tom Werman to produce the album) or *The Revolution
By Night*, most often get this abuse, and then several individuals will
rush to the albums' defense. There is no definitive answer - it's
obviously a matter of personal choice, but the following (in no
particular order) might provide some guidance:
1. Some say an artist is only as good as their latest album.
Certainly how an band sounds "today" can usually be best determined by
their latest release, and BOC's *Heaven Forbid* is an excellent
example. It is, in fact, the only complete studio BOC album released
in 10 years, and has a much more "modern" feel to it than the rest of
BOC's albums. In addition, several tracks from this album are
regularly played live by the band. For any new fan wishing to discover
BOC, this album would perhaps be the best place to start.
2. Compilation albums might be recommended for those who don't plan on
purchasing more than a few albums. BOC, like other bands that have
been around for years, have more than one to choose from. The
compilation released by Sony, *Workshop Of The Telescopes*, stands head
and shoulders above all the others as the definitive "greatest hits"
package. Not only are most of the hits included, but also some
previously hard-to-get material (the studio version of "Born To Be
Wild", and three of the four songs on the *Live Bootleg* release). As
for other compilation albums to choose from, *Cult Classic* is the most
representative of what songs the band is playing live these days, and
how they are playing them (the songs have been re-recorded). Other
compilations contain only previously-released material, and are usually
only sought out by collectors. While they may contain representative
tracks, they pale in comparison to either *Workshop Of The Telescopes*
or *Cult Classic*. On the other hand, they sometimes can be obtained
at bargain prices.
3. Some people recommend live albums, and BOC has 3 to choose from.
*Extraterrestrial Live* is the most recent, and captures "The Big
Three". *On Your Feet Or On Your Knees* is the earliest, capturing
much of the older material. *Some Enchanted Evening*, although only a
single album (the other 2 are double albums), is considered by many to
have the best sound and song selection.
4. While the band no longer performs songs from this album (see next
question for more information), many of BOC's current fans cite the
album, *Imaginos* as the best work the band every put out (both from a
musical and conceptual standpoint). Others, however, point out that
BOC as a group are not completely responsible for this album (again,
see next question for more information). Some of the concepts alluded
to in *Imaginos* (as well as versions of two of the songs) are present
on the *Secret Treaties* album, and many fans cite this album as their
favorite (the band still regularly plays 2 or 3 of the songs off that
album).
5. Due mostly to the benefit of a hit single on them, *Agents Of
Fortune* (containing "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"), *Spectres* (containing
"Godzilla"), and *Fire Of Unknown Origin* (containing "Burnin' For
You") are probably BOC's most successful albums commercially, and some
fans would cite one of them as their favorites.
6. Since he is the head of the BOC fan club, it is appropriate to
consider Bolle Gregmar's favorite album, *Cultosaurus Erectus*. This
album, released after *Mirrors*, marked a return to the "heavier" BOC
sound, due in part to the production talents of Martin Birch (who had
produced albums for Black Sabbath and Deep Purple). According to
Bolle, the album is very energetic, and contains some of the band's
best song-writing.
7. The one that started it all, *Blue Oyster Cult*, is cited by many
as their favorite. The band's roots can be most clearly seen on this
album, and "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll" and "Stairway To The
Stars" are still regularly performed by the band. For those that like
the songs on the first album, *Tyranny And Mutation* and *Secret
Treaties* also get high marks.
Editor's Note: The only "real" way to enjoy BOC is to get *all* of
their albums.
What is the story behind the recording of the album, *Imaginos*?
================================================================
The Imaginos story actually pre-dates BOC, and started within the
mind of Sandy Pearlman, who, back in about 1967, wrote a collection of
poems called "The Soft Doctrines of Immaginos" (note the original
spelling of Immaginos). It was Pearlman's desire that BOC be the
embodiment of the Imaginos concept. Around that time, two songs were
written around this concept -- "Gil Blanco County" (which would appear
on the Stalk-Forrest Group demo for Elektra), and a Buck Dharma tune
called "Port Jefferson". Radio promotion copies of the first BOC album
included an insert which indicated that the song "Redeemed" was "a
short version of the tune that will appear on their fourth album, an
opera, titled, 'The Soft Doctrines of the Imaginos'". While the band
decided against doing the concept, Albert Bouchard began working on
music for it.
By 1974, the songs "Imaginos", "Astronomy" (which appeared on
*Secret Treaties*), and "The Subhuman" (which also appeared on *Secret
Treaties*, and would later be changed to "Blue Oyster Cult" on the
*Imaginos* album) were written. At the *Agents Of Fortune* sessions,
Albert demoed "Imaginos". At the *Spectres* sessions, Joe Bouchard
demoed "In The Presence Of Another World" (which was also worked up by
the band as a candidate for the *Mirrors* album), while Albert Bouchard
demoed "Del Rio's Song", "I Am The One You Warned Me Of", "The Siege
And Investiture Of Baron Von Frankenstein's Castle At Weisseria", and a
song titled, "The Girl That Love Made Blind" -- however, the band was
still not interested in doing the whole project. Albert continued to
write and demo songs for the project, and by *Cultosaurus Erectus*,
really wanted to see the band do the concept. After Albert left BOC in
1981, he began working with Sandy Pearlman on the project, recording
all the basic tracks in 1982. Albert brought Joe Bouchard, Allen
Lanier, and Buck Dharma to play certain portions of some of the tracks.
By 1984, the Imaginos work was essentially completed.
Sandy Pearlman first approached CBS about putting the album
together around 1981, and CBS was initially interested in the project.
According to Eric Bloom, CBS was not happy with the final result (in
which Albert sang much of the lead vocals), and was not interested in
releasing the album unless it was released as a "BOC" album with Eric
Bloom and Buck Dharma singing lead vocals. In response to concerns
over his own vocals, Albert obtained the services of Joey Cerisano, a
veteran of the New Jersey music scene (who at the time had been in a
band known as Silver Condor) to sing on the tracks. Joey Cerisano's
rendition of "The Siege And Investiture Of Baron Von Frankenstein's
Castle At Weisseria" was used on the final release of *Imaginos*, while
Cerisano went on himself to become one of the most successful jingle
singers in the United States (he's done jingles for Budweiser, Kentucky
Fried Chicken, and numerous car companies, to name a few of his
credits).
After BOC had broken up in 1986, the idea of the band getting
together to release *Imaginos* was discussed. Albert, hoping to get
the original line-up back together for the recording (and a subsequent
tour), spent time getting in contact with all the original members of
the band. Apparently Albert had a difficult time convincing Joe
Bouchard, who was the last of the original 5 members to quit the band,
to do the project. However, the rest of the band (Eric Bloom, Buck
Dharma, Allen Lanier, Jon Rogers, joined by Ron Riddle on drums) had
reformed as Blue Oyster Cult by the time Joe Bouchard had agreed to do
the project. In addition, the financial obligations had to be worked
out as Albert wanted to be co-producer of the album, having played such
a large role in the project.
With the band re-forming in mid-1987 without Albert and Joe
Bouchard, Albert abandoned the *Imaginos* project. However, Sandy
Pearlman and the band did go forward with the project, re-doing some of
the tracks by early 1988, and releasing *Imaginos* as a BOC album later
that year. The original 5 members of the band are credited as
performing on the album, along with several other musicians (see album
credits in Discography section). However, it is not clear how much of
a "BOC" album this is, beyond Eric/Buck's lead vocals, and their hand
in the writing of some of the songs. According to Albert Bouchard, the
bulk of the instrumentation credits should go to former Ian Hunter
guitarist Tommy Moringiello (guitars), former David Johansen guitarist
Jack Rigg (guitars), and Tommy Mandel (keyboards - uncredited on the
album). Tommy Zvoncheck later indicated that most of Tommy Mandel's
keyboard parts were replaced by his own on the released version of
*Imaginos*. In addition, Albert says the following were not credited
on the album: Jon Rogers (additional lead vocal on "I Am The One You
Warned Me Of"), Phil Grandee (guitar), and a number of individuals
contributing background vocals (Jeff Kawalik, Corky Stasiak, Helen
Wheels, Glen Bell, Peggy Atkins, Casper McCloud - although iis not
clear if these contributions appeared on the released version of
*Imaginos*). Between the reworking of the songs on *Imaginos*, the
improper credits, and the fact that the band apparently did not want
Albert back as their drummer after the release of *Imaginos*, there
were considerable hard feelings between Albert and BOC/Sandy Pearlman.
The original *Imaginos* project contained over 90 minutes of
music, and budgets wouldn't allow for the complete package. The
"complete" Imaginos story spans 200 years from the beginning of the 19
Century to the end of the 20th. At the time the album was recorded,
two other parts were anticipated, titled (according to Sandy Pearlman)
"Germany Minus Zero And Counting" and "The Mutant Reformation". Albert
Bouchard has indicated that possible titles for "Germany Minus Zero And
Counting" were "Half-Life Time", and "Bombs Over Germany". According
to Albert Bouchard, the following songs were left off of *Imaginos*:
"Gil Blanco County", "The Girl That Love Made Blind", "Blue Oyster Cult
Reprise", "Imaginos Overture", and an a capella reprise of the first
verse of "Magna Of Illusion". Also, the song "Shadow Of California"
(from the album, *The Revolution By Night*) was originally intended, in
one form or another, to be on the second "Imaginos" album. It is
possible that "Shadow Of California" was partially re-worked from an
Albert Bouchard song, "Half-Life Time", which contains the lyrics that
later appeared as the spoken intro to the *Club Ninja* song, "When The
War Comes". With the past problems and current tensions between the
various parties associated the recording of *Imaginos*, it is probably
unlikely that the full Imaginos saga will ever be completed, at least
not by BOC. Albert Bouchard has released some *Imaginos* material
("Overture" on *Box Of Hammers*, "I Am The One You Warned Me Of",
"Astronomy", and "The Girl That Love Made Blind" on *Malpractise*), and
has expressed interest in doing more, as his other activities allow.
Sandy Pearlman has been reportedly working over the past few years on
an Imaginos comic book and multi-media (video game) project, but it is
unknown if this project will ever be finished.
Albert Bouchard provided a list of songs which might be applicable
to the rest of the Imaginos trilogy. They appear, with his comments,
as follows:
Act One: The Imaginos album we're familiar with.
Act Two: Bombs over Germany
Workshop Of The Telescopes
The Girl That Love Made Blind *
ME 262
The Red And The Black
Cities On Flame **
Shadow Of California
Half Life Time +
Veteran Of The Psychic Wars ++
Career Of Evil ++
Act Three: The Mutant Reformation
Take Me Away ++
The Vigil ++
ETI
R. U. Ready 2 Rock
Heavy Metal
Flaming Telepaths
Gil Blanco County *
Redeemed
* Left off the original Imaginos album
** "Motor City is Burning" version -- based somewhat on the MC5 song
+ Very few have heard this one
++ Non-Pearlman songs because I never plan to write another with him
and these tunes kind of fit into the story
What is the story told by the album, *Imaginos*?
================================================
Sandy Pearlman, in an interview with *Kerrang* magazine (September
1988) says, "Basically, it's an interpretation of history - an
explanation for the onset of World War I, or a revelation of the occult
origins of it. Imaginos is the main character, and is what I call 'an
actor in history'. He plays different roles in history and was born as
a modified child, modified by an alien influence, and his mission is to
present the human race with the challenge of evil. The aliens are
playing with our history as if it's a game, and he motivates the game
and presents the choices to the human race. They react as they will."
Sandy Pearlman also says that the story explains what the "Blue Oyster
Cult" is. "They are aliens. When Imaginos is dying on a beach (in the
song 'Blue Oyster Cult'), they announce their presence to him and give
him a choice - side with them or die as a human. He chooses the former
and realizes he was one of them after all. In 'Astronomy' he realizes
he is descended from the stars."
Of course, the above statements leave much left untold, and
subject to interpretation. Such discussion went on between various
individuals on BOC-L, and this discussion was captured, distilled, and
condensed into a sort of mini-thesis by BOC-L member Bryce "The
Subhuman" Baker. His complete work may be available (either now or
soon) in the BOC-L archives. An edited version of his work is
presented here (note: quotes that go unreferenced are either from the
liner notes or song lyrics):
The Saga of Imaginos begins with the discovery of the New World by
the Spanish. "Out beyond the Europe's rim the Spaniards met the
Indians." The Indians: the natives of the New World, the Aztecs,
Haitians, and others. "To the Spanish, agents of a Catholic Sovereign,
the New World was no place of grace ... anti-genesis, anti-Eden, seat
of evil, pit of darkness ... the priests in the expeditions could
imagine no place worse than this place ... visibly in the thrall of
invisible spirits." These spirits: Les Invisibles - The Invisible
Ones.
It is assumed that the Indians of the New World (in particular, the
Aztecs and the Haitians) worshipped Les Invisibles (which we also
assume to number seven). Les Invisibles' seat of power is Haiti, "...
still a dream world, seat of Les Invisibles ...", suggesting a
connection between their world and our world. This is not taken to be
a physical connection (as a portal, for example), but a religious
connection, as The Vatican is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church.
Haitian Voodoo references are indeed present in Imaginos, Baron
Samedi (see the lyrics to 'Les Invisibles') is reportedly the Voodoo
lord of graveyards, and Les Mesteres (also in "Les Invisibles") is
reportedly another name for the Loa, the seven African spirits
worshipped in Voodoo. Regarding the dance of Don Pedro, ghost-dancing
(a group dance for communication with the dead) plays a large part in
Haitian religious beliefs, and apparently played a similarly large role
in Aztec religious customs; drums seem to have been the instrument of
choice (see lyrics in 'Les Invisibles' and 'Del Rio's Song'). As to
the identity of Don Pedro, the emperor Montezuma supposedly had a
Spanish-sympathizing son named Don Pedro who helped rebuild the Mexican
capital after its destruction by the Spanish. How this could tie in is
unclear, and may simply be a coincidence.
If rich in its evil, the New World was also rich in its gold. At
first, to the Spaniards, the gold was "no luminous mirror of delight,
but rather, a mirror of blackness." But as fear turned to greed, in
this gold, this mirror of blackness, "the Spaniards discovered for
themselves an image of self without limit ... the invention of all new
things, the invention of genocide." Greed overcame fear.
Civilizations were wiped out (under the guise of religious
purification), and Spanish power in Europe rose, fueled by the gold
from the New World. "For hundreds of years, all the gold ... came
from the New World ... the seduction of the Old World by the New World
- innocence corrupts experience."
Ultimately, the Spain/Portugal monopoly on the New World was broken by
England, under the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603). "Her occult
advisor was a Dr. John Dee. He spoke, he said, with invisible spirits
and in his possession was a magic mirror of black volcanic glass ... it
was fashioned in Mexico." Dee's associate, Edward Kelly, looked into
the stone, and Dee recorded his visions (this mirror and some of Dee's
other paraphernalia are on display in London in the British Museum).
The interpretation relative to the Imaginos story is that Les
Invisibles somehow made this mirror available to Dee, and information
gained from using it was used in the destruction of Spanish power. It
has been suggested that this was a form of 'retaliatory strike' at
Spain by Les Invisibles for invading Mexico and eradicating much of the
religion devoted to them. However, it is seems more likely that this
wasn't a 'retaliatory strike' at all, but part of a larger, centuries-
spanning scheme by Les Invisibles to cause strife and bloodshed in
Europe, continuing all the way to World War I, and perhaps beyond. It
should be noted that in contrast to the relative black mirror of New
World gold mentioned in the first paragraph, here we have the first
appearance of an actual, physical black mirror.
In the early 1800's, (perhaps in the month of August) Les Invisibles
cause the birth of a 'modified' child - Imaginos - in New Hampshire.
His powers include the ability to see the future to some degree
("singing songs nobody knew and stories left undone") and to change his
shape ("actually this Buzzardo was Imaginos in disguise"). Ignorant of
his future role and billing himself as somewhat of an adventurer, he
travels North America (at least Vermont and Texas) before winding up in
New Orleans in 1829. Still acting as an "adventurer", he heads up an
"expedition", sailing the Mississippi south towards Mexico. Realizing
that there may be more of a reason behind his powers than he previously
believed, and perhaps having visions or some other drive, he has goals
for the expedition he isn't telling his crew. He is heading south to
the Yucatan, to a place "just between the verse and me" where he will
find something "lost, last and luminous, scored to sky yet never
found". Somewhere along the trip, the boat is shipwrecked near land.
As Imaginos lies on the shore, seriously injured and dying, his
friends, the survivors of the shipwreck, leave him alone to die "on a
shore where oyster beds seem plush as down". The morning tide washes
in and he drowns. As can be seen here, Imaginos' ability to see into
the future is limited to some degree, or he would have been able to
foretell of his upcoming shipwreck.
This shipwreck, however, was no accident. As he drowns, Les Invisibles
come to Imaginos and show him everything: "the Invisible [Ones]
visible at last and manifest; no mere hints or traces". Knowing who
and what he is and the role carved for him in future events, he agrees
to become the Invisible Ones' agent on earth; he becomes one of the
"Blue Oyster Cult", the servants of Les Invisibles. Les Invisibles,
acting through the "oyster boys" (some kind of fish-like creature)
resurrect Imaginos from the dead. He is now their agent, "unleashed to
forge a new destiny; he is Imaginos called Desdinova."
After the shipwreck, it is clearly stated in the liner notes that
Imaginos dies. The song "Blue Oyster Cult" contains a bit about "The
Dream of Luxor", which is an Egyptian reference to rebirth: "Luxor,
site of the southern Temple of Amun, built essentially by Amenophis III
and Ramesses II. The image of Amun from the temple at Karnak spent the
flood season here ... at Luxor, Amun took the form of Min, a mummiform,
ithyphallic fertility god ... fertility gods in Egyptian religion were
associated with rebirth and immortality." (Jean Lansford)
"We understand, and so do I" and "One deal is what we made" from "Blue
Oyster Cult", taken along with the liner notes for "Astronomy" point to
the "all is made clear" inference (and also to the 'I didn't know what
the hell's going on with me' inference mentioned above). It isn't
really very clear just who or what the Oyster Boys are, just that they
somehow are connected with The Invisible Ones.
The next songs in the cycle are mainly descriptive, rather than playing
out the story. "I Am the One You Warned Me Of" - Imaginos, reborn,
fully aware of who and what he is. "Fresh from zones of moisture": on
that "shore where oyster beds seemed plush as down" to a drowning young
Imaginos. We almost get a sense of 'excitement' from this song.
Albert Bouchard had an interesting comment on the song and the lyric
"and afterwards the meat": "This song was influenced by "Memo from
Turner" and was supposed to be about Imaginos getting down and
lascivious."
"In the Presence of Another World" - Imaginos, the earthly agent of Les
Invisibles, still aware of his former self, but now so much more, and
forebodings of the evil to come. "The Siege and Investiture of Baron
Von Frankenstein's Castle at Weisseria" - the continuation of Les
Invisibles' influence on earth - earlier, through corruption by gold,
now through corruption by technology.
The liner notes have a lot to say on the reborn Imaginos:
"This then is Imaginos of whom it will be said, between what he
can realize and what he can imagine, there is to be nothing and no
distance. His will be the perfect sight. 'Behind closed eyes realize
your sight.' Through the powers of perfect vision and Imaginos, vested
in him by Les Invisibles, he will bring the world to a rendezvous with
its own destiny, to change the world's course, to -write- history, to
tilt the axis of destiny - Imaginos becomes the world's greatest actor,
a transcendent role player, an actor in history."
It can only be assumed that between his rebirth (~1829) and the next
song in the story (Magna of Illusion, ~1892), Imaginos is somehow
living up to this role, involving himself in key events that will lead
up to the grand conclusion.
1892, Imaginos, now in the role of an old sea captain:
"Out beyond the Europe's rim and further by far, beyond the sphere
of light, into a place where darkness is omnipotent and never from
hungry. In Mayaland in the Yucatan he will discover an unheard-of
temple or pyramid. At the core of the pyramid, with only one way in
and no way out, is a chamber of jade, curiously sculpted with
impossible angles, itself surrounding something hardly there, a new
germ, made from 'pieces of the perfect black.'
[jumping down a paragraph in the notes...]
"In the chamber of jade is a mirror carved of blackest obsidian,
black volcanic glass, tempered with blood: 'the sugar of sacrifice.'
Obviously a magic mirror, it is nothing less than the Magna of
Illusion: the last song in the cycle. In it Imaginos, now playing the
of an old English sea captain in the 1890's, takes the mirror from
Mexico (which is nowhere) to Europe. He takes it by crime and blood
from the jungle to give to his granddaughter on her birthday. It sits
in her family's attic in misty Cornwall for ten years or more.
Poisoning Europe ..."
[moving back up a paragraph in the notes...]
"When thrust in vivo into Europe's all too fertile soil, this new
germ will - having grown ever more powerful and mature, having in fact
become an organism - beam ridding voices direct to the brains of the
(European) multitudes. The voices call in hunger for absolute darkness
and absolute light. They are ready. We are ready. It is ready"
[moving back down...]
"And then World War I breaks out. A disease with a long
incubation."
Some random general reflections:
1. If you follow the story, it is obvious that the songs on the album
are in the wrong order. There is, however, this 'random access
history' disclaimer. It has been speculated that the record company
screwed up the order of the songs and the random access bit was added
afterwards. That is completely unsubstantiated, and probably not true,
but who knows? In the liner notes, an order is listed, but my
interpretation of the real order (substantiated by Albert Bouchard) is:
Les Invisibles
Imaginos
Del Rio's Song
Blue Oyster Cult
Astronomy
I Am The One You Warned Me Of } these two could flip flop
In The Presence Of Another World }
The Siege And Investiture Of Baron Von Frankenstein's Castle At
Weisseria
Magna Of Illusion
2. An issue that has not been explored is the origin or the location
of Les Invisibles. From the liner notes and overall feel of the album,
you get the impression of another, mystical world, beyond our time and
space, and that is how the story has been interpreted above. But to
throw in a wrench, I quote Albert Bouchard in Morning Final #10:
"Basically, what it is that this guy comes down from a spaceship,
and he lands in New Hampshire. I don't know if he has a son or not,
but there's a young Immaginos (note: "Immaginos" was Albert's intended
spelling) that is hatched from the spaceship in New Hampshire. He
drifts down towards Texas. When he's in Texas he discovers that he has
all sorts of powers that regular people don't have. I guess that he's
probably not completely aware that he's an extra-terrestrial."
Note that his interview was in 1982 (and done for some metal magazine,
it was never published), a lot could have changed in the time between
the interview and when the final version(s?) of the story was settled
on. But if you look at some of the lyrics out of context, we have:
"the rhyme of the star clock" [Les Invisibles]
"this starry wisdom" [I Am The One ...]
"how even space can modulate" [In The Presence ...]
"the milky way abyss inclines"
"the buried city in the stars"
"from the glare of stars, the starry wisdom" [The Siege And ...]
Again, the above quotes are -completely- out of context and are meant
just to provide a (weak) counterview to the mystical, almost religious
viewpoint. Also, a mystical location and an outerspace location are by
no means mutually exclusive. But, to tighten that wrench:
"and don't forget my dog, fixed and consequent" [Astronomy]
"Astronomy...a star!" [Astronomy]
"approached the sun, in August" [Imaginos]
Sirius: The Dog Star, a star of the constellation Canis Major, the
brightest star in the heavens. Used for navigational purposes because
it usually remains fixed in the sky. The Dog Days ... the period of in
late summer (between early July and late August) when Sirius rises and
sets with the sun.
And according to Dr. Paul Mather:
"Okay, here's another Sirius connection. I remember R.A. Wilson
making much about the connection between the "Dog Days" and Sirius.
There is a "primitive" African tribe - the Dogon tribe - who, it seems,
accurately detected the companion to Sirius and mapped its relationship
to Sirius. This companion is invisible to the naked eye, and can only
be detected by x-rays (I seem to recall). The tribe detected its
presence long before modern radio astronomy."
The plot thickens ...
"The Dogon tribe worship a half-man, half-fish god, who is said to
come from the companion star, and who is said to have come down to
Earth."
This account was later shown to the bogus result of the tribe mixing
modern astronomy with their mythology, or something like that [from
FoFP]. But it was still widespread and certainly available to
influence a young Sandy Pearlman ...
In any event, as mentioned above, "outer space" and "beyond time and
space" are certainly not mutually exclusive.
3. A few other BOC songs (not from *Imaginos*) have, either by title
or lyric, a similar sort of feel to them: Harvester of Eyes, Flaming
Telepaths, Stairway to the Stars, Workshop of the Telescopes ("by those
who see with their eyes closed, they'll know me by my black telescope",
"the power that was undine"), ME-262 ("watch me in mirrors", and
"Captain Von Ondine" - see discussion below on the term, "undine").
There are some speculations as to how the song, "Workshop Of The
Telescopes" fits into the Imaginos story. "Salamander Drake" (as
mentioned in the song, "Workshop Of The Telescopes") may refer to a
fire-breathing dragon: salamander - a mythical animal having the power
to endure fire without harm, an elemental being in theory of Paracelsus
inhabiting fire; drake - dragon. Note: There may be more to this, as
the BOC lyric book capitalizes the words "Salamander" and "Drake",
implying perhaps a proper name rather than a thing. Perhaps "Drake"
actually refers to Sir Francis Drake, who, under approval of England's
Elizabeth I, raided Spanish ships bringing gold from Mexico (this ties
in with some of the concepts of *Imaginos* -- European conflict
originating from the New World). "Undine" (also mentioned in the song)
is, according to the Swiss-born alchemist and physician Paracelsus, a
water-spirit that can obtain a human soul by bearing a child to a human
husband. This may also refer to "Captain Von Ondine" in the song, "ME-
262" (perhaps Captain Von Ondine is the child born of a water spirit -
this also appears to tie in with some of the concepts of *Imaginos*).
A further note about the term "Ondine". There is a rare brain
disorder known as "Ondine's Curse" where the victim can not breath
involuntarily. Ondine refers to a nymph of Greek mythology who
offended the gods. As punishment, she was sentenced to think about
every breath. She could never sleep, for sleep would mean not thinking
about breathing, and she would die.
Is there a BOC/H.P. Lovecraft connection?
=========================================
Not directly, however, some of the concepts in BOC's lyrics,
particularly *Imaginos* seem to be inspired by some of Lovecraft's
work. For those not familiar, Howard Phillips Lovecraft was an early
20th-century writer of horror and science fiction stories. Although
some of Lovecraft's contemporaries often did not appreciate his work
(labeling it "bad taste" and "sick"), Stephen King has acknowledged
Lovecraft as the 20th-century's "greatest practitioner of the classic
horror tale". He is best known for several short stories often
referred to collectively as the "Cthulhu Mythos" -- these stories refer
to "The Great Old Ones", creatures from other worlds and dimensions
which once ruled the earth, and have since been defeated, expelled, or
imprisoned by various cosmic forces. These creatures may rise again
("when the stars are right"), often aided by human cults performing
ceremonies with various blasphemous incantations.
Looking at the lyrics and liner notes of *Imaginos*, it's obvious
that there are many similarities. The story told by *Imaginos*
explores a lot of the same concepts as the "Cthulhu Mythos", close
enough for some to claim that the two are one and the same (For
example, Desdinova or Imaginos is "an actor playing roles in history,
challenging man against evil". He could be considered as an agent of
evil -- Lovecraft's Nyarlathotep.). However, general is that
*Imaginos*, while no doubt inspired by some of Lovecraft's work (Al
Bouchard also indicates that Sandy Pearlman and he had read some of
Lovecraft's work), is not meant to be a re-telling of Lovecraft's
"Cthulhu Mythos". Having said that, the following are some literary
references between *Imaginos* and Lovecraft's work:
The song "Les Invisibles" contains the line "beneath the polar
mountain". Lovecraft's tale, "At the Mountains of Madness" discusses
Antarctica as being a location where some of the Great Old Ones either
arrived, ruled, or lay waiting.
The songs "I Am The One You Warned Me Of" and "The Siege And
Investiture Of Baron Von Frankenstein's Castle At Weisseria" both
contain references to "Starry Wisdom". Lovecraft's story, "The Haunter
of the Dark" refers to "the Church of the Starry Wisdom", a cult
organization in which "the Shining Trapazohedron shows them heaven &
other worlds, & that the Haunter of the Dark tells them secrets in some
way." Also, the Shining Trapazohedron appears to be similar in
function to the Magna of Illusion of *Imaginos*.
The song, "Les Invisibles" talks about "the empress lay sleeping
to the rhyme of the star clock", which may refer to the Great Old One's
return "when the stars are right". The song "In The Presence Of
Another World" contains the spoken words, "when the stars are right".
This same line is used in Lovecraft's, "The Call of Cthulhu". In
addition, the "Oyster Boys", as water beings can be likened to agents
of Cthulhu.
The song, "Harvest Moon" seems very Lovecraftian in nature as
well. An unknown evil is implied in the final verse, where the singer
refuses to go out at nights since the disappearance of someone's
daughter, yet with the understanding that she'll be found in the spring
when the snow melts. Lovecraft wrote a few stories about towns with
such hidden evils.
Where is the BOC symbol on the _____ album?
===========================================
The symbol of Kronos (Saturn) appears on every BOC album.
According to Albert Bouchard, the symbol was used by Bill Gawlik in his
"City of the Future" project (his Masters thesis in architecture at
Stony Brook University). Sandy Pearlman liked the symbol, and hired
Bill Gawlik to do the covers for BOC's first two albums. Sandy had
Bill put the symbol on the covers, and it became the band's logo. The
symbol is also very similar to the ancient Greek symbol for "chaos".
While it is visible on most albums, it can be hard to spot on a few
(most notably "Spectres" and "Cultosaurus Erectus"). The following
lists the location of the BOC symbol on each album:
*Blue Oyster Cult* -- Album center, on the horizon.
*Tyranny And Mutation* -- Album center, over the tower.
*Secret Treaties* -- On the tailfin of the plane (which is an ME 262),
and also Eric's shirt.
*On Your Feet Or On Your Knees* -- On the flag on the limo.
*Agents Of Fortune* -- On one of the stones in the doorway.
*Spectres* -- In the crystal ball on the floor in the lower left
corner. Note: This is difficult to see on the cassette, and the CD
cover is cropped so that only part of the crystal ball can be seen.
*Some Enchanted Evening* -- On the horse's bridle.
*Mirrors* -- Bottom center of album.
*Cultosaurus Erectus* -- Slightly tilted, on the side of the spaceship.
Note: Unless you have the LP cover, you probably can't see this.
Perhaps it is visible with a magnifying glass on the CD, but on the
cassette, even the spaceship itself can barely be made out. The symbol
is easily visible on the LP, though. Also, the symbol was not included
on the spaceship on some European releases of this album.
*Fire Of Unknown Origin* -- On the robe of the cultist in front.
*Extraterrestrial Live* -- On the robe of the cultist, side of the
spaceship, and on the band's equipment cases.
*The Revolution By Night* -- Lower right-hand corner, on the side of
the highway.
*Club Ninja* -- The space station is in the shape of the symbol.
*Imaginos* -- Next to the word "cult", below the album title.
*Career of Evil: The Metal Years* -- Album center, in flames.
*On Flame With Rock And Roll* -- Album center, in flames.
*Cult Classic* -- Album center, outlined by the windows, the railings,
and the snake.
*Workshop Of The Telescopes* -- Album center, on the box.
*Revisited* (and other compilations with same cover) -- On Eric Bloom's
guitar.
*Heaven Forbid* -- In the eyes of man (Note: While the symbol can be
easily seen, on the CD cover anyway, in the "good" eye, it is also
present, in a sort of outline form, on the "bad" eye as well). On the
European release which used the CD tray liner artwork on the cover, the
symbol is the top of the woman's scepter.
As an aside, the curved part of the symbol represents a sickle --
Greek mythology tells us that the god Kronos, was given the sickle by
his mother to kill his father, the god Ouranos. Kronos sliced off his
father's genitals, and threw them into the sea, which later formed the
goddess Aphrodite. Kronos later became the father of the Greek gods
Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. Also, Saturn and
Lead were congruent in alchemy, so the symbol for Saturn (the Roman
name for Kronos) is also the symbol for lead, which is a "heavy metal".
Just to throw a few other pieces out on the table, from Chetwynd's
Dictionary of Symbols:
Lead, personified as Saturn: depression or unconscious content,
which once raised into the light of the conscious, rational mind,
becomes gold
Saturn or Kronos
The lowest and darkest stage of any process of transformation.
The terrifying aspect of losing your youth. But at the same time this
nadir of life, this mood of darkest depression, liberates what is
essential from the dross and affords the chance of transformation.
[...]
Kronos castrates his father: He severs the point of contact
between male and female in his fierce struggle to be born, to achieve
individuality.
[...]
... Saturn becomes the focal point of opposites, each changing
into the other in the course of life....
Alchemy
(Summary of tables)
The Descent into the Black
Yellow, leaving the sun of ordinary consciousness behind
Blue, for the sky empty of sun or ego
Green, for dissolution in the sea. Sinking within.
The Fourfold Sequence of Alchemical Work
The Black: Lead, Earth, Death of the ordinary conscious outlook
The White: Quicksilver, Air, Disintegration of the corpse
The Red: Sulfur, Fire, Relating conscious with unconscious parts
The Gold: Gold, Water, Germinates the seed of the new Self
In addition, the following terms have been used when referring to
this symbol:
Cross and Claw - a review of *Imaginos* in *Rolling Stone* magazine
mentioned this term
Cross of Confusion - There is a book titled, "Cults That Kill", which
discusses police investigations of satanic murders. In the book, the
symbol is mentioned as being used by the Romans to question the
existence of Christ.
Editor's Note: The above is not meant to imply that BOC intended
people to extract all (or any) of these meanings out of the fact that
they used the symbol of Kronos. However, some of the alchemical
implications do seem to fit nicely with many of their songs, and may
spawn endless hours of discussion among BOC fans. In addition, the
suggestion that the symbol implies that BOC is "satanic" will probably
also spawn much discussion, and probably a lot of ridicule as well.
Special thanks go out to Jean Lansford and Wallace McBride for
providing the symbol information.
Where can I get a complete set of BOC lyrics?
=============================================
Bolle Gregmar has worked with the band to compile a complete
"official" set of lyrics to all of the BOC songs. The lyric book is
available to BOC fan club members. Bolle's address is listed elsewhere
in this FAQ.
Note: The band, their management, and/or their record labels hold the
legal rights to BOC's song lyrics. The BOC fan club had previously
received legal permission to re-produce a limited number of copies of
them in the lyric book. All other sources of lyrics, unless they come
directly from the band, their management, their record labels, or one
of the officially produced BOC songbooks (see BOC Collectibles section
in the FAQ for information on released BOC songbooks) should be
considered "unofficial" (and likely to be in violation of copyright
laws).
You used to be able to send 50 cents to an address (believed to by
Sandy Pearlman's) printed on the back of BOC albums and get a complete
set of BOC lyrics. It was a bargain, despite several errors. However,
they are no longer available this way. So, if you just bought your
first copy of *Some Enchanted Evening*, and were hoping to get lyrics,
save your 50 cents.
The lyrics for all of the songs on *Extraterrestrial Live*, with
the exception of "Roadhouse Blues", are listed in the liner notes.
These too, have several errors. Lyrics to the songs on *Flat Out* are
printed on the inner sleeve of the LP. Lyrics to BOC's album *Heaven
Forbid* (with a few misprints) can be find in the album's liner notes.
The lyrics for the songs on the first two albums by the Brain Surgeons
are listed in their CD liner notes. Lyrics to the X Brothers album can
be found at the band's website (http://w3.nai.net/~xbros/).
What is a (Diz-Buster, ME-262, Stun Guitar, . . .)?
===================================================
Former BOC drummer Albert Bouchard has stated that the "diz"
refers to the cleft of the penis - in some Slavic languages, like in
ex-Yugoslav, "dizna" means "nozzle, small outlet, etc.". Bolle Gregmar
further tells us that "duster's dust" (from the song, "Seven Screaming
Diz-Busters") refers to sperm. Therefore, a "Diz-Buster" refers to
someone (or something) which causes one to ejaculate. Well, you wanted
to know . . .
The ME-262 (referred to by the BOC song of the same name) was the
world's first operational turbojet-powered fighter plane (as the song
says, "ME-262 Prince of turbojets"), first entering operational service
for Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany on July 10th, 1944 (at Juvincourt,
France). "ME" is short for Messerschmitt, the German aircraft builder
Willy Messerschmitt (as the song says, "Willy's done quite a job").
Unfortunately for Nazi Germany, while the plane as a fighter proved to
be superior to any of the Allied planes of its day, the plane did not
end up to be a major factor in World War II. The main reasons for this
are that it entered too late into the war (only about 10 months before
the end of the hostilities in Europe), and there was not a good plan
for the deployment of the ME-262 (they were used mostly as bombers,
where their true tactical superiority were as fighters due to their
speed advantage). Technical Data (as reported in "Jane's History of
Aviation"): Engines - two 8.825 kN (1,984 lb st) Junkers Jumo 109-
004B-1 or 004-4 turbojets (as the song says, "Junkers Jumo 004"). Wing
Span - 12.5 m (41 ft). Length - 10.61 m (34 ft, 10 in). Max Take-Off
weight - 7,045 kg (15,531 lb). Take-Off run with two auxiliary rockets
- 600 m (1,969 ft). Max level speed - 868 km/h (539 mph) at 7,000 m
(22,975 ft). Range - 1,050 km (652 miles).
Eric Bloom is listed on the first 4 BOC albums as playing "stun
guitar". There has been much discussion on BOC-L as to exactly what a
stun guitar is. Some have heard that it refers to a guitar that was
wired for a constant "fuzztone" sound. Other people have suggested
that it may be an inside joke with the band, referring to either Eric
wanting his guitar turned up loud (according to Albert Bouchard, there
used to be some arguments among the band members about how loud Eric's
guitar should be during BOC's concerts), or possibly that he did not
play much guitar on the albums (again, according to Albert Bouchard,
Eric did play some guitar on most of the albums, although Buck did most
of the guitar work). Others have jokingly said it refers to Eric's
guitar-playing skills (Editor's note: Eric may not be Buck Dharma when
it comes to playing guitar, but Eric can play. However, he was
originally brought into the band as a singer, not as a guitar player).
According to Albert Bouchard, the true meaning of "stun guitar" is as
follows: "He played fuzz parts on 'She's As Beautiful As A Foot' and
other songs on the first BOC album. They were all pretty easy so we
decided to make it more mysterious by calling it Stun instead of Fuzz."
According to Bolle Gregmar, however, a more accurate description of the
parts that Eric played would be that they were "muted" (i.e. muting the
guitar strings with the hand), and cites underlying guitar parts on
"Stairway To The Stars" and "O.D.'d On Life Itself" as some of the
better examples of Eric's stun guitar work.
According to Albert Bouchard, there is a somewhat interesting
story regarding Eric Bloom playing guitar with the band. After the
band's first performance with Bloom as lead vocalist (at the Fillmore
East in New York City), it was decided that he should have a guitar.
For their next performance (at The Electric Circus in New York City),
Bloom had a guitar, however it was not plugged in at the time. Elektra
executives were at the performance, and later remarked that they felt
that Bloom's rhythm guitar added greatly to the band's sound.
The insert enclosed with the radio promo copies of BOC's first LP
provides some insight into the term, "Bungo Pony": "I'm on the Lamb
But I Ain't No Sheep" is a colorful tale set in New York during the
late fifties. The location is Columbia University where the apathy
setting in on campus results in a dreadful scandal. The diseases
picked up from animals caught cruising the dormitories are still
showing scars.
Conry's bar (mentioned in "Before The Kiss, A Redcap") is a real
place, and BOC has played there. According to Al Bouchard, there were
two, Conry's East and Conry's West, both on Hempstead Turnpike. BOC
was the house band at Conry's West for several months in 1969-70. They
played Conry's East on New Year's Eve 70/71 (playing an Auld Lang Syne
/ In A Gadda Davida medley at midnight). Alas, the two bars have both
been gone for over 20 years now.
"Redcap" (mentioned in "Before The Kiss, A Redcap") refers to a
barbiturate. According to Buck Dharma, Sandy Pearlman witnessed a
woman and a man exchange the pill through a kiss when the band was
playing at Conry's bar. The line "their tongues extend, and then
retract" refers to the act of exchanging the pill through their kiss.
According to Sandy Pearlman (from a 1974 interview in *Creem*
magazine), the incident in question occurred at Conry's bar, but that
it was a man who approached Sandy with the "red" on his tongue offering
the "kiss". The line "the gin glows in the dark" also came from an
incident at Conry's bar. According to Sandy, there was a fight, and a
guy who was drinking a gin and tonic threw his glass down on Sandy's
table, and the gin was glowing in the dark.
Who is (Suzy, Celine, Debbie Denise, Sir Rastus Bear, . . .)?
=============================================================
"Suzy" is referred to in at least 4 BOC songs ("Before The Kiss, A
Redcap", "Dominance and Submission", "Astronomy", and "The Marshall
Plan"). Suzy originally referred to one of Sandy Pearlman's many
girlfriends, but later just came to refer to "some mean bitch" (poor
Sandy). An interesting aside is that BOC's *Imaginos* was actually
released on SUZY Records in Yugoslavia (the only BOC album issued in
that country), as this was the record company that had exclusive rights
for CBS Records in Yugoslavia.
"Celine" (as referred to in the song, "Searchin' for Celine") is
Louis Ferdinand Celine, a French writer from around the turn of the
century. As such, "Searchin" was originally written as searching for a
"he" instead of a "she". The following is from the America On-line
Encyclopedia on CIS:
Celine, Louis Ferdinand
{say-leen'}
Louis Celine, originally named Louis Ferdinand Destouches, b. May 27,
1894, d. July 1, 1961, was a French writer and doctor whose novels
Journey to the End of the Night (1932; Eng. trans., 1943) and Death on
the Installment Plan (1936; Eng. trans., 1938) are innovative,
chaotic, and antiheroic visions of human suffering. Pessimism pervades
Celine's fiction as his characters sense failure, anxiety, nihilism,
and inertia. Celine was unable to communicate with others, and during
his life sank more deeply into a hate-filled world of madness and rage.
A progressive disintegration of personality is visible in the stylistic
incoherence of Guignol's Band (1944; Eng. trans., 1954), Castle to
Castle (1957; Eng. trans., 1968), and North (1960; Eng. trans.,
1972). His novels are verbal frescoes peopled with horrendous giants,
paraplegics, and gnomes, and are filled with scenes of dismemberment
and murder. Accused of collaboration, Celine fled (1944) France to
live in Germany at Sigmaringen and then moved (1945) to Denmark.
Condemned by default (1950) in France to one year of imprisonment and
declared a national disgrace, Celine returned to France after his
pardon in 1951.
"Debbie Denise" (referred to in the song of the same name) was
originally one of Patti Smith's poetic flirtations with lesbianism --
the words were about a woman as told by a woman (the line "I was out
rolling with my band" originally read "I was out rolling with my man").
Was there a Debbie Denise? It doesn't appear that there was. However,
somewhere in the mid to late 70's, two young, blond, attractive twins
named "Debbie" and "Denise" turned up in L.A., and apparently became
well acquainted with members of the band's touring personnel.
According to Bolle Gregmar, "Sir Rastus Bear" (as referred to in
the song, "Redeemed") was the dog of Henry Farcas (who wrote the lyrics
to the song).
Where can I get BOC live recordings?
====================================
Editor's Disclaimer: With the exception of *Live 1976* (which I have
seen sold in major U.S. record stores), I can not advise as to the
availability or legality of the "Import Live Recordings" previously
listed in this FAQ.
As far as "live recordings" go, one must distinguish between a
"live tape" and "bootleg" (often referred to as "Import", "Live
Recording" or "Euro-CD"). A "live tape" is a tape of a live
performance - perhaps obtained by taping a radio broadcast, or a live
show. Sometimes the tape may come from the soundboard of the band's
sound engineers. These live tapes are usually traded amongst fans, or
kept as personal copies, and are not distributed on a for-profit basis.
"Bootlegs", on the other hand, are mass-produced copies of a band's
material (usually a live concert, but sometimes studio outtakes) which
are sold for profit by individuals or organizations most likely not
even closely related or affiliated with the said artist. Different
people in the music world have different opinions of live recordings.
Some argue that they hurt album sales, and take money away from the
artist. Others argue that fans interested in live recordings (which
are usually of lower quality than official releases) most likely
already have bought most of the artist's official releases anyway, and
in fact these recordings may even help to promote the artist. At any
rate, a "live tape" is not illegal, as long as it is not sold for
profit. A "bootleg", on the other hand, may be illegal, depending on
what country you live in.
There has been a fair number of BOC shows that have been taped
over the years, in one way or another. Many BOC fans have tapes of
various shows, and the best way to obtain them is by trading with other
BOC fans. To find other BOC fans to trade with, you could consult a
BOC discussion group or the BOC Fan Club (see elsewhere in this FAQ for
information) or appropriate internet newsgroups, check out the ads in
magazines such as *Goldmine* or *Discoveries* (see below for more
information), or meet some new friends at the next BOC concert.
There are some dealers which may carry "Imports", "Live
Recordings", and "Euro-CD's", although most of these are either small
record stores, or mail-order dealers. Sometimes dealers can be found
at flea-markets and record shows. Mail-order dealers can be tricky to
deal with as some have been known to be unscrupulous, fly-by-night
operations that have inconsistent records of service and have no qualms
about lying to customers or otherwise ripping them off. In addition,
these recordings can often take months to arrive, so you want to be
careful about how you are paying for your purchases. People who have
dealt with mail-order dealers recommend that you never make a large
initial order from a dealer that you have never dealt with before.
People with internet access might want to ask people on appropriate
newsgroups for information on the reliability of a particular dealer.
Another way to find people selling or trading live recordings,
videos, and other collectibles is to look in *Goldmine* or
*Discoveries*, two magazines for record and CD collectors. These
magazines run numerous ads from individuals and dealers looking to buy,
sell, or trade records, CDs, tapes, and other memorabilia. Goldmine,
which is published bi-weekly is the more extensive (and expensive) of
the two. Discoveries is published monthly. Some of the BOC items that
have been advertised recently include vinyl singles, *Flat Out* on CD,
and a Quadraphonic pressing of *Secret Treaties*. If you can't find
these magazines in your local bookstore or newsstand, here is some
subscription information (Editor's Note: I have no affiliation with
either Goldmine or Discoveries):
GOLDMINE
Special Services
Subscription Department
700 E. State St.
Iola, WI 54990-0001
U.S.A.
Master Card & Visa orders: (800) 258-0929
DISCOVERIES
Antique Trader Publications, Inc.
100 Bryant St.
Dubuque, Iowa 52003
Master Card & Visa orders: (800) 334-7165
Where can I find Rossignol's book, 'The Origins of a World War'?
================================================================
You can't. The book mentioned in the liner notes of the *Secret
Treaties* album does not exist.
As an interesting aside, however, the following listing appears in
the Library of Congress catalogue:
Hubert, Joseph, 1874-
Rossignol: le combat du 22 aout 1914.--Le martyre de habitants.--Les
annees d'occupation.--A la memoire des fusilles.
--Annexes ...
[translation by Andy Gilham and Alexandre Garcia: Rossignol - the
battle of the 22nd August, 1914 - the martyrdom of the people - the
years of occupation - to the memory of the executed -- appendices...]
Tamines, Imprimerie Duculot-roulin [1938] 212 p., 1 l. incl. front.,
illus. (incl. ports., plan) maps (1 fold.) 20 cm.
[pub.Tamines, Duculot-roulin Printers, etc, etc]
LC CALL NUMBER: D542.R6 H8 1938
SUBJECTS:
European war, 1914-1918--Campaigns--Belgium.
European war, 1914-1918--Atrocities.
Rossignol, Belgium.
ADDED ENTRIES:
Neujean, Joseph, 1880-1931, joint author.
Les drames de l'invasion allemande dans le Luxembourg belge.
[The tragedy of the German invasion of Belgian Luxembourg.]
GEOG. AREA CODE: e-be---
LCCN: 40-10573
Rossignol, as referred to by this entry, is actually the name of a
place - there does in fact exist a small town called Rossignol, in the
Belgian province of Luxembourg (not to be confused with the country of
the same name).
What do the Japanese words in "Godzilla" mean?
==============================================
The romanized Japanese is:
Rinji news o moshiagemasu! Rinji news o moshiagemasu! Gojira ga Ginza
hoomen e mukatte imasu! Daishikyu hinan shite kudasai! Daishikyu
hinan shite kudasai!
The translation is:
Attention, emergency news! Attention, emergency news! Godzilla is
going toward the Ginza area! Immediately escape/catch up/find shelter
please! Immediately escape/catch up/find shelter please!
Are there other BOC songs, and how can I hear them?
===================================================
BOC made a recording under the name, "Soft White Underbelly", when
the band was still known by that name, in 1969. Les Braunstein was the
lead vocalist at that time. The track list from the sessions is as
follows (note: in addition to the songs listed, the band recorded
demos of "Queen's Boulevard", "Bonomo's Turkish Taffy", and "Arthur
Comics" sometime before this recording):
Rationale Passionale (L. Braunstein)
Fantassy Morass* (R. Meltzer, A. Lanier)
Mothra (S. Pearlman, A. Lanier, A. Bouchard)
Jay Jay (L. Braunstein)
Queen's Boulevard** (S. Pearlman, A. Lanier, A. Bouchard)
Buddha's Knee (S. Pearlman, A. Bouchard, D. Roeser)
Bark In The Sun (R. Meltzer, A. Bouchard)
* Note 1: The vocals for this track were not recorded.
** Note 2: The first appearance of "Suzy" and "Diz".
The band recorded a four-song demo tape for Columbia, with Eric
Bloom replacing Les Braunstein on vocals. Known as "The Oaxaca Tapes",
the demo consisted of:
A Fact About Sneakers (R. Meltzer, A. Bouchard)
Betty Lou Got A New Pair Of Shoes (Bobby Freeman cover song)
John L. Sullivan (R. Meltzer, A. Lanier)
Donovan's Monkey (R. Meltzer, A. Bouchard)
After "Soft White Underbelly", the band's name changed to "Stalk-
Forrest Group", and they recorded another EP in 1970 for Elektra
Records. The line-up was Prince Omega (Albert Bouchard), Buck Dharma
(Donald Roeser), Jessie Python (Eric Bloom), La Vern (Allen Lanier),
and Andy Winters (Andrew Winters). Sandy Pearlman supposedly came up
with the nicknames for all the band members, however only Donald Roeser
continued later to use his nickname "Buck Dharma". The EP, titled "St.
Cecilia" (a press kit from the *Mirrors* album lists this album title
as "The California Album", which, like *Mirrors* was recorded in
California), had the following tracks (note: in addition to the seven
songs listed, BOC recorded a short version of "I'm On The Lamb, But I
Ain't No Sheep" prior to the recording the EP; and also a version of
"Sir Rastus Bear", which later became "Redeemed", sometime after the EP
sessions):
Bonomo's Turkish Taffy (R. Meltzer, A. Bouchard)
Arthur Comics (R. Meltzer, A. Bouchard)
Curse Of The Hidden Mirrors (R. Meltzer, A. Bouchard)
Gil Blanco County (S. Pearlman, A. Lanier)
What Is Quicksand? (R. Meltzer, A. Lanier)
Ragamuffin Dumplin' (R. Meltzer, A. Bouchard)
St. Cecilia (S. Pearlman, A. Winters)
While the "Stalk-Forrest Group" album was never released, about
200 copies of "What Is Quicksand?" and "Arthur Comics" were pressed as
a single on Elektra (EKM-45693), and later appeared on Elektra's
"Nuggets" compilation. "Arthur Comics" was included on Elektra's 1986
vinyl boxed set *Elektrok: The Sixties*, and mentioned the band in the
set's liner notes. In addition, "Arthur Comics" was part of the set
played on 9/8/80 at the Old Waldorf Theatre in San Francisco,
California as part of a radio broadcast.
Note: In a 1995 edition of *ICE* magazine (which gives
information on upcoming CD releases), it was suggested that the Stalk-
Forrest Group material may eventually be released on CD. However, the
status of this project is currently unknown and suspect.
BOC performed the song, "Wings of Mercury", live on occasion
during the 1985/1986 timeframe. The song appears on the *Into The
Crypts Of Rays* recording, as well as some live tapes from that time
period. This song, as previously mentioned, was actually written by K.
Percoda of Dream Syndicate. While Dream Syndicate didn't want to use
it, Sandy Pearlman, who was producing one of their albums at the time,
liked it, so BOC performed the song live. However, the band decided it
was not right for the *Club Ninja* album.
Buck Dharma, Jon Rogers, and Ron Riddle briefly formed another
band, "The Red and The Black" (also known as RonDonJon, or Roeser,
Riddle, and Rogers), as a side-project to BOC. They played a number of
gigs around NY in 1990 and maybe a little into '91. The music has been
described as "heavy pop caught with one hand in the progressive cookie
jar", having more in common with the harder parts of *Flat Out* than
with BOC. The lead vocals were shared by the three of them, except
that Buck sang all of the BOC tunes (editor's note: it's interesting
to hear Buck sing "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll"). A demo of the
band was reviewed in "Morning Final" (BOC Fan Club Newsletter). The
following songs were among those performed by the band and may exist on
a few live tapes:
What About Love?
Savage Garden
Harvest Moon
I Can't Get Next To You (Temptations cover song)
Andrea
Buck's Boogie
Speed Of Light
River Of Dreams
Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll
These Are The People In Love In America
Caroline
Redline
The Red And The Black
Expressway To Your Heart (Soul Survivors cover song)
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Perfect Water
Godzilla (featuring a "rap" section)
As mentioned later in the FAQ, Buck Dharma, Danny Miranda, John
Miceli, and Sandy Roeser participated in "The Buck Dharma Band", and
played a benefit concert on 4/11/95 in Atlanta GA. Some of this
material can be seen on a documentary video, and some will be available
on CD in the future (see the Ricky Browning Benefit Concert section of
the FAQ for more information). The entire setlist from this
performance is as follows:
Blackbird (Beatles cover, Buck solo and acoustic guitar)
In My Life (Beatles cover, Buck solo and acoustic guitar)
Astronomy (Secret Treaties version)
Live For Me
Deadline *
Burnin' For You *
Before the Kiss, A Redcap *
Shooting Shark *
Buck's Boogie *
Real World
Wind Weather And Storm *
In Thee *
Born To Rock *
Five Thirty-Five *
(Don't Fear) The Reaper *
Godzilla (featuring Ricky Browning's assistance on drums) *
I Fought The Law (Bobby Fuller Four cover)
Harvest Moon (candidate for next BOC album)
* Available on video -- see the Ricky Browning Benefit
Concert section of the FAQ for more information
In addition to the songs previously mentioned, there are a number
of BOC or BOC-related songs which consist of home demos and session
material. Some of the demo material was mere pieces of songs, some
were 4-track recordings (usually bass, guitar, drums, and vocals), and
others were nearly complete songs. There are also a number of tracks
that were completely worked up by the band during the sessions, but
eventually left off of the album. A few of these rare songs may appear
on a live tape as a few of the songs were done by the band live a few
times, but otherwise, the vast majority of these songs and snippets
will never be heard by most BOC fans. Unless you personally know one
of the members of the band, the only way one might hear some of this
material is by making a pilgrimage to "The Museum of Cult". Bolle
Gregmar, head of the BOC fan club, has copies of most of BOC's
unreleased material. He may play some of it for you if you visit the
museum (a.k.a. his apartment), but he is under agreement with the band
not to duplicate any of the demo material (Editor's Note: He sticks to
that agreement, so don't even bother asking for copies). Small
descriptions of many of these tracks and demos can be found in issues
of the BOC fan club's newsletter, "Morning Final".
Are BOC Nazis?
==============
Short Answer: No
Slightly-Longer Answer: Eric Bloom (Sandy Pearlman too) is Jewish...
Longer Answer: In the early 70's BOC tried to create a particular
image. This was reflected in many elements including the types of
music they played, their album covers, and how they dressed (most
notably Eric Bloom wearing leather). The BOC symbol was often depicted
in black on a red background (coinciding with the lyrics, "red and
black - it's their color scheme", which actually referred to the
Canadian mounted police), which is the same color scheme used by the
Nazis for the swastika. Therefore, some saw BOC's symbol, another sort
of "twisted cross", as some form of Nazi symbol. In addition, the "Hot
Rails To Hell" (a title which aptly fit BOC's sinister image) single
depicted a German military figure on the picture sleeve, also adding
fuel to the fire for a band often referred to simply as "The Cult"
(note: the band of that name would not appear on the scene until
later).
Of course, the real controversy came with the release of *Secret
Treaties*. The following elements were all used to support the
argument that BOC were Nazis:
The cover itself depicts the band around a German WWII airplane, the
ME-262. The image of this airplane was also used by the band in
various promotional items around this time, such as picture sleeves for
singles, posters, and advertisements.
The song "ME 262" of course is about the airplane of the same name, and
is written from the point of view of a German WWII pilot. Lyrics like
"Hitler's on the phone from Berlin - says 'I'm gonna make you a star'",
"There's no reward for failure but death", and "See these English
planes go burn", were seen as advocating the Nazi cause (editor's
comment: of course these people failed to grasp the fact that one can
write about topics and points of view that one doesn't necessarily
support).
Many of the remaining songs on the album supported the band's sinister
image: "Career Of Evil", "Subhuman", "Dominance And Submission",
"Cagey Cretins", and "Harvester Of Eyes". Of course, none of these
songs refer to Nazism or even German warplanes.
Finally, the liner notes refer to the mysterious (and, as we now all
know, non-existent book, "The Origins of a World War", which could also
be interpreted as having ties with Nazis.
So, there were many factors which suggested that BOC could be
Nazis. For the band's part, little was done initially to downplay any
image - probably under the assumption that "no press is *bad* press".
While there was no admission of being Nazis there was probably little
denial as well by the band, management, or record label. Sandy
Pearlman had even made statements in reference to "music as Fascism".
What was not well understood at the time, however, was that the
concepts surrounding *Secret Treaties* were derived from Sandy
Pearlman's Imaginos poems (see other sections in the FAQ for discussion
on the story of Imaginos, and the references to *Secret Treaties*, and
the song "ME 262"). Sandy was an avid reader of science fiction and
world war history, and was trying to provoke thoughts in the minds of
the listener by using all of this imagery. In addition, the use of
mysticism and evil imagery was somewhat a sign of the times -- a
reaction to the late 60's which focused more on the images of peace,
love, and flowers.
However, this image began to backlash upon the band. The Jewish
Defense League picketed their concerts, and threatened to sabotage
them. Record stores in Germany refused to sell *Secret Treaties*.
It's one thing for a band to create an image, even one that might be
offensive to some (note: although the band really meant it all as a
sort of joke), but it's quite another when the fans of the band start
believing in it. Albert Bouchard describes one incident which made the
band re-think their image. "After a gig in Portland, Oregon, this
blond, blue eyed guy came up in full (Nazi Secret Service) uniform,
saluting us. He freaked us all out."
When did Buck Dharma shave off his moustache?
=============================================
A lot of BOC fans from the 70's and early 80's that have "rediscovered"
BOC in the 90's had asked this question. Some time around 1985, Buck
shaved off his trademark moustache, and was without it until 1997. In
1997, Buck was again seen with a moustache, and briefly also had a
goatee.
Somewhat related: Eric Bloom has had his hair cut very short these
days. For inquiring minds that want to know, he has been sporting this
new hairstyle since 1994.
Will the original line-up ever get back together again?
=======================================================
Short Answer: No
Longer Answer: While many BOC fans (especially those that saw the
original line-up together) would like to see this happen, it is just
not likely. By "original line-up", we mean of course, Eric Bloom, Buck
Dharma, Allen Lanier, Joe Bouchard, and Albert Bouchard. It has now
been over 10 years since that line-up performed live together, and
while *Imaginos* was credited to the entire band, it was not really a
"band effort" (this was discussed previously in the FAQ). The current
line-up of BOC are happy with their current situation, and both
Bouchard brothers are pursuing their own individual projects.
5. A Harvest of Life, A Harvest of Death -- Other Items of Interest
Use of Umlauts, and the Origin of the Name, "Blue Oyster Cult"
==============================================================
In the August 16, 1991 issue of Entertainment Weekly, on page 62,
there's a story on band names that have umlauts in them. (Umlauts, we
learn, are the two little dots over a letter, in particular over the
"O" in Blue Oyster Cult.) The story credits Richard Meltzer with the
"fad" of using umlauts in names, and recounts the story of how BOC was
named. From the article:
"Sometimes genius strikes at the least-expected moment. In 1971,
musician and songwriter Sandy Pearlman was trying to devise a new name
for his band. Standing on a New York street corner with rock writer
Richard Meltzer (who had been in an earlier incarnation of the group),
Pearlman glanced into the window of a nearby restaurant and noticed
that the menu included Blue Point oysters. "I said, 'Why don't we call
it Blue Oyster Cult?'" he recalls. "And Richard said, 'And we'll add
an umlaut over the o!' And I said, 'Great!'"
There's another quote from Pearlman later in the story: "It was
meant to bring all sorts of ambiguous implications to the name."
Apparently when BOC auditioned for Columbia in 1971, they did not
have a name. They had to come up with one to finalize the deal, and
entrusted Pearlman to come up with it. This is presumably when
Pearlman and Meltzer decided on the name "Blue Oyster Cult". It is
believed that the name was already part of Pearlman's Imaginos poems,
which were conceived around 1967. When Pearlman returned to the band
and announced the name, the band was less than enthusiastic about it.
In fact, some band members said that they hated the name. Never the
less, the name stuck.
There is an interesting story as to how Pearlman and Meltzer came
up with the term "Blue Oyster Cult". It has been reported in several
BOC articles in the past, but is believed to be untrue. The story goes
that Pearlman went off with Meltzer, got stoned, and noticed a bottle
of "Cully Stout Beer". Using this name, the two tried to come up with
a number of anagrams using the name, one of which was "Blue Oyster
Cult", and that this was how they came up with the name. What is more
likely however, is that Pearlman and Meltzer tried to come up with
anagrams for "Blue Oyster Cult" and came up with "Cully Stout Beer".
As Bolle Gregmar notes, the term "stout beer" is not a likely label for
a beer (editor's note: sort of like labeling Pepsi Cola as "Pepsi Cola
Soda"). However, according to Bolle, someone once made a fake label
for this "beer" using the BOC symbol, and the label appeared in some
rock magazine (possibly *Circus*).
Bolle Gregmar reports that the "dots" over letters are known as
"diacritics", and that the word "umlaut" actually refers to the letter
'u' with a diacritic over it. He also reports that Allen Lanier may
have originally suggested the use of the umlaut in BOC's name.
Diacritics, or "diaereses" marks are used in languages to indicate
that two adjacent vowels should be pronounced separately. Therefore,
if one pronounces the band's name as the umlaut indicates, it should be
pronounced Blue "Oh-Easter" Cult.
Other bands later copied BOC's practice of using umlauts or
diacritic marks in their band logos. For example, Motorhead used a
diacritic over the first 'o'. Motley Crue used diacritics over both
the 'o' and 'u'. Also, the heavy-metal parody band Spinal Tap put a
diacritic over the 'n'.
BOC in Concert
==============
As previously mentioned, BOC, starting in 1976, toured with a
laser show. Due to controversies surrounding the band's use of lasers,
they were removed from the shows a few years later. According to Bolle
Gregmar, some of the controversy was actually politically motivated by
members of the Carter administration (James Carter, better known as
"Jimmy" Carter, was President of the US from 1977 - 1980), who had the
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) citing hypothetical (and largely
overblown) dangers of BOC's use of lasers. However, the main problem
with the lasers at that time was that they were very unreliable as well
as fragile, and were very expensive to repair (which was required
several times during the years BOC used them). Some of BOC's use of
lasers, including Eric's wrist-laser, can be seen on the *Live 1976*
video.
In addition to wrist-lasers, Eric had a few other "hand effects"
over the years. Prior to the use of lasers, Eric used to have a device
that either emitted sparks or shot rockets from his hand. These
effects, along with the use of the wrist-laser, were most often used at
the end of "Astronomy". Eric also had a knife effect which he used to
give the illusion of slashing his palm or wrist (the knife would leave
a large trail of blood). This effect was usually used either during
"Unknown Tongue" (during the line "And then she took her father's
razor, and watched it cut into her palm"), or during the monologue
portion of "Seven Screaming Diz-Busters" (where Eric would sometimes
tell the story of selling his soul to the Devil to become a rock star,
and he had to sign his record contract in blood).
Other than lasers, BOC has used numerous lighting effects over the
years to great effect. The lasers and/or spotlights were often shined
on a large mirror ball. Strobes were often used during the ending
portion of "Flaming Telepaths" (during the "and the joke's on you"
section). Appropriate use of colored spotlights has also be important
during BOC shows, such as green lighting during "Godzilla" or red and
yellow lighting during "E.T.I." (during "the king in yellow and the
queen in red" lyric).
Albert had a drum solo during "Buck's Boogie" in the mid 70's. In
the late 70's until he left the band, his drum solo was during
"Godzilla". All subsequent BOC drummers also had a drum solo during
"Godzilla". While they were used by BOC, the drum solo also was
punctuated by lasers.
For a few years in the early 80's (starting on the *Fire Of
Unknown Origin* tour), BOC toured with a 20 foot high model of
Godzilla. During the band's performance of the song with the same
name, the beast's eyes would light up, his head turned from side to
side, and smoke poured from his mouth. Now that BOC plays mostly
smaller venues, the 20 foot high Godzilla (they also used a 40 foot
high model for a few shows) tours no more. During Albert Bouchard's
drum solo during "Godzilla", he wore a large Godzilla mask for part of
the solo - he started doing this in 1978. After he left the band, Rick
Downey continued this practice for a few shows.
In the early 80's, when BOC performed "Veteran Of The Psychic
Wars", Rick Downey received some "help" on percussion. Two roadies
dressed as monks played on some additional tom-toms set up on either
side of Rick's drums.
When Albert Bouchard was still in the band, part of BOC's concert
performances consisted of 5-man guitar jams (one of Eric Bloom's
ideas). During the early-mid 70's, the "Mark I" jam was performed as
part of the song, "ME 262". The "Mark II" and "Mark III" jams,
performed prior to "Born To Be Wild", usually started with a bass solo
by Joe Bouchard (after Albert left, the band performed "Born To Be
Wild" immediately after the bass solo). The "Mark II" jam, done after
"This Ain't The Summer Of Love", was performed from 1976 until about
1979. The "Mark III" jam, performed in the early 80's, was based
mostly on the song, "Golden Age Of Leather". According to Albert
Bouchard, BOC also worked up a 5 guitar version of "I Love The Night",
but it was never played live.
When BOC performed "Born To Be Wild" (regularly up until about
1984), the song was high-lighted by Eric and Buck's "Texas Chainsaw
guitar duel" (also one of Eric Bloom's ideas). This consisted of Buck
and Eric placing the necks of their guitars together, raking the
strings of one guitar over the strings of the other. This would be
repeated several times, usually to the accompaniment of strobe-lights.
Also, Eric would drive his motorcycle on-stage from backstage at the
beginning of the song. Obviously, this practice had to stop when BOC
played at clubs.
Prior to the final portion of "Cities On Flame With Rock And
Roll", Albert (later Eric) would shout "Rock And . . .", and the
audience would respond with "Roll". This would start slowly, and build
in up in speed until the line between "Rock" and "Roll" was gone. The
band would kick back in, ending with Buck trilling high up on the neck
of his guitar. He would then stop, spit (or pretend to) into his
palms, crack his knuckles, and then individually crack the knuckles of
the last 3 fingers on his left hand. He would then start the final
instrumental segment of the song. While the band jammed, Eric would
stand by the drums, and "help" the drummer hit a few cymbals with a few
drumsticks of his own (during the *Club Ninja* tour, Eric, often clad
in martial arts attire, used a nunchaku to strike the cymbals).
In the early days of BOC, Eric (who often wore a cape in addition
to all his leather gear) used to swing a small chain around on-stage,
and strike various objects for effect. He often struck some of
Albert's cymbals, which is probably how the rumors that BOC's drummer
played his drums with chains got started. According to Albert
Bouchard, he also used to whip the mike-stand with the chain, but at
one performance when he pulled the chain back, it pulled the mike into
his face and gave him a bloody nose. Understandably, the chain was
dropped from the shows.
At the end of a show, Buck would sometimes rip every string on his
guitar, except the low E-string, and play the final chord (or, for
Buck, note) of the song on the one remaining string.
Eric used to play a guitar shaped like the BOC logo. According to
Bolle Gregmar, he still owns one, but doesn't tour with it as the risk
of having this rare item stolen is too high.
BOC has, on occasion, performed some songs with different band
members switching roles. For example, at a show in Boston in 1985, Joe
Bouchard sang the first verse of "Joan Crawford". Bolle Gregmar
reports that they once started a show playing "Dr. Music" with Eric on
drums, Albert on bass and Joe on guitar and lead vocal.
In BOC's early days, they used to cover (among other songs) The
Rolling Stones' "It's Not Easy". According to Eric Bloom, "The hook of
the tune live was a triple drum solo with Albert, Donald, and I all
playing drums at the same time."
BOC was part of a rather significant event in the early history of
the band, KISS. On 12/31/73, noted as their "industry live debut",
KISS opened at the New York City Academy of Music for Teenage Lust,
Iggy and The Stooges, and BOC. Interestingly, BOC apparently hauled a
German oom-pah band from a neighboring restaurant (Luchow's) for part
of their set. The most notable moment of the night, however, happened
when bassist Gene Simmons, famous for (among other things) breathing
fire during a KISS performance, accidentally set his hair on fire
during the show. While not planned, the event no doubt helped to
increase the mystique surrounding the make-up wearing rockers. Exactly
two years later, on 12/31/75, it was BOC who opened for KISS in New
York (at Nassau Coliseum).
An interesting occurrence happened at a New Year's Eve show at the
Academy of Music, NYC in 1974. During the encore Eric Bloom announced
he was going to carry out his new year's resolution. He then proceeded
to shave his beard off onstage with an electric razor. Perhaps "New
Year's Eve was the final barrier" (a line from the song, "Dominance And
Submission").
Speaking of "Dominance And Submission", some fans noted that when
BOC first performed both "Dominance And Submission" and "Astronomy"
live, it was Albert, and not Eric, who sang them. This was prior to
the recording of *Secret Treaties*, where Albert sang "Dominance And
Submission", but not "Astronomy". According to Albert Bouchard, he
sang both songs live prior to the recording of *Secret Treaties*, and
planned to do the same on the record. He did "Dominance And
Submission", which he thought came out great, but tried "Astronomy"
numerous times, getting worse each time. Eric tried to sing it, and
did it perfectly in one take. Although Joe may have taken a crack at
singing the verses as well, Eric apparently sang it the best, so he did
it for the record and subsequent live shows. Albert also indicates
that he stopped singing "Dominance And Submission" live because he
found it difficult to sing it while playing drums at the time.
At a show in the fall of 1985 at The Channel in Boston, MA, Eric
Bloom turned out to be somewhat of a prophet. At one point during the
set, he asked the Boston crowd, "How 'bout the Red Sox and the Mets in
the World Series next year?" (He also added, "I hate the Yankees, man,
they suck." -- something every Boston fan loves to hear) As events
would turn out, the Red Sox and the Mets played each other in the 1986
World Series. Unfortunately for Boston fans (but fortunately, no
doubt, for Eric Bloom), the Mets beat the Red Sox in 7 games.
In the summer of 1995, BOC began adding an acoustic portion to
their sets. Buck and Allen played acoustic guitar for these numbers.
To date, the songs that have been part of this set are "In Thee" and
"The Great Sun Jester". "She's As Beautiful As A Foot" was also
planned to be used, but never added to the set.
By the way, for those who don't know, the music played just prior
to BOC starting their set (at least for the past several years) is the
end titles from the soundtrack to the movie *Blade Runner* by Vangelis.
The Movie "Heavy Metal"
=======================
The song "Veteran Of The Psychic Wars" (from *Fire Of Unknown
Origin*) appears in the movie "Heavy Metal". According to Albert
Bouchard, BOC was originally approached to do 5-7 songs for the
soundtrack (with Elmer Bernstein doing the rest). According to
"Morning Final #14", the songs "Vengeance (The Pact)" and "Don't Turn
Your Back" were written following the script of the movie, with "Heavy
Metal: The Black And Silver" also being inspired by the movie, but not
directly from the script. These four songs were submitted for
consideration for the movie soundtrack. Ironically, "Veteran Of The
Psychic Wars", not specifically inspired by the movie, was chosen to be
on the soundtrack. It is also believed that the song "Sole Survivor"
was inspired by the movie, although not directly from the script.
"Vengeance (The Pact)" was originally titled "Taarna's Theme" - the
song lyrics are taken from the last story in the movie (with Taarna,
the warrior woman who rides the giant bird). The apparent reason for
the song not being used is that it told the 17-minute (in the movie)
story in 5 minutes. The soundtrack was finally officially released on
CD in 1995, and an updated version of the movie was released in 1996.
The Buck Dharma Band Ricky Browning Benefit
===========================================
On 4/11/97, the "Buck Dharma Band" (Buck on guitar and vocals,
Danny Miranda on bass, John Miceli on drums, and Sandy Roeser on
vocals) performed a benefit concert in Atlanta, GA for Ricky Browning,
a child with an inoperable brain tumor. Ricky went through 4 months of
extensive chemotherapy and was being treated by Hospice Atlanta (a
place traditionally reserved for children who are expected to not
survive), and was very near death on multiple occasions. However,
Ricky used visualization techniques of his hero, the Japanese monster
"Godzilla", to fight his illness (Ricky would pretend that Godzilla was
in his head fighting the tumor). Ricky has astounded doctors as his
tumor, once the size of a lemon, had all but disappeared.
Unfortunately for Ricky and his family, huge medical bills have been
incurred for his various treatments (Ricky has no health insurance and
he outlived his emergency Medicaid benefits).
BOC fan (and friend of Buck's wife, Sandy Roeser) Chuck Saden,
learned of Ricky's situation and fascination with Godzilla, and told
Buck Dharma, also a fan of Godzilla (and author of the BOC song,
"Godzilla"). Buck then agreed to do a benefit concert to raise money
for Ricky. Saden sent Ricky some recordings of both "Godzilla" and
"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (a song which Ricky says taught him a lesson,
and that because of it, he was no longer afraid of dying).
The Buck Dharma Band came down to Atlanta a day early, and
participated in a special fund-raising dinner, and signed autographs.
Earlier in the day, Buck met Ricky for the first time as part of
television and radio publicity for the show, and Buck sang some
acoustic versions of his songs. The concert was a wild success (see
the section in the FAQ on "other BOC songs" for a complete setlist from
the performance), and even turned out to be incredibly therapeutic for
Ricky. Earlier in the evening, Ricky had had to be taken out of the
venue by EMTs due to exhaustion. However, when he heard the band
playing "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", Ricky jumped up before the EMT could
sit him back down, ran into the venue and was clapping and rocking to
the music. Ricky even helped play the drums when the band played the
next song, "Godzilla". It was truly fitting that Ricky would
participate in the song about his hero, who helped him overcome his
affliction. It should also be noted that since this concert, Ricky had
a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan, and it showed no evidence of
his tumor.
Spearheaded by BOC sound master George Geranios, the concert was
professionally recorded, as well as being extensively videotaped. A
very special video titled *Miracles DO Happen, Take One*, which
contains information about Ricky's story and footage from this concert,
is now available from the Rose Legacy Corporation. They can be
obtained by mailing $19.95, plus $3.00 shipping and handling (make
checks payable to the Rose Legacy Corp.) to:
The Rose Legacy Corp.
P.O. Box 465081
Lawrenceville, GA 30042
Proceeds from the sale of the video will go to the Browning
family, and donations will be used to distribute free videos to various
causes. This is more than a concert video - it is a film of hope and
inspiration, and Ricky himself hopes that it will help other sick kids
get better.
Prior to this special concert, a very limited edition Buck Dharma
t-shirt was produced for the concert. The black t-shirt, with a Buck
Dharma logo on the front and a Buck Dharma promotional picture on the
back, is still available for $20.00 (plus $3.00 shipping) from the
above address (shipping is free if you order a video as well) --
specify size (L, XL, or XXL). A CD containing tracks from the concert
is planned be made available for purchase in the future.
Other Releases of BOC Music
===========================
There have been a number of BOC singles released. In addition, a
few BOC songs (most notably, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Godzilla", and
"Burnin' For You") have appeared on compilation albums of various
artists. Most of these songs, along with the "b-sides" of the singles,
are as they appeared on the BOC album on which they were released.
There are, however, some notable exceptions:
"Godzilla" (from *Spectres*) -- A 12" single (Columbia 3-10725, 1977
promo) of this song was produced with the studio version on one side,
and a live version (that is not the version found on either *Some
Enchanted Evening* or *Extraterrestrial Live*) on the other side - the
song is most easily identified by Eric's introduction - "It's not
Raymond Burr, it's Godzilla!"
"We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" (from *Some Enchanted Evening*) -- A
"b-side" of this single contains a live version of "Stairway To The
Stars" that was recorded at Commack New York on 6/8/75.
"Born To Be Wild" -- A compilation album of various artists titled,
*Guitar Wars*, released in 1982, contains a live version of this song
that was recorded at Poughkeepsie New York on 2/11/80.
"Burnin' For You" (from *Fire Of Unknown Origin*) -- The "b-side" of a
12" single (U.K. Release) of this song contains live versions of "Dr.
Music" (recorded at Nassau Coliseum, NY, 10/17/80) and "Flaming
Telepaths" (recorded at Bonds International Casino, NY, 6/16/81) -
neither of these live versions are found on other domestic BOC albums.
However, this version of "Dr. Music" can be found on the *Black And
Blue* video, and this version of "Flaming Telepaths" can be found on
the *The Thing!* recording. This live version of "Dr. Music" also
appears on the 1983 U.K. 4-song release of "Take Me Away" with "Burnin'
For You" and "(Don't Fear) The Reaper".
"White Flags", "Make Rock Not War" (from *Club Ninja*) -- The U.K.
single release with these two songs is presumably from the first (U.K.)
mix of *Club Ninja*, and has the non-fadeout version of "White Flags",
and also a longer version of "Make Rock Not War". These songs were
released on 7" vinyl and 12" vinyl (the 12" vinyl also includes
"Shooting Shark" from *The Revolution By Night*).
"Astronomy" (from *Imaginos*) -- There are 4 versions of this song on
a promo CD single, two long and two short versions of the song (the
long version appears on *Imaginos*). Two of the versions (one long,
one short) have a spoken intro by horror author Stephen King. The
spoken intro is from the Imaginos liner notes: "Imaginos (performed by
Blue Oyster Cult) - A bedtime story for the children of the damned.
From a dream world, paralleling our earth in time and space, the
invisible ones have sent an agent who will dream the dream of history.
With limitless power he becomes the greatest actor of the 19th century.
Taking on many ingenious disguises, he places himself at pivotal
junctures in history, continually altering its course and testing our
ability to respond to the challenge of evil. His name is 'Imaginos'".
There's also a U.K. 12" single of "Astronomy" known as "Wild Mix",
which is a re-mixed dance-oriented version of "Astronomy" and also has
more of Albert's original vocal for the track. The single has 2
versions - with and without the Stephen King introduction.
"In The Presence Of Another World" (from *Imaginos*) -- There are 2
versions of this song on a promo CD single. The first version is the
album version. The second version is an edited version which ends by
fading out during the "Your master" coda section, without the added
spoken vocals.
"Gamera Is Missing" -- *Guitar* magazine put out a series of
compilation albums called "Guitar's Practicing Musicians". These
albums contain various jam sessions, re-worked songs, or musical
experiments by various guitarists. This song appears on Volume I of
the series (released in 1989). The liner notes for the song are as
follows:
GAMERA IS MISSING / Buck Dharma (3:21)
Buck Dharma : All instruments except drums
Ron Riddle : Drums
Equipment: Steinberger GM5, recorded direct through Chandler Tube
Driver and Groove Tubes Preamp. Composed by Buck Dharma (c) 1989
Triceratops Music Inc. (ASCAP) Produced & recorded by Buck Dharma at
his home studio, on an Akai 1214. Mixed by Buck Dharma at Masterview
Soundcrafts, with Peter Kirk Hopper engineer. All computer editing and
post production by Buck Dharma.
Buck Dharma, a master of melodic rock phrasing, has been at the lead
guitar helm of Blue Oyster Cult throughout its whole 14 album career.
His "Gamera Is Missing" shows off all the fire and finesse that defined
the blues based players who grew up feeding on the influence of early
Clapton, Hendrix and Beck.
"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" -- *Guitar* magazine put out a series of
compilation albums called "Guitar's Practicing Musicians". These
albums contain various jam sessions, re-worked songs, or musical
experiments by various guitarists. This song appears on Volume III of
the series (released in 1994). The liner notes for the song are as
follows:
Buck Dharma
DON'T FEAR THE REAPER (Donald Roeser) SONY Music Inc. / BMI
Buck Dharma: Guitars and Vocals
Chuck Burgi: Drums
Produced By Buck Dharma. Drums recorded by Bob Acquaviva at Acqrock
Studios. All guitars and vocals recorded by Will Russell at Electric
Wilburland. Mixed by Jeff Kawalek at Saul'Zattic.
EQUIPMENT: Steinberger GM-7 guitars with LaBella Strings, Musicman
Stingray Bass, Mesa Boogie Mark IV amp, Marshall 4X10 cab, Martin
acoustic.
"I played a similar version of the 'Reaper' live in a pop/rock trio
called The Red and The Black that existed in 1990. John Stix suggested
that I do that version for this disc, so I recorded Chuck Burgi's drums
against a scratch electric guitar. We played a tempo map in Vision
synched to a time code on tape. The last half of the tune was recorded
first. Then the Martin acoustic and 'unplugged' vocals of the first
half were recorded. The background vocals were sung to a rough mix on
a separate piece of tape, then mixed to stereo and sampled into my
Ensoniq ASR-10, which was then sequenced to the master 16trk tape."
(quote by Buck Dharma)
Other BOC Contributions -- Most of the following information was
provided by Melne Murphy of the BOC Fan Club, which appeared in an
article in the fan club's newsletter, "Morning Final". Additional
information was provided by Bolle Gregmar and Albert Bouchard.
Buck played lead guitar on three songs ("Evil", "Drivin' Me Mad",
and "Rock And Roll") on the Kasim Sulton (former bassist for Utopia,
and keyboardist for Meatloaf) album, *Kasim* in 1982. He played lead
guitar for the Blotto song (and video), "Metalhead" (released in 1982
on the *Combo Akimbo* album). Buck can also be found on one of "The
Source" radio show albums jamming with the Pat Travers Band to Cream's
"Sunshine of Your Love" (in addition, Buck introduced Pat Travers at
that show). Buck may also have been credited as playing on an album by
Shakin' Street. Finally, Buck (and possibly Eric) contributed vocals
to a medley of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" and "Burnin' For You", which
appears on the album, *All-Time Greatest Hips* by the band Too Hip For
The Room.
Eric sang as a backing vocalist on 2 songs ("Just Another Night"
and "Ships") on Ian Hunter's 1979 album, *You're Never Alone With a
Schizophrenic*. Eric was also briefly involved in 1984 with Ritchie
Cannata in the B.C. project -- they recorded a few demos, including
"Eyes of Fire" with some of Cannata's musicians doing the session work.
In 1986, both Eric (vocal) and Buck (guitar) appeared on the song
"Stars" for the Hear 'n Aid project -- the project, organized by Ronnie
James Dio, was a heavy-metal version of previous projects (most
notably, the "We Are The World" and "Live Aid" projects) to raise money
for world famine relief projects.
Allen wrote several songs with Jim Carroll (who also co-wrote
"Perfect Water" on *Club Ninja*). One of them, "Day and Night",
appears on Carroll's first album, *Catholic Boy*. Allen plays
keyboards on this track, as well as on the song "I Want The Angel".
Another Lanier/Carroll collaboration, "Dance the Night Away"
(originally intended for *Agents Of Fortune*, but was rejected),
appears on Carroll's, *I Write Your Name*. Allen is also featured on
keyboards throughout on Carroll's *Dry Dreams* album. Allen's
contributions on guitar and/or keyboards can also be found on some of
Patti Smith's albums (including her *Easter* album on the track "Space
Monkey"; and her 1975 *Horses* album on the tracks "Kimberly" and
"Elegie", which Allen also co-wrote), on John Cale's album, *Music For
a New Society*, and on Amy Kanter's 1982 release, *Other Girl*. Allen
was used often by Sandy Pearlman as a studio musician in the 70's,
playing on albums by the Dictators, Shakin' Street, Pavlov's Dog, and
The Clash -- not all of these appearances are credited, or are credited
to the name "Allen Glover". In addition, Jim Carroll has a spoken-word
performance ("Nightclubbing") on a Sony Compilation album titled *Home
Alive*, in which Allen provides guitar accompaniment.
After leaving BOC, Joe Bouchard joined ex-Alice Cooper members
Neil Smith (drums, who has a co-writing credit on BOC's "Shadow Of
California") and Dennis Dunaway (bass, who worked with Buck Dharma on
*Flat Out*), along with Jay Johnson (guitar) and Charlie Huhn (vocals)
in the band known as "Deadringer". Joe plays keyboards, sings back-up,
and co-wrote four songs ("Everybody Rock", "Love Is A Killer", "Double
Talk", and "Secret Eyes") on the band's album, *Electrocution Of The
Heart*, which was released on the Grudge record label (the track
"Secret Eyes" was also released as a promo only CD single; the track
"Double Talk" was originally written for the 1984 film, *Teachers*, but
never used). Also on that album is a tune written by Albert Bouchard
and Deborah Frost ("When You're In, You're In", which later appeared
with different music as "Operation Luv" on the Brain Surgeons album,
*Box Of Hammers*), and a tune written by Buck Dharma titled "Summa Cum
Loud" (originally titled "Summa Cum Laude", it was written for the 1984
film, *Teachers*, but not used). Joe has also produced albums for
Helen Wheels, and the Long Island band Empyre.
Albert Bouchard performed on Tom Paxon's 1968 album, *The Things I
Notice Now* (he played on the track, "Bishop Cody's Last Request"), and
has produced (and in some cases performed on) albums, singles, or demos
for David Roter (*Bambo* and *Beauty Of The Island*, both on David's
label, Unknown Tongue), Heads Up, Helen Wheels, Maria Excommunikata,
Kablamachunk, Women In Love, and Faith. Albert's song "Adopt Me" (co-
written with Roter and Richard Meltzer, and demoed by Albert for
*Cultosaurus Erectus*) appeared on David Roter's 1987 *Bambo* album
(along with versions of "Joan Crawford" and "Unknown Tongue"). Also on
that album is a David Roter/Jack Rigg song called "Il Duce", which was
recorded by BOC (for the *Cultosaurus Erectus* album, but it wasn't
used) with Buck singing the lead vocal. For Roter's *Bambo* album,
this recording was used, although Buck's lead vocal was replaced by
Roter, and a keyboard part was added. It is also interesting to note
that on this album, Albert is credited as "S.W. Underbelly". Roter's
*Beauty Of The Island* album features a Roter/Bouchard composition,
"666 (The Devil Got Your Mother)", which would later appear on The
Brain Surgeons' *Eponymous*. Joe also plays keyboards on a track
called "I Shot Dr. Krugman" (a possible reference to BOC record
producer Murray Krugman). Albert is featured on former Plasmatic
Ritchie Stotts' single "Man With The X-Ray Eyes" and "1944" (recorded
in 1987, released in 1992). Albert, along with Deborah Frost, produced
The Brain Surgeons' albums. In addition, Albert plays a guitar part,
drums, and sings lead vocals, and Joe Bouchard plays acoustic piano, on
a cover of BOC's "Dominance And Submission", for Mike Watt's (former
bass player for punk bands The Minutemen and fIREHOSE) first solo album
-- note that although the song did not make it onto Watt's *Ball-Hog or
Tug Boat* CD, it was released as an additional track by Sony on two
Mike Watt CD singles from that album (on the "E-Ticket Ride" single in
the U.S., and on the "Piss Bottle Man" single in Europe). Albert also
sings background vocals on Gumball's cover of BOC's "She's As Beautiful
As A Foot" (which can be found on Gumball's *Revolution On Ice* album),
plays drums on some of David Roter's 1996 album, *Find Something
Beautiful* (which contains a song Albert co-wrote with David Roter
called "Run M.F. Run") and on Brain Surgeons guitarist Peter
Bohovesky's self-titled CD release. The Brain Surgeons (Albert and
Deborah, with Joe Bouchard as well) have a song on the Minutemen
tribute album, *Our Band Could Be Your Life: A Tribute To D. Boon And
The Minutemen* -- the song, "Tour Spiel", is significant in that it was
originally written by the Minutemen to pay tribute to BOC (see the
section on references to BOC).
Les Braunstein (original Soft White Underbelly vocalist) has an
appearance on vinyl. Buck (guitar), Albert (drums) and John Trivers
(bass) helped him record three songs in 1973. Les eventually unearthed
the demo, added a violinist to the song, "Dead House", re-worked the
vocals and changed the title to "Dark Angel", which was released as a
single in 1979 on the Mega Toons label.
Song References
===============
Altamont, which is referred to in the song, "Transmaniacon MC"
(the "MC" standing for "motorcycle club"), refers to a festival in 1970
at Altamont (a racetrack in California). The festival was supposed to
be another Woodstock. The Rolling Stones were the main act, and they
controversially hired the Hells Angels as security. Apparently The
Stones had used the British Hell's Angels as security in the past, and
assumed that the California Hell's Angels would be the same. There was
mayhem during the Stones' set, and the Angels stabbed one member of the
audience to death (right in front of a camera), although the stabbed
man was apparently holding a gun. Either during this incident, or
right afterwards, The Stones played the song, "Sympathy For The Devil".
The incident is documented in the concert movie, "Gimme Shelter". In
typically overblown style, journalists have dubbed that show "the night
rock-n-roll lost its innocence."
The "Transmaniacon MC", according to Al Bouchard, are a mythical
group that Sandy Pearlman invented called "the Los Maniacos Bus Boy
Club" which was supposed to conjure up a picture of insane Mexican
waiters that have a musical group.
According to Buck Dharma, "(Then Came The) Last Days Of May" is
the true story of three collegiate drug dealers who went to Tucson to
score for the fall semester. They were ripped off and shot. While two
of the guys died, the other survived to testify against the
perpetrators, who were two young men from a notorious wealthy local
family. They apparently served about ten years in prison before being
released.
There are a few books with the words, "Stairway To The Stars" in
the title. One is a book ("Stairway To The Stars: The Story of The
World's Largest Observatory") about the Mauna Kea observatory on the
Big Island of Hawaii. Another ("Stairway to the Stars: Achievement
Program") was written by the Assembly of God as part of its ministry to
women. Another ("Stairway to the Stars : Colorado's Argentine Central
Railway") is about a railway in Colorado. The song, "Stairway To The
Stars", however, does not appear to have inspired any of these, or have
been inspired by them (especially since they were published after the
song was on a BOC album).
According to Joe Bouchard, "Screams" was written to describe his
impressions and emotions when he first moved to New York to be in the
band. Joe grew up in a small town, and driving into New York from Long
Island at night was quite a new experience for him. Also, Joe says
that the song "Morning Final" is based on a true story of a murder that
happened at a subway stop at the corner of 23rd Street in New York
City. Joe used to go to a deli that was near there, and he was a bit
disturbed by the fact that a murder took place there.
In an old interview with *Creem* magazine, Eric Bloom says that
"O.D.'d On Life Itself" is basically a song inspired when Sandy saw
some girl who was "totally out of it, a real asshole; she'd O.D.'d on
life".
According to Buck Dharma, "Harvester Of Eyes" is about former U.S.
Supreme Court justice Abe Fortas. The following is from Compuserve's
American Academic Encyclopedia:
Abe Fortas, b. Memphis, Tenn., June 19, 1910, d. Apr. 5, 1982, was a
prominent Washington, D. C., attorney and presidential advisor when
President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him to the U.S. Supreme Court in
1965. Johnson's subsequent nomination of Fortas as chief justice was
blocked by Senate foes of his activist stand on civil liberties, and
the nomination was caught up in a clash between the executive and
legislative branches. In 1969, following charges of questionable
ethics and conflict of interest, Fortas resigned from the Court. His
arguments in GIDEON V. WAINWRIGHT (1962) established the right of the
poor to legal counsel.
What's all that got to do with "Harvester Of Eyes"? Not much.
However, it was Fortas' senate nomination hearings which inspired
Richard Meltzer to write the song's lyrics. When Fortas' avoidance of
service in World War II was questioned, he responded that he had ocular
tuberculosis -- which inspired the lyric, "I'm the eye-man of TV, with
my ocular TB".
The BOC Fanclub newsletter "Morning Final" (issue #12), provides
insight into the meaning of several songs on *Secret Treaties*.
"Harvester of Eyes" and "ME-262" have already been mentioned. The
song, "Dominance And Submission" is the true story of an automobile
ride taken with Suzy and her brother ("Charles the grinning boy"), in
which some unexpected sexual actions were suggested. "Morning Final
#12" does not say who was put "in the backseat" and taken "for a ride".
"Flaming Telepaths" refers to experimental drug use (note: one article
on BOC mentioned this song as being about a science fictional
experimentation of drugs on humans, with disastrous side effects).
"Astronomy" refers to Suzy, who at the time was very experimental and
sexually aware. The song has its roots in a lesbian encounter, and the
reaction to it.
The line, "when prophecy fails, the falling notion" in the song,
"E.T.I." may have been inspired by the book, "When Prophecy Fails: A
Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group that Predicted the
Destruction of the World", by Leon Festinger, Henry W. Riecken and
Stanley Schacter (a classic psychology text). The line "three men in
black said, 'Don't report this . . .", also in "E.T.I." may have been
inspired by the "The Men In Black Report" by Kurt Glemser (Galaxy
Press). The book discusses UFO sightings and Men in Black (usually 3),
that would visit UFO witnesses, warning them not to divulge what they
had seen. The name "Balthazar", mentioned in "E.T.I." is the name of
one of the three kings/wise-men/astrologers in the Bible who visited
Jesus Christ soon after his birth -- the other two were named Melchor
and Kaspar. Perhaps "E.T.I." is suggesting that Jesus Christ was
brought to earth, or at least visited by, aliens. On the other side of
the life of Christ, the Bible discusses Jesus' "ascension", where he is
taken up to heaven in front of some of his disciples. The use of the
word "ascension" in "E.T.I." may suggest that the ascension was some
sort of alien abduction (Jesus rising into the sky, surrounded by a
beam of light).
Other UFO references to UFO lore in the song "E.T.I." are provided
by Dan Clore. "Daylight disk" comes from the classification system
proposed by J. Allen Hynek in his 1974 work, *The UFO Experience: A
Scientific Inquiry*. It refers to a flying saucer seen during the day.
"Fairy rings" refers to rings of underground fungus that make the grass
very green above them. It also refers to a large circular fungus that
kills the grass above it, leaving a big white circle. These are often
identified as traces of UFO landings. "Tower beds" are a reference to
UFO landing apparatus (Stonehenge is theorized by some to be a tower
bed). Finally, "Dead leaves always give up motion" may refer to the
term "dead leaf motion" or "falling leaf motion" of UFOs -- a pattern
of descent, going back and forth and pausing.
There is a real book titled, *The King in Yellow* (referred to in
the song, "Extra Terrestrial Intelligence"), written by Robert W.
Chambers, published in 1895. The book is believed to be out of print,
with its last known publication being possibly in the late 70's. It is
a collection of short stories, several of which mention an imaginary
book (play) titled "The King in Yellow". Like various tomes mentioned
in Lovecraft, this (non-existent) play has detrimental effects on the
sanity of readers. From *The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction* (by John
Clute and Peter Nicholls):
"The eponymous "King in Yellow" is not a person, but a verse
play in book form, which... drives its readers to despair, madness and
even suicide. Of the four *King in Yellow* tales in the book, 'The
Repairer of Reputations' is of particular interest, being set in 1920,
after a war, in a USA that has legalized suicide."
The book, *The King in Yellow* also contains a story titled, "The
Street of The Four Winds". It is not clear whether or not this
inspired the reference to the four winds bar in the song, "Astronomy".
However, the song does not appear connected with the story in any other
way.
The line "24th of May" in the song, "The Revenge Of Vera Gemini"
refers to both Albert Bouchard's and Bob Dylan's birthday. On the
occasion of his 25th birthday, Patti Smith gave Albert the lyrics to
this song, which she presumably wrote about a true incident involving
her and Bob Dylan. Coincidentally, that day is also the birthday of
England's Queen Victoria, which is referred to in the Rush song,
"Lakeside Park" -- "Everyone would gather on the twenty fourth of May,
Sitting in the sand to watch the fireworks display".
It is a popular misconception that the song, "(Don't Fear) The
Reaper" is about suicide. The line "Romeo and Juliet are together in
eternity" refers to William Shakespeare's characters Romeo and Juliet,
who were young lovers that had each committed suicide. The song tells
a woman not to fear death (in the first 2 verses), and then tells that
she does die with no fear (in the 3rd verse). Opinions as to the true
meaning of this song are mixed -- some believe that it merely advocates
not to fear the coming of death as it is part of the cycles of nature
("Seasons don't fear the reaper, nor do the wind and the sun and the
rain"), while others (including anti-rock zealots) claim that BOC is
advocating suicide (Editor's Comment: Yeah, and in "Godzilla" BOC is
advocating that a big radioactive dinosaur stomp all over Tokyo too.).
Albert Bouchard says that he heard Buck say many times that the song
was not about suicide, but merely about not fearing death. Finally,
Bolle Gregmar says that Buck actually wrote the lyrics to "The Reaper"
during a time when he thought he was dying, and the lyrics were Buck's
way of saying that we shouldn't waste our time worrying about dying
because it is inevitable.
The song, "Godzilla" refers to the Americanized name of the
Japanese movie monster, "Gojira". Gojira (the name is a portmanteau
from "gorilla" and "Kujira", meaning "whale") is a dinosaur which was
released from millions of years of hibernation by atomic testing in the
Pacific Ocean. The beast became mutated by the radiation, to the point
where he is now radioactive (able to project this radioactivity via his
breath). The original Godzilla movie was released in Japan in 1954,
less than a decade after the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan.
While Godzilla was originally an evil being, he became somewhat of a
folk hero in Japan, starring in over 15 movies, becoming a friend to
humanity after about the 4th one (in more recent movies, since about
1984, Godzilla has gone back to being more of a "bad guy"). According
to Bolle Gregmar, BOC had to pay royalties to Toho, the filmmaker of
the Godzilla movies, to use the name on the song. Sony/TriStar
pictures is releasing a new version of this film in May of 1998.
Despite the pleas of BOC fans worldwide, neither BOC nor their song
"Godzilla" will appear on the movie's soundtrack. Another Japanese
movie monster, "Gamera" (a giant flying turtle) appears in the title of
Buck Dharma's instrumental, "Gamera Is Missing".
The song, "Golden Age Of Leather" refers to a futuristic vision
when motorcycles are a thing of the past, with a biker gang getting
together for "one last night together", as the lyric says. Fortunately
for bikers, this vision has not come to fulfillment.
The initials "R.U.R." from the song, "R. U. Ready 2 Rock" were a
tribute to the K. Capek play, "Rossum's Universal Robots". This play
is cited as having the first appearance of the term "robot" in science
fiction literature.
Several BOC songs refer to vampires. "Nosferatu" is a re-working
of Bram Stoker's "Dracula". In the original silent version of
Nosferatu, the captain's log can be seen to include the lines "Rats in
the hold. My crew is dead. I fear the plague" - these lines are used
in the song. Other BOC songs which refer to vampires include
"Screams", "Wings Wetted Down", "Morning Final", "Moon Crazy", and
"Light Years Of Love". Looks like Joe Bouchard was really into
vampires . . . Buck also wrote a song, "I Love The Night", tells the
tale of a man's meeting with a female vampire - while the lyrics are
always subject to interpretation, the third verse of this song (omitted
from the album) makes the song's meaning more clear. Finally,
according to Eric Bloom, his "After Dark" is sort of his sequel to "I
Love The Night".
The line "Jim says some destinies should not be delivered", in the
song "In Thee" refers to Jim Carroll. As previously mentioned, Jim
Carroll and Allen Lanier collaborated on several songs, including the
song "Day And Night", which appeared on Carroll's *Catholic Boy* album.
The song contains the line "Some destinies, they should not be
delivered".
The line "Aces and eights are the fate that you drew", in the song
"I Am The Storm" refers to the "dead man's hand" of a pair of aces and
eights in poker. It is known as this as it is the hand that Wild Bill
Hickok was rumored to be holding when he was killed.
According to the liner notes in the compilation CD set, *Workshop
Of The Telescopes*, the song "Dr. Music" is a tongue-in-cheek look at
S+M (sadism and masochism).
The song, "The Vigil" is about some friends of the band who are
UFO-watchers. The line "27 faces, with their eyes turned to the sky"
may refer to the VLA (Very Large Array), a set of 27 radio telescopes
(there actually is a 28th, but it only gets used as a backup if one of
the 27 fails). The site, located in New Mexico (near Socorro), was
completed right about the time *Mirrors* was released.
The song "Hungry Boys", originally titled, "Hungry Boys In
Brooklyn", is about drug addiction.
The song "Deadline" is based on the true story of an old
acquaintance of the band, who was murdered in 1972. According to
Albert Bouchard, the person in question was booking agent Phil King
(who booked gigs for the band before they were signed to Columbia).
Phil was apparently pressuring this guy to pay back a gambling debt,
and the guy ended up shooting him. Phil King is also mentioned in the
song, "Hot Rails to Hell" (in the lyric, "The King did not know").
Allen once described Phil King (also known as Phil Friedman) as a "big
dude in a cheap vinyl leather jacket, two-tone blue '64 Lincoln
Continental, wore a Fu Manchu mustache, combing his hair at all times,
he had a perfect Shaft hairdo, chrome shades he never took off, wore
'em to bed..." Soon after BOC's first album was released, Phil was
able to convince a New York DJ to play "Cities On Flame With Rock And
Roll" on the radio.
The song "Divine Wind" was written by BOC as sort of an "Anti-
Iran" song. During the time the song came out, Iran had been holding
U.S. citizens hostage for many months. The lyric, "If he really thinks
we're the devil, then let's send him to hell" refers to the Ayatollah
Khomeni calling the U.S. "The Great Satan". When BOC performed this
song in concert, roadie Joe Lauro, wearing an Ayatollah mask, played
guitar on stage with the band.
The song "Lips In The Hills" may refer to an incident in July of
1947 known as "The Roswell Incident". Supposedly, a UFO crashed in the
hills in or near Roswell, New Mexico, although this was denied/covered-
up by the U.S. Air Force (originally saying it was a weather balloon).
Many people in the area at the time supposedly saw/heard strange things
going on right before the crash. The USAF recently released a report
on the incident, revealing that the "UFO" was part of a secret
government program, known as Project Mogul, to spy on the Soviet
Union's nuclear weapon development. High-altitude balloons were
equipped with special sensors and radar reflectors to detect atomic
testing, but the project was canceled, with the balloons being allowed
to fall back to earth. It is likely that flying saucer enthusiasts
will remain skeptical of the USAF's report.
The song "The Marshall Plan" details the story of a teenager who
loses his girlfriend at a rock concert to the band, and, inspired by
the experience, becomes a rock star himself. The song's title no doubt
comes from the U.S. economic aid program for the reconstruction of
post-WWII Europe of the same name. This program was intended in part
to improve U.S. relations with Europe, however in some cases, some of
the countries remained apathetic (or even hostile) towards the U.S.
Similarly, while "Johnny" becomes a rock star in part to win back his
girl, "still he reaches out, but Suzy's disappeared."
According to the "SF-References-In-Music List" (copyright by Rich
Kulawiec), the song "Monsters" is about a small group of people
who escape a ravaged Earth but wind up battling each other over one of
the women. An article in the British magazine *NME* referred to the
song as being about "gang bangs and piracy in hyperspace".
Also according to the *NME* article, the song "Unknown Tongue" is
a true story about a girl that David Roter (co-author of the song) used
to know. Apparently a nice Catholic girl, she had a fetish for cutting
her big toe with a razor and drinking some of her blood.
The lyrics to the song, "Heavy Metal: The Black And Silver" were
inspired by the 1977 book, *The Iron Sun: Crossing The Universe
Through Black Holes*, by Adrian Berry. Several of the lyrics to the
first verse are derived from chapter titles of the book. The chapters
to Part One (Through the Black Hole) are titled as follows: (1) Where
Matter Vanishes, (2) The Spinning Gateway, (3) Into the Whirlpool, and
(4) The Forbidden Circle. Part Two (The Iron Sun) begins with (1) The
Arm of Orion.
The song, "Joan Crawford" refers to the famous actress of the same
name. The deceased Crawford's daughter, Christina, wrote a book, which
later became a movie, titled, "Mommie Dearest". The book/movie paints
a rather unflattering picture of the actress as an abusive mother. The
song refers to Joan coming back from the grave to haunt Christina.
Inspiration for some of the lyrics to the song, "Burnin' For You"
may have come from Jack Kerouac's book, *On The Road*. There is a poem
on page 255 that goes like this:
Home in Missoula
Home in Truckee
Home in Opelousas
Ain't no home for me
Home in old Medora
Home in Wounded Knee
Home in Ogallala
Home I'll never be
Speaking of Jack Kerouac, it is interesting to note that he once
wrote a book titled, *The Dharma Bums*. It is not known whether or not
this was Sandy Pearlman's inspiration for the name, "Buck Dharma".
The song, "Your Loving Heart" on Buck Dharma's 1982 solo album
tells the story of a person who is dying because he needs a new heart,
and a "young woman" who loves him (presumably his wife) gets into a car
accident (presumably suicide) and her heart is used to save him.
Twelve years later, something strikingly similar happened in real life.
The Associated Press reported of a real-life occurrence of such a
scenario (August, 1994):
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) -- A 58 year old man who had been waiting
four years for a heart transplant finally got one -- from his own
daughter, who was killed in a car wreck.
Chester Szuber received the heart Monday from his 22-year-old
daughter, Patti, officials at William Beaumont Hospital said Thursday.
She was killed in a traffic accident a week ago in Knoxville, Tenn.
Editor's Note: I am not trying to in any way imply that Patti Szuber's
car accident was a suicide.
In Morning Final #14, John Shirley provided some insight as to the
meaning of his lyrics which BOC used for songs (the 2 songs from *Bad
Channels* plus 8 songs from *Heaven Forbid*):
Demon's Kiss - The dangers of going with the darker desires.
When Horsemen Arrive - Man is his own worst enemy.
See You In Black - Someone trying to convince a woman to kill her
husband because he beats her up.
Power Underneath Despair - A story of a guy betrayed into jail by some
gangsters, and his revenge.
X-Ray Eyes - Inspired by a Ray Milland movie, "The Man With The X-Ray
Eyes", it's about seeing things beyond what most of us can
normally see, and why such a gift may be a curse.
Hammer Back - A feeling that you have to be prepared at all times,
because the world is a dangerous and uncertain place.
Damaged - Longing to be a better person, but having a dark side that
you enjoy.
Cold Gray Light Of Dawn - Recognition of one's own mortality and
limitations.
Real World - Everything is subjective, and miracles are hiding just
over the horizon.
Live For Me - The story of 2 brothers with a psychic link, where one is
killed by a drunk driver, but tells his brother to live
his life for him -- enjoy it, but do it smart so that
he'll survive.
References To BOC
=================
There exists a science-fiction novel, titled, *Transmaniacon*
(published 1979 by Kensington Pub. Corp., ISBN: 0890834172), written by
John Shirley (who is writing some lyrics for the band these days). The
following description was provided by Ken Alexander to BOC-L:
Description: this is a post-apocalypse science fiction novel,
containing a huge amount of references from early Blue Oyster Cult
albums. References include the Transmaniacon Motorcycle Club,
Dominance and Submission, the BOC symbol, "not talking about the light
up above, I'm talking about the hellfire down below", the light that
never warms, Lucifer, Career of Evil, and many more. Our too-powerful
(anti?) hero travels between cities in what is left of the USA, with an
eventual goal of destroying the impenetrable barrier that now surrounds
it. Strange cults, cities of dolphins, beasts of burden that are giant
genetically-engineered human hands, a 700-year-old Luciferage
Rofocale...
Copyright page: To The Blue Oyster Cult & Patti Smith & Leslie Fielder
& Aleister Crowley & not necessarily in that "Order."
John Shirley's 1980 novel, *City Come a Walkin'* has several BOC
references. The story is set in San Francisco in the year 2008.
References are made to "reds and wine" (from BOC's "The Red And The
Black"), "Tenderloin District" (from BOC's "Tenderloin"), a sign which
blinked "from yellow to red" (from BOC's "E.T.I." - editor's comment:
I know, this one is stretching it a bit). A band called "First Tongue"
is described in the story -- they wore robes of red and black and
silver, the lead singer had a burn-scar brand of "The Sign, the
cabalistic sign for chaos, the cross whose base becomes a scythe". The
band, who's performance included a laser light show, was also described
as "the only remaining successful occultist rock band, a genre begun
almost three decades before by the Blue Oyster Cult". Finally, the
stories character "City" is described as having short dark curly hair,
standing 5 feet 7 inches tall, and wearing mirrored sunglasses -- did
John Shirley have Eric Bloom in mind when he described City?
John Shirley (who also performed in a punk group called "Sado
Nation") has also written the following: "Dracula In Love" (1979),
"Three-Ring Psychus" (1980), "The Brigade" (1982), "Cellars" (1982),
"Eclipse" (1985), "Eclipse Penumbra" (1988), "Kamus of Kadizhar: The
Black Hole of Carcosa", "In Darkness Waiting" (1988), "A Splendid
Chaos" (1988), "Heatseeker" (collection, 1988), "Eclipse Corona"
(1990), "A Song Called Youth" (a trilogy including "Eclipse", "Eclipse
Penumbra", and "Eclipse Corona"), "Wetbones" (1992), "New Noir" (1993),
"Silicon Embrace" (1997; John Shirley reports that this novel contains
many BOC references), and "Shock Rock" (date unknown; contains a short
story titled "Flaming Telepaths"). Some of these titles are no longer
in print.
BOC and Brain Surgeons lyricist Richard Meltzer has written a book
titled, "Aesthetics of Rock". There are some references to the Soft
White Underbelly in the book. Included in the book is a picture the
band.
Horror novelist Stephen King has used references to BOC in some of
his works. As previously mentioned, some of the lyrics to "(Don't
Fear) The Reaper" were quoted in his novel, "The Stand". The lyrics
were actually mis-quoted -- the line "Come on baby" appeared in the
novel as "Come on Mary". Also, there are two references to the BOC
song, "Tattoo Vampire" in the Stephen King/Peter Straub novel, "The
Talisman". Chapter 29 contains the sentence: "From the room above came
regular thumps and an occasional drift of music Jack finally recognized
as a record by Blue Oyster Cult.", and Chapter 31 contains the
sentence: "The screaming heavy metal of Blue Oyster Cult's `Tattoo
Vampire' was gone."
The BOC song, "Astronomy", may have been the inspiration for part
of one of Karl Edward Wagner's works. One of the chapters of his
"Kane" series has a chapter titled "On the Origin of Storms". "Origin
of storms" is a line from BOC's "Astronomy".
A comic book titled "The Sandman" (written by Neil Gaiman),
contains a character called 'The Corinthian', which may possibly be
based on the song, "Harvester Of Eyes". He is of medium build (well
built), has white hair, and wears sunglasses to hide the fact that his
eyes are actually small mouths which he uses to eat out people's eyes
with ("right in front to the back of your skull").
Neil Gaiman has also written a novel, "Good Omens", which contains
a BOC reference. The plot contains a freeway junction which has,
through careful manipulation by a demon, been developed to act as a
huge unholy rune which does something very bad when empowered. This
seems to fit with lyrics in the song, "Shadow Of California".
References to Blue Oyster Cult songs are sprinkled throughout the
"Xenogenesis: Day of the Demons" storyline in Marvel's "The Defenders"
comic. The issues are Vol.1, 58-60 dated April, May and June 1978.
The story is by David Anthony Kraft and the first comic in the trilogy
is "Dedicated to Eric Bloom and BOC!" (the third comic in the trilogy
is dedicated to "The Long Island Oysters"). The issues are titled
Agents of Fortune", "Tyranny and Mutation", and "The Revenge of Vera
Gemini!". In the comics, a former Reaper of Souls, the Defenders
(Valkyrie, Nighthawk, Hellcat and the Hulk), and Dr. Strange fight to
stop the cult of the Harvester of Eyes, an Agent of Fortune, and Vera
Gemini from releasing demons upon the Earth. The Agent of Fortune
steals an "omniscient amulet" called the "Eye of Agamotto" that can be
used to breach the barrier between the "demon dimension" and the Earth.
More detail would give too much away, but the Cult boys themselves even
appear in a few frames of issue #60, playing a "game of Dominance and
Submission" with Vera Gemini. Editor's Note: Special thanks go out to
Mark Mitchum for researching and providing this reference. Andy Gilham
also points out that David Kraft had earlier written a Deathlok story
in Marvel Spotlight #33, titled "(Don't Fear) the Reaper". The story
also co-stars Devil-Slayer from Defenders 58-60, but otherwise has no
other BOC connection.
Another comic book reference to BOC can be found in a Batman comic
book mini-series, which originally appeared in "Detective Comics",
issues 575-578 (titled "Batman: Year Two" and "Batman: Full Circle").
This series featured a villain called "The Reaper". The first issue
was called "Fear The Reaper", and was also the character's catch-
phrase. The character's costume had a red and black color scheme. The
series originally appeared in "Detective Comics", issues 575-578.
The 1996 or 1997 DC comic book, "Challengers of the Unknown #3",
contains a few BOC lyrical references. In the book, the Challengers
are confronted by a human being who has become a gateway to another
dimension who screams lyrics and titles to BOC songs.
Page 2:
"--have to LISTEN, I SAW the TRANSMANIACON! The WORKSHOP OF THE
TELESCOPES! SEVEN SCREAMING DIZ-BUSTERS! Don't you understand?
BEFORE the KISS, a redcap! A REDCAP!"
Page 15-17:
"...by SILVERFISH IMPERETRIX, whose uncorrupted [sic] eye sees through
the charms of DOCTORS and their WIVES! I am become a THRESHOLD for him
WHO LURKS in HELLISH GLARE and INFERENCE! THE HARVESTER OF EYES!
Writings appear on the WALL. Curtains part and landscapes FALL where
DUSTERS [sic] DUST becomes the sale and LUCIFER the LIGHT! EXPERIMENTS
that FAILED too many times! TRANSFORMATIONS that were TOO HARD TO
FIND! TYRANNY and MUTATION!"
The second issue of DC Comics' "The Creeper" (January 1998)
contains a few BOC references. In the story, "Shadow In The Mirror",
on page 2, a person utters the following lines:
"...Now c'mon Harlan. It ain't all that bad. Th' Transmaniacon's
nothin t'be afraid of..."
"...that ol' Harvester Of Eyes, now he plays a mean trumpet, no
foolin'."
"You go and tell my friend Harlan he shouldn't oughtta worry about all
that Tyranny And Mutation."
The two previous comic references were both written by Len
Kaminski, and according to him, these references are related. The
person uttering the lines in "The Creeper" story is actually talking
across dimensions to the character (Harlan Clooney) in "The
Challengers" comic.
BOC was also mentioned in an issue of Marvel Super Action. This
was a title that reprinted old issues of Captain America. On page one,
Nick Fury enters the room, and Cap exclaims "Nick Fury!" Fury
responds, "Who were you expecting, the Blue Oyster Cult?" In the
original issue in the 60's, Fury said "Who were you expecting, the
Lovin' Spoonful?"
Speaking of comics, in one of the 1995 issues of "Sports
Illustrated For Kids", the comic "Hedley Case" contains a BOC
reference. One of the characters in the strip is seen playing a
guitar. There are lyrics floating in the air behind him, blaring from
the speakers of a stereo. These lyrics, from the song "Before The
Kiss, A Redcap" appear: "Outside on the turnpike they've got this new
hit tune..." (and in the next square) "The thrills become as cheap as
gas and gas as cheap as thrills..."
According to Eric Bloom, there is a 1998 comic, "Lost Heroes",
drawn by Rob Prior (artist for the cover of BOC's *Heaven Forbid*),
which features various actors drawn into the plot. Starting with issue
#1 (the second in the series), Eric Bloom is drawn in as an "agent of
fortune". His character continues for several issues.
In the movie, "Fast Times At Ridgemont High", one of the
characters is approached by a kid looking for concert tickets. He asks
him if he has any BOC tickets.
A line in the movie, "Alien 3" was probably inspired by BOC. In
the movie, the character named Dillon has the following line: "Do you
want to be on your feet, or on your knees?"
The song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" has appeared in several movies,
including "Spirit of '76", "Halloween", "The Stand", and "The Stoned
Age" (which also features "Burnin' For You"). "(Don't Fear) The
Reaper" was also used in 1995 in the season premier of the ABC
television show, "Charlie Grace." In the 1996 movie, "The
Frighteners", a cover of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper) is performed by The
Mutton Birds, and in the 1996 movie "Scream", an acoustic cover of the
song is played by the band Gus. The heavy use of "(Don't Fear) The
Reaper" prompted *Entertainment Weekly* magazine (February 7th 1997) to
refer to it as the "most terrifying song in a miniseries or movie". In
addition, the title of the song was referred to in the movie, "Bill and
Ted's Bogus Journey" -- after beating Death at Battleship and Twister,
one of the film's protagonists says, "I can't believe we beat Death",
to which his partner responded, "Don't Fear The Reaper".
The song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" has also been referenced in
television and video. In an episode of the cartoon, "The Simpsons",
Homer Simpson is quoted as saying "O.K. Homer, Don't Fear The Reaper"
before attempting some death-defying stunt. In 1997, a professional
wrestler known as "The Coroner" in the National Professional Wrestling
Association uses "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" as his theme song. In 1998,
on the TV game show "Jeopardy" (aired 2/3/98), an answer in the "Double
Jeopardy" round (for $800) read: "In 1976, Blue Oyster Cult advised
'Don't Fear' him..." Finally, in his 1985 video "The Compleat Al",
"Weird Al" Yankovic has a sketch where he plays "(Don't Fear) The
Reaper" backwards and hears the following message in some silly voice
with weird science fiction noises (possibly using a theremin) in the
background: "Hello, we the ancient astronauts would like to thank
everyone for making this record possible. Thank you thank you thank
you, we really appreciate it, thanks guys..." Editor's note: this was
a joke for the video - you won't actually hear these sounds if try this
yourself.
Whether or not this is at all directly related to BOC's song,
"Debbie Denise" is not known, but it is rather interesting none-the-
less. According to the credits for the film "Forrest Gump", the name
of the Visual Effects Producer was "Debbie Denise". Perhaps her
parents were BOC fans . . .
In the 1992 film, "Singles", Matt Dillon plays a member of a
grunge band called Citizen Dick. On his refrigerator is a handbill or
small poster, showing Citizen Dick opening for Blue Oyster Cult.
In John Carpenter's 1987 movie, "Prince of Darkness", there is a
scene with the BOC symbol. It is used as a satanic symbol and appears
on the flesh of a possessed person. John Carpenter was also
responsible for the previously-mentioned movie, "Halloween", in which
"(Don't Fear) The Reaper is played.
In 1992, at the 50th annual Hugo Awards (awards given out
in the field of Science Fiction) the bases for the trophies being given
out were a starfield design, upon which contained a constellation
tracing out the BOC symbol. The bases were designed by Phil Tortorici,
who is big fan of the group, and apparently no one questioned him about
it when he supplied the bases for the trophies.
There exists a "live import" CD recording of the band, The
Smashing Pumpkins, titled *Tribute To BOC*. The CD's recording was
made on February 9th, 1991 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The recording
contains mostly songs written by the Smashing Pumpkins, but includes a
cover of BOC's "Godzilla". In addition a Smashing Pumpkins show in
Hoboken, New Jersey on February 8th, 1991 also contained a cover of
"Godzilla", and this performance is captured on two Smashing Pumpkins
"live import" recordings - *Man Of Light* and *Retrospective*.
The Japanese band, Shonen Knife, has a song titled "Blue Oyster
Cult" (it is not a cover of the BOC tune of the same name) on their
1991 release, *712*. While the song itself has nothing to do with BOC
(it is a song about food poisoning), the album's cover has some BOC
(Kronos) symbols on it.
Radio Birdman, and Australian group active in the late 70's (and
recently reformed) held BOC as one of their influences. Aside from
covering "Transmaniacon MC" and "Career Of Evil" in concert, they made
a few references to BOC over the years. The title of their first album
was *Radios Appear* (a line from the BOC song "Dominance And
Submission"). Their song, "Do The Pop" included the lyric "On your
feet/Or on your knees, now". Their song, "Hand of Law", contains the
lyric "And the light/That never, never warms" (a line from BOC's
"Astronomy"). Finally, their leader Deniz Tek wrote a song, "Why Tell
Me", which included the lyric, "Went out in the desert night/To the
Four Winds Bar and Grill" (the Four Winds Bar being mentioned in BOC's
"Astronomy"). Thanks to Andy Gilham for this information.
The Norwegian band, Turbonegro, has an album titled *Never Is
Forever*. According to the band, it is a tribute to BOC. No other
information is currently known about this release.
On the fIREHOSE cover of BOC's "The Red And The Black" (which
appears on their *Live Totem Pole EP*), just as the song begins, one of
the bandmembers can be heard to say, "This is for Eric Bloom".
The Swedish band, The Nomads, recorded at least two singles under
the alternate name of "The Screaming Dizbusters" (an obvious reference
to BOC's song "7 Screaming Diz-Busters). One was a cover of BOC's
"This Ain't The Summer Of Love". The other, "The Next Big Thing", was
not, however it had some sleeve notes that were a direct reference to
BOC:
"THE NEXUS OF THE CRISIS AND THE ORIGIN OF STORMS. 'THE SCREAMING
DIZBUSTERS - A DARK DEEP BRITTLE EXPERIMENT INVOLVING DUSTER'S DUST.
THE HARVESTER OF EYES AND THE MISTRESS OF THE SALMON SALT RAN INTO THE
BABY ICE DOG AT THE FOUR WINDS BAR. JUST ONE DEAL...THAT'S ALL IT
TOOK...AFTERALL, MIDNIGHT WAS THE BARRIER BACK IN '63. WATCH OUT! THE
ONE THEY CALL THE PROPHET - COVERS ON HIS EYES. TOO MUCH REVOLUTION?
THIS IS JUST A HOBBY FOR THESE GUYS - NUTHIN' Y'HEAR!? - A HOBBY!!'
PRODUCED BY ARTHUR COMICS FOR TRANSMANIACON M.C. IN THE WORKSHOP OF THE
TELESCOPES...SLEEVE BY CHARLES, THE GRINNING BOY FOR THERE GOES TOKYO
STUDIOS. FOR ANDY, RICHARD, SCOTT, RICH and ROSS without whom...not
forgetting ERIC BLOOM & BUCK DHARMA. Those were the days..."
As previously mentioned, the Minutemen's song, "Tour Spiel" was
written as a tribute to BOC. Some of the lyrical references include:
"I dreamed I was E. Bloom but I woke up Joe Bouchard in some town out
on the road", "With patent leather boots on (just like Richard told
me), another hack on the Spectres tour", and "Richard Meltzer gave me a
hard time".
On the Dictators song "Two Tub Man" (which appears on their 1975
album, *Go Girl Crazy*), there are some spoken words which include:
"Dig the boozers down there - there ain't no...You can bring on...Hay
Stack Balloon, Eric Bloom...I don't care who you bring here daddy-o..."
On Motorhead's *Bastards* album, there is a track titled "On Your
Feet or On Your Knees. In addition, the inner sleeve photos on the
album *Motorhead* show a *Secret Treaties* poster. Finally, Motorhead
uses an umlaut over the first 'o' in their logo.
While not an explicit reference to BOC, many people have pointed
out that the main riff to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" bears a
striking resemblance to the main riff of BOC's "Godzilla".
The organist at New York's Madison Square Garden may be a BOC fan.
Often during New York Rangers' hockey games, "Cities On Flame With Rock
And Roll" can be heard.
Speaking of sports and BOC, in the spring of 1998, the Houston
Astros baseball team had a pitcher named Billy Wagner. On at least two
occasions, when his name was announced to the Houston crowd, BOC's
"Burnin' For You" was played. Presumably, Billy has a "burnin'"
fastball...
In 1995, some folks on BOC-L spotted a BOC reference in a
Mercedes-Benz commercial. The commercial asked the viewer if they
remembered various dreams they once had (saying, "You were gonna..."),
implying that you could achieve your dream of owning a Mercedes. The
last "dream" mentioned was: "You were gonna learn bar chords, and jam
with Blue Oyster Cult." Mercedes-Benz did get permission from the band
to use their name in the ad. Eric Bloom reports, "What did we get for
it? Well, I can't really say, but if you see a guy with a beard and
sunglasses on the Long Island Expressway driving a new C220..." On a
somewhat related note, Deborah Frost of the Brain Surgeons reported
that in 1998, a car program on Irish TV used the Brain Surgeons song,
"Most Romantic Place In the World" as background for the ultimate
Mercedes test drive.
BOC was also used for magazine advertisements for Ampex tape back
in the 70's. Under a picture of the band, the advertisement reads:
"Blue Oyster Cult dazzles rock fans everywhere with a spectacular laser
light show. They don't compromise on quality on tour or in the studio.
That's why the Cult's hit albums are mastered on Ampex Grand Master
recording tape."
There are at least 2 instances of BOC being on billboards. In
1977, a billboard at the entrance to Long Island showed the artwork for
*Spectres* with the words, "Welcome to Long Island - Home of Blue
Oyster Cult". In 1998, a billboard in Michigan for a classic rock
station showed a picture of Dr. Jack Kevorkian (known for assisting
terminally-ill people with their suicides) with the words, "Don't Fear
The Reaper", with "Blue Oyster Cult" written below it in smaller
letters.
BOC also supplied the music for a CD-ROM game called "Ripper".
Newsday reported the following prior to its release:
"THE 19TH Century's most famous serial killer, London's Jack the
Ripper, resurfaces in New York in the year 2040, in Take 2
Interactive's 'Ripper.' The four-disc first-person cinematic
adventure, two years and $2.5 million in the making, features two hours
of state-of-the-art video, a sound track by Blue Oyster Cult (which
includes their 'Don't Fear The Reaper') and four endings. As a
reporter tracking the killer, the player interacts with a cast of 30,
headed by Christopher Walken, Karen Allen, Ossie Davis, Jimmy Walker,
Burgess Meredith and Tahnee Welch. Due Feb. 1 for the PC, March 1 for
Sony Playstation, April-May for Macintosh." Editor's notes: The dates
listed are for 1996. The only BOC music known to be in the game is
"(Don't Fear) The Reaper".
More information on the game "Ripper" can be found at the
following URL on the World Wide Web:
http://www.take2games.com/taketwo/ripper.html
Fans of the computer adventure game "DOOM" can access a scene
inspired heavily by BOC. Known as the "BOC DOOM - Level 2 Site", it
contains segments of BOC songs for sound effects, cover art on the
walls of a maze (which is in the shape of the BOC symbol), and also
some live concert footage. It can be found at the following URL on the
World Wide Web:
http://www.europa.com/~doomer/bocdoom2.html
Another computer adventure game with a BOC tie-in is called
"Harvester". On the back of the game's box are several scenes from the
game. One of them shows a guy walking through a room full of eyes.
This appears to be a reference to BOC's song, "Harvester Of Eyes".
As previously mentioned, Richard Meltzer wrote a novel titled "The
Night (Alone)" which contains the poem, "Hansel & Gretel" (a version of
which was recorded on the Brain Surgeons album, *Trepanation*). In
this book, there is presumably also a section which is based on Buck's
1972 wedding where Meltzer got drunk and "misbehaved". Les Braunstein
and Patti Smith were also in attendance. Les presumably kept bringing
Meltzer drinks, aggravating his condition.
Bands Covering BOC
==================
Tracking down all known covers of BOC tunes is probably an
impossible task. Several people have given me information on band's
covering BOC, although some of the bands may be local acts that most of
us have never heard of. Some of the covers were never recorded, while
others may exist on demo tapes only. For the most part, I have tried
to include only covers by artists that have actually recorded the cover
on one of their albums. I have used computer resources available to me
to verify as many of these covers as possible, and where available, I
have listed the recording on which the cover can be found. The
information is presented in the following format:
Artist - "BOC Cover" - *Recording Title*
Apollo 440 - "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - *Millennium Fever*
Moe Bandy - "Goin' Through the Motions" - *Many Mansions*
Big Country - "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - *Ships* (CD single)
Bigod 20 - "Dominance And Submission" - *One* (CD single)
The Boo Radleys - "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"
Braindead - "Godzilla"
The Bridewell Taxis - "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"
CHOP (Mike Watt project) - "I'm On The Lamb, But I Ain't No Sheep" and
"She's As Beautiful As A Foot" - single
Current '93 - "This Ain't the Summer of Love" - *Swastikas For Noddy*
Fighting Gravity - "Godzilla" - *No Stopping, No Standing*
fIREHOSE - "The Red And The Black" - *Live Totem Pole EP*
Rosie Flores - "Goin' Through the Motions" - *After The Farm*
Fu Manchu - "Godzilla" - single (10-inch vinyl only)
Goo Goo Dolls - "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - *Goo Goo Dolls*
Green on Red "Tenderloin" - *Here Come T/Snakes*
Guitar Orchestra - "(Don't Fear) the Reaper" - *Interpretations*
Gumball - "She's as Beautiful As A Foot" - *Revolution On Ice*
Gus - "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - *"Scream" Movie Soundtrack*
Honeymoon Killers - "Godzilla" - *Let It Breed*
L7 - "This Ain't The Summer Of Love" - *"I Know What You Did Last
Summer" Movie Soundtrack*
Rose McDowall - "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - single (U.K. 12" vinyl)
The Meatmen - "Hot Rails To Hell" - *Pope On A Rope*
Metal Flake Mother - "Godzilla" (live)
The Minutemen - "The Red And The Black" - *3 Way Tie (For Last)*
- "The Red And The Black" (live) - *Tour Spiel* (7" EP)
The Mutton Birds - "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - *"The Frighteners"
Movie Soundtrack*
Radio Birdman - "Transmaniacon MC" - *Surfing At 2JJJ* (bootleg)
- "Career Of Evil" - (believed to be on a bootleg, and
mislabeled "Career Beatle")
- "ME-262", "Before The Kiss", and "Dominance And
Submission" have also been covered live - unknown
whether or not recorded versions exist
Rancid - "Tenderloin" - *Let's Go*
Rattlebone - "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll"
The Riverboys - "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"
David Roter - "Joan Crawford" - *Bambo*
- "Unknown Tongue" - *Bambo*
Clint Ruin & Lydia Lunch - "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - *Don't Fear The
Reaper* (EP)
Screaming Dizbusters (The Nomads) - "This Ain't The Summer Of Love" -
single
The Screaming Tribesmen - "The Red And The Black"
The Sinners - "Dominance and Submission" - *Ten Year Jubilee* (EP)
Smashing Pumpkins - "Godzilla" (live) - *Tribute to BOC* (bootleg CD)
Patti Smith - "Fire Of Unknown Origin" (her original poem, with
instrumental accompaniment), formerly released as a
b-side to the single "Frederick" and on a 3-song EP, is
to be included as a bonus track on the CD re-release of
her *Wave* album
Teutonic Guilt - "Tenderloin"
Thanatos - "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - *665 - The Neighbor of the
Beast*
Tommyknockers - "ME-262" and/or "Career Of Evil"
Too Hip For The Room - "Don't Fear The Reaper/Burnin' For You" medley -
*All-Time Greatest Hips*
Bonnie Tyler - "Goin' Through The Motions" - *Faster Than the Speed of
Light*
UV's - "This Ain't the Summer of Love" - U.K. magazine *Bucketfull Of
Brains (#26)* flexidisc
Mike Watt - "Dominance And Submission" - *E-Ticket Ride* and
*Piss Bottle Man* (singles)
White Flag - "Hot Rails To Hell" - *Wild Kingdom*
- "Hot Rails To Hell" (live) - *Feeding Frenzy*
World of Pooh - "Dominance and Submission" - *Not All That Terrifies
Harms* (compilation)
Also, the magazine *Forced Exposure* published a fake review of a
non-existent BOC tribute album. The review appears in issue #18
(Spring 1994). The fake album is called "Then Came The Last Days Of
May", and presumably features the following artists and BOC covers:
Crawlspace - "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll"
Sonic Youth - "I'm On The Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep"
Helios Creed - "Career Of Evil"
DOS - "O.D.'d On Life Itself"
Kray Cherub - "Transmaniacon M.C."
Beme Seed - "Baby Ice Dog"
Skullflower's - "She's As Beautiful As A Foot"
MX-80 - "Tenderloin"
Sun City Girls - "Extraterrestrial Intelligence."
Note: Again, this album does not exits - the review is fake.
The BOC/Michael Moorcock Connection
===================================
Science-Fiction writer and former Hawkwind member Michael Moorcock
has collaborated with Eric Bloom on three BOC tunes: "The Great Sun
Jester", "Black Blade", and "Veteran Of The Psychic Wars". The lyrics
to these songs have been inspired by, or used in several of Moorcock's
works.
"The Great Sun Jester" is mentioned in two of his novels: "The
Fireclown" (a line from the song), and "The Transformation of Miss
Mavis Ming" (this latter has recently been included in a collection of
Moorcock's stories under the title "Constant Fire" - the collection
itself is called "Behold the Man and other stories"). Perhaps
coincidental, but in "The Transformation of Miss Mavis Ming" (titled
"Messiah at the End of Time" in the U.S.), the character who appears
claiming to be the Fire Clown states one of his many names as Emmanuel
Bloom (E. Bloom - co-author of "The Great Sun Jester"?).
The song "Black Blade" refers to Elric the albino king, featured
prominently in several Moorcock stories (e.g. "Elric of Melnibone",
"Stormbringer"). Elric was a melancholic individual who relied on a
supernatural, but treacherous sword for his strength and vigor. The
"Black Blade" is that sword, which rules its master, and eventually the
universe.
The title of the song, "Veteran Of The Psychic Wars" was used in
Moorcock's "The Dragon in the Sword" (published in 1987) -- "We are the
lost, we are the last, we are the unkind. We are the Warriors at the
Edge of Time. We are the cold, the halt, the deaf, the blind. Fate's
frozen forces, veterans of the psychic wars..." (from "The Dragon in
the Sword", p.68.) In addition, the line "we are veterans of a
thousand psychic wars" appears in Moorcock's song "Standing On The
Edge", which appeared on Hawkwind's 1975 concept album, *Warrior On The
Edge Of Time*.
There is an interesting connection between two of the three
BOC/Moorcock tunes. One of the lyrics in "Veteran Of The Psychic Wars"
refers to "the winds of limbo". "The Winds Of Limbo" was the
alternative title of Moorcock's novel, "The Fireclown". As previously
mentioned, "the fireclown" is mentioned in song "The Great Sun Jester".
In addition to the three songs mentioned, Michael Moorcock also
wrote lyrics for a BOC song which eventually became "Feel The Thunder".
Although the lyrics were not used, some form of them were eventually
used in the song, "Sleep Of A Thousand Tears", which was released on
Hawkwind's 1985 album, *Chronicle Of The Black Sword*.
Eric Bloom and Michael Moorcock once performed "Black Blade" and
"Veteran Of The Psychic Wars" together in 1987 at the Dungeons and
Dragons convention, "Dragoncon '87". Moorcock has also performed
slightly different forms of the songs "Black Blade" and "The Great Sun
Jester" as spoken-word pieces. "Black Blade" was performed in 1977 (3
years before appearing on *Cultosaurus Erectus*), and "The Great Sun
Jester was performed with Hawkwind in the early 80's.
Hidden Messages
===============
The song, "You're Not The One (I Was Looking For)" (from
*Mirrors*) contains the lyric, "All of the fancy ladies, oh they could
talk, and talk", after which a few seconds of high-pitched "babbling"
can be heard. The "babbling" is actually some spoken words speeded up
-- by slowing down the section, a portion of the Lord's Prayer ("Our
Father, who art in Heaven"), repeated over and over, can be clearly
heard. According to Bolle Gregmar, Tom Werman inserted a sped-up
recording of the Lord's Prayer in the recording as a joke. Some anti-
rock religious zealots have claimed that the spoken words are actually,
"Furthermore, our father who art in heaven . . . Satan", however there
is a loud thump where the word "Satan" is, and (in the editor's
opinion, who once heard this as presented by some anti-rock religious
zealots) can not be clearly made out.
On *Cultosaurus Erectus*, at the very end of the song, "Black
Blade", as it is fading out, the "voice of the Black Blade" can be
heard to say, "You poor fucking humans". This is in the overlap
between the fadeout of the song and the explosions that kick off
"Monsters" (the next track). It may help to use headphones and turn
the volume up as the song is fading out to hear this, but it's not
necessary - once you know what to listen for, it's not too hard to pick
it out. (WARNING - If you do use this method to hear this, make sure
you turn it back down before the first notes of the next track,
"Monsters" begins!). This is not on the version of "Black Blade" on
*Extraterrestrial Live* (which does not fade out).
On *Flat Out* (Buck Dharma's solo album), there is a "backwards"
recording after one of the songs. Presumably this was done as a joke
as during the time that the album was released (early 80's), lots of
rock groups were being accused by religious zealots that their lyrics
contains satanic messages recorded backwards. The actual recording is
of two people playing ping pong, and discussing some things about the
album (nothing satanic). The Fan Club lyric book titles this song Gnop
Gnip (ping pong spelled backwards) and gives the following. You have
to read it backwards though:
>
> haeeY
> kcehc dnuos a rof tsuj si siht wonk I tub ass yruoy kcik dluoc I
> hoo-hoO
> cisum lavitsef mlif hu nevele lennahC
> eb ot desu cisum nevele lennahc eht wonk'y ekil sdnuos tI
> taht ekil gnihtemos ro evif songnoB
> dellac ti s'tahw...hu, sognob, haey hO
> sognob oeretS
> drocer ognob oerets ylraE
> ognod a evah I, evah I
BOC on Video
============
In the early 80's ("Cultosaurus Erectus" tour), BOC toured with
Black Sabbath on a "Black and Blue" tour. The bands would alternate
who would be the headliner depending the city in which they were
performing. A video was released of the concert on 10/17/80 at Nassau
Coliseum, New York. A Japanese version (complete with subtitles) is
available through various video distributors (see Goldmine or
Discoveries for video dealers - it's probably not available at your
local video stores). The video switches back an forth between the two
bands every 3-4 songs. The video also contains a video of "The
Marshall Plan" (studio version of the song), where a clean-shaven Eric
Bloom plays the part of Johnny. According to Bolle Gregmar, the video
is only available commercially on laserdisc. However, copies on video
cassette can be found.
There is a video of the *Live 1976* performance (same title). It
contains all the songs on the album, plus "E.T.I.". Actually, it was
never intended as a "video", and was actually shot live at the Capital
Center (Largo, Maryland) in 1976 and projected on large screens at the
show (a common practice at the Capital Center - somewhat ahead of it's
time in 1976). Someone kept a copy of the footage, and turned it into
a video. When BOC performed at the Capital Center again in 1978, again
video on large screens was used, but the film was apparently not kept.
The sound quality of the video has been sharply criticized -- the
"quality" is good, but it is very poorly mixed. This same poor mix
appears on the *Live 1976* CD as well. Sound quality aside, the video
quality is quite good, and captures the band on its *Agents Of Fortune*
tour, complete with lasers, individual solos, and a 5-man guitar jam.
While not an official video, many people made video copies of a
broadcast of a BOC show on 10/9/81 in Hollywood, Florida. The
broadcast, which was part of the "Blue Jean Network", was simulcast on
MTV and other TV stations, as well as several radio stations. Many of
the songs at this show were used for the *Extraterrestrial Live* album.
Videos for the following songs have been made: "The Marshall
Plan" (which was included with the "Black and Blue" video), "Burnin'
For You", "Joan Crawford" (which MTV apparently found too controversial
to show, it also features a cameo by Steve Schenck), "Veteran Of The
Psychic Wars" (live, from *Extraterrestrial Live*), "Roadhouse Blues"
(live video of the band at the Country Club in Reseda, CA on 12/15/81,
with Robbie Krieger), "Born To Rock", "Your Loving Heart", "Take Me
Away", "Shooting Shark", and "Dancin' In The Ruins". A version of
"Godzilla" (live shots of the band, interspersed with clips from
various Godzilla movies) may also exist. A video for "Astronomy" (from
*Imaginos*) was also made, but never released in the U.S. In addition
to the above videos, BOC made a promotional live video of 3 songs from
*Mirrors* ("Mirrors", "In Thee", "The Great Sun Jester"), and a
promotional live video of 4 songs ("R. U. Ready 2 Rock", "Godzilla",
"Born To Be Wild", "(Don't Fear) The Reaper") from their 12/30/77 show
in Cobo Hall, Detroit Michigan. Buck Dharma is also featured in the
"Metal Head" video by Blotto, on which Buck also played the guitar
solo). Buck and Eric also appeared on the video *Stars* for the "Hear
'n Aid" project previously mentioned in the FAQ.
While not a BOC video, the movie, "The Stoned Age", contains lots
of references to BOC. The movie (released in the early to mid 90's),
which might be considered rather funny or rather stupid, depending on
your point of view, sort of pays homage to sex, drugs, and rock and
roll in the 70's. The lead character, a youth named Joe, is a big BOC
fan, who rides around with his buddy Hubbs in search of the ultimate
good time. Joe, who had been hit by BOC's lasers during a performance
of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (a "pussy song" according to Hubbs), has
been having visions of a giant "gnarly eyeball". During the film, Joe
and Hubbs basically spend their time getting wasted, and trying to
pick-up girls to party with. Aside from about a minute's worth of live
footage of BOC playing "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (when Joe is hit by
the lasers), there are lots of BOC references in the film. The car
driven by Joe and Hubbs, named "The Blue Torpedo", has a big BOC logo
on the hood. One of the girls wears a BOC tour shirt with the *Tyranny
And Mutation" cover on it. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is played a few
times, as well as "Burnin' For You". The use of "Burnin' For You" is
erroneous for the time depicted in the movie (mid to late 70's, when
BOC used lasers in concert) as this song came out in 1981. Bolle
Gregmar, Melne Murphy, and The Museum of Cult are mentioned in the
credits, as Bolle served as the BOC advisor. Finally, Eric Bloom and
Buck Dharma have a cameo appearance as bootleg t-shirt salesmen in the
trailer after the credits roll. The versions of "(Don't Fear) The
Reaper" and "Burnin' For You" used in the movie are the versions off of
*Cult Classic* (no doubt to avoid legal issues with Columbia, although
CBS records is credited as providing the BOC concert footage).
While The Brain Surgeons have not made any official videos, Brain
Surgeon's guitarist Peter Bohovesky has a role in Alanis Morissette's
video, "One Hand in my Pocket" as this guy in puppet outfit scaring a
child. According to Deborah Frost, Peter makes puppets (life-size
costumes, not hand puppets) for his mother's well known non-profit
children's theater company, the Hudson Vagabond Players. A video
producer was interested in using the puppet costumes for the video.
However, they are difficult for the inexperienced to maneuver in, so
Peter, who's familiar with the way they work, wore one for the video.
As previously mentioned in the FAQ, a video was made containing
footage of the 1997 Buck Dharma Band Ricky Browning Benefit. See the
section in the FAQ on this event for more information (including
ordering information).
In addition to videos, BOC has made several appearances on
television over the years. The following is a summary of information
which was from "Morning Final #4": BOC appeared on the *Merv Griffin
Show*, mock-performing (actually, they were only lip-synching and
pretending to perform to their recordings) "Burnin' For You" and
"(Don't Fear) The Reaper". They later mock-performed the
*Extraterrestrial Live* version of "Burnin' For You" on *The Uncle
Floyd Show*. For *The Tomorrow Show*, BOC would play live versions of
"Burnin' For You" and "Joan Crawford", interspersed with an interview
of Buck and Eric. BOC was one of two bands featured on *Search*
newsmagazine segment on rock music and hearing loss, where Allen is
shown taking a hearing test. Allen and Joe are interviewed on the
*Night Flight* show, and the (MTV-banned) "Joan Crawford" video was
also shown. BOC also appeared on two shows which discussed issues
dealing with rock music and the Devil, *That Teen Show* (where Buck,
Eric, and Allen were interviewed) and *Take Off* (where Eric was
interviewed). Eric and Rick Downey are interviewed on the set by
Martha Quinn (Martha would later star in the *Bad Channels* movie).
Finally, on the show *Fridays*, Allen performed on piano and keyboards
for three songs with the Jim Carroll Band.
BOC Collectibles
================
It is probably an impossible task to identify all of the various
BOC collectibles that are out there. In addition, most of the
collectibles were made during the 70's and early 80's, so many will be
hard, if not impossible to find. The three best sources for trying to
find BOC collectibles are probably the fanclub, the internet, or
dealers/collectors advertising in magazines such as *Goldmine*.
After collecting albums, live recordings, videos, and numerous t-
shirts, one of the more popular BOC collectibles has been tour
programs. There were a total of seven different tourbooks published:
three in the U.S., three in the U.K., and one in Japan. The first
tourbook (14" x 11") was put out in 1977 in the U.S. for the *Spectres*
tour. For the 1978 U.K. tour (*Spectres*/*Some Enchanted Evening*),
the same book was used, but was produced at a small size (10" x 8").
For BOC's 1979 tour of Japan (*Some Enchanted Evening*), a Japanese
tourbook (14" x 10") was printed. BOC also released a tourbook in the
U.K. (10" x 9") in 1979 for the *Mirrors* tour. For some reason, no
U.S. tourbook for *Mirrors* was produced -- only a poster-magazine
titled "Rockbill" which had a band biography, some pictures, and an
order form for Satin tour jackets (another BOC collectible). Tourbooks
were also released in the U.S. in 1980 for the *Cultosaurus Erectus*
tour (9" x 12") and in 1981 for the *Fire Of Unknown Origin* tour
(11.75" x 11.75"). Finally, a tourbook for the 1986 *Club Ninja* tour
(10" x 9") was produced, and the leftovers were later sold in the U.S.
Note: Much of the information on tour programs was provided by Melne
Murphy of the BOC Fan Club, which appeared in an article in the fan
club's newsletter, "Morning Final".
One other collectible for musicians who are BOC fans are
songbooks. Warner Brothers Publications produced three BOC songbooks
which included basic piano arrangements, guitar chords (no tablature),
and lyrics. The most interesting of the three was the *Anthology*
book, released in 1978. The cover of the book was the *Some Enchanted
Evening* cover, and it included all of the songs on *On Your Feet Or On
Your Knees* (with the exception of "Buck's Boogie", "Maserati GT", and
"Born To Be Wild"), *Some Enchanted Evening*, as well as "This Ain't
The Summer Of Love". Also released in 1978 was *Spectres/Agents Of
Fortune*, which contained all the songs from those two albums.
Interestingly enough, *Agents Of Fortune* came before *Spectres*, but
the songbook lists all the songs from *Spectres* first. The third book
from Warner Brothers was for *Mirrors*, and was released in 1979.
According to Bolle Gregmar, Warner Brothers also released 3 BOC songs
as sheet music: "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "In Thee", and "Dancin' In
The Ruins". Finally, the Hal Leonard Corporation recently released a
songbook for *Cult Classic*. This book contains both musical notation
and tablature for guitar for all the songs on *Cult Classic* -- even
the guitar leads and solos.
Other BOC collectibles include (but are not limited to): badges,
pendants, keychains, dice (pictures of a BOC keychain and BOC dice are
printed on the two CDs which make up *Workshop Of The Telescopes*),
stickers, baseball caps, visors, scarves, headbands, belt buckles,
patches, pins, promo photos, cardboard standups, and guitar picks.
Finally, one might consider published articles about BOC as a
collectible. Most articles on BOC, aside from local newspaper articles
(usually coinciding with a BOC show), can be found in music magazines
from the 70's and 80's. A good place to start would be magazines such
as *Creem*, *Circus*, *Hit Parader*, *Rolling Stone*, and *Kerrang*.
6. Three Men in Black Said, "Don't Report This" -- More Sources Of Info
Bolle Gregmar -- BOC/Brain Surgeons Fan Clubs
=============================================
Bolle Gregmar (who has personally known the band since around
1975) is listed on BOC's *Cult Classic* and *Heaven Forbid*, and The
Brain Surgeon's albums as the person to write to for fan club
information. Bolle is also the proprietor of "The Museum of Cult",
where BOC fans from all over the world go to see and hear the most
complete collection of BOC music, information, and memorabilia. Also
involved in running the fan club is Melne Murphy, most famous as the
artist responsible for the cover of *Cult Classic*. Send a self-
addressed, stamped envelope to the following address for more
information:
P.O. Box 931324
Los Angeles, CA 90093
The BOC Fan Club has published fourteen issues of the fan club
newsletter, "Morning Final". Issues #1-10 were published between 1990
and 1993, with issues #11-14 published from 1995 to 1997. Currently,
no future issues are planned, but the fanclub has a strong on-line
presence (on "America On-Line" -- see the section "BOC On AOL" for more
information), and has set up a website at the following URL:
http://www.bocfanclub.com
The fan club can be reached by e-mail. Questions can be directed
to the following e-mail address:
BOCfanclub@aol.com
Back issues of "Morning Final" are available. Issues #1-10 are
available as a compilation, for those who joined the fanclub after they
were published. The complete set of all fourteen issues is also
available. In addition, the fanclub published a BOC lyric book, and is
the definitive source for BOC lyrics.
Editor's Note: The publications by the fan club are extremely
well-done, and contain a wealth of information for any BOC fan.
Church Of The Cult -- BOC Fan Club For French Fans
==================================================
There is a BOC fanclub based out of France, known as the "Church
Of The Cult", run by Jean-Luc Carrier. The fanclub produces a
newsletter, titled "Blue Pearl", which is mostly in French. For more
information on this fanclub, write to:
Church Of The Cult
134, Rue de Periole
31500 Toulouse
France
Or, Jean-Luc can be reached via e-mail: LukeChurch@aol.com
Buck Dharma Mailing List
========================
Buck Dharma has authorized and created a T-shirt commemorating the
*Flat Out* Album. The graphic is a full color rendition of the Flat
White Wall Tire from the back cover of the album looming out of a high
quality black T-shirt with BUCK DHARMA FLAT OUT in righteous lettering.
Available in L and XL sizes for $22.95 Postpaid. Send Check or Money
Order to:
DHARMA
PO Box 6145
Fair Haven NJ 07704
Include full shipping address, telephone number, and size
preference. You will be added to mailing list for audio and other
projects under
development.
Albert Bouchard and Deborah Frost -- The Brain Surgeons
=======================================================
Former BOC drummer Albert Bouchard, and his wife Deborah Frost,
now both with The Brain Surgeons, are both members of the BOC/Hawkwind
E-Mail list. Members of BOC-L can reach them via the list. If you are
interested in obtaining Brain Surgeons information, and the latest
Cellsum Records Catalog (which includes The Brain Surgeons discography,
plus other releases such as Joe Bouchard's "X Brothers" CD), write to:
Cellsum Records,
P.O. Box 1070
Fort George Station
New York, N.Y. 10040
More information about The Brain Surgeons can be obtained at the
band's website (see the section on on-line sources for the address).
BOC-L -- The BOC/Hawkwind E-Mail List
=====================================
For those with internet access, there is an E-Mail discussion
group (moderated by Ben Cohen) dedicated to discussing the bands Blue
Oyster Cult and Hawkwind (since both bands have many similarities). To
join the list, E-Mail a subscription request to the following address:
boc-request@listserv.spc.edu
Editor's Note: The subscription request address (well, the old
address -- BOC-L has been upgraded since then) is listed on the Brain
Surgeons' album, *Trepanation*, so you know this is a great group to be
a part of.
You should receive an introductory file, after which you must
confirm that you want to sign up. Once added to the list, you will
receive all posts to the list. Occasionally, some people have problems
signing on the list at the above address. If you do, contact the list
moderator via e-mail: ben@st-canard.spc.edu
Why does this discussion group handle both BOC and Hawkwind?
Well, there are several similarities between the groups. Both groups
have relatively small, but loyal (and somewhat rabid) followings. Both
groups play a similar style of music, and have been around for years.
The music of both groups is heavily drawn-from science-fiction/fantasy
themes. In addition, Michael Moorcock, who co-wrote 3 of BOC's tunes
(see previous discussion in the FAQ), has also been a member of
Hawkwind.
BOC on AOL
==========
The internet service provider, "America On-Line" is the host to
some of the most prolific on-line BOC discussion as the heads of the
fanclub (Bolle Gregmar and Melne Murphy), along with Eric Bloom, Buck
Dharma, and Danny Miranda are AOL subscribers. Several BOC-related
"folders" (similar to internet newsgroups, but only accessible to AOL
members) are resident in AOL's "Music Message Center". Using AOL's
"Keyword" function, entering "MMC" will take you to the folders. Look
in the "Rock/Pop" category, and BOC can be found under "Classic Rock".
Along with numerous on-line fans, notices from the fanclub and the band
are regularly posted there. In particular, Eric Bloom posts the latest
touring information there, which usually gets disseminated to other on-
line locations.
In addition, there are folders set up for "Soft White Underbelly",
"Oaxaca", "The Red And The Black", and "Buck Dharma", where a few
hardcore fans participate in electronic dialog. Like the BOC folder,
folders for these groups are also found under "Classic Rock". A "Brain
Surgeons" folder has also appeared in the "Classic Rock" folder, with
participation from Albert Bouchard, Deborah Frost, Billy Hilfiger, and
Joe Bouchard.
AOL's "Music Message Center" also links one to "The Nightclub",
AOL's on-line music chat center. BOC chats are held there regularly -
currently either the first or second Tuesday night of every month, from
10 pm to midnight, Eastern Time. Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma, and Danny
Miranda participate regularly on these sessions, and some chats have
included participation by other members of the band. Along with some
of BOC's biggest fans, Bolle Gregmar, Melne Murphy, Sandy Roeser
(Buck's wife), Rick Downey, Albert Bouchard, Deborah Frost, Billy
Hilfiger and others have participated in the chats as well.
BOC on the Web
==============
With the explosion of the World Wide Web, BOC and BOC-related
sites are appearing all the time, and it is no longer possible to keep
up with all of them. The FAQ will list many of them, but this is not
an exhaustive list. However, if you access every website listed in the
FAQ, and every link that each of those sites list, you will probably
cover 99% of all BOC information available on the World Wide Web. Good
luck, and plan on spending a lot of time on-line.
Official BOC Sites
------------------
http://www.blueoystercult.com
("The Official BOC Website" - linked directly to the fanclub's website)
http://www.bocfanclub.com
("The BOC Fanclub" - this is the official website of the BOC fanclub -
lots of information on BOC and the fanclub, plus rare pictures of the
band and memorabilia)
http://www.cmcinternational.com
(CMC International Records - Distributors of the *Summerdaze* CD, and
BOC's latest album, *Heaven Forbid*. They have a BOC page, with the
album cover artwork, a discography, and soundclips for "See You In
Black" at: http://www.cmcinternational.com/boc.html)
http://www.music.sony.com/Music/
(Sony Music, which carries BOC's past available U.S. releases as well
as *Workshop Of The Telescopes*. They have added a BOC page, which
contains pictures, sound bytes, links to other sites, and more at:
http://www.sony.com/Music/ArtistInfo/BOC/index.html)
Fan and Reference Sites
-----------------------
http://members.aol.com/bocfaqman/
("The Home of the BOC FAQ MAN" - the FAQ editor's BOC website -
contains links to the FAQ, news, an online quiz to test your FAQ
knowledge, and several other links)
http://members.aol.com/tbspostop/
("The Brain Surgeons Post-Op" - the FAQ editor's Brain Surgeons website
- contains Brain Surgeons music in RealAudio format, links, tour
information, and an online version of the Cellsum Records catalog)
http://j-and-a.com/boc.html
("Blue Oyster Cult Online" - contains links to numerous sites, photos,
and an online bulletin board where BOC fans can post messages. A java-
based chat is also available.)
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Studio/6801/boc.html
("Flaming Telepaths" - the oldest BOC site on the web - contains links
to other BOC sites, as well as some sound files)
http://members.aol.com/mileskb/boc/
("On Tour Forever" - latest news on the band, including up-to-date tour
information, and links to other BOC sites)
http://members.aol.com/psychoguy/bocring.htm
("The BOC Web-Ring" - A site which links numerous other BOC sites
together. Maintainers of BOC sites are encouraged to join.)
http://members.aol.com/BillyD64/PFF.html
("The Peasant Fan Foundation" - a site for BOC fans - links,
discussions, and member-submitted essays)
http://members.aol.com/Miles9000/TCIring.html
("The Church of Imaginos Web-Ring" - links, member pages, and regular
BOC fan chat sessions - America On-Line members can access specific AOL
BOC-related areas)
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/1615/
("Imaginos" - contains links, interviews, news, and personal reviews of
each BOC album and song by the author.)
http://members.aol.com/vegas4boc/
("Las Vegas BOC Connection" - contains current info on the band,
upcoming concerts, and links to other sites)
http://www.mindspring.com/~futreal/boc.htm
("The BOC and tBS Workshop" - links, pictures, articles, reviews and
more for BOC and all off-shoots, including The Brain Surgeons, the Buck
Dharma Band, and The Cult Brothers)
http://www.keyinfo.com/~tyranny1/
(old address -- http://www.geocities.com/~tyranny1/)
("Ezekiel's Wheel" - contains links, pictures, artwork, and interviews)
http://www.usd.edu/~tgannon/boc.html
("TCG's BOC Page" - contains BOC links, guitar tab archives, and
artwork)
http://www.angelfire.com/sc/arthurcomics/
("The Black and the White" - BOC artwork, stories, news, links, and
pictures from the first three BOC albums)
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/4236/
("The Lighthouse of Lost Christabel" - a fan's collection of BOC stuff.
A java-based chat is also available.)
http://www.angelfire.com/pa/blueoystercult/
("Todd's BOC Page" - discography and sounds)
http://members.aol.com/orion31161/boc.htm
("Mike's BOC Page" - links and photos)
http://members.aol.com/BabyIceDog/ScrMaus.htm
("The Secret Room in the Mausoleum" - BOC and Dark Shadows pictures and
links)
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Lounge/4774/
("Salute The Four Quarters" - lots of BOC pictures and links)
http://members.aol.com/Miles9000/MadnessToTheMethod.html
("Madness To The Method" - links and BOC-related artwork)
http://members.aol.com/VraGemini7/VeraGem.html
("The Revenge of Vera Gemini" - links, and information on BOC
references in Marvel Comics' "Defenders" series)
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~dtarr/boc.html
(page with BOC and other music info - contains BOC and other music
links)
http://www.public.asu.edu/~fayst/boc.html
("Big Rich's BOC Page" - contains BOC links, sounds, and the Sony BOC
catalog listing)
http://home.cdsnet.net/~mcfamily/boc.htm
(several BOC links, and some pictures)
http://netrover.com/~nukestar/
("Club Ninja" - guitar tabs and links)
http://145.89.82.151/~martijn/boc/boc.htm
("BOCbase" - A noble attempt to put all known BOC releases, concerts,
and BOC-related releases into a database.)
http://listserv.spc.edu/archives/boc-l.html
(archives of BOC-L postings - view postings by week, or search the
archives by keywords)
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stage/7799/
("BOC Coollist" - similar to BOC-L, but dedicated solely to BOC
conversation - contains information on how to subscribe to the list)
Artwork and Photography Sites
-----------------------------
http://www.dreamscape.com/astro/
("Astro's Arts" - custom BOC graphics)
http://www.wwa.com/~crownos
("The Endless Shadow Bar" - artwork inspired by BOC and related bands)
http://home.earthlink.net/~grozeb/
("The Mystic Sign" - BOC-inspired artwork)
http://www.trenton.edu/~frodge/boc.html
(several downloadable BOC pictures)
http://www.rtis.com/nat/user/elsberry/zgists/wre/photo/boc.html
(several pictures from a 1981 BOC concert)
http://www.magic105fm.com/lsn/boc/boc.htm
(several recent BOC concert photos)
http://www.pyx106.com/blueoyst.htm
(a few pictures from a 1996 BOC concert)
http://members.aol.com/MyBOC2u/
("Del Rio's Page" - lots of pictures of current BOC shows)
http://www.users.interport.net/~skorpioh/portfolio3.html
(a few live shots from old BOC shows)
BOC-Related Sites
-----------------
http://www.j-and-a.com/rose.htm
(The Rose Legacy Corporation Home Page - information about Ricky
Browning, the Buck Dharma Band benefit to raise money for him, and
information on ordering products associated with this event)
http://www.NovPapyrus.com/bs/
(the "Official Brain Surgeons Home Page" - contains information on the
band and their albums, pictures, and links)
http://w3.nai.net/~xbros/
(The X Brothers Home Page - information about Joe Bouchard's CD release
of original material that he performed with the band known as "The Cult
Brothers" - contains album ordering information, photos, and lyrics)
http://www.darkecho.com/JohnShirley.html
(website for author and current BOC lyricist John Shirley - contains
information about his books, his music, interviews, and more)
http://www.triversmyersmusic.com
(website for the jingle company formed by husband/wife team of John
Trivers and Liz Myers - John Trivers played bass in Eric Bloom's band,
"The Lost and Found" in the 60's, and both Trivers and Myers
collaborated with BOC on a few songs)
Other Related Commercial Sites
------------------------------
http://www.mofi.com/
(Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab - Producers of the re-mastered *Agents Of
Fortune* "gold" CD)
http://www.king-biscuit.com/kbrecords.html
(The King Biscuit Flower Hour Records - Distributors of live concert
recordings, including reportedly a new BOC release in 1998)
http://www.krause.com/goldmine/
(website for *Goldmine* magazine - lots of information for the music
collector. In addition, they have a portion of the BOC article from
their June 7, 1996 issue which featured BOC as the cover story.
Currently, that article can be found at the following URL:
http://www.krause.com/goldmine/is_414/issue.htm)
http://www.rollingstone.com
(website for *Rolling Stone* magazine - there's some articles and info
on BOC - look under the "B" section for the link to BOC's area)
http://www.artist-shop.com
("The Artist Shop", a music store dedicated to independent artists.
Cellsum Records has a page at this site - CDs by the Brain Surgeons, X
Brothers, and other Cellsum artists can be ordered there, and the site
has a few sound clips of Brain Surgeons and X Brothers music. In
addition, the Artist Shop hosts online chats with artists - Buck Dharma
has done two of them, and the Ricky Browning Benefit video can also be
ordered from here.)
http://www.addict.com/
("Addicted To Noise" - an on-line music review magazine. The Brain
Surgeons' Deborah Frost, and BOC/Brain Surgeons lyricist Richard
Meltzer, contribute to this magazine. Check out the list of sponsors
in the early issues for "The Brain Surgeons", and you can view artwork
to *Eponymous*, and listen to sound samples of "Language Of Love" and
"Name Your Monster" - http://www.addict.com/adverts/Cellsum/February/.
In addition, one of the back issues contains a review of BOC's
*Workshop Of The Telescopes*, with sound samples of "Stairway To The
Stars", "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", and "Career Of Evil" -
http://www.addict.com/issues/1.10/Up_Front/Editorial_Rant/index.html)
http://members.aol.com/HARPERGTRS/
(Harper Guitars website - This manufacturer has made a custom BOC
guitar for Eric Bloom, which he has been playing in concert. Pictures
of the guitar, are at this website, as well as ordering information.
The Eric Bloom signature guitar has Eric's autograph on the headstock,
a BOC logo on the body, and a BOC logo inlaid at the 12th fret.)
http://www.europa.com/~doomer/bocdoom2.html
(The "BOC DOOM 2" site - downloading of the level is available)
http://www.take2games.com/taketwo/ripper.html
(information on the computer game, "Ripper" - featuring BOC music)
http://www.CDaddy.com/
(Crawdaddy website - One of the first rock magazines, *Crawdaddy* had
Richard Meltzer and Sandy Pearlman as major contributors in the late
60's. Information on new issues, or ordering reprints of the original
issues from the 60's, is available at this site.)
http://www.ubl.com/
(The Ultimate Band List - both BOC and The Brain Surgeons have cards
with links to other sites)
http://www.hardradio.com/
("HardRadio" - an online radio station specializing in hard rock and
heavy metal - contains sound samples of songs from *Heaven Forbid*)
Other Online Sources
====================
Discussions on BOC also appear on some of the internet newsgroups
(also known as "USENET"). There is an "official" BOC internet
newsgroup, called "alt.music.blueoystercult". BOC discussion may also
occasionally appear on "alt.rock-n-roll", "alt.rock-n-roll.classic",
and "alt.rock-n-roll.hard".
As mentioned in the list of websites, there is another BOC mailing
list, similar to BOC-L, but dedicated to only BOC discussion (that is,
no Hawkwind). To subscribe, go to the "Coollist" website
(http://www.coollist.com), enter "blueoystercult" as the list name and
your e-mail address.
7. Think I'll Write "Good Health To You" -- Copyright and Disclaimer
Copyright (c) 1995 - 1997 by John A. Swartz, FAQ editor. All rights
reserved. Permission for non-commercial distribution is hereby
granted, provided that this file is distributed intact, including this
copyright statement, and the disclaimer below. This file is not
intended for commercial distribution, and may not be distributed for
financial gain, or included in commercial collections without express
permission from the editor. SHARE THIS INFORMATION FREELY AND IN GOOD
FAITH. DO NOT DISTRIBUTE MODIFIED VERSIONS OF THIS DOCUMENT.
*SPECIAL NOTICE TO THOSE LINKING TO THE FAQ ON THEIR WEB PAGES*
It has been most encouraging to me to see all of the BOC-related
websites that have appeared, and even more encouraging that they link
to the FAQ. However, the proliferation of the FAQ on the World Wide
Web is causing me to lose track of who is linking to the FAQ. The main
reason for me wanting to know who is linking to the FAQ is so that I
know who to notify of future updates. So, I'm asking you to help me.
Anyone who wishes to link the FAQ to their web pages may do so
(assuming that their pages have something to do with BOC), however, I
ask that you please contact me to let me know you are doing this - I
will add your e-mail address to a distribution list so that I can
notify you of future changes.
E-Mail questions and suggestions to:
BOCFAQMAN@aol.com
Complaints can be sent as well, but they will be ignored.
Disclaimer: I have done my best to ensure that the information
contained in this document is current and accurate, and as free from
personal biases (either my own or anyone who contributes information),
but I accept no responsibility for actions resulting from information
contained herein. Any opinions that are expressed in this document are
either my own, or one of the listed contributors. I accept no
responsibility for views expressed by individual contributors, other
than to ensure that they are attributed to the proper individual(s).
My personal views are too crazy to be attributed to anybody other than
myself.
"Good Health To You",
John