======================================================================= BOC FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about BLUE OYSTER CULT |BBOCC| |BO"OC| |B" "C| |" "| _________| |_________ |BOC" | "BOC| |B --B:O:C-- C| |BOC._____ | _____.BOC| | | | | | BOc. |boc bocb. ;'"'boc bocbo, ';"b bocbo bocboc. :";boc c. "bocb ;, .o;"";oc." ";bocb 'boc";bocboc;' '?boc bocboc;"' '":bocboc"''' Version: 2.1 Date of Latest Revision: March 25, 1996 ======================================================================= Notes: This FAQ was created on an Apple Macintosh computer using Microsoft Word (version 6.0.1). The font used is 10-point Monaco -- if the BOC symbol above does not look right on your screen, setting your font to 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, and Movie Soundtracks 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. 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. Song References f. References to BOC g. The BOC/Michael Moorcock Connection h. Hidden Messages i. Black and Blue, and Other Videos 6. Three Men in Black Said, "Don't Report This" -- More Sources Of Info a. Bolle Gregmar -- BOC/Brain Surgeons Fan Clubs b. Buck Dharma Mailing List c. Albert Bouchard and Deborah Frost -- The Brain Surgeons d. BOC-L -- The BOC/Hawkwind E-Mail List e. BOC on AOL f. Other On-Line Sources (Including Web Sites) 7. Think I'll Write "Good Health To You" -- Copyright and Disclaimer ======================================================================= 1. The Nexus Of The Crisis, And The Origin Of Storms -- FAQ Information Why a BOC FAQ? ============== Short Answer: Why not? Only 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 discussion group, BOC E-Mail group, or 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'm no BOC "expert". 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 Melne Murphy (of the BOC Fan Club) Les Braunstein (of "Soft White Underbelly" and "Les Vegas") 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 keeping the fan club going. 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 bandmembers once said, "Bolle is the Blue Oyster Cult - we're just the band". Version history =============== This version of this FAQ, identified as version "2.1", supersedes all previous versions. It contains the following changes over version 2.0: Minor corrections that various individuals have spotted (special thanks to Andy Gilham) 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. Also, for those who care, version 2.1 was generated with a newer version of Microsoft Word (version 6.0.1, as opposed to version 5.0 for earlier versions of the FAQ). 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 (Editor's note: I can't believe that I didn't catch the error where I stated that "Shooting Shark" was on *Club Ninja*!). 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 (special thanks to Ken Drew and Ken VanTassell for their input), 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 released and 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 the 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 (Editor's Comment: Every time I post a message about BOC to "alt.rock-n-roll", I get questions from other BOC fans about various topics.). "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 ============================ The latest version of this FAQ can be found in the BOC-L archives. The archives are located via anonymous FTP from 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-2_1.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 (WWW). 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 List (BOC/Hawkwind E-Mail discussion group) CC Cult Classic (compilation album title) CE Cultosaurus Erectus (album title) CN Club Ninja (album title) COE Career Of Evil (song title, compilation album title) COF(WRAR) Cities On Flame (With Rock And Roll) 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) HOE Harvester Of Eyes (song title) KOTJ Kick Out The Jams (song title) MC Motorcycle Club (as in the song, "Transmaniacon MC") ME 262 Messerschmitt 262 (song title, WWII German warplane) OFWRAR, OFWR&R On Flame With Rock And Roll (compilation album title) OYFOOYK On Your Feet Or On Your Knees (album title) TRATB, TR&TB The Red And The Black (song title) SABAAF She's As Beautiful As A Foot (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) (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 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 1970s, 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 '60s, 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. 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. [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 shops or sex shops."] 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 controversiality of 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 '70s and into the '80s 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 onstage. [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. After further disagreements between Albert and the rest of the band, 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, later became known as "Skull", with Eric, Dennis Feldman of Heaven, and Bob Kulick of Meatloaf). 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 1995, 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 "The Horsemen Arrive"), along with a myriad of instrumental pieces that were used for the movie (these were reportedly done completely by Buck Dharma using his guitars and Macintosh computer). 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. John Miceli filled in for John O'Reilly at the end of 1995 and in early 1996, but John O'Reilly is the current BOC drummer. Also in September of 1995, CBS-Sony released a double CD entitled, *Workshop Of The Telescopes*, a compilation of BOC's greatest hits with some previously unreleased versions of BOC tracks. There may be plans by Sony to release additional BOC material in the future, and a new studio album is planned for the hopefully not- too-distant future (probably 1996). And what of Albert Bouchard, the original drummer, and one of the driving creative forces behind BOC? After his departure from BOC, Albert spent alot of time working on a solo album (to be entitled, *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. Albert in his post-BOC days also played with Helen Wheels, David Roter, King's Flux (formed by former guitarist for The Plasmatics, Richie Stotts) and a band he formed called "Imaginary Playmates". After Joe Bouchard left BOC, he and Albert 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". Albert later put together his current band, "The Brain Surgeons", with his wife, Deborah Frost. A drummer herself, formerly of the all-girl band "Flaming Youth" in the 1970's, 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 guitar for King's Flux, and later 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. Their second album, *Trepanation*, has just been released, again on the Cellsum label. Both albums have been highly acclaimed. Plans for another album are already in the works.] 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 ======================= In high school, Albert Bouchard (b. 24 May 1947) played drums in a band known as "The Regal Tones" with his brother Joe (b. 9 November 1948) on guitar. Albert met Donald Roeser (b. 12 November 1947) at Clarkson College of Technology as a freshman. The two had met once or twice there, but were formally introduced to each other by mutual friend Bruce Abbott (co-author of the song, "Golden Age Of Leather"). Albert (drums), Don (guitar), Bruce (bass), Jeff Latham (guitar, who also later played in Soft White Underbelly when Allen Lanier was in the army), and Skip O'Neal (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. During the summer, Albert played in a band called "The Clansmen", who's guitarist (Pete Havalind) also played in a band called "The Lost And Found" Along with John Trivers on bass, "The Lost And Found" had a vocalist by the name of Eric Bloom (b. 1 December 1944). The next school year, "The Disciples", having all become fans of "The Blues Project", reformed as "The Travesty", a copy band of "The Blues Project". Later, after Don and Albert tried to get jobs and find musicians in New York City and Albany with no success, Albert moved to Chicago (where he met Patti Smith, who later formed a relationship with Allen Lanier). Don, still in Long Island, met Sandy Pearlman (writer for the rock magazine "Crawdaddy") and Richard Meltzer (who were both attending Stony Brook college on Long Island). Don called Albert to join them, and a psychedelic band by the name of "Soft White Underbelly", was born (note: Richard Meltzer reportedly wanted to call the band, "Cow"). The band played mostly at parties and local clubs. This was back in 1967. They would later be joined by Allen Lanier (b. 25 June 1946), Eric Bloom, and finally Joe Bouchard. At the time the band was formed, Meltzer's buddy John Wiesenthal (who later introduced Allen Lanier to the band) served as keyboard player, and Andrew Winters (who worked in Pearlman's father's drugstore) played bass. Prior to joining BOC, Joe Bouchard played guitar in various fraternity party bands while 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. Meanwhile, Soft White Underbelly tried to secure both a recording deal, and a lead vocalist. Everyone took turns as the lead vocalist until Les Braunstein (who had written the song, "I'm In Love With A Big Blue Frog", recorded by Peter, Paul, and Mary) got the job. According to Les Braunstein (who also went to the same college, Hobart College, as Eric Bloom), he met the band in 1967 and started 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. 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. 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, 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 proved to be a more important asset. 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, which 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 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), the band's name was briefly changed to "Oaxaca" (after the Mexican city/state, where Sandy Pearlman's then-girlfriend nearly died). The band recorded a new album for Elektra with Eric Bloom as the vocalist. Just prior to the "almost-release" of the album, the band's name was changed to "Stalk-Forrest Group". The album, however, was never released. The band continued to perform in the New York area, slipping in future BOC tunes in between Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, and Grand Funk Railroad covers. Joe Bouchard replaced Andy Winters on bass in the summer of 1970. 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. Sandy Pearlman convinced Columbia marketing man (and future co- producer) Murray Krugman 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. 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). According to Albert Bouchard, "Cities on Flame With Rock And Roll", 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". *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. 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. 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). 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." *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. 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. 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". 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. *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. Produced by Murray Krugman and Sandy Pearlman. The album went gold, spending 10 weeks on the U.S. charts. 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". "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. 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. *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. Produced by Murray Krugman, Sandy Pearlman, and David Lucas. The album went platinum, reaching #32, and spending 35 weeks on the U.S. charts. As a single, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" reached #12 on the Billboard charts. 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"). According to Albert Bouchard, the lead vocal on "True Confessions" is Allen Lanier -- his only lead vocal on all of BOC's albums. 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. *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. 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 entitled, "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. *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. 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). *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. Abbot) 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. Produced by Tom Werman. The album reached #63 on the U.S. 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 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. *Cultosaurus Erectus* Black Blade -- (E. Bloom, M. Moorcock, J. Trivers) Monsters -- (A. Bouchard, K. Bouchard) Divine Wind -- (D. Roeser) Deadline -- (D. Roeser) The Marshall Plan -- (Blue Oyster Cult) Hungry Boys -- (A. Bouchard, K. 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. Produced by Martin Birch. The album reached #52 on the U.S. charts, and #25 on the U.K. charts. 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"). *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. The album went gold. 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. 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. *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. Produced by Sandy Pearlman and George Geranios. The album, originally planned to be titled, "Cult in the Act", reached #29, 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. Produced by Bruce Fairbain. 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 of this album, each with a slightly different mix. A somewhat rushed mix was released in England in November of 1985. Another mix was released in Scandinavia in December of 1995. The US version, the third mix, 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 cousin is married to Eric Bloom). At least one of the two European releases of this album does not contain these spoken words. In addition, on the first (England) mix, "White Flags" does not end via fade-out. This album is currently no longer in print in the U.S. EPIC records released this album as a "Collector's Choice" edition in 1992 in England, using the Scandinavian 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) Note: Released in July 1988. 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". 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. Solo Albums, and Movie Soundtracks ================================== *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. 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"), Spkye 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). This album is currently no longer in print in the U.S., however was released on CD in France 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) ... (several non-BOC tunes by other bands) ... Bad Channels Movie Soundtrack (instrumental pieces written and performed by 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. 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). 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. 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 that is believed to be from a 1972 show in New York (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 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. *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. 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 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" -- part of a series of artists including April Wine, J. Geils Band, Gentle Giant, Nazareth, Saxon, Robin Trower, and UFO. *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] White Flags [from Club Ninja] Perfect Water [from Club Ninja] Notes: Released in 1995. 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*). 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. *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* (Italian import compilation) This Ain't The Summer Of Love The Red And The Black Godzilla (Don't Fear) The Reaper E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) Joan Crawford R.U. Ready 2 Rock Astronomy The Subhuman Blue Oyster Cult Notes: Released in 1991, by D'Agostini. 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. The songs were recorded straight off BOC LPs. Most of the songs were the studio versions (however, "Astronomy", and possibly others, where live). *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*). 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* (France Import) (possible alternate titles include "The BOC Bootleg", "Fantasy Distillation of Reality", "The Soft White Underbelly [Maserati ME- 262]", and "In My [Your?] Mouth or On the Ground", with different release dates) The Red And The Black Buck's Boogie Workshop Of The Telescopes Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll Notes: The track order shown is reversed on some versions. "The Red And The Black", "Workshop Of The Telescopes", and "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll" were recorded live at Nugget Pizza Parlor, Rochester, NY on 4/3/72. "Buck's Boogie" appeared on a compilation album of various artists, entitled, *The Guitars That Destroyed The World* in the early 70's. Most versions of this recording are only available on LP, although a CD version with the above order exists (The CD title is simply, "Blue Oyster Cult", and was released in 1985). "The BOC Bootleg" was released as a 12-inch EP in 1972. The same audience track was mixed in after each song. "Fantasy Distillation of Reality" (which is mislabeled as being recorded "live in Montreal") is listed as including two additional tracks, "What Is Quick Sand", and "Arthur Comics", which were recorded by the band under the name, Stalk-Forrest Group". *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 1976, and re-released in 1991. Instruments: Eric Bloom (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Allen Lanier (keyboards, guitar), Joe Boucahrd (bass, vocals), Albert Boucahrd (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 entitled *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") Intro Dr. Music Heavy Metal (The Black and Silver) Joan Crawford M.E. 262 Flaming Telepaths Veteran Of The Psychic Wars Roadhouse Blues Note: 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 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. *The Thing!* (Italy Import) (also released as a German import as two individual CDs -- "Blue Oyster Cult Vol. 1" and "Blue Oyster Cult Vol. 2"; also, the tracks indicated with a + were released as single CD imports under the titles "Godzilla", and "Burnin'") 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 (Golden Age Of Leather) + Roadhouse Blues + Notes: Released in 1991. 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 "Blue Oyster Cult 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. 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"). 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: 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. 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). 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.) ====================================== 7" vinyl 1972 -- Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll - Mono/Stereo (promo) 1974 -- Hot Rails To Hell/7 Screaming Diz-Busters - (promo) 1975 -- Born To Be Wild - live/studio (promo) 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 - Mono/Stereo (promo) 1976 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/Tattoo Vampire 1977 -- Godzilla - Stereo/Mono (promo) 1977 -- Goin' Through The Motions - Stereo/Mono (promo) 1977 -- Goin' Through The Motions/Searchin' For Celine 1977 -- I Love The Night/Nosferatu - (UK single) 1977 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/R. U. Ready 2 Rock - (UK single) 1978 -- We Gotta Get Out Of This Place - Mono/Stereo (promo) 1978 -- We Gotta Get Out Of This Place/E.T.I. 1979 -- Your Not The One (I Was Looking For) - (promo) 1979 -- Your Not The One (I Was Looking For)/Moon Crazy 1979 -- In Thee - (promo) 1979 -- In Thee/Lonely Teardrops 1979 -- Mirrors/Lonely Teardrops - UK single 1979 -- Mirrors/Lonely Teardrops - UK single (on clear vinyl) 1980 -- Here's Johnny (The Marshall Plan)/Divine Wind 1980 -- Fallen Angel/Lips In The Hills - import single 1981 -- Burnin' For You - LP version/short version 1981 -- Burnin' For You/Vengeance (The Pact) 1981 -- Burnin' For You/Heavy Metal: The Black and Silver 1983 -- Take Me Away - (promo) 1983 -- Take Me Away/Feel The Thunder 1983 -- Shooting Shark - (promo) 1983 -- Shooting Shark/Dragon Lady - (promo) 1985 -- White Flags/Rock Not War - UK single 1986 -- White Flags 1986 -- Dancin' In The Ruins - (promo) 1986 -- Perfect Water - (promo) Unknown -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/R U Ready 2 Rock - Old Gold - UK 80's reissue Unknown -- (Don't Fear) Reaper/Career of Evil - Columbia "Hall of Fame" - red and black label Unknown -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/Burnin' For You - Columbia "Hall of Fame" - grey and black label Unknown -- Deadline - UK single 12" Vinyl 1977 -- Godzilla/Godzilla (live) - (promo) 1978 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/R. U. Ready 2 Rock - UK 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) - UK single 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 (from *Extraterrestrial Intelligence*) - UK release 1983 -- Shooting Shark/Dragon Lady - UK single 1985 -- White Flags/Shooting Shark/Make Rock Not War - UK single 1986 -- Dancin' In The Ruins 1986 -- Perfect Water - LP version/short version Unknown -- Astronomy - UK single Unknown -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper - UK single (UK 78 tour edition) CD 1988 -- Astronomy - *Imaginos* promo (2 LP versions - one with Stephen King intro, 2 short versions - one with S. King intro) 1988 -- 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*) - UK 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 (*Cult Classic* promo) 1994 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/Burnin' For You/Godzilla (*Cult Classic* promo) 1994 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/Burnin' For You (from *Cult Classic*) - UK Single 1995 -- Blue Oyster Cult/Tyranny And Mutation/Secret Treaties -- 3 Pack release by Sony/Legacy of the first 3 BOC albums on CD Other Tyranny And Mutation/Secret Treaties -- European double CD release Agents Of Fortune/Spectres -- release as a single cassette Agents Of Fortune/Spectres -- double vinyl Australian import release Imaginos - on blue vinyl -- UK import Cult Classic - Vinyl with picture sleeve 1994 -- (Don't Fear) The Reaper/Burnin' For You (from *Cult Classic*) - UK Cassette Single Quadraphonic vinyl -- Tyranny And Mutation, Secret Treaties "White Label Promo" LPs -- Agents Of Fortune, Spectres, Some Enchanted Evening, Mirrors, Cultosaurus Erectus "White Label Promo" Cassettes -- Club Ninja (4 song sampler, with Fastway on the b-side), Imaginos (4 song sampler), Imaginos (full) The Brain Surgeons Discography ============================== *Eponymous* (1st album by "The Brain Surgeons", available only on CD) 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 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 Boucahrd (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. I made it for the Imaginos Overture back in '83." *Trepanation* (2nd album by "The Brain Surgeons", available only on CD) 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. 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)". *Career Of Christmas* (By "The Brain Surgeons", on cassette only) Career Of Evil Ciudades y Navidades Baby Ice Dog 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. 4. R. U. Ready 2 Rock? -- Frequently Asked Questions What are BOC up to these days? ============================== BOC are currently managed by Steve Schenck, the executive producer of *Cult Classic*. They may be releasing a studio album in the (hopefully not-too-distant) future (see next question). 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 occasionally 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). In addition, members of the band (Buck and Eric in particular) have been involved in a side project known as "The On The Road Band", which plays in the New York/New Jersey area on various occasions. The band consists of several musicians who play in the band when they are not on tour. Buck and Eric have played in the band for a few shows, as have musicians such as John Miceli, Kasim Sulton, Joe Lynn Turner and Al Pitrelli. Since the band has a sort of revolving door line-up, members of BOC do not play at every show. Buck Dharma may also release some independent music in the future. He is currently setting 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. 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 (drawing from their two albums, *Eponymous* and *Trepanation*), 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), and Death Valley Nights have been played on different occasions. Brain Surgeons' guitarist Billy Hilfiger also plays in Joe Bouchard's "Cult Brothers". Work on the third album by The Brain Surgeons is currently underway. 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. Also, he has been brewing lots of beer as a hobby. He hopes to get back to writing rock music in the future, as his other activities allow. He also teaches bass at the National Guitar Summer Workshop, and is hoping to publish his own bass instruction book through the NGSW in the future. Joe is also currently playing occasional shows with "The Cult Brothers". Sandy Pearlman, according to Bolle Gregmar, is running his studio Alpha & Omega in San Marin, California. He is hoping to turn *Imaginos* into a multi-media project, however no major definite steps have been taken at this time. His involvement with BOC is minimal. According to BOC-L member Alan Siebert, BOC will be supplying the music for an upcoming CD-ROM game called "Ripper". Newsday reports the following: "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". When is the new (*not* a "Greatest Hits") album coming out? =========================================================== Latest word from the band has a new studio album coming out "in the future". "I'd Like To See You In Black", "Still Burnin'", "Harvest Moon", "The Power Underneath Despair", and "In The Cold Grey Light Of Dawn" are songs that the band has performed live over the past few years, and are potential candidates for the album. According to Bolle Gregmar, the band has laid down several tracks for the new album, with most of the remaining tracks to be completed soon. However, as of this writing, no record deal for the release this album has been finalized. Some fans may be a bit skeptical as BOC have had a habit in the past several years of announcing that a new album would be out soon, only to find that the album never came. It was thought that there would definitely be an album out soon after the *Bad Channels* soundtrack came out, but the date kept getting pushed back. Finally, much to the disappointment of some BOC fans, a 'Greatest Hits' album (i.e. *Cult Classic*) was released. So, at the moment, many BOC fans are cynical to the band's statements that a new album will be out any time soon (although, to be fair, many of the past delays were due to contractual problems between BOC and CBS). The band announced in the summer of 1994 at their shows that their next studio album would be out during the upcoming winter. Then the album was due out in the summer of 1995. Latest word now is "in the future". And we wait . . . and hope . . . and pray . . . 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". 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?: 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. 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", "Burnin' For You", and maybe "Godzilla"), 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* 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 might provide some guidance: 1. Some people recommend live albums, and BOC has 3 to choose from. *Extraterrestrial Live* is the most recent, and captures the band near the peak of its commercial success. *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. 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). Some have complained that these re-recordings lack the energy of the original versions, while others really like the new versions. The bulk of *Career Of Evil - The Metal Years* is from live albums, particularly *Extraterrestrial Live*, but also has a few tracks from various studio albums. *On Flame With Rock And Roll*, which can often be found at a bargain price in many record store's cut-out sections, contains mostly studio versions of some of BOC's more popular songs (such as "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' For You", "Godzilla", and "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll"), along with a few other tracks that, for the most part, are now rarely performed by BOC. Finally, the European release, *The Reaper - Best*, is a good compilation, for those who can obtain it -- 77 minutes of songs from most of the band's albums (some of which are slightly enhanced in sound quality over the original versions), and an interesting booklet on the band (if you can read German). 3. 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). 4. 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. 5. 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. 6. 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 Imaginos". 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". 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 *Spectres* sessions, Joe Bouchard demoed "In The Presence Of Another World", 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 entitled, "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 Tommy Morrongiello (guitars), Jack Rigg (guitars), and Tommy Mandel (keyboards - uncredited on the album). Tommy Zvoncheck later indicated that Tommy Mandel's keyboard parts were most 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). 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, entitled (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 acapella 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 lyric, "all hail the revolution" - this lyric later appeared in 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. Sandy Pearlman is apparently working on an Imaginos comic book and multi- media (video game) project, but this project is also likely to remain unfinished. 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 1, 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 1890s, 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*). 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 alot 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 opinion (on the BOC discussion group) 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 th