Blue Öyster Cult - 50th Anniversary - Third Night (2024) [Official Digital Download]

Since emerging in the early '70s, Blue Öyster Cult have sold more than 25 million records, and released a handful of singles that became classic rock radio standards, among them "Don't Fear the Reaper," "Burnin' for You," and "Godzilla." Lyrics that crisscrossed science fiction, the occult, and horror films; their layered, three-guitar attack; expansive vocal harmonies; and almost inimitable balance between crunchy riffs and infectious hooks resulted in the most listenable metal of the '70s. They headlined arenas and scored platinum albums throughout that decade, and continued into the '80s with their 1981 gold album Fire of Unknown Origin and its smash single "Burnin' for You." BÖC's lineup fragmented during the late '80s, leaving the creative core of Donald Roeser (aka "Buck Dharma") and lead vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Eric Bloom at the helm of its revolving cast of players. There were only two studio outings during the '90s, with 2001's Curse of the Hidden Mirror their last studio date for two decades before the 2020 release of The Symbol Remains. In 2024, the band released Ghost Stories, and album that put the finishing touches on unreleased studio material from various points in their half-century of work.

The group first assembled in 1967 as Soft White Underbelly in a communal house at Stony Brook University on Long Island. Rock critic and poet Sandy Pearlman overheard a jam session involving his fellow classmate Donald Roeser and friends. Impressed by what he'd heard, Pearlman offered to manage their group and become a creative partner and lyricist. The original lineup consisted of guitarist Roeser, drummer Albert Bouchard, keyboardist/guitarist Allen Lanier, singers Jeff Kagel (aka Krishna Das) and Les Bronstein, and bassist Andrew Winters. Pearlman's vision for the group was to make them the American equivalent of Black Sabbath. He was tireless in his efforts. He got Soft White Underbelly paying gigs and eventually scored them a recording contract with Elektra. His strange, arcane poetry provided the lyrics for many of their songs, while he also enlisted another classmate, writer Richard Meltzer, to write lyrics. Initially without a lead singer, they added Les Bronstein on vocals. This quintet signed to Elektra Records and recorded an album that was never released (the band had dropped Bronstein and replaced him with Eric Bloom, their road manager and sound engineer). Pearlman changed their name to Oaxaca and then Stalk-Forrest Group. As the latter they cut a second Elektra album that also went unreleased, though the single "What Is Quicksand?"/"Arthur Comics" was issued in 1970.

Cut loose by Elektra, the band changed their name again, this time to Blue Öyster Cult. Thanks to Pearlman's tireless energy and canny pitching skills, he badgered Clive Davis with demos and live tapes until he signed them to Columbia Records in late 1971. The lineup on their 1972 self-titled label debut included Roeser, Bloom, Lanier, and Albert and Joe Bouchard. Buoyed by radio play on the East Coast, the record reached the lower rungs of the charts. Columbia sent a promotional EP, Live Bootleg, to radio stations in October, and followed with BÖC's second album, Tyranny & Mutation, in February 1973, with the singles "Hot Rails to Hell," and future concert classics such as "OD'ed on Life Itself," and "7 Screaming Dizbusters." Another song on the album, "Baby Ice Dog," featured lyrics by Patti Smith. Their third album, Secret Treaties, was released in April 1974 and became their first to break into the Top 100 on its way to being certified gold. Its single "Career of Evil" also featured lyrics by Smith. They toured with Britain's Wishbone Ash, who jumped ship after a slew of dates due to BÖC's incendiary live show and careening lights and faux-occult/sci-fi imagery.

TRACKLIST

Disc: 1
1 Career of Evil
2 Subhuman
3 Dominance and
4 M E 262
5 Cagey Cretins
6 Harvester of Eyes
7 Flaming Telepaths
8 Astronomy
9 Stairway to the Stars
10 Golden Age of Leather
11 Tainted Blood

Disc: 2
1 Burnin' for You
2 Shooting Shark
3 Black Blade
4 Train True (Lenny's Song)
5 Buck's Boogie
6 Godzilla
7 Tenderloin
8 Sinful Love
9 (Don't Fear) the Reaper
10 The Alchemist
11 I Love the Night
12 Joan Crawford
13 Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll




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