hate to admit it, but i kind of love "dr. music".
― adolf jingle balls (contenderizer), Friday, 3 February 2012 19:08 (twelve years ago) link
strictly for the cheeze tho
― adolf jingle balls (contenderizer), Friday, 3 February 2012 19:09 (twelve years ago) link
^^^ I do too
― henry s, Friday, 3 February 2012 19:26 (twelve years ago) link
I mean, I'm way more down with the next three songs; "In Thee" esp seems appealingly plaintive...
― Today is Cocaine's Birthday! (Drugs A. Money), Friday, 3 February 2012 19:53 (twelve years ago) link
i love that BOC is a band that would make like a commercial FM rock record and have song titles like "In Thee"
― the 500 gats of bartholomew thuggins (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 3 February 2012 19:57 (twelve years ago) link
On Your Feet Or On Your Knees is a pretty classic double live album, too, imo
― Trip Maker, Friday, 3 February 2012 20:00 (twelve years ago) link
fire of unknown origin rules so hard
― the 500 gats of bartholomew thuggins (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 3 February 2012 20:02 (twelve years ago) link
― Trip Maker, Friday, February 3, 2012 3:00 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Then Came The Last Days of May on that record is mindblowing.
― You're a notch, I'm a legend (Bill Magill), Friday, 3 February 2012 20:07 (twelve years ago) link
On Your Feet... is so essential, one of the great guitar records of awl time.
― Axolotl with an Atlatl (Jon Lewis), Friday, 3 February 2012 20:34 (twelve years ago) link
"in thee" is really pretty...but yeah mirrors doesn't totally do it for me, so far
it's not terrible, but it seems like a not-as-good cultosaurus erectus imo
― the 500 gats of bartholomew thuggins (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 3 February 2012 20:42 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah that's probably fair: I probably overdid by saying I loved Side A w a great passion. But am still down w a mediocre album from these guys; call me a fan, I guess.
― Today is Cocaine's Birthday! (Drugs A. Money), Friday, 3 February 2012 20:45 (twelve years ago) link
"the vigil" is on now, this is pretty interesting
― dave coolier (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 3 February 2012 20:45 (twelve years ago) link
Hot Rails to Hell. Am I right?
― You're a notch, I'm a legend (Bill Magill), Friday, 3 February 2012 20:48 (twelve years ago) link
"The Great Sun Jester", "In Thee", and "Mirrors" off Side A is a sweet little run. I am among those who cannot consult Dr. Music tho.
Side B starts with two awesome tracks then peters out.
― Axolotl with an Atlatl (Jon Lewis), Friday, 3 February 2012 20:54 (twelve years ago) link
I'm always singing "Pret-ty girls can't look away!" in my head.
― Axolotl with an Atlatl (Jon Lewis), Friday, 3 February 2012 20:55 (twelve years ago) link
the leadoff line:
"A mirror is a negative space with a frame" is great
they snuck the weirdest lyrics into 80s pop rock songs
― dave coolier (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 3 February 2012 21:03 (twelve years ago) link
ok club ninja is not as good as i remember haha
but dancing in the ruins is still classic!
perfect water's end guitar solo is stunning
make rock not war might be the worst BOC song? gotta be close
― dave coolier (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 3 February 2012 21:15 (twelve years ago) link
the title alone is eliciting irl lols over here
― Axolotl with an Atlatl (Jon Lewis), Friday, 3 February 2012 21:17 (twelve years ago) link
Oh yeah I meant to say that the other keeper off Revolution By Night is "Veins".
― Axolotl with an Atlatl (Jon Lewis), Friday, 3 February 2012 21:18 (twelve years ago) link
yeah veins is great!
― dave coolier (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 3 February 2012 21:34 (twelve years ago) link
Jon lewis otm about the Sun Jester/In Thee/Mirrors run; makes Dr. Music more palatable imo.
― Today is Cocaine's Birthday! (Drugs A. Money), Friday, 3 February 2012 22:05 (twelve years ago) link
I saw the Moorcock paperback that The Great Sun Jester is based on for sale from a sidewalk vendor but I didn't buy it :(
― Axolotl with an Atlatl (Jon Lewis), Friday, 3 February 2012 22:18 (twelve years ago) link
Is it called the Great Sun Jester? I might try to check iit out when I read thru the Jerry Cornelius quartet
― Today is Cocaine's Birthday! (Drugs A. Money), Friday, 3 February 2012 22:22 (twelve years ago) link
It should be noted that the Jerry Cornelius stuff is pretty… different than the rest of Moorcock's oeuvre.
― Gamera died for our sins (J3ff T.), Friday, 3 February 2012 22:33 (twelve years ago) link
It's called The Fire Clown.
― Axolotl with an Atlatl (Jon Lewis), Friday, 3 February 2012 22:37 (twelve years ago) link
Side 2 of Mirrors is not without its merits...Allen Lanier's vampy "Lonely Teardrops" could have been a Doc Pomus cover, the Cars/Who power pop of "You're Not The One (I Was Looking For)" is marred only by a weak chorus (then again, in a power pop song a weak chorus is a double-technical), and the sheer [doom metal-to-free jazz-and back again] daftness of "The Vigil" certainly portends later stuff like "Monsters"...about the only track on Mirrors I could never really get behind in some way is "I Am The Storm"...
― henry s, Friday, 3 February 2012 22:55 (twelve years ago) link
getting back to this after a quick couple listens...
so i guess "the great sun jester" applies to the jerry cornelius novels in the same way that "black blade" applies to elric? huh. dinna know. anyway, it's a decent tune, but the lyrics are atrocious. can't abide it:
they have killed the wild-eyed jesterthey have killed the fire clownhe'll never sing his songs againhe'll never dance between the stars againhe'll never laugh againno, he'll never ever laugh again
ffs. "dr. music" is much more endurably, cheerfully cheezy, imo:
so if you really wanna do ityou better do it ... hot
lol. now that's a fucking philosophy. plus the build-up and chorus remind me in good ways of both kiss and def leppard, and i can def hang w that. "in thee" is great too, lost in the 70s, passed out behind mirrorshades in 1st class, though i can't help r'ing my de at that trop-cult "thee". would sound so much better if it was just plain old "you".
strongly disagree w the idea that side 1 has any run of good songs. it's totally up and down. "sun jester" blows, "mirror" blows, "moon crazy" us beautiful and winds things up nicely. honestly, i like side two about equally well. "the vigil", dopey as it may be, has a tough riff and a sweetly aching chorus. plus that spooky "come to us" over the badass solo, in case you forgot who you're listening to. "you're not the one" starts off like t-rex, but moves into this weird, chilled-out new wave number. not great, but i dig the chorus. "lonely teardrops" rips off styx but i love it anyway. anticipates the downtempo but off-kilter vibe of "deadline".
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Friday, 3 February 2012 23:54 (twelve years ago) link
Don't think The Great Sun Jester applies to Jerry Cornelius. I think George is just reading those books.
― Gamera died for our sins (J3ff T.), Saturday, 4 February 2012 00:04 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah the book its based off of is The Fire Clown. Sorry for the confusion!
― Today is Cocaine's Birthday! (Drugs A. Money), Saturday, 4 February 2012 00:34 (twelve years ago) link
Also <3 sun jester and mirrors, tho the lyrics of SJ are def hard to take seriously. imo you need a sense of humor to fully appreciate this album.
― Today is Cocaine's Birthday! (Drugs A. Money), Saturday, 4 February 2012 00:38 (twelve years ago) link
well yeah, but that's a fire clown too far, imo
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Saturday, 4 February 2012 00:40 (twelve years ago) link
Listening to Heaven Forbid now.
not loving this...the production seems like a weird attempt to make them palatable to 90s metal audiences...pretty crunchy guitar tones
"Harvest Moon" is a nice little oddity! weird little tale of losing the family farm, sharing a title with a Neil Young album/song
― dave coolier (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 6 February 2012 16:45 (twelve years ago) link
lol this revive has made me listen to so much Blue Oyster Cult in the last couple of days
― flog this poster for moderation (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 6 February 2012 16:46 (twelve years ago) link
btw the alternate album art to heaven forbid is something too!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/ff/BOC_heaven_forbid_alternative.jpg/220px-BOC_heaven_forbid_alternative.jpg
― dave coolier (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 6 February 2012 16:50 (twelve years ago) link
Never listened to Cultosaurus before. Holy shit I love it.Hungry Boys, Lips in the Hills, Black Blade...shit is so good
― Trip Maker, Monday, 6 February 2012 16:51 (twelve years ago) link
yeah it's great
btw...Blue Oyster Cult's 2012 trek is the weirdest tour itinerary I have ever seen in my life:
http://www.blueoystercult.com/Road-main.html
featuring both North Dakota and Brazil
― dave coolier (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 6 February 2012 16:52 (twelve years ago) link
From Coconut Creek FL to Sao Paulo Brazil
― Trip Maker, Monday, 6 February 2012 17:00 (twelve years ago) link
kinda psyched to hear "Still Burnin'" which i'm assuming is the cheesy Unforgiven II to "Burnin' For You"
― dave coolier (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 6 February 2012 17:00 (twelve years ago) link
"Live For Me" is real nice actually
― dave coolier (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 6 February 2012 17:15 (twelve years ago) link
I can't remember... does Heaven Forbid or Curse of the... have that "Damaged But I like It" song? That's a contender for all-time least bearable BOC...
But between Heaven.. and Curse... you can put together a nice 10 track Blue Oldster Cult album.
― Axolotl with an Atlatl (Jon Lewis), Monday, 6 February 2012 17:27 (twelve years ago) link
haha yeah that "damaged" song is on Heaven Forbid, really bad
listened to these back to back and Curse is hands-down the better album
― dave coolier (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 6 February 2012 18:05 (twelve years ago) link
OK so BOC are playing a fucking ostrich festival...http://www.ostrichfestival.com/
I still can't get into side 2 of Agents Of Fortune, Spectres is a far better album I reckon. But then every album after Secret Treaties contains a fair amount of suck.
Secret Treaties -> Tyranny -> debut -> Stalk Forrest Group album -> Spectres -> Agents -> Fire Of Unknown Origin -> Cultosaurus -> Mirrors -> Revolution -> Imaginos -> Club Ninja -> still haven't heard the 2 later ones
― ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: (Matt #2), Monday, 6 February 2012 20:11 (twelve years ago) link
Working on my mega mix for spotify, hard not to put every song from tyranny and secret treaties on
― dave coolier (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 6 February 2012 20:35 (twelve years ago) link
Secret Treaties > On Your Feet... > Tyranny > Fire Of Unknown Origins > Cultosaurus > Spectres > Agents > Stalk Forrest > Debut > Mirrors > Curse...Hidden Mirror > Imaginos > Heaven Forbid/Revolution by Night > (afraid to listen to Club Ninja)
With everything after the debut counting as a 'overall bad album with x number of great tracks on it'
And On Your Feet... counts as a proper album just because it's so fucking great.
― Axolotl with an Atlatl (Jon Lewis), Monday, 6 February 2012 22:54 (twelve years ago) link
i hadn't really listened to the last three 80s albums in quite a while, so i spent some time with the revolution by night, club ninja and imaginos yesterday. turns out that i enjoy quite a few tracks off the former two, not just the pop singles. they're probably terrible albums by any sane measure, but i've become such a huge BOC fan over the last couple years that just sounding a little cultish is good enough for me. though the band had apparently fragmented and several club ninja tracks were written by others, these albums aren't much worse than mirrors. i sincerely hate imaginos though. i never wanted BOC to be a "real metal band", and the new songs are all so long, ponderous and hook-free. they even ruin "astronomy" and "blue oyster cult", a terrible crime.
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Monday, 6 February 2012 22:57 (twelve years ago) link
THE REVOLUTION BY NIGHT
1) Take Me Away
huge def lep rip on the chorus, strong echoes of “photograph”, but the central riff is awesome (“spidery” as I like to say). starship is an obvious parallel, but BOC retain more of their essential identity amidst the 80s cheese. and the solo slays, of course.
2) Eyes On Fire
more fire clown garbage. no one deserves this.
3) Shooting Shark
one of the best late cult jams. love the smoothly rolling bass throughout, banks of warning synths, and that sax, man, cuts like a knife. haunting lyrics despite the bonehead title phrase, and i love the tradeoff between sax and gtr in the last minute.
4) Veins
um, okay, meltzer's lyrics are cool & creepy, troo cult style. plus that cryptacized who riff on the chorus, awesome, but this song's a mess. the parts don't hang together and that supershitty synth is way too prominent. gtr shredding and constant textural shifts as a substitute for coherent songwriting. near miss.
5) Shadow of California
new wave by way of joe walsh? verse is dull, but the tones are cool, hanging piano notes, talkbox guitar effects. huge chorus that's suitably anthemic but not terribly memorable. half like this.
6) Feel the Thunder
shitty biker rock. okay, “three friends”, i geddit. haw.
7) Let Go
so embarrassing. should have saved that "B.O.C." chant for something worth singing along with.
8) Dragon Lady
well, ok, it's a song about a “dragon lady” so it's obviously fucked, but given the basic stupidity of the proposition, it's a lot of fun. dig the “reaper” cop at the end.
9) Light Years of Love
hideous
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Monday, 6 February 2012 23:01 (twelve years ago) link
CLUB NINJA
1) White Flag
generic 80s hard rock with slick production, big drums, catchy guitar bits. piles of synths, but used more for atmosphere and texture than as a focus. inane but rocks okay and does deliver a bit of that doomy, sepulchral feel.
2) Dancing In the Ruins
big pop move, but more blandly optimistic than “burning for you”. “it's all done with mirrors, have no fear,” lol (even though someone else wrote it). like so many of their shittiest mid-80s songs, the sound here recalls stuff like starship, asia and survivor, but it's a good deal better than most of their other attempts in this direction.
3) Rock Not War
an abortion
4) Perfect Water
even worse, a worse abortion. soulful and darkly sweet where "rock not war" tries to get tough, but just as earnestly shitty. “do you know jaques cousteau?”
5) Spy In the House of the Night
three in a row. crappy heavy rock cheese with some nice organ work and a cool, crepuscular groove. a worthless song, but it builds well and ends on a pretty impressive high.
6) Beat 'em Up
moronic “hard rock” in an unmistakably 80s mode. judas priest softened by def leppard. awesome harmony lick on the chorus, and the solo slays. utterly generic and sounds nothing like BOC, but i kind of dig it.
7) When the War Comes
“energy imprisoned will make itself free. booga-chacka, booga-chacka.” fuck yeah. the obvious cult epic on this album. so self-referential, boys. “creator, destroyer, victory, defeat. i did not come to bring a seed. black flag, red flag, space and time. the future is my mind.” woah. basically an extended, spidery drone in the vein of "blue oyster cult", but that's a good look for the band, imo.
8) Shadow Warrior
bunk. tries to be all ozzy-style paranoid and doomy, but just sucks. draggy and uninspired until it goes all ape crazy with the guitars towards the end. like a lot of bad late cult songs, the attempt to rescue great riffs and shitty songwriting with a “mind-blowing” rave-up. and my mind is blown, no argument, but I could use a song to wash the residue down.
9) Madness to the Method
a response to lords of the new church? I dunno, but that piano says yes, and I endorse the consonance, intentional or not. one of my favorite 80s BOC tunes, cringeworthy lyrics and all. pyrotechnic gtr excess, fuck yes, this time in service to a decent song. “wenches in the trenches on a saturday night.”
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Monday, 6 February 2012 23:06 (twelve years ago) link
secret treaties > tyranny & mutation > blue oyster cult > fire of unknown origin > cultosaurus erectus > stalk forrest group > agents of fortune > spectres > mirrors > club ninja > revolution by night > imaginos > still haven't heard the last two
i used to think of "club ninja" a place, like a club called ninja, maybe the space station on the album cover. now i like to imagine that it's a club-oriented ninja. he likes dancing. much better that way.
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Monday, 6 February 2012 23:15 (twelve years ago) link
1) I can't find many good interviews w/BOC on the internet
2)..um....this:
I've got more questions from the fan club. In the 1973 song "Seven Screaming Dizbusters," what is a dizbuster?
Bloom: (laughs) Well, it has a sexual connotation.
That's OK, I'm a grownup. You can tell me.
Bloom: I think Richard Meltzer and Sandy Pearlman came up with a term, that was sort of like an inside joke to them, and used it in the lyric of that song. To them, the diz was the groove at the top of the penis.
Yeah?
Bloom: And that's what a diz was. So "Seven Screaming Dizbusters" are some pretty bad boys.
So they were fucking so hard, the tip of their penis fell apart.
Bloom: I can't read more into it, and you're probably reading more into it than I can. But that's really what the diz is, in our nomenclature.
― dave coolier (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 6 February 2012 23:53 (twelve years ago) link
I always thought dizbuster was some satanic jive.
Revolution by Night tour -- my first ever concert -- Saginaw Civic Center -- with Dokken and Aldo Nova!
― broom air, Tuesday, 7 February 2012 01:41 (twelve years ago) link