Blue Oyster Cult: Classic or Dud?

OK so look at the NYTimes book review section today. There's a new crime novel by JK Rowling writing under a pseudonym and it's titled Career of Evil, and is apparently stuffed with further overt BOC references. Liek tons of them.

This delights me and it can't help but enhance the visibility of BOC.

WHAT

Review by M Kakutani today. It reads like a joke! I'm v happy for my boys.

Amazing, no? It's still not going to convince me the Harry Potter books are worth reading...

haha! that's awesome

E Bloom is an SFF nerd so I'm sure he has commented on this by now

This is great, if it turns out there's a chapter called She's As Beautiful As A Foot I might even read the thing.

Chapter 7
Screaming Dizbusters

anybody know what synths they used on Fire of Unknown Origin? Don't Turn Your Back came up on shuffle and those pads grabbed me.

Man I just spent ten minutes researching that, couldn't find anything but a list of what he used live in the 90s. Where are the gear nerds when you need them?

I'd like to know too. I love the synths on that record. There's not a ton of choices for polyphony in 1981 right?

There's a good shot of the keyboard rig in the live video a few posts northward (at around 4.55), difficult to tell though. Maybe a Memorymoog?
A clue: http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/r-i-p-allen-lanier-of-b-o-c.326402/page-3#post-9260256

On a similar note: http://www.synthfind.com/moog/moog-minimoog-model-d-309/

Also this thread is great: http://www.hotrails.co.uk/blueskybag/samjudd/oldroadies.htm

best band ever

Fire of Unknown Origin is one of the best synth-on-a-rock-record rock records, no doubt.

See also "deadline" on the previous album

OK so Sam Judd is my new favorite person, that thread is awesome. And CLUE -- on this thread:

http://www.hotrails.co.uk/history/1980.htm

Mr. Judd mentions loading patches into the Prophet V and having the Oberheim worked on. This was during 1980 and the synths on FOUO and Cultosaurus sound about the same generally.

I was already wondering if it was a Prophet V because that was just about the only polyphonic synth at the time right?

Yeah, in 1980, the two main contenders were the Prophet-5 and the Oberheim OB-X. Moog were still pushing the Polymoog, but it's fairly weak-sounding - not the sort of thing BOC would have been using. In the interests of completeness, I would also note that by 1980 Roland had released the Jupiter-4 and there were a couple of other Japanese and German polyphonic oddities available, such as the Korg PS-3300 and the PPG 340. But big bands like BOC were using Sequential Circuits and/or Oberheim.

Both of which are mentioned in that 1980 roadie diary. Sounds like the minimoog was still on tour with them that year too.

Obv Lanier has a shitload of synths around him in that youtube m@tt posted

Prophet 5 and Oberheim OBX-A were I think what Japan pretty much used exclusively on Tin Drum, so they were in good company.

Arc of a Diver by Stevie Winwood is almost entirely Prophet 5 I think, except for the drums -- lol not that that necessarily constitutes good company but I do love it.

I'd figure those glassy pads on the song 'Fire of Unknown Origin' to be from an Oberheim. They have a similar sound to Van Halens synths and he used Oberheims.

the 1980 tour thread is awesome, love the contrast between the inside dope & backstage geekery of the roadie diary VS the civilians memories "it was my first concert i was 14 and on acid..."

This clip is pretty awesome. Bet you never figured to see Charles Grodin interviewing Blue Oyster Cult either.

This quote on the Youtube page is pretty funny too.

Gerber Bernstein3 months ago
"Edgar Allen Poe is wearing Ace Frehley's pajamas, and rockin' !"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0X5YpOkSz4

Paris 1975 this is fucking godlike

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGI99kQ13hA

Their current drummer, Jules Radino, is also a realtor on the side in case anyone is ever looking to purchase some property on Long Island.

http://ricerealty1.com/real-estate-agents/

Don't Fear The Realtor

Real Estate Agents of Fortune

Secret Closings?

i wonder if he knows don deitrich of borbatmagus, maybe they talk shop

The real Sharona from 'My Sharona' is a big time realtor.

http://www.mysharona.com/about/about-sharona/

So are Neil Smith, the "platinum god" drummer of the original Alice Cooper group, and Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom.)

Gretchen from Mary's Danish is also a real estate agent. I think someone from Social Distortion is too.

There was a funny SNL skit some years back, Rob Schneider (if memory serves) played a former hair metal singer turned real estate agent. Hilarity ensued.

Joking aside it makes a lot of sense there aren't a lot of careers where you can make a lot of money (potentially) that you can enter later in life and without a degree, so for ppl that spent a lot of their working years chasing music I could see the appeal. Also it's a flexible hours thing if you want to keep playing

They’re OK, the last days of May
But I’ll be breathin’ dry air
I'm leaving soon
The others are already there (all there...)
Wouldn’t be interested in coming along
Instead of staying here?
It's said the West is nice this time of year
That's what they say

when i last saw them play, Buck did a KILLLLERRR solo on that tune

by sheer coincidence, I'm bumping BOC today for the first time in awhile. Cultosaurus Erectus. So fucking good. Them and martin birch were a match made in heaven.

tyranny and mutation is so fucking fast

eric was interviewed on his home turf.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAEdzkpN6oo

ooh thanks!

"What is your favorite word: ROCKIN"

like they even had to ask.

"I Love the Night" is so gorgeous

yes!!! my favorite böc song

I can't decide which is the superior of the two vampire jams on Spectres, this or Nosferatu.

BOC is never really recognized for their harmony singing, but they are so amazing at it, like the "I....I.....I....love the night" stacked harmonies or the beginning of Golden Age of Leather, Beach Boys level

in the mainstream BOC isn't taken seriously or recognized for anything beyond the hits, a couple of which are maybe regarded as borderline novelty songs. But I mean they're no more of a joke band than The Beatles, or any number of other all-time bands, many of which they're considerably better than.

tyranny and mutation should be the gold standard of how to play rock music

yeah I listen to these records and I always notice something new they are extraordinary well crafted rock records

also Buck is consistently left off greatest guitarist rock lists and seeing him live he is godlike

also they are so strange.... like not in an avant garde way but so quirky and distinctive they go from off the shelf boogie to occult weirdness on a dime

like RU Ready to Rock that odd, mournful round of "I only live to be born again" that comes from nowhere in an arena rocker

I mean they're no more of a joke band than The Beatles

I enjoy me some BOC, but any band that records "Godzilla" is at least one of the greatest joke bands of all time, even if the fans are (?) often in on it.

The band is definitely weird, jumping from boogie butt rock to psychedelic neo-prog to an extent that I've never been able to really wrap my head (as a modest fan) around the love many have for them, save for the fact that there's not much to hate. Which is enough! Like, Lynyrd Skynyrd is an incredible band with incredible songs, objectively better than BOC (imo), but I can see why the band could turn some people off. Same with, I dunno, Rush. But BOC is just so goofy and under the radar, *despite* at least a couple of ubiquitous hits. They're like the best known best kept secret.

Hmm, speaking of Skynyrd, has "more cowbell?" supplanted "Freebird" as the thing dummies yell out?