I was raised on Detroit Rock 'N Roll. I know Mid West Rock just as well as I know British Hard Rock based out of American Blues and Jazz. When you grow up in the broadcast range of a city that has more songs about it than other songs in Rock, you grow up knowing your Rock well. Then when you have a dad like mine, you get to know it even better. While I don't remember my dad being any type of real Blue Oyster Cult fan, I do remember him cranking up certain songs enough for them to stick in my head.
It took me a few years to finally find a best of collection I was willing to use as a starting spot to start discovering a great band. I was really hoping for more than I got from this album, but at the same time this album serves it's true prupose, while giving me a point in the right direction for further exploration. The true purpose of this album is to give a little bit of everything, while still allowing the true band to shine through.
City On Flames With Rock And Roll opens up the album and my biggest issue with this song is how much it's like Kiss. Musically that's insulting to this song, but lyrically it's just so American Rock 'N Roll. The Cheesy cliche part of it.
The Red & The Black is not a song I was expecting from this band at all. There is this great boogie woogie beat, with a quick shuffle that reminds me very much of The Amboy Dukes. That Mid West Rock with heavy Chuck Berry and Bo Diddly influences. The best part about this song on this album is that it show the range that the band really has, especially in comparison to the lead off track. This to me is some of the best parts of good old fashion Mid West Rock.
The first taste of what made BOC great and amazing in their own right comes with Flaming Telepaths. This is Sci-Fi Metal at it's finest. I mean it's easy to over look the amazing musical arrangements when you are listening to lyrics like these. "Well I've opened up my veins too many times / And the poison's in my heart and in my mind / Poison's in my bloodstream / Poison's in my pride / I'm after rebellion / I'll settle for lies / Is it any wonder that my mind's on fire / Imprisoned by the thoughts of what to do / Is it any wonder that my joke's an iron / And the joke's on you / Experiments that failed too many times / Transformations that were too hard to find / Poison's in my bloodstream / Poison's in my pride / I'm after rebellion / I'll settle for lies / Yes I know the secrets of the iron and mind / They're trinity acts, a mineral fire / Yes I know the secrets of the circuitry mind / It's a flaming wonder telepath / Well I've opened up my veins too many times / And the poison's in my heart and in my mind / Poison's in my bloodstream / Poison's in my pride / I'm after rebellion / I'll settle for lies / Is it any wonder that my mind's on fire / Imprisoned by the thoughts of what to do / Is it any wonder that my joke's alive / And the joke's on you". But overlooking the keyboard work in this song would be a travisty of justice because it's great.
The last song flows so naturally well into the next song that it's like hitting the wall as if you were soft rubber. I mean it's a sudden drastic change that you just absorb and seemlessly move on from. That next song is Astronomy, a song I was introduced to by Metallica, and reviewed before in my coverage of Full Metal Garage. The following paragraph is exactly what I wrote before.
I've been into Blue Oyster Cult for a very long time. In fact I was a fan of BOC before I was a fan of Metallica. However, I never knew about this beautiful piano track. At least that's how it starts off, and I'm not talking about some stupid keyboard sounding crap either. I mean a real piano that has just the perfect amount of reverb on it. However, once that piano stops the Metallica cover becomes a lot better. It's amazing how much production can have an effect on a song. If this song had been re-recorded by the original group in the modern age I think it would be just as heavy, if not heavier than the Metallica version. After all this is the same band that gave us Godzilla and Don't Fear The Reaper.
On a more personally related note, if you were to ask Andria (The Editor) she would tell you that the Blue Oyster Cult version of Astronomy is the better version of the song the whole way through, and she actually knew the Metallica version first and better.
This Ain't The Summer Of love for some reason always has me thinking it's Iggy Pop. Part of it I know is because of the vocal delivery, and part of it is that raw aggressive steady beat, that just keeps you on edge. This is like listening to Hippy music gone storm cloud gloomy.
Then it's on to what is arguably BOC's most popular song, (Don't Fear) The Reaper. I would like to start by saying the song doesn't need more cowbell. Also, if that is the only reason you know this song, you should be ashamed. There's a reason this song with be remembered for years to come, and it has earned it's place in Rock legend. Just youtube it.
I Love The Night doesn't do much for me. It makes me think of a romantic scene in Paris at night in some Romantic Comedy starring the latest flavour or the week in Hollywood. It has all the best parts you would want in a very well written and arranged song, but at the end of the day still not my cup of tea.
Goin' Through The Motions is everything I said about the last song, but very specifically in an eighties movie. This song could have been in The Breakfast Club and totally worked. It's a fun and playful upbeat number, but just a little too Pop without enough of the Rock back bone.
Then we come to Godzilla. After the last couple songs you wouldn't think this song could be so bad ass, but then I have to ask "Why don't you know this song already?" This is a song that everyone should love to crank and air guitar to, even if you don't really like this type of music. This is a heavy song for everyone. The subject matter is cool as anything, the music is heavy and totally rockin' without being overboard or forceful. It's meant to purely back up the subject material.
I'm not sure why the hell there are so many romatic songs on this album. By the time you reach In Thee you have to wonder who this album was put together for. Astronomy is the only romantic ballad like song on this album that isn't just some time of basic run of the mill cheap grab at a female audience. I just don't get why so many had to go on here. This is supposed to be a best of package and these are more like greatest hits.
The Marshall Plan reminds me of Grandfunk Railroad, mixed with the harder side of Bruce Springsteen or John Melloncamp. Musically it's heavy and rockin' and totally awesome. Vocally it's basic Mid West Americana, which appeals to a more select audience I find. If it were not for the vocals I may find the song more enjoyable because it is really well done. It's not that the vocals are bad either, they just sound like every other band from the area from that time.
Black Blade brings us back to why most people don't like Blue Oyster Cult, but why I love them so much. It's total Sci-Fi Metal on this track through and through. The vocals have the right phase, echo, reverb, plange, you name it, while the music just drives it all home. I mean this music takes you on such a ride, that you can't help but want to hit the hyper drive just a little, and then maybe do a little casual flying.
I can't even begin to describe how crazy, ahead of it's time, and wild Joan Crawford is. For starters, this song was so ahead of it's time that it would have been considered complete cheese instead of the genius Proto Goth piece that it really is. I mean there is a part of me that's surprised Type O Negative never covered this one just for the fun of it. Then I listen to the complex musical pieces and remember why they couldn't, especially with the speed the piano moves at. I mean this is some serious musicianship mixed with some dark lyrics. "Junkies down in Brooklyn are going crazy / They're laughing just like hungry dogs in the street / Policemen are hiding behind the skirts of little girls / Their eyes have turned the color of frozen meat / No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Catholic school girls have thrown away their mascara / They chain themselves to the axles of big Mac trucks / The sky is filled with herds of shivering angels / The fat lady laughs, "Gentlemen, start your trucks" / Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Christina / Mother's home / Christina / Come to mother / Christina / No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen".
Thanks to Guitar Hero Brunin' For You can not come on in the house without my daughter singing along. In fact as I write this she is happily decked out in attire totally befitting a young adult, semi Goth, on a chilled fall day and singing along. This is a song that I think will always transcend generations because it already has. This is pure music and love and life and what innocence is really like. This is the fan's side of love created through music made by excess and decadence. This song is what Rock is really about, for those that truly love Rock.
Shooting Stark is a good song, and very enjoyable, but way too heavy on the synths. It sounds like it's going to bust into Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners at any moment. The saxaphone work in this song is impressive, though.
Take Me Away closes out the album on a great note. This is a straight ahead rocker that musically just gets you groovin' and then when you finally mellow out enough to pay attention to the lyrics you notice that you are listening to yet another great song about aliens. Well, more specifically about being taken away by extra terrestrials for good and not experimentation. You want to end an album with a song that adiquately represents the band, and this song does just that.
On the whole I'm not overly happy with this collection, there's too many songs on it that just aren't Blue Oyster Cult to me, and not enough songs that are. That isn't to say that it isn't a good album, but for a band that is supposed to be America's answer to Black Sabbath, it seemed like I got more of an answer to the most basic Deep Purple equation.
7/10 - content
7/10 - production
/10 - personal bias
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