Original Album Classics

So I am working my way through the Blue Oyster Cult Canon as a 58 year old newbie to the band....well not entirely, as back in the day I did buy Spectres on release but hated it (at the time) so ignored the band until last year`s The Symbol Remains.The first three albums I immediately loved for their garage punk bluesy scifi space rock humourous creepy vibe so I bought this collection.Firstly it is a very low price and the packaging reflects that - no liner notes and tiny miniaturized sleeves that are very hard to read. The collection contains 2 live albums and 3 studio albums but chronologically misses out Agents of Fortune, Spectres and Mirrors which is odd.In my view the On your feet or on your knees live album is the jewel of the set being a stunning performance which is also very well recorded for its age and summarises the first 3 albums perfectly.The later release is the very popular Some enchanted evening live album which is in my view a poor recording and not much fun to listen to as it sounds rather flat and dead, lacking in any sense of stereo image or space. It is a far inferior live album to OYFOOYK despite the fact that the track Godzilla was recorded in Newcastle Upon Tyne my home town! Critically also it is the original 7 track version which is very short as in 2007 there was an expanded 14 track version which is much better! The actual performance is fantastic tho! I am just critical of the recording.Cultosaurus is brilliant. It was produced by Martin Birch and restores the more spacious (space) heavy rock vibe with some incendiary guitar playing and prominent keyboards (as an aside soooo much better than Agents of Fortune or Mirrors which preceded it chronologically (as an aside Agents is a weaker pop oriented album spoiling 3 absolute classic songs on side 1 with terrible weak pop songs on side 2 and recorded badly with a flat sound) - BOC albums need reverb!! So get the 40th anniversary live version which is a huge improvement).The last two are Fire of Unknown Origin and The Revolution by Night.FOUO I really like and would consider essential even tho clearly it is heading towards the dreaded 80`s sounds mentioned later! It still retains a bit more of the BOC arcane weirdness and is a bit heavier. It is also produced by Martin Birch who in my view can do no wrong so sounds great - another BOC classic .Now onto the Revolution album......well it is cursed by the fact that the drummer and key songwriter Albert Bouchard was fired on the previous tour and it was the early 80`s. So the drum sounds are often those ghastly 80`s drums and they were going for the AOR market big time with cheesy sounding keyboards - I would never have bought this by itself because the sound strays too much towards Mr Mister or Survivor and on Shooting Shark eerily reminiscent of mid 80`s Genesis! However if you can get your head around this the songs are still excellent as revealed by the fantastic version of Shooting Shark on the live album from 2014 Hard Rock Live Cleveland). So overall you get 3 fantastic classic albums plus one which is considered a classic but I don`t rate for its poor recording and because it is the 7 track version (Some enchanted Evening) and one 80`s flavoured album with excellent songs disguised as middle grade early 80`s AOR despite retaining some seriously deranged lyrics eg Veins!I for one bought it to get a quick introduction to BOC but I will be hunting for the expanded version of Some enchanted evening and maybe the vinyl of On your feet! Highly recommended.

In 2008 Sony released the first BOC 5 Pack containing the Black & White trilogy, Agents of Fortune & Mirrors. The first four were the remastered, extended Legacy versions & all five were boxed & presented in neat, cardboard replica sleeves. My local HMV displayed 5 packs each for a number of artists (Cheap Trick, Journey, Isley Brothers etc) for around £15 each & BOC's stock sold out first within a few days (go figure - it's nice to know that some people recognise the quality on offer).Well here's another chance to indulge in 2012 with two great live albums, two finely judged studio albums and a final (& tricky to find) offering also of reasonable interest.I think many (older) rock fans are well aware of the reputation that "On Your Feet Or On Your Knees" (1975) has garnered over the years - basically BOC took some prime material from their arcane early albums and created an inferno in the live arena - Bloom leads from the front with what sounds like an army of guitars behind him - Buck in particular blazes away with speed & skill that belies his understated reputation - some people complain about the mid seventies production values - I'd simply direct them to Buck's solo during Last Days of May & ask them if it could sound anymore perfect? - nothing can detract from a group at the top of their game.By contrast in 1978 BOC released "Some Enchanted Evening" - a solo disc (& you do not get the later expanded version here) that contains one key omission from the B&W period, some mid period classics & a couple of intriguing covers.The first live version of The Reaper appears here - a little unsophisticated but it breezes along & has a gem of climax - new life is breathed into Godzilla (The Spectres version was too pedestrian) & this is more of a crowd pleaser - BOC deliver MC5's Kick Out The Jams with the energy of The Ramones (the 1978 concert DVD shows exactly why BOC played this "untouchable" track - total commitment)It's "Side 1" that really impresses - the band transform "RU Ready 2 Rock" into a legitimate concert opener - then Buck & Allen tear into that irresistible riff from "ETI" - if some part of your anatomy isn't moving during this version then you need to check your pulse for signs of life - meanwhile Bloom delivers some overblown UFO based lyrics to add to the fun.Regardless of all of BOC's impressive body of work (from 1970-2002) there is one track that stands supreme - & the 8 minute version of Astronomy on SEE has to be the band's finest achievement - grandiose keyboards lead in to Bloom's exemplary delivery of the classic, poetic lyrics - but even that is overshadowed when Buck picks up the lead guitar work & accelerates it to a stunning conclusion - Albert impressively keeps pace on the drums throughout - simply breathtaking if you take it all in.In 1980 BOC showed their innate savvy by teaming up with Martin Birch - returning to their subject roots & injecting some humour to produce "Cultosaurus Erectus" a studio album designed to regain any lost ground (after the misjudged "Mirrors") - a solid album showcasing their individual skills - for example Buck's smooth Deadline track with Joe's fine bass lines - Bloom's Black Blade a spot on collaboration with Michael Moorcock - the butt kicking "Lips in the Hills" & (my personal favourite) Unknown Tongue - a succinct (& creepy), self contained story expertly delivered."Fire Of Unknown Origin" is also included from 1981 - a very successful album for the band & arguably the perfect distillation of their persona, musicianship & subject matter to coincide with the requirements of being an American rock group at that time (This "sneaky" commerciality resulted in large arena gigs & a hint of stardom) - no weak tracks here - Burnin For You is (smart) AOR perfection - the rebooted title track sets the tone - Veteran Of The Psychic Wars has an irresistible tribal beat & a sumptuous guitar break - whilst Sole Survivor plays like a truncated Twilight Zone episode (Bloom shines on this one as he does on much of this album).The fifth offering (from 1983) comes at a time when Albert (a key creative component) had left the band & it is undeniably weaker than everything that came before it - Bruce Fairbairn (Producer) copes with some tracks well & others less so - some of the sounds are very early 80's & unsatisfying (e.g. "hollow" drums on tracks such as Veins & Shadow Of California) & Let Go (where BOC take a wimpy, rebellious slant on Hey, Hey we're The Monkees!!) is a contender with Beat Em Up for their all time weakest ditty.BUT .... There are individual tracks to enjoy here - Take Me Away combines a soaring Aldo Nova riff with more of Bloom's "Close Encounters" lyrics to achieve a cracking result - I always love Buck's work & Shooting Shark is a winding, experimental success for him - Veins is minor by Buck's standards but enjoyable enough - Feel the Thunder retreads "Golden Age" & motorcycle themes - finally I have to agree with a growing number of BOC fans that Light Years of Love is a fine ballad - one of Joe's best later songs - otherworldly lyrics & impressive (Spanish?) guitars included.To sum up this is a good starting point for a potential new fan - & Amazon's opening price for this amount of quality rock music is mouth-watering - the only minor quibbles are the exclusion of "Spectres" from both packs (the finest post B&W album?) & the expanded legacy version of SEE being ignored for this one.

The problem with this box set is the poor sound quality across all five disc's. I suppose like a lot of things in life you get what you pay for. I had to really mess around with the sound on my stereo to get a decent sound including turning up the volume really high. I have a good stereo ( fairly new Technics). I have recently purchased the later B.O.C albums - heaven forbid, the curse of the hidden mirror and the symbol remains, I shall stick to playing them, all excellent albums with great sound.