Agents of Fortune [Original recording remastered, Extra tracks, Original recording reissued]

Blue Oyster Cult | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 26, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1976
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered, Extra tracks, Original recording reissued
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00005LNBH
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,241 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars True Classic, July 25, 2001

By 

Dave_42 "Dave_42" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Agents of Fortune (Audio CD)

This is the fourth studio album from Blue Öyster Cult which was remastered and reissued on the Columbia/Legacy label. As with the other three reissues there are lyrics, photos, and liner notes by Lenny Kaye. In addition, there are four bonus tracks, none of which were previously released. "Agents of Fortune" was recorded in 1975 and 1976, and released in May of 1976. Murray Krugman and Sandy Pearlman were joined by David Lucas as producers of this album. This remastered CD was released on June 26th of 2001, and Bruce Dickinson produced the remastered version.

"Agents of Fortune" was the start of a new period for the group. The first three albums are often called their "black-and-white" period, and the live album "On Your Feet or On Your Knees" marked the end of that period. This album has a number of memorable songs, such as "This Ain't The Summer of Love", "E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)", "The Revenge of Vera Gemini", and the too often overlooked "Morning Final". Of course, it is best known for "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" which is one of the greatest Rock songs of all time.

The four bonus tracks consist of songs which were considered for the album. "Fire of Unknown Origin" was an outtake which would appear on an album of the same name five years later, although this is a significantly different version of the song than the one which would eventually be released. "Sally" was demoed for the album, but not used. It later was used by Albert Bouchard on "Trepanation", which was the 1995 release from his band "The Brain Surgeons". The third bonus track is the original demo for "(Don't Fear) The Reaper". "Dance the Night Away" is another demo which was eventually used by Jim Carroll (who co-wrote the song with Allen Lanier) on his "I Write Your Name" album.

The band credits for this album are: Eric Bloom (vocals, guitar, percussion), Albert Bouchard (drums, vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion, and harmonica), Joe Bouchard (bass, vocals, piano), Allen Lanier (keyboards, vocals, guitar and bass), and Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (guitar, vocals, synthesizer, percussion). Guest artists on this album include Patti Smith (vocal on "The Revenge of Vera Gemini", and Michael and Randy Brecker (horns). This is another solid release from BÖC, but it is a bit uneven so despite the great moments I can only give it four stars.

It is unfortunate that as of yet there are no additional remastered releases of the Blue Öyster Cult catalog available. It would be wonderful to see what other hidden gems could be added to such albums as "Spectres", "Fire of Unknown Origin", or even their live albums. Until that happens, we will just have to be satisfied with the remastered versions of their first four albums.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An all-time classic, March 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Agents of Fortune (Audio CD)

On their first three albums, Blue Oyster Cult perfected a brand of thinking man's riff-rock that stood out against the typical heavy metal fare of the early 70s. One thing they hadn't done was to write a song that would attract mainstream attention. This was accomplished with 'Don't Fear the Reaper' from AGENTS OF FORTUNE. With its timeless riff, sublime vocals and effortless energy, 'Reaper' is probably the band's greatest hit. The problem with having such a song on your record is that it tends to make the rest of the songs sound mediocre. But there is more to like about this album than just that one track. On songs like 'This Ain't the Summer of Love', 'E.T.I.' and 'Tattoo Vampire' they added more solid heavy rock to their collection, while 'True Confessions', 'Morning Final' and 'Debbie Denise' float along a more subtle, melodic vein. Patti Smith's vocals on the haunting 'Revenge of Vera Gemini' are another album highlight. The album as a whole sounds a little lighter and more "pop" than the first three, but in general it's faithful to the BOC aesthetic established to that point. Suffice to say, AGENTS OF FORTUNE is one of the essential BOC albums.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Blue Oyster Cult - Reaper Is Great, The Rest Of The Album Average, September 4, 2008

By 

Steven Sly (Kalamazoo, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Agents of Fortune (Audio CD)

Although this is the album where B.O.C. finally got their commercial breakthrough with one of the great classic rock songs of all time "Don't Fear The Reaper", the album itself has never been a favorite of mine. "Reaper" indeed is a great great song, and deserves the iconic status it has accumulated in the years since it's release. Listening to this again though, "Reaper" sticks out like a beacon in a fog of mediocrity. It is completely different from anything else on the album and unique really from anything else the band has done before or since. The rest of the album just does not compare. There are a few good songs in the first half of the album including "This Ain't The Summer Of Love", "E.T.I." which was a minor AOR hit for the band and "The Revenge Of Vera Gemini" is also decent. The second half really falls off and I can't say that I am a big fan of any of the tracks. A lot of B.O.C. fans will disagree with me on this, but I actually think that "Agents Of Fortune" is one of the band's weaker overall efforts. It is not a bad album by any means, but Blue Oyster Cult did better albums before it and better albums after it. It is worth owning for "Reaper", but there are a lot of B.O.C. albums that I would purchase before this one.