Customer Reviews

Agents of Fortune

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

To start with, let me say this is more a review of the original release, with the extra tracks being considered a bonus. This is one of my favorite releases of all-time. There are no weak songs out of any of the original tracks[1-10], although "Tenderloin" is my least favorite. The four bonus tracks are interesting looks at songs I definitely loved the previous released versions. Up to this point BOC had several good releases, but this was the first time they put it all together on one disc. "Don't Fear the Reaper" certainly put them into the spotlight. They even enjoyed airplay on AM stations. AOR stations went nuts and played almost every song.

I don't want to have you think that BOC peaked here, but this was the begining of the years that saw them at the fore-front of hard rock. Some of the best songs here are "Tattoo Vampire", "Revenge of Vera Gemini", "Sinful Love", and, of course, "Don't Fear the Reaper". My favorite of the original songs is "This Ain't the Summer of Love". I have to confess, I really enjoyed three of the bonus tracks with the exception being "Sally". I tend to like what I haven't had pounded into my head over and over and these bonus tracks are very fresh.

The quality of this disc is top notch. The recording and pressing are excellent quality. This is a very good package for those of you that already enjoy BOC, or, those of you that are looking for a special package, beyond a greatest hits release, this is a great place to start. I also suggest FIRE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN.

Who hasn't heard "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"? It's become such an enduring classic it inspired the infamous Will Ferral "Cow Bell" skit on Saturday Night Live. This is a much different album than those produced under the Black and White period. Making a comparison to Metallica; this is Blue Oyster Cult's "Black Album."
This marks the point where BOC moved away from the hard rock edge established on their previous work toward a more mainstream "pop" oriented sound. I don't believe the band intended to shift their sound, but that's just the way it played out in the studio.
The first half of the album contains some great tracks: This Ain't The Summer of Love, E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence), The Revenge Of Vera Gemini. Unfortunatly, most of the tracks aren't even in the same class as those on Tyranny & Mutation or Secret Treaties. This isn't a bad album by any means; it just isn't BOC's best, but the album does grow on you with repeated listens. Unfortunatly, the new fan may be put off on the first play through.
The remastered sound quality is spectacular. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" never sounded so good. You can really hear the cow bell in all it's epic granduer. Seriously, I have no complaints on the audio; Colombia/Legacy has done an outstanding job on cleaning up the original master tapes. The new liner notes by Lenny Kane, lyrics, previously unpublished photos, and bonus tracks are a welcome addition as well.
You can hear the non-cow bell demo of "Reaper" for yourself. I guess they were right about needing more cowbell!

This album was Blue Oyster Cult's "Commercial" breakthru but if you think songs like "The Revenge of Vera Gemini","Tenderloin" and "Morning Final" were on the Top 40 in the Seventies,Think Again. These songs are just as "Non-Commercial" as most of their earlier releases and also just as great. The thing that helped make this album their first big sucess was not only "Reaper" but the great production which leaves their first 3 releases in ashes. This Remaster takes that production and really shows the depth of the songs and performances. I have the Gold Disc of this album and feel that this Remaster is so much better because it brings out subtle production and keyboard effects that make this album great. If you are not a real big BOC fan you may not find the bonus tracks much to your liking but I did. The demo of "Reaper" sounds like a "personal" song not a "hit". "Fire of Unknown Origin" really changed from this demo to the song they released in 1981. The later version is better but how did they get there from here? The other 2 Bonus Tracks are interesting,I only feel they help make the case for a BOC Box set to really look at the career of one of Rock's most underrated bands. If you liked this album before you will love this Remaster. If you loved it BUY THIS.

Even though Agents of Fortune is one of Blue Oyster Cult's more commercial albums, I can't get enough of it. For one thing, the guitar playing is spectacular throughout the album. Every guitar note is beautiful and haunting. That's what makes Blue Oyster Cult so great- the way they make their music haunting and chilling, while rocking and rolling at the same time.

I find it odd that the album ends with a country-like tune. It's hard to explain what Blue Oyster Cult does that makes them so great. It's probably their ability to explore different sounds and styles and mix it in with hard rock. They truly are much different than other hard rockers.

Yesterday, I ran into this CD in my local record store. I almost jumped up and down in excitement. Seeing the bonus tracks included and then noticing the DFTR demo, I immediately tucked it under my arm, paid for it and went home as fast as I could. What an absolute blast! Now, after reading some of the other not-so-positive reviews of this CD, this CD really is a to each his own type. However, I love it. It was a treat to hear a different version of DFTR. I played the demo first and then the regular version. It was great to see how the song evolved.`I have always enjoyed this album and I personally didn`t find a bad cut on it. My absolute fav BOC song is ETI. My first copy was an 8-track which I burned out from overuse. The liner notes and accompanying pics were a great plus also. Defintely a 2 thumbs up!!!!

In the summer of 1976 Blue Oyster Cult released their 4th studio album, "Agents Of Fortune" #29, they knew they had to change direction a little to be a more popular band, but they didn't have to change much, they would keep their hard rock crunch, but add some pop sensibilities to this album. "Agents" gave BOC their first platnium album, and some fine song writing by Albert Bouchard and Buck Dharma. Patti Smith helped boyfriend Albert at the time with 2 great songs. Produced by Sandy Pearlman, Murray Krugman and David Lucas. I don't understand the naysayers here. Here are the highlightsof this fine album:

"This Ain't The Summer Of Love"- "This ain't the garden of eden". One of Albert's best songs, Buck's guitar rocks!

"True Confessions"- "Naked, exposed like fine rock and roll". One of Allen's finest songs, 60's doo-wop, great saxes by the Brecker Brothers.

"(Don't Fear) The Reaper"- "Fourty thousand men and women everyday". Buck's ultimate song #12 in 1976, the guitar is classic, love the middle part, not really played on most stations today, they mostly play the edited version.

E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)"- "Don't report this Agents of fortune". What harmonies here, Buck's guitar rules, good use of synths.

"The Revenge Of Vera Gemini" -"But I love your naked neck". Patti Smith's vocals are great on this track, This is a great BOC song, great use of bass and guitar.

"Sinful Love"-"Daredevil, she devil, printer's devil, evil". Written by Albert and the late Helen Wheels. Here's a song that should of been a hit. Buck does a great stun guitar here, again the harmonies are amazing.

"Tattoo Vampire"- "Vampire suckin' the skin". Another Albert and Helen song. A halloween favorite, this song is a kind of rock -punk classic, erie effects, Eric's vocals resonate.

"Morning Final- "After what I read I can hardly feel my heart". Written by Joe Bouchard, Early 70ish type song, people fine this song boring, but to me it's a BOC classic song, great guitar by Buck, love the "Paper,Paper" and subway effects at the end, always makes my dogs look around in wonder.

Tenderloin"- "I come to you in a blue,blue room". A drug song, another Allen Lanier song 60's type feel on this one, probably would of fit perfectly on the Stalk-Forrest Group.

"Debbie Denise" - "But I was out rollin' with my band". Albert and Patti's 2nd song here, This is a great song, great acoustic's, could of been a big hit! good strumming guitar by Buck, Albert's vocals are just magical here!

Bonus tracks:Early original version of "Fire Of Unknown Orgin" slowed down version here, good stuff. "Took my baby away".

"Sally" - "Confess". Albert song, 60's type song, organ dominated song.

"(Don't Fear) The Reaper"- Stripped down version, No COWBELL here.

"Dance The Night Away"- Allen Lanier number with the late Jim Caroll. This song would be released by Jim Caroll, A song BOC wouldn't play live! Just Allen on piano and singing. "I smoked a cigarette".

I've enjoyed this album for 34 years now, doesn't get old.

As for the hits it does have 3-4 really good numbers - "This Ain't The Summer of Love" is an OK song, then "The Reaper" is of course quite a catchy tune, "E.T.I." and "Revenge of Vera Gemini" are also my favorites with the latter having some fun with the lyrics which I just love. The problem here is that this seems like a rather strange collection of songs thrown together without a lot of consistency. Where is heavy metal you ask? Well perhaps something close to it is present on two or three tracks but other than that it is mostly rocksy pop... even the most celebrated song on here, "The Reaper" isn't much of a heavy metal song... nope it's not. That doesn't mean I don't like it, I do I do I do!! Anyway, this is by far not the best album of BOC, guys! Still it's a good listen.