Customer Reviews

Blue Oyster Cult: Secrets Revealed!

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Among the scores and scores of great Blue Oyster Cult songs is R U Ready 2 Rock. After reading "Blue Oyster Cult: Secrets Revealed!", I ask, 'R U Ready 2 Read.' Martin Popoff has authored a most amazing book about a most amazing band. Rather than dwell in VH1-style "Behind the Scenes" biography explaining who did what to whom and when and why (and who cares anyway?) this intrepid author has given some historical perspective on each and every one of Blue Oyster Cult's album releases over the years starting with 1971's Blue Oyster Cult and concluding with their latest releases in the 21st Century. (Yes, this band is still active, still recording and still touring!) If you are a fan of the band you must have wondered, from time to time, things such as: What is a dizbuster? How does someone come up with a name for a song such as Harvester of Eyes? Why was the sound of "Mirrors" such a departure from earlier releases? Why did "Club Ninja" happen? Each and every song ever recorded by Blue Oyster Cult is discussed in some detail. I read this book with the enthusiasm and excitement that I usually reserve for action adventure mystery books. I simply could not believe that there was someone (in the very same universe in which I live) that could not only appreciate this band as much as I, but clearly many times more. The music of Blue Oyster Cult has brought me much joy over the years. Blue Oyster Cult: Secrets Revealed! has also brought much joy. That this book exists makes me smile. That the book was published in an affordable paperback version makes it accessible to everyone. For the price of one audio CD, you will be exposed and re-exposed to all the great music that you have known over the years. After reading this book, I found myself digging into some of the albums that I have not listened to in awhile. I am extremely enthusiastic about recommending this book. Thank you, Martin Popoff for writing the book. And Thank You Blue Oyster Cult for writing the music.

Martin Popoff finally sheds a floods worth of light on one of thee best rock bands, Blue Oyster Cult (i.e. before Albert departed).
I totally agree with all the other reviewers. This book is a must have, a "must must" have for any BOC fan.
From "Transmaniacon MC" to "Good To Feel Hungry", all the songs are here. Each album & song are broken down & disected by the humans that matter, the members of the band themselves (as well as cowriters, producers, managers et alia). For someone who bought the first album back in '72 and has listened for to BOC for 3 decades plus, Popoff's book has been an epiphany for me. The chapter on the Imaginos album alone makes this book worth it. Go to Popoffs website & get yourself an autographed copy (don't report this)!
Buy this book!! I swear on my vinyl copy of "On Your Feet Or On Your Knees" you will not be disappointed.

Every question I ever had about Blue Oyster Cult, Oaxaca, Soft White Underbelly, Stalk-Forrest Group, and Patti Smith, from the lyrics, the licks, the album covers, the umlaut over the "O", the Cult symbol, the production, the management, the personel changes, to the touring was answered, except one. Who is Susie?

The first night I picked it up to read it, I couldn't put it down and read until 3:30 am (it was a work night). I finished it when I got home from work the next evening. This book is a must for any Blue Oyster Cult fan.

You think you know the band and then Popoff shows you, you don't have a clue. This book is amazing, not for his writing, but for the insight it provides into the music business and the incredible pressure on the band as they walked a razors edge between pleasing their fans and creating more commercially acceptable music.

I was particulary blown away by his critical assessment of each and every song that BOC recorded, and a few they didn't. We must be kindred spirits because he pulled no punches and I think I only disagreed with one or two song critiques throughout the entire book. (Call me wierd but I prefer the Red, with the slick, finger snapping, blues of Baby Ice Dog and the way Teen Archer segues into the funky, minor chords, quirky lyrics, and Evil Beach Boys background vocals of Quicklime Girl. I didn't appreciate the Black songs until I heard On Your Feet or On Your Knees, where they are all far better).

I am always amazed at young fans that hold up Imaginos or Heaven Forbid as BOC's crowning achievements and prefer the later version of Astronomy to the original epic masterpiece (like an Aerosmith fan that doesn't like Toys in the Attic or Rocks). If this is you, you might get angry and dismiss this book but I hope that you read it, go out and buy Secret Treaties and On Your Feet or on You Knees and gain a new appreciation for their earlier work.

When you finish this book, you will want to break out every one of your BOC records or CDs and listen to them again with newfound critical ears. If you are old enough or lucky enough to have all of the original albums and liners, you will stare at them like Charles the grinning boy with his blinders off. Get some good MP3 editing software and start slowing them down and playing them backwards (try Harvester of Eyes, You're Not the One I was Looking For, and Come Softly to Me).

I'm going to read it again this weekend with the headphones on this time.

I am in full agreement with almost everybody else....this is a great book, jam packed full of info about each and every song from every album Blue Oyster Cult has ever made. What makes it all the more interesting is that....this band just doesn't write songs about chasing women and breaking up with them and driving around in cars with women and all the other boring stuff that metal bands write about. The lyrics to B.O.C.'s songs deal with monsters, extra-terrestrials, life after death and other scientific stuff like that.

The book doesn't get into the personal lives of the band members, it focuses wisely just on their music and how they got together in the first place and why each band member joined and either quit or got fired....it goes into pretty good detail about how drummer Al Bouchard was kicked out of the band, as well. B.O.C. fans will learn a great deal in this book.

My favorite chapter is the one dealing with the album Imaginos. Popoff does an amazing job detailing how the album was put together and tries his hardest to explain the very confusing and convuluted story that goes along with the album. Since reading this book, I've gone back and listened to Imaginos again and have found that I don't hate it nearly as much as I used to!

My only gripe about this book is that there are absolutely no photos of the band. This would have been nice, especially for those handful of people who have never heard of this band before. Still, this is a fascinating and entertaining read. Since getting this a month ago, I've read it three times already!

GREAT BOOK!

This is an amazing book. It's slender size (200+ pages, slim paperback) belies the incredible wealth of information contained within its covers. This is not just a book written by a fan for fans, this is a serious study into the development of rock music in the 70s and would interest passers-by. Over the last 10 years, Popoff has done hundreds of interviews of bandmembers as well as many close to the band, some of whom have since passed on. It's taken him years to research but what he has come up with is the first and possibly only book that ever needs to be written on Blue Oyster Cult, the greatest rock band in the world.
Every song from every album is analysed and explanations given to their origins, mostly those who composed the song in the first place.
This book is the essential companion for any BOC fan. I urge you strongly to get out that credit card and make Popoff a little richer! This is an excellent book.

I would recommend this book to die-hard BOC fans, but think it is the least effective of Popoff's books. It is not as easy or enjoyable a read as his books on Rush or UFO. He frequently bounces back and forth chronologically when describing the band's history, making the narration distracting. In addition, the book is full of distracting clarifications from the editor and rife with misspellings and grammatical issues. Also I thought he glossed over the band's mid-late 80s work and personnel. Additionally, I am not sure if his explanation of the Imaginos concept clarifies or muddies the waters on this work.

On the plus side, he does manage to get exclusive interviews with members of the band's inner circle and some great insight on the personalities that made the classic BOC lineup musically formidable. Plus, his love for the band comes through pretty clearly in the writing. Likeminded readers will enjoy it.

Hats off to Martin for writing this book on this heavily underrated band. If you're a BOC fan that is into lyrical/musical interpretation, this book is a must have. There is rarely any info on the personal crisis' of any band member. This book just contains great quotes on the past and future from the band members and the ones closest to them. This book is the only one of its kind until Bolle (the almighty BOC fan) writes his masterpiece. Thank you Martin, for guiding us on this journey that is way overdue.

The last few years have been good ones for Blue Oyster Cult fans. In 1998 the band returned from recording oblivion with a strong new album. Since then we have gotten another new album, a concert DVD and now the first book published about the band. Any book would have been welcome, but this one is excellent. Martin Popoff has shed some light on a band that has long thrived on darkness. Popoff has chosen to tell the story of the band through their discography, and it's a perfect approach. We get the small picture analysis of the songs, and the big picture overview of the albums: the cover art, the conceptual connections, and sadly, the music biz manipulations that gradually came to bear. As Sandy Pearlman, onetime producer/songwriter of the band explains it, with the best BOC albums you want to listen start to finish, and the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts. But with the weaker albums, you want to experience them only on a random access basis.

We get just a bit of dirt on the band, but it's important dirt, concerning the ouster of original drummer Albert Bouchard. Bouchard was fired during a tour after the 'Fire of Unknown Origin' album for alleged bad behavior. The real revelation is that Bouchard was a key player in the creative process, a gifted writer and arranger, and his talents were missed when he was gone. A listen to the first post-Albert offerings, 'Revolution by Night' and 'Club Ninja', bears this out. Most fans would agree that these albums are not up to the band's standard, to put it kindly. Popoff, though obviously a devout fan of the band, does not shy away from giving harsh reviews to the songs that deserve them.

The post-Albert slide in the band's writing material and their fortunes would seem to indicate that that in rock music, the pen is mightier than the axe. A band can be kick-ass players, but when they lose the ability to craft good tunes, the end is in sight. BOC's musicianship has never been questioned, but the band's greatest strength over the years has probably been its writing. They have carved out a niche with a unique blend of intricate lyrics and killer guitar riffs. This book ably documents the band's collaborative approach and their use of a wide range of worthy outside contributors like Ian Hunter and Patti Smith.

As for the killer chops, there is a brief but telling anecdote capturing the reaction of a guy named Springsteen on hearing a BOC song in the Columbia offices in the early days. 'Who was that?' asks Bruce. 'Blue Oyster Cult'. 'I can't believe anybody could play that fast.'

This book is highly recommended. If you're thinking of buying it as a present for a BOC fan, you should make sure they have the DVD as well, because they will be itching to watch it after they read. To get the full experience and to confirm that after all the years, albums and shows, these guys still sound great and they still play fast.

Finally some written material on one of the most underrated bands of all time. People who buy and listen to BOC know good music when they hear it. This book is a must for any Cultie. It provides insight to all the music along with info on the band, although it is not a true biography. The focus is on the thought provoking lyrics and incredible guitar work. Martin - Thank You!!

Just finished this book and feel better for reading it as it answered several questions that I've been unable to figure out for YEARS! My gripes are minor: cost is a bit high, cover artwork is cheesey (and devoid of the Gawlick symbol!!), no band-member or co-writer photos, the photos of the album covers are terrible (doesn't metal blade have a better scanner?), the font they used sucks (but you get used to it) and the ending was not what I expected from some who's been writing as long as Popoff has been writing.

I am one of the one's who would've liked a little more "dirt" on the band, but I suppose that would've made it a completely different book. He sticks to the songs and their origins and does it concisely for the most part. He does touch on line-up changes and there's probably more on Alberts departure than what's here, but we'll have to wait for the other book by Bolle? on that kinda stuff.

Like other reviewers, I've gone back and listened to stuff with different ears. My attitude hasn't changed TOO much, the stuff I think is crap is still crap and Mirrors is still the best thing they've done. I've developed respect for B.O.C. I, Secret Treaties and Spectres, but still hate T&M, Agents and the cover art for Heaven Forbid.

I read a decent book called "Please Kill Me" by a different author about the origins of punk that was written in a similar style, what that author did was put in bold at the beginning of each paragraph who it was that was talking. I found myself getting lost sometimes, because of the number of references Popoff uses. (By the way, PKM claims that Allen Lanier used to live with Deborah Harry, something that's not even touched on in Secrets Revealed).

All in all, I burned through this book relatively quick and will keep it for reference as I'm maniacal about mt facts. If you're a fan, as I said in my title, this book is a must-read, and I did enjoy it for the most part....but try to find a used copy somewhere if you can.