Customer Reviews

Don't Fear the Reaper: Best of Blue Oyster Cult

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For curiosity seekers interested in a sampling of the Cult's recording career with CBS, this new "Best Of" is serviceable, but not as thorough as the 2-disc "Workshop of the Telescopes" put out a few years back. The songs on this new disc were compiled based on fan votes for the Oyster Boys' best material, so some of the inclusions are questionable (for example, why "Marshall Plan" but not "Monsters"? or "Goin Through the Motions" but not "Golden Age of Leather"?), but overall the track listing does an admirable job of offering the listener a window on the world of one of the most bizarre, talented, and underrated American rock bands ever. Too musically accomplished, too lyrically complex, and too intelligent to warrant the "heavy metal" label under which they are often grouped, the Cult has offered a darkly satirical take on American life and institutions since the early 1970s. In a sense, they might be thought of as the Steely Dan of hard rock, picking up the clean, well-scrubbed flagstones of society to see what's crawling around in the darkness underneath. Check out their brutal examinations of such American cultural obsessions as sentimental love (the copycat suicide-for-love fantasy of "Reaper," the S&M-inflected stalker narrative of "Burnin' For You," and the bleak but sultry vampire romances of "I Love the Night" and "Shooting Shark," the latter co-written with renowned poet Patti Smith), B-horror movies (the tongue-in-cheek "Godzilla," the hilarious and disturbing "Joan Crawford," the "bad taste" of which is designed to drive home a point concerning public interest in celebrity scandals), counterculture aspirations and failings (the cold, hallucinatory "Flaming Telepaths," the scathing hippie indictment "This Ain't the Summer of Love") and even UFOs (1983's blistering "Take Me Away," in which BOC prefigures the mid-90s X-Files/alien abduction craze by roughly a decade). The remastering on this disc and its detailed, well-written liner notes may interest hardcore fans who already own the whole BOC catalogue--this is the only place that you can get a remastered version of the classic "Joan Crawford," for example, which was why I bought the disc. The beginning fan can pick up the 2-disc "Workshop of the Telescopes," which includes a more extensive sampling of the band's CBS albums and also contains remastered tracks. But if you're just looking for a brief foray into the eclectic, paranoid, bitterly humorous and occasionally nasty musical philosophy of Blue Oyster Cult, this is as good a place to start as any.

I certainly can't find fault with any of the songs here. But what I can do is direct you to the double antholgy "Workshop Of The Telescopes," which has a more complete selection. BOC is a band that recorded at least four must-have albums and a load of super cuts in their later years, so this set seriously under-represents them. On the other hand, if all you want is "Don't Fear The Reaper," then by all means, go for it.

B.O.C. is one of the greatest bands of all time and there is no way you can get all of their great songs on one cd, but for casual B.O.C. fans, this is the way to go. Obviously, everyone knows the classics "Godzilla", "Don't Fear The Reaper" & "Burnin' For You", but they have so much more. "Black Blade" is, in my opinion, the band's greatest song and "Take Me Away" has one of the greatest lead breaks ever. I could go one for hours, but I hate to bore. Bottom line is that the Cult is a great band and this cd is a must-buy!

Blue Oyster Cult is a group that nearly has no genre. Much of their early music, only a little of which appears in this compilation, is hard rock with flashes of progressive rock. Most startling are their lyrics, sometimes almost comedic, typically creatively bizarre, and just as frequently so eclectic as to be incomprehensible.

With the success of "Agents of Fortune" Blue Oyster Cult's music changed to a milder rock style, and in some cases, pop. The titles often remain bizarre, such as "Veteran of the Psychic Wars," and the lyrics also remain challenging and unusual, but the music itself is softer.

Consider, for example, "Goin' Through the Motions." This music sounds like something Foreigner might have created rather than the group that created "Harvester of Eyes" and "Flaming Telepaths." Even mellower is "In Thee," which I consider the mellowest song in this collection. This song is romantically beautiful, and somewhat un-Cult.

While I've focused somewhat on the more uncharacteristic songs in this collection, I would be remiss if I did not point out one of the best songs in this collection, "Shooting Shark." This song, from 1983's "Revolution by Night," is somewhat a product of its time, featuring electronics and an early 80s sound, and yet, it contains that spark that has always been at the heart of BOC's best music.

Blue Oyster Cult was formed in 1967, and released an album as recently as 2001. While they were likely strongly influenced by a variety of groups, they have also influenced a variety of musical styles that range from current hard rock to nu-metal or thrash. The length of Blue Oyster Cult's career is barely touched in this sixteen song collection. An even better collection is the two disk compilation "Workshop of the Telescopes," which contains thirty two songs. Once you have listened to that phenomenal collection you may find that you want to purchase Blue Oyster Cult's original albums.

Now comes a question. For sound, buy this CD or "Workshop of the Telescopes"? If you have a high end system and you can readily tell the difference between a remastered CD and the original, and you prefer remastered, then do buy this one. On the other hand, if you have an el cheapo stereo and you can only sometimes tell a remastered CD, then "Workshop of the Telescopes" is a better bet.

Blue Oyster Cult has an array of enjoyable music and this CD gives you a very small sample of that music. If you are unable to find "Workshop of the Telescopes" or you just want a very small flavor of Blue Oyster Cult, then buy this CD. Otherwise, pass this one by for the better options.

This is a great introduction to BOC, with songs representing most of their albums. They really were a great band - superb musicianship, beautiful lyrics. And the remastering is excellent. My only minor quibble: "Goin' through the motions" could have given way for something else. Otherwise, crank it up and get into the dark and mysterious world of BOC.

As a die hard BOC fan, I totally enjoy this CD. It has lots of good tunes all in one place, and they're re-mastered! It is a big plus to actually hear Eric singing the lyrics. Sure it doesn't have all their best songs, try Workshop of the Telescopes (which also has lots of so-so songs and is NOT re-mastered). This is a must-have for fans and a good intro into the BOC world. Newcommers should also try 'Secret Treaties' or 'Career of Evil'.

I've recently started listening to Blue Oyster Cult a couple of years ago, and the first time I heard Godzilla, I said, move over Led Zeppelin, cause you got competition. The cult has some very amazing songs such as Dancing in the Ruins, Don't Fear the Reaper, Astronomy, I'm Burning for You, and This Ain't the Summer of Love. I love them all, I just love them, I can't get them out of my head. This cd puts all the right ingredients to make an unforgetable rock album, a must for people who enjoy good solid rock. Lets keep the Cult a secret, we don't want dumb people knowing about them, BOC is far too smart for the general population.

It is understandable that a compilation of Blue Oyster Cult can never be perfect. First, people have different tastes and, god knows, BOC tried quite a few styles. Second, they have more than twenty songs that can qualify for such a collection. Finally, there are no perfect compilations in the world - we'll have to live with that. Anyway, almost every song here deserves to be on the record. Except perhaps for "In Thee" - it just doesn't quite cut it. I would definitely replace it with "Veteran of Psychic Wars" and/or "Sole Survivor" - both are absolutely better songs. Other than that I don't really have any objections (see above the starting comments, though).

THIS CD PRETTY WELL COVERS BLUE OYSTER CULT'S MOST POPULAR SONGS FROM 1972 TO 1983'S REVOLUTION BY NIGHT ALBUM. EVERYTHING FROM THEIR HARDER STUFF FORM THE EARLY 70'S UP TO THEIR MELODIC ARENA ROCK TUNES FROM THE EARLY 80'S. THE CD ROCKS FROM START TO FINISH. I LOVE "BURNIN' FOR YOU","GODZILLA","TAKE ME AWAY", AND THE ALAN PARSON'S LIKE "SHOOTING SHARK" THE BEST,BUT THERE REALLY ISN'T A BAD SONG ON THIS CD.

Boasting great sound, this is a welcomed compilation from a group that's hard to pin down - having been known as a metal group, biker's band, sci-fi/art rockers, pop band, to backing up Jackson Browne in an earlier incarnation! If you're looking for a distinctive overview, and likely to buy one BOC disc, (ahem), don't fear the purchase!