Customer Reviews

Long Days Night

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Blue Oyster Cult rocked the Skyline Stage at Chicago's Navy Pier on the first night of Summer 2002. It was among the best shows that Blue Oyster Cult has ever performed. I was there. And now through the magic of compressed bits and bytes, I can be 'there' again and again by listening to this CD. And so can you. This is the record of the year. Get it. (And don't forget to get the DVD version of this concert which is also available) One final thought - It seems illogical that this band sounds better today than they did more than 25 years ago when I first saw them perform live - but they do - go figure!

Let me first say that I am a long-time hardcore Blue Oyster Cult fan and as such my review is likely to be biased. I unfortunately wasn't at the show where this was recorded so have been eagerly awaiting my chance to hear it.
The packaging is very attractive, some slick art work and there are some great photos of the band included in the liner notes. The big drawback and - for me a longterm gripe with BOC - is the lack of any written information on the album or the band. This is the first live album in 20 years for pete's sake and with the new line up including Miranda on bass and Rondinelli on drums. Where's the harm in putting a little commentary on?
On first listen I can report it has a great live feel. All the old favourites are there - to be honest I could have done without yet another version of Reaper, Godzilla, Burnin' and Buck's Boogie but they are the band's trademarks and they had to be included. To be fair these are particularly good renditions of all four numbers and showcase the relative talents of all the band members admirably including the newbies who cope very well with the old material but I can't help feeling the performances are TOO polished. They play these songs at every show and along the way they appear to have lost their spontaneity and enthusiasm for them. Dare I say they sound a little jaded: "ho hum here we go with Reaper - again."
They also include Astronomy as a bonus number not to be included on the soon to be released DVD of this performance. Well I hate to say it but this is one decision that I find difficult to understand. Eric Bloom's voice is no longer up to the Astronomy challenge that much is apparent even though he does a remarkable job on most of his other tracks. I understand that much rerecording had to be done in the studio to come up with the end product we get here. Maybe it would have been kinder to have just let it go citing technical problems. It doesn't add anything and is a jarring note that just seems to point up any other vocal blips on the album. There are some superb instrumental solos on the track but somehow it all has an artificial feel as if it doesn't quite belong.
The sound mix is a little odd too throughout - for one hearing I thought I was listening to a Metallica album so overpowering are the drums drowning out much of the guitar playing particularly Allen Lanier's.
Now that's most of the complaining out of the way.
They open a little tentatively with Stairway to the Stars and quickly find their way into the groove.
There are good versions of Dance on Stilts from the most recent studio album, Curse of the Hidden Mirror, Harvest Moon from Heaven Forbid, Lips in the Hills from Cultosaurus Erectus and very old favourite OD'd on Life. Quicklime Girl is given a good outing here too as is Cities on Flame.
The stand out track of the album for me is astonishingly Perfect Water a track from possibly the least popular BOC studio album ever, Club Ninja. This version of Perfect Water is, to coin a phrase, a piece of perfection. It is a stunning performance and a magical arrangement I can't praise it highly enough.
All in all this album proves the band have still got it and are still out there ... with the best of them after more than thirty years!!! How many other bands can say that? It's pretty good - not remarkable or outstanding but pretty good. A new BOC album is always a cause for celebration in my eyes and I'm awaiting the DVD eagerly.

Several excellent reviews have already been written about this album. I will not try to out-do them, but I have a slightly different viewpoint on a few issues.
Regarding the "rent-a-rhythm-section": Instrumentally, the new drummer and bassist are excellent! Bobby Rondinelli is one of the best rock drummers in the world, and manages to keep things interesting throughout the album. The main difference between Bobby and original drummer Al Bouchard is that Bobby is less jazz influenced. Expect some serious hard-rock drumming! New bassist Danny Miranda (hardly "new" after several years in the band),puts his own creative touch on the bass lines, wandering off into new and slightly different territory instead of sticking strictly to Joe Bouchard's original bass lines. As I said, instrumentally speaking, the new rhythm section rocks! The Bouchard's are still, and will always be missed in the background/harmony vocals department though. The background/harmony vocals are good but not great on this album.
Regarding Eric Bloom's vocals and "Astronomy": E.B.'s lead vocals still sound great. He may have lost a bit of his high register, and the grittiest end of his growl, but his sneering biker-turned-spaceman vocals still retain all the vigor and attitude that are Bloom's trademarks. There is usually a high-note at the end of Astronomy that Bloom doesn't try for on this album, but it hardly effects the impact of the song. To the contrary, this version of Astronomy contains an extended guitar solo by Buck that is one of the finest and most exciting I've ever heard.
And now on to my few gripes: If you buy this album, expect to hear lots of lead vocals, lead guitar, and drums, but don't expect to have the rhythm guitar or bass jump out at you. The worst part of the mix is that there is almost no "crunch" to the rhythm guitar. It is audible, but has very little high-end to it, detracting from the classic B.O.C. 3-guitar attack (aka: The Guitar Orchestra Of The State Of Imaginos!). Secondly, although the bass is not necessarily too low in the mix, it sounds boomy and makes it hard to differentiate the notes being played.
OK, that was my only real complaint! Take it from a fan of many types of music, not just classic rock and metal: this is an excellent, well rounded live album, and will probably be the most played of all 4 B.O.C. live albums from now on...well, at least on my stereo it will!

BÖC put on an amazing performance at the Navy Pier this summer, and this disc does a great job of capturing 13 of the songs performed there. (The tracklist listed by Amazon is wrong. The CD tracklist is Stairway to the Stars, Burnin' For You, OD'd on Life Itself, Dance On Stilts, Buck's Boogie, Quicklime Girl, Harvest Moon, Astronomy, Cities on Flame, Perfect Water, Lips in the Hills, Godzilla and (Don't Fear) The Reaper.) Buck Dharma is the most under-rated guitarist of all time, and his awesome performance on this disc is simply amazing. He takes Burnin' For You to a whole new level here. Fellow original BÖC members Eric Bloom and Allen Lanier and long-time rhythm section Bobby Rondinelli and Danny Miranda are all in fine form as well. Don't pass this one up!

B.O.C. NEVER QUITS. I WAS OF THE MINORITY THAT BELIEVED THAT THEIR LIVE C.D.s WERE LACKING SOMEWHAT ( WITH THE NOTABLE EXEPTION OF "ON YOUR FEET OR ON YOUR KNEES"). BUT THIS ONE TOTES SUPERIOR LIVE SONGS, WITH A REFRESHING LIVE VERSION OF "MISTRESS OF THE SALMON SALT (QUICKLIME GIRL)".
I KIND OF IMAGINE THAT THESE GUYS WILL NEVER RETIRE. PROBABLY SELLING OUT ASSISTED LIVING HOMES CONCERTS WHEN THEY APPROACH THEIR 70s.

This release is validation that Buck Dharma is the finest Axe shredder in the genre. The Oyster boys are on tour forever. Go see them and behold the master of technique and tone. BOC stalwarts Eric Bloom and Allen Lanier's contribution to the complex arrangements are better appreciated live. The lone caveat is the extended drum/bass solo section; though proficient it's just plain boring. This disc is sonically the best live BOC recording to date. Carefully selecting gems from 30 years of history, BOC has successfully managed to bring this unique music out of the classic rock wasteland and back on the stage where it thrives. Support American Rock-N-Roll. Buy this CD, check their tour dates and discover what all the fuss is about.

This CD rocks....the band sounds killer and the mixes are awesome !! Highly recommended for a road trip..

This album is great. It is nice that bands that still rock are releasing great live stuff. The concert flows perfectly and the set list includes all of the hits. I cant wait for the DVD to come out - I have already pre-ordered it!

There was a time when Blue Oyster Cult scarred people. During the band's first albums, there was considerable mystery surrounding the band's subject matter. As time went by one could be bewildered by all this talk of secret treaties, flaming telepaths, harvester of eyes, dominance, submission, workshops, astronomy, advanced Messerschmitts and some sort of fascination with the night. Along with the band's chosen symbol which was a hybrid of a Celtic cross and a fishing hook, around 1972 some began to perceive some sort of crypto-nazism and a few popular music magazines called for a boycott of Blue Oyster Cult albums. Of course, the band rode all this notoriety of all it was worth.

BOC hit it big in 1975 with "Don't Fear The Reaper": a love song that was about...what? Suicide? Disappearing into the mysterious darkness? Vampires? "We can become like they are" Who was "they"?

As it came out, BOC was writing songs loosely based on a sprawling science fiction story. All this was supposed to be revealed with their "last" album. "Imaginos". Unfortunately, even having it spelled out for us the subject matter was obscure as ever. BOC, however, had passed from being sinister to romantic to goofy to a joke. This "thinking man's" heavy metal became sidelined as newer and heavier bands arrived and took over the countryside.

After all these years, BOC still has an intense, faithful following. In spite of all the missteps and loss of original members, BOC can still put on a great show. "A Long Day's Night" puts the band back in the arena of "live" shows where they are at their best. BOC has put out three other "live" albums in the past and each is superior to the lot of other "live" albums in the rock world. This one is probably the best in production values with each instrument sounding crisp and the vocals are up front rather than buried behind the wall of noise.

The set list spans BOC's entire career. Somewhat heavy on the early material with only a few songs from their recent albums. BOC still lingers in the phantasmagoria subject matter but the main aim is to have fun and rock. In this post-grunge age, most kids will find the lyrics interesting but the musical licks dated.

Be that as it may, if your taste runs toward Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears there is nothing here for you. However, if you tend to like the Foo Fighters you might be surprised to find this is "roots" music for you.

I must admit that my vote of 4 is more out of amazement that this band can still put on a great show than in finding anything terribly special about this CD. Before fellow BOC heads beat the tar out of me, wait just a second. This is a really good album for those of us already under the BOC magic; I doubt it will win a great many converts. But, they picked a first class set of songs, Buck Dharma's at his best, and it's a great way to reinvigorate your desire to upgrade your entire BOC collection to CD. The weakest part of the record are the vocals. Not Eric Blooms, but the rest. God, you'd figure that you could at least sing on key, but getting old will do that to you, I guess.