Customer Reviews

Spectres

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After the success of `Don't Fear the Reaper,' it had been proven that even a complex band like Blue Oyster Cult had the potential to score huge FM radio hits; the musical pioneers earned a strong following among the nation's metal fan base with their dark, cryptic, heavy brand of rock, but the aforementioned single and album "Agents of Fortune" propelled them to Top 20 status. Perhaps sensing that their mysterious heavy metal could still make a hit single, BOC recorded "Spectres," a record which Rolling Stone described as "Hard as nails but sweet as cream...proves Blue Oyster Cult to be the Fleetwood Mac of heavy metal." It embraces the menace and grim hauntings of earlier records, but the tracks here have been sculpted slightly to allow for FM radio station accessibility (for instance, a previous example `This Ain't the Summer Of Love'). BOC were still one studio album away from letting loose with a deliberate attempt at pop-metal (1979's "Mirrors"), but this was the layout for their plan for heavy metal domination.
Most of the material on this album and its predecessor is much more direct and slightly shorter than earlier classics like `7 Screaming Diz-Busters' or `Astronomy.' But the mystique is always present, and the Cult delivers a careful, meticulous assault. The gorgeous `I Love the Night' and the irresistible `Goin' Through the Motions' are, in hindsight, obvious preludes to what BOC were aiming for with "Mirrors." `Nosferatu' and the concert crowd-pleaser `Godzilla' perfectly embrace the sci-fi/horror flick themes that have always been identified with the group, neatly woven into blistering tapestries. Blue Oyster Cult's view of romance has to be one of the most interesting, odd, and alluring perspectives of any metal band before or after them; `Fireworks' and `Death Valley Nights' (the title of which says it all) rank as some of their finest overlooked songs, while `The Golden Age of Leather' is one of the band's most articulate, elaborate anthems of the 70s.
BOC rightfully earned their title of "the thinking man's heavy metal band" and these songs are certainly no exception. "Spectres" is actually more essential than many may think; it is the dark, often haunting bridge between two musical phases in the fascinating career of the Blue Oyster Cult.

As far as I'm concerned, SPECTRES is very much in the same vein as BOC's AGENTS OF FORTUNE album...both are great.

Some BOC purists will say that after the first three albums they began to "sell out." I don't agree. If anything, it seems to me that their music became more expansive, more atmospheric, and more imaginative, at least up until around FIRE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN. SPECTRES contains some of BOCs greatest moody classics ("I Love The Night"), some of their greatest mysterio-rock anthems ("Golden Age of Leather," "Godzilla") and one of their greatest unabashed pop songs ever ("Going Thru The Motions.")

Now if only Bruce Dickinson can get this album remastered with lyrics and unreleased tracks as he did with the first 4 BOC studio albums...

I've just listened to it again and I'm not ashamed to say I've got a silly euphoric grin on my face. I'll be `Goin' Through the Motions' all day now. That is a serious drawback with this album; it'll drive you insane for hours as you rerun it mentally. They say Sony are planning to release a re-mastered version of this with bonus tracks - well I don't know about that. Just how do you improve on perfection? OK that's an exaggeration. It's not perfect but when even the weakest parts are as good as `Searching for Celine' who's splitting hairs? I could probably live without `R U Ready to Rock' and `Celestial the Queen' too but having said that none of these songs is bad per se and would be perfectly acceptable additions to any other album. `Godzilla' has been done to death but I can't help it - I love it. I'll never tire of hearing `The Golden Age of Leather' either or `Nosferatu.' `I Love the Night' is as creepily compulsive now as it was at first hearing and even the superficially light and frothy `Fireworks' has hidden depths. `Death Valley Nights' is the kind of Blue Öyster Cult song that creeps up on you unawares. You start by almost dismissing it but upon successive hearings it exerts an insidious fascination and it grabs you. For those who say the whole thing's too soft, too polished and too `poppy' - well, so what's your point? It makes me feel good and I won't apologise for that. It's not a representative BÖC album they say. Huh? So point me to one that is. The point with these guys is that just when you think you've got their measure they change the rules and turn everything around on you. Always expect the unexpected when you're dealing with the Öyster boys.

Like the preceding Agents of Fortune, Spectres contains filler that prevents you from hitting the shuffle and repeat buttons on your CD player. However, it does contain a string of excellent tunes in Godzilla, Golden Age of Leather and Death Valley Nights. I Love the Night and Nosferatu contain provocative lyrics and haunting melodies that pick up where Don't Fear the Reaper left off. R.U. Ready 2 Rock and Goin' Through the Motions round out the worthwhile songs. With more hooks than a tackle shop, this album paints vivid lyrical images on a canvas of macabre melodies and solidifies BOC's status as The Thinking Man's Band.

After reading the other reviews I can't believe anyone can find anything wrong with this cd. The only gripe any metal rock lover could possibly have with Spectres is that maybe some of the songs on it are quite a bit softer than heavy metal. Only the close-minded puritanical heavy metal rocker might have a problem with that... Song crafting and tunesmanship are the attributes that makes this cd soar. I love metal music but I don't have to have my ears assalted by guitars and screaming vocals at every turn to love a song. The facts are that if this album had been first, BOC probably wouldn't have been classified as a heavy metal band, and any number of songs off this album could have been commercially successful. That's why (so called) pure BOC fans don't find this album among their favorites. Yes, Godzilla gets old after awhile, but other than that I've been listening to this cd for 25 years and still love the whole thing. Nosferatu is genuinly a beautiful tune considering it's topic. The music soars and carries you away. I love the night could have and should have been a smash hit for them. Going through the motions, reminds me alot of Aerosmith, Also could have been a hit. Golden age of Leather is the ultimate biker song. Death Valley Nights had to grow on me but became my favorite song on the cd. Fireworks was as good as anything on the radio at the time. R.U.Ready 2 Rock was designed to open concerts and did both times I saw these guys. In conclusion I gotta say that being hung with the "Heavy Metal" label was probably the worst thing that ever happened to these guys. This album would have propelled them to "Superstar" status had the band been considered more mainstream. Yes, I know they did get pretty popular anyways, but they never got the recognition and fame they deserved. Sit back and listen to this cd several times through a good set of headphones with your eyes shut. I think you'll agree.

Imagine viewing a masterpiece in a museum through a gauze filter and you have my impression of this album. Every song is a near classic with Golden Age of Leather, Death Valley Nights, and of course, Fireworks, as particular standouts. But it suffers from 70'as recording standards and is disappointing aurally; my first impression was that it sounded like it was being played though a 5" PVC pipe (and sounded worst through flat-response studio headphones).
I'm conflicted because I love the album and you get used to the sound eventually, but when lesser-known bands such as Uriah Heep make the admirable effort to remaster their classics, I have to wonder why BOC won't do the same. Therefore I can't give it the 5 stars it would otherwise deserve.
In short, Spectres is a work of art that is in desperate need of restoration.

Thats right! Blue Oyster Cult's official web site under BOC news 2005 states that Spectres and Some Enchanted Evening will be reissued in late 2006! The cd will be REMASTERED WITH BONUS TRACKS! So before shelling out 25-30 dollars or more to rip off sellers for what was originally a budget cd for only 8.99 at most stores just be a little patient. The wait will be well worth it! Just a thought. I hope this will be helpful to those wanting to add this most excellent cd to their collection. But! If you can't wait then I most certainly UNDERSTAND!

This album contains such a wide variety of well written songs. There is the classic Nosferatu with Al Bouchard's fragile, haunting voice. I Love The Night is an unknown mystical gem by Buck. Fireworks (great lyrics) and Goin Through The Motions are catchy little numbers. Godzilla and RU Ready to Rock are the rockers, and Celestial The Queen has a beautiful chorus. I put only Fire of Unknown Origin slightly above this album. Of course most of BOC's albums are worth getting but you may want to start with this one. Get the new BOC book by Popoff to find out who wrote and sang each BOC track on each album!

So B.O.C. were called a metal band...true, if inaccurate. Who cares? They rock harder than most bands that claim to be metal these days. And while some of today's metalheads may look at this album as campy, I tend to think of it as not only one of the great seventies rock albums, but some of the best sci-fi hard rock music ever made. Jimi Hendrix would've been proud, at least lyrically speaking. "Godzilla" is a classic that has a driving pounding beat that makes me think of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man," but with more feelings. "R.U. Ready 2 Rock" is a great song, "Nosferatu," and "The Golden Age of Leather." These are just great songs...*note: it was not "Godzilla" on Stephen King's THE STAND, it was "(Don't Fear) the Reaper" from the previous album "Agents of Fortune." Anyway, that said. This is a great album. ROCK ON B.O.C.!!!

I've been a BOC fan from the beginning. When I hear they "sold out", it makes me chuckle. I call it evolution. They'd done the black leather heavy metal gig for 3 records and a live one and Agents of Fortune is where they began the subtle change. Sure, they needed some airplay and that's one of the reasons but as musicians grow older and maturer, they want to tap into something different as opposed to the same formula over and over again. Spectres is a masterpiece IMO. Agents got more critical acclaim but, personally, I like Spectres better. There's not a clinker on the entire record. Fireworks, Celestial the Queen, and Searchin for Celine are good tunes, not great ones but they're what I consider to be the lesser ones. I Love the Night, Golden Age of Leather, Nosferatu, and Death Valley Nights are BOC classics. Godzilla was the money song here and Goin Thru the Motions (an Eric Bloom/Ian Hunter collaboration)and RU Ready to Rock are the catchy ones and popular live tunes. The band, at this point, was never better. What more can you ask for as far as diversity goes. You get Albert and Joe with 2 songs apiece and Eric and Buck taking the rest. Why Alan didn't take a shot after True Confessions is beyond me though. This is a must-have for any fan of BOC.