Customer Reviews

On Your Feet Or On Your Knees

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When surveying Blue Oyster Cult's catalog of live albums, it's apparent that each of these in-concert releases was carefully placed at a specific point in the band's career, to sum up or end a particular epoch. Such albums include "Some Enchanted Evening" (1978), "Extraterrestrial Live" (1982), and the recent triumph "A Long Day's Night." Each live album balanced old and new material, describing the advances and new territories discovered, while making sure to note the material from previous eras that made the progression possible. 1975's "On Your Feet Or On Your Knees" was the first of these releases, an homage to BOC's first three albums (all of which were landmark recordings for the heavy metal genre), and a reliable testament to what kept this great band alive-loyal touring and performing.
The blazing fury on this album completely blows away many, if not most, live albums that came before it; in 1975, Peter Frampton's "Frampton Comes Alive" was still a year away, and artists were not yet mistaking his example and disguising greatest hits albums under the live album mask (though some bands did manage to make live albums a meaningful event). Some of the only concert recordings released before "On Your Feet Or On Your Knees" that had as much fire and energy were The Who's "Live at Leeds," Deep Purple's "Made in Japan," and Bob Dylan & The Band's "Before the Flood."
The focus on these songs should not be so much on melody as on the fact that each of these five men are playing their guts out. The extended guitar readings that dominate the album are pure heavy metal passion and a musical bond that few bands can perfect. A perfect example is `Seven Screaming Diz-Busters,' which features a searing guitar exercise in which drummer Albert Bouchard's driving drum beats are kept perfectly in time with the soaring guitar work, one musician in heavy metal harmony with another. And when BOC does show a hint of restraint, it is just as hypnotic; Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser's `Then Came the Last Days of May' is one of the best songs written during their early era, a haunting but deceptively melodic tune about the futility and violence of the drug business. The collection closes on an appropriate note, a cover of `Born To Be Wild,' one of the songs that coined the phrase "heavy metal."
Perhaps it's best that "On Your Feet Or On Your Knees" has not yet been fully remastered. The studio polishing would only take away from the raw sound that places the listener amidst the battalion of appreciative fans cheering for a band that were among the most unrelenting pioneers in heavy metal. As non-mainstream (for the 70s) as this music was, "On Your Feet Or On Your Knees" was Blue Oyster Cult's first album to break into the Top 30, a stunning document of the innovations to come; it is both the end and the beginning of an era.

Blue Oyster Cult recorded "On Your Feet..." at a time when they were selling out venues all over the world without the benefit of a hit single anywhere. A raw sounding record with NO OVERDUBS shows the rabidness of the band and gives a wicked slice of their first few releases with a couple cover songs thrown in, to boot. Speaking about sonics, this album will not impress you at first especially if your under the age 25, but give it a further listen a realize the time it was (I'm not saying its a badly recorded album, it just sounds like a mid 70s live album). "Then came the Last Days of May" features killer Buck Dharma solos, and is one of the coolest songs of the era, and the band's re-working of the Yardbirds "I aint got You" is also very good rock. This is the band before "Don't fear The Reaper" was released and before their style began to progress to a more adult-oriented rock and roll. But it's all good, and it's all cranked to high volume. A good lost classic for any collectors of landmark musical recordings. An interesting piece of history from an american metal band amongst a sea of British metal gods. An album worthy of the landmark title and should be on the tip of tongues of metal-heads everywhere like Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath is today. Blue Oyster Cult took a back seat to NO metal band of ANY era they just progressed beyond the (for lack of a better phrase) the teenage genre. Check it out.

In a darkened room, set up your speakers on the floor about four feet apart. Now, lay down with your head on a pillow positioned midway between your speakers. I'm serious! Crank up Last Days of May (without making your ears bleed) and close your eyes.

Now, picture white clad Buck Dharma, bathed in blue light, standing alone in a smoky spotlight beam. A heady brew of pot and perfume permeates the air. Buck looks down as you strain against the crowd that yearns for your spot on the barrier, longing to worship at his feet. He smiles at you with his infectious grin and nods knowingly as he effortlesly produces the most unearthly, mournful wails ever to emanate from a guitar. You stare in disbelief and a shiver comes over you as if it was you in that ill-fated back seat, with your life-blood flowing and your mispent life slipping away before your eyes. The crush fades as the crowd becomes mesmerized. Lighters begin to pierce the darkness like stars on a moonless night. Someone nearby lets out a shrill whistle. Buck turns and your ears buzz with a harmonic ringing, like a pickup on Buck's guitar. The solo ends with a flourish, the lights come up and he joins Eric Bloom, clad in sunglasses and a theatrical black cape, as they bring the song to a finish. The spell is broken and the air is forced from your lungs as the crowd surges forward, pinning you against the barrier. You could die a happy man now. You have witnessed one of the greatest live songs ever recorded.

This album captures Blue Oyster Cult's musical genius and raw power like lightning in a bottle. At the time this was recorded, the sound level at a BOC concert could probably be measured on a seismograph!

Unlike most live albums, many of the songs here are actually better than the studio versions. Last Days of May compared to the studio version is like The Red and the Black compared to I'm on the Lamb: not even close. Subhuman is unbelievable! Buck flat out wails and Allen plays the Hammond like a six-string axe. Seven Screaming Dizbusters just keeps building and building to a diz-busting climax. Harvester of Eyes is transformed into a crunchy boogie that is far more enjoyable than the already good studio version.

The CD is not without its faults such as bad production, that annoying screech between two tracks, the repeat of a portion of Buck's Boogie as a jam at the end of Maserati GT and of course, several conspicuously absent classics. Despite this, it still ranks as one of, if not THE greatest live album in rock history.

I for one would not mind if this album was remastered, if for no other reason than to get rid of that awful screech. As an owner of a vinyl copy as well, I am annoyed by the crossover added to the CD to meld four album sides into one

Almost all the songs are from BOC's first three and strongest albums: the black and white albums; so called because of their incredibly cool black and white covers. The three songs not found on those albums are the covers: Born To Be Wild and Maserati GT(I ain't got you) and the excellent instrumental showcase Buck's Boogie. Every song on this live album is better than it's studio counterpart. They're much more powerful, better sung in most cases, more emotional and the solos more heady and wild. There's not a bad song in the bunch, oh yeah and unlike today they didn't overdub the songs in the studio to fix live mistakes. Which makes this album the finest in BOC's career and one of the best live albums of the seventies. It's just that good.

Of all the live albums this band has ever done, this has got to be a personal best. Albert Bouchard, the band's drummer, stated in an interview that this was his favorite. This may not be BOC's best recorded album of all time, but it excells in surprises and unpredictability. It was listening to OYFOOYN that I was first introduced to this amazing band...they had an aura and a mystyic about them. Looking at the earlier albums later, I thought...just who are these guys, and better yet...which one was which?

THE SONGS

SUBHUMAN This band started off with a song that deserved a live recording. It has a certain Santana quality to it. Good starting song.

HARVESTER OF EYES Where did that oooweeoo sound come from? Synthesizer? Guitar? And by the way, who will take responsibility for that? Eric? Buck? Allen? It's perfect! This is the song that really introduces the album. It's way better than the SECRET TREATIES version and is unrelenting from beginning to end.

HOT RAILS TO HELL Joe Bouchard's hellhole trash metal. Once again, a much different and better turn than in the studio.

RED & THE BLACK A great song that is an all-time BOC classic, worth it all even just to hear Joe's bass solo.

SEVEN SCREAMING DIZ-BUSTERS The song your Baptist parents warned you about. Probably about as controversial a tune as ME-262, this entry has got some assorted treats in it.

BUCK'S BOOGIE Penned instrumental by Buck and Albert, this jawbreaker has some of the best guitar and keyboard give-and-take ever heard.

THEN CAME THE LAST DAYS OF MAY Blue Oyster Cult's mellower side. Yes, this version is much better than their first album's account. Buck's lead guitar literally sings on this one.

CITIES ON FLAME BOC comes roaring back with a song I'm sure all devoted BOC fans appreciate. Albert does the vocals, and this has got to be their best version...oh, to see all of this on DVD. Allen Lanier is especially impressive-to start off with keyboards (on the whole through their career Allen does not sing), and end the song with second guitar.

ME-262 As The Band's The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down is an account of the Civil War from a Southern man' perspective, this song is an account of WW2 from a German bomber pilot's angle of vision...about as controversial a song as Walker Blues by Steve Earle. This take on the song is a little inferior to the one on SECRET TREATIES but worth it to hear all of them on guitar. This is the live part to watch the early charter members do their five-man guitar frontal assault before the audience.

BEFORE THE KISS, A REDCAP My top-ten personal favorite from BOC. Actually, I love both takes on this one.

MASERATI GT A song by MC5 that I'm sure BOC loved to cover. This song has a certain roadhouse quality to it and it is enhanced by Eric's vocals and Buck's solo guitar in it.

BORN TO BE WILD The classic BOC live song they never wrote. Poorly recorded, it's sometimes hard to find out exactly what they are all doing during the song. I guess it might have been better to insert a live take of ODed ON LIFE ITSELF or DOMINANCE & SUBMISSION. Or even a DVD of OYFOOYN to see what is exactly going on.

On the whole, this album closes a chapter of BOC's first wild and crazy era. It is called the black and white period, where Blue Oyster Cult were the original bad boys your parents didn't want to even know about, much less listen to. Nowadays, the Oyster Boys keep on rocking the house with fans ranging from teenaged kids to 40-somethings such as me and older. I guess BOC's future may something on the order of selling out assisted living homes. One thing is for sure...they don't look like they will ever retire from this.

The Blue Oyster Cult have always been a much underated and now sadly forgotten band. But back in the 70's, they were as big as anybody in rock music. Their blend of heavy music, musicianship, and slightly off-beat subject matter made them truly unique among contemporaries such as Zep, Sabbath, Purple, and AC/DC. This recording captures the band just about to explode onto the "Arena Rock" scene.

All the material from this show came out before their most famous single "Don't Fear the Reaper". So this showcases the bands early material including songs from the much aclaimed "Secret Treaties" album. "Cities on Flame" is as powerful a song as anyone else recorded to that point. "Dominance and Submission" is a great crowd participation song that really shows the bands appeal to their fans. "Bucks Boogie" is an extended instrumental jam ala the Allman Brothers Band showing their musical abilities. "Then Came the Last Days of May" is a beautiful slow blues number with a flair for odd subject matter. The show closes with a longtime favorite cover song, "Born to Be Wild".

All in all, an excellent representation of a great band before they made it big. Still one of my alltime favorite live albums along with Deep Purple's "Made in Japan", Uriah Heep's "Live in '73", and the ABB "Live at the Filmore". If you like BOC, or have never heard them live, you owe it to yourself to get this cd.

Anytime I have a friend over who is a virgin to the music of Blue Oyster Cult, I put on the song Last Days of May. Within a 10 second period, the virgin will scream out "who is this Band?"
The second question is "who is the guitar player?" Then I will proceed with other albums form this great group and the virgin will become a member of the Cult. Switching gears, this is what a true live album sounds like, because it was taped and not cleaned up. You can smell the people, the smoke, the beer, the amps, etc..I just wish the young mucis fans could be exposed to BOC, but unfortunately MTV killed this kind of Rock, and in turn killed the truth.

This is very possibly the best live album ever produced by any band ever!! To say it merely rocks is a massive - almost insulting - understatement. This album shifts tectonic plates somewhere deep beneath sea level. Whilst other live albums including BOC's own ETL may have cleaner, sharper production none has the raw, live energy this one has. This is probably as close as you'll come to actually being there. I'll start as they do with The Subhuman - oh wow excuse me while I babble incoherently for several hours - where to begin? This song was already one of my favourites from Secret Treaties but this version blows that one out of the water on so many levels. This is how the song is meant to be heard. There is a guitar solo to bring you stamping and whooping to your feet and tears of wonder to your eyes and begs the question is Donald Roeser the most underestimated guitarist in rock history? This is followed by a kick [rear] version of perennial favourite Harvester of Eyes. No let up either when they follow up with an exuberant and enthusiastic performance of Hot Rails to Hell or the pure adrenalin rush that is the Red and the Black. This version of 7 Screamin' Dizbusters is enough to make grown men beg for mercy - the pace is relentless. Buck's Boogie once again showcases Roeser's formidable talents. Last Days of May what can I say - there's an intensity here that's almost painful to the listener. Cities on Flame, ME262 and Redcap - their own material is so strong here that the competent if not outstanding cover of Maserati GT seems to be almost unnecessary although Born to be Wild is not a bad version. This is heavy, heavy metal in fact if it were any heavier it would make your ears bleed.

When God said, "Let there be darkness", he was talking about Blue Oyster Cult. A fiddler's delight! Listening to this CD, one imagines monsters, busted keggars, great car wrecks, bad trips,.... The energy is contagious. Dust off your 02 guitar and get on your feet, or on your knees! The guitar work and drums and keyboards will send you on a roller coaster ride through heaven, hell, and back again. BEFORE THE KISS (A REDCAP) is my favorite BOC original on this recording. However, their cover of Jeff Beck's AIN'T GOT YOU rocks like crazy, and is, I believe, available no where else. True life metal is found in HOT RAILS TO HELL. Cautionary: do not be tricked into buying the unauthorized BOC Live video. The very existence of "that" video constitutes a mortal sin, and blight on the otherwise happy landscape of man. Yes, the guitarist in BOC is the same person that writes for Guitar World.

For years, I have wondered why live albums had so much success. Generally the sound is awful, our favorite artist or band NEVER plays the song we like the most and, last but not least, we often discover that the cherished one (s) doesn't know how to sing. So why spend 10 $ for BOC's ON YOUR FEET OR ON YOUR KNEES ?

I can only say that, after having carefully listened to their first three albums, I had to know how Blue Öyster Cult performed in concert. Were they able to keep the band's homogeneity alive outside of the studio ? Undoubtedly yes ! Of course, you must be in good psychological shape to play the twelve songs in a row ; it's loud hard rock with a good deal of tortured guitar solos. So play, as I did, ON YOUR FEET OR ON YOUR KNEES after a 10 hours working day, your accumulated aggressivity will vanish between HOT RAILS TO HELL and ME 262 and your dear one will thank Blue Öyster Cult for the rest of the evening !

Amidst the three, until then, unreleased songs, BUCK'S BOOGIE, in my opinion, is the weakest, BOC's versions of MASERATI GT and BORN TO BE WILD being far superior. Let's also notice that the concert tempo of THE SUBHUMAN is a little slower than the one adopted during the studio session.

A CD for the band's aficionados.