Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Joined the Club, October 29, 2000
I received BOC's first album as a gift, and they've been my favorite band ever since. While Club Ninja has childish cover art, the music is superb. I confess that most new BOC songs sound lousy to me at first. Listening again, I am often mesmerized. Listen again to PERFECT WATER, MADNESS TO THE METHOD, and SPY IN THE HOUSE OF THE NIGHT. The songwriting and performances are haunting. Sometimes BOC takes an irritating musical phrase and works it into a beautiful song, so even a hard core fan may not like it at first. Compared to Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, a punk band who "take a pretty tune and bury it alive". I like them, too. And BOC's hardest rock. BOC sounded like punk at times, e.g. Tyranny & Mutation, before punk was even born! My brother has a degree in classical music (piano), and this album seems to be his favorite. It might be the best BOC album for a newcomer. Why not? Many people have no idea how many gorgeous songs BOC has created. I call them "love songs", like it or not. I attempted to make a tape of "BOC Love Songs", and ran out of tape. Who wants to hear 18 year olds sing about love? BOC's subject matter is obscure and something to ponder; it stays fresh. This album never seems dated. Get it. If someone like Paul McCartney or Paul Simon put this many great songs on one album, it would hailed as genius, a breathtaking comeback.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best BOC works, July 22, 2002
I must also state that, as a long time Blue Oyster Cult fan I really cannot believe the bad rap "Club Ninja" receives from many other fans. I cannot for the life of me find fault with this cd. Every song rocks, every performance is outstanding, the mix is clear (especially considering this was released in late '85) and the production (by Pearlman once again) is pristine. It's true that many of the songs come from outside sources, but, really, so what? As long as they're on the mark I don't really care. 'White Flags' is a truly amazing all-time pearl from the Oyster; if this had been written by Eric or Buck I think it would easily be a setlist mainstay. Even those two badly titled ones (and you know which they are) are great, saved by the sheer power and majesty of BOC. I think another reason some fans insist upon knocking "Club Ninja" is the fact that Lanier isn't on it. Well, he left the band. Tommy Zvoncheck, his replacement, is truly amazing though. Listen to his flourishes on 'Beat 'Em Up', 'Perfect Water', 'When The War Comes' and 'Madness To The Method' and tell me you don't agree! The concept of war is certainly more relevant today than it was at the time. All in all, "Club Ninja" is one of those great, vastly underrated masterpieces that will one day receive it's due. But why wait. Buy this cd and find out for yourselves here and now why this is one of Blue Oyster Cult's greatest recordings to date.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Club We Should All Join, October 24, 2000
By A Customer
I'll never forget the first time I saw Club Ninja sitting in the music store racks back in '86. "How the mighty have fallen" I thought, responding only to the cover artwork that seemed to cater to the fourteen-year-old burn out and the album title that appeared to cash in on the popularity of the Ninja at that time. Once I finally got around to listening to this masterpiece, my mind was blown. Granted, one has to be interested in hearing an 80's style metal sound, complete with Def Lepard type couruses and a some standard heavy riffs, but beyond that, the music is very unique and tripped out (even by BOC's standards), and rocks to high heaven. BOC has always incorporated some of the contemporary pop conventions into their own sound, and far from cheapening the music, this attempt to stay current has always had a positive effect. On the other hand, many of the songs on this album retain the progressive, experimental feel that has marked BOC's music in the past. Songs like White Flags and When the War Comes (which contains a cameo vocal from Howard Stern and is based on a speech by Leon Trotsky), have this sort of acid rock, far out sound, while Madness to the Method has an open jam at the end that allows the drumer and the keyboardist to get it on a bit. Listening to Spy in the House of the Night and Beat 'em Up is like plugging your brain into an stack of marshalls on 11. Dancing in the Ruins was an attempt at a hit, containing a Burnin' for You style courus, but it's not too embarrassing to listen to, and Make Rock Not War is a decent tune. There's nothing wrong with an anti-war statement in my book, especially on an album that seems a little obsessed with the topic of war. Shadow Warrior is what you might call a title track, as it deals with the Ninja and his world view. This leads me to the lyrics, which in general are up to standard for BOC in their well written and thought provoking content. Some possible complaints about this album are that Albert Bouchard and Alan Lanier are missing and more than a couple of outside writers contributed material. All I can say is that Jimmy Wilcox and Tommy Zvonchek do an excellent job and if the band was running out of ideas at the time, they had the sense to accept some help in that department when it was needed. After all, the mid '80s were a pretty degenerate time in music, and I think BOC did a wonderful job of bucking the trend of mediocrity. Club Ninja may not be the best place to start listening to BOC (my vote would go to Agents of Fortune) but still, I would rank Club Ninja above The Revolution by Night, Fire of Unknown Origin and Secret Treaties. I know this is blasphemy, but we're all entitled to our opinions. Club Ninja is one of the best hard rock albums I've ever heard.
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