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In 1972 a bunch of Long Island critics, poets, musicians and whackos banded together and formed Blue Oyster Cult. The band would have a future rife with ups and downs, successes and failures, but throughout the whole time would maintain a mystic, disturbing and sometimes menacing aura in their themes and deranged sci-fi lyrics...not without a whole lot of rockin' out and ass kicking, of course! Here, on Blue Oyster Cult's self-titled debut, the mysticism and arty-paranoia is present in full force, on an album which is mostly quality from start to finish and the home of more than a couple Cult classics. Things get off to a truly rollicking start with the kicking 'Transmaniacon MC', featuring some wicked axe-work from Buck Dharma. The song has a shaky, nervous energy, and Sandy Pearlman's obscure lyrics are delivered menacingly by Eric Bloom, creating a dark and awesome atmosphere. 'I'm On The Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep' features the lyrics used in 'The Red And The Black' on the next album, Tyranny and Mutation...but whereas that version is a fast biker blast, this one is slower and bluesier, with some extended jamming from Dharma. 'Then Came The Last Days Of May' could be thought of as the Cult's first ballad...it's slow and sad, but the melody is captivating...strong, moody music and a definite highlight. 'Stairway To The Stars' is real biker boogie, all attitude and driving, bluesy rhythm guitar. That chorus is one catchy mofo. 'Before The Kiss, A Redcap' really, really heavily reminds me of Queens Of The Stoneage, in fact, if you modernized the production it could easily be one of their songs! More than one idea was taken from Blue Oyster Cult by modern rock bands, I'm sure. 'Screams' is a nice song, but a bit of a low point after such a run of strong songs. The watery vocal sections are offset by some rockin' guitar parts, but overall it is by far the blandest, most indistinguishable song on the album.
'She's As Beautiful As A Foot' is this album's 'Planet Caravan'...a slow and creeping, spacey desert rocker with a middle-eastern vibe to it. 'Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll' blasts with energy and the riffage is heavy and awesome, as you should well know! This song has much akin with Black Sabbath...a true classic, and a heavy metal highlight for the band. 'Workshop Of The Telescopes' appears to be another lowpoint, at least to me, feeling somewhat bland and muddled. 'Redeemed' picks things up a little to finish things off, with some acoustic flourishes and soft melodic vocals.
Overall Blue Oyster Cult's debut was close to rock-solid, with a few low points. 'Screams', 'Workshop Of The Telescopes' and 'Redeemed' are all slightly too mundane for their own good, and the throughout production is a bit thinner than the music deserves. That heavy, bluesy crunch is almost lost to the muddiness of the mix, but for 1972 it ain't half bad. At this point the band is clearly rooted in bluesy heavy metal, reminscent of Black Sabbath's debut, with softer elements and some traces of Led Zeppelin's mysticism. BOC's signature sound is here though, just waiting for a little bit more development. Recommended mostly for big BOC fans and not the place to start with this awesome band, but there is much to enjoy here. Much indeed!
| Tracklist |
| 1. Transmaniacon MC |
| 2. I'm On The Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep |
| 3. Then Came The Last Days Of May |
| 4. Stairway To The Stars |
| 5. Before The Kiss, A Redcap |
| 6. Screams |
| 7. She's As Beautiful As A Foot |
| 8. Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll |
| 9. Workshop Of The Telescopes |
| 10. Redeemed |
: 36:36
| Buy other Blue Oyster Cult albums |
