And Buck Dharma is a very unrated guitarist. And could say the same for the band as a whole, very well played progressive stuff on many of their tracks.
My favorite all time band. Why? Because each album sounded different from the next and always remained intelligent and thought provoking. Their themes were unique and quirky too. What's not to love?
When my family first moved to America. Secret Treaties was the first album my older brother bought. It became a constant in our shared room. Absolutely essential listening for almost 50 years of my 58 years. Awesome.
I always thought that was BOC’s best album! In my opinion their early music was their best. I didn’t like Godzilla and stopped following them after that.
This band is so criminally underrated.Along with Rush,King Crimson,Sabbath and Judas Priest they are one of my favorite bands ever.These guys rock and it is so sad to see them being overlooked or passed on by todays generation of music fans.The Golden Age of Leather and Astronomy are some of my favorite songs of all time.Also Buck Dharma is a fucking legend.His live solo performance of Veteran Of the Psychic Wars is hands down one of the best live solos I have ever witnessed in my life. My favorite albums by these guys are Spectres,Fire of Unknown Origin and Secret Treaties in that order.Also love your channel and as a huge fan of hard rock and prog from the 70s and 80s it is great to hear someone talking at length about it and bringing it to people's awareness.
Way back in the day there was a house in St. James, Long Island that they would practice at. A friend and I would climb a water tower to listen to them practice. People would sit on the side of the road to listen. The police would chase them but didn't see us. Fond memories!!
I remember years after the one time I saw them opening for Alice Cooper, I decided to buy their 'Spectres' LP .I had the white/black ,the one w/ 'the Red and the Black' on it. the hardest thing on 'Spectres' is GODZILLA, which I put up there w/ 'Iron Man'. but I would always be able to hang for the whole record. even now. the songs and musicianship make them listenable. I also seem to remember Pete, when they did 'Godzilla' on TV , I swear the drummer was wearing a Godzilla head.
Great band history of one of my all time favorites BOC. Been jamming to these guys since On Your Feet Or On Your Knees. Hard Rock Excellence of the Highest caliber!!!
This is my all time favorite Band that i was led to in 1974 and was drawn in with the lyrics and the hidden meanings. Blown away by seeing them live in 1976! This is the band that was ahead of their time. Twin lead guitars was on the albums and FIVE guitars live on stage was never seen before . Blue Oyster Cult is not like any other band in the world. Copied by new groups like Ghost but never equaled.
Secret Treaties is BOCs magnum opus IMO. Well-produced, cohesive dark snarkiness throughout 😂 . 45+ yrs later I still listen to it end-to-end once a month or so. The final solo in “Dominance and Submission” is Buck’s best, period.
Agreed. The first three are killer and consistent. Agents sucked, and then they got more produced etc. Mirrors, Cultasaurus, Fire of Unknown and Heaven Forbid are good. The new one is heavy Worth it.
I swear to you I am not exaggerating-I never heard Secret Treaties until about 3 months ago, but I have now heard it at least 200 times… I am obsessed, and can’t stop listening to it. Some days I would play it five, six, seven times. It’s one of the coolest albums ever made, in my humble opinion.
And yes, the solo at the end of “Dominance and Submission” is the high point of the album for me. One of my favorite guitar solos ever,in any song, from any band.
@@tproxytproxy6207 We were all over it when it came out in 74 , I was a senior in high school . They didn't come to the SF Bay until November of that year , but when they did they rocked .
Saw BOC in Annapolis Maryland on 10/6/19. At 70+, Eric and Buck rocked it. Excellent set at an intimate, 700-seat hall. Highlight was a 10-minute rendition of "Last Days of May" that accelerated mid-song and featured a 5-min guitar break by Richie Castellano and Buck. They're still worth every penny.
maxanne sartori, if I remember correctly... she was a late night DJ here in nyc, she did the intro on the album (w/ the greatest centerfold in rock album history).
I've loved this band since early on. Early on for me was 1974/1975. I had little knowledge of their history before then. Saw them live twice and they didn't disappoint. But I do know alot more now, TY Pete! My first album Secret Treaties is what got me started as a forever fan of BOC! 💙🖤 ✌️🤟
Thanks so much for this video! BOC is one of those great bands that had mainstream hits and a whole lot of depth beyond that, and that many of us missed, until now! “Greatest unsung rock bands” indeed!
I'm up to 13 times. and had the amazing fortune to meet them post Bouchard bros; with Bobby Rondinelli and Danny. I was able to meet the Bros Bouchard on tour with Blue Coupe however. And as a bonus Dennis Dunaway.
@@donnaschimming WOW. Dudes I met by chance include Sammy Hagar (walked into the record store I worked at in Fort Worth 1979) and Alice Cooper (walking into a Holiday Inn in Fort Worth 1978).
Of the many, many things that make BOC great is the diversity of their music. I go to many shows and love discussing our favorite tunes and albums. Where we all share a deep love for BOC, we rarely agree on our top songs or albums. Which is simply fantastic as no one is wrong. But just a great band that deserves significantly more recognition. Although if they did, I wouldn’t be able to have front row seats to 3-5 shows a year.
Pete Pardo - the Blue Oyster Cult is working on the new studio album. THey've been doing it intermittently around touring dates. But Don Roeser told me he is doing a "full court press" this winter and the plan is for a new album this spring. I have the impression that they do have a label deal or have an offer for one, waiting, probably, on a full slate of demos... Don told me he has three of the songs I worked on for said new album (I wrote the lyrics of these three, just as I wrote the majority of the lyrics in their prior two albums), ready, "in the can". He's developing other songs too. By the way I've also been working with Blue COupe (the Bouchard brothers from BOC and Dennis Dunaway from Alice Cooper) and they've got a bunch of demos completed for a new album. Both Eric and Don are writing songs for the new BOC album ...
Hey John, thanks for the info! The BOC website makes mention of the new recording session as well, but not your name. Currently it says the estimated release is Fall 2019. Sorry the above review was so nonplussed about the songwriting on 'Heaven Forbid'. Going from memory, and that seems to get more sketchy every year, you wrote the lyrics for three songs on there that I rate highly: 'See You in Black', 'Damaged' and 'Power Underneath Despair'.
@@bobprivate8575 The latest word is early 2020 to mid 2020. This is from Eric's last press release. If you choose to follow Richie Castellano, you'll get fresher updates. He keeps us filled in regularly. Hell of a nice guy, just like every member of the band I've met since the late 70's. I even got to spend a Christmas Eve with Eric back in '92. After 4 hours, he almost answered every question I could have had for him at that time. What rock star would bother to invite a fan to a family gathering, causing him to miss a Nicks game just to be a good guy to a true fan. Could you imagine Joe Walsh or Joe Perry doing that? I kinda doubt it.
The new album was released in October 2020 and it's awesome. It's called The Symbol Remains - UA-cam Music link: music.ua-cam.com/play/OLAK5uy_nAgaNeeTVZu3x9uBmmso2L5l3IHsOr7eM.html
"Good" live is the key. NEVER great because Bloom was a very weak front man and Buck was a pretty good but not great guitarist. And they relied a lot on lasers and crap like that. BOC cannot even compare with the likes of Diamond David Lee Roth and EVH of Van Halen, Coverdale/Hughes or Gillan and Blackmore of Deep Purple and NO BAND compares with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who.
@@jaysantos536 Way to miss the point. My post: "underrated", "so good live", and "unique." You: "Lasers and crap like that." They did have a large mechanical Godzilla which remained covered until they played the song. No lasers. Thinking of Pink Floyd? Ironically, you compare BOC to VH with David Lee Roth, the most overrated, unoriginal, tool in rock. He couldn't sing/write/play a lick. His most famous live performance came when he forgot the lyrics to the songs at the Us Festival. He staggered around the stage drunk. Very pro. As for Deep Purple, The Reaper ranks #405 on the Rolling Stone Top 500 list, Smoke on the Water 434. Scoreboard. Finally, The Who. Signature move? Smashing the instruments! Brilliant comparison. Book The Who if you want to be trampled in a general admission stampede (Cincinnati, 1979.)
@@johnhallman3896 How old are you about 30? And who gives a sh#t how high or low Rolling Stone mag rates ANYTHING? It's a few guy's opinions. And as far as comparing bands "Live" let's look at ticker sales where folks offer their "oponions" backed up with hundreds odollars of their money. How many shows did BOc headline sold over 50,000 tickets? You tell me because I have no idea. But I do have an idea how many shows The Who played to over 100,000 and that was at least 20. And Van Halen was likely close to that same range and BTW when they opened in 1978 for Black Sabbath, OZZY even commented that VH blew Sabbath off the stage EVERY night and in 1980 in Orlando Tangerine Bowl VH opened for The Stones and BLEW those guys off the stage. And deep Purple was the biggest live band in 74-75 and regularly sold out 50,000 arenas throughout the world. Remind me what year BOC was even in the Top 20 live acts? CASE CLOSED mo-ron.
@@johnhallman3896 You are a real piece of sh#t sir. "Book The Who if you want to be trampled in a general admission stampede (Cincinnati, 1979.)" I know all about that show and to bring that up to somehow denegrate the band is simply wrong and shows your lack of character. Pete and Roger ahve both admitted how much that tragedy has been on their minds ever since and Daltrey visited the high school where 3 of the kids that dieg attended and talked with some folks that were at the show, It was very moving but you wouldnt understand. F#ck you and I'm done with you.
Forgot: as a collector of Heavy Metal magazine (at the time the best collection of european graphic novels (comics, bande dessinées, quadrinhos), i wento to see the Heavy Metal movie, featuring the Veteran of Psychic War (great) song.
Thanks for a very detailed retrospective of BOC I'm going to sit back and go through the whole catalog in order. Have to agree with your top picks for albums 👌. Found the band late but have really enjoy so many albums.
Nice potted history of a very interesting band, until recently I'd only heard one album and a handful or other songs, but found a few of my subs love BOC, so reacted to a couple of songs, and I am falling in love with this amazing band. This adds some real background to my new growing obsession, thanks.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this! I got to open for BOC in Detroit in 1998 in a weird twist of fate only because Rob Halford's tour got cancelled, which got rescheduled as opener for them, lso with the progrock band TILES from my area of Detroit ROCK City. haha
I'm not just a lifelong fan but I also see the deep essoteric meaning in the lyrics, symbols,and album covers..They weren't just a regular rock band but somehow they or people working with them behind the scenes had alot of profound essoteric knowledge and knew things that the average person wouldn't know.
That was all marketing. If you look actually closer, there's nothing behind those lyrics, except maybe poetry. Read the inteviews, very disappointing. You can make whatever interpretation you want of the lyrics because they don't really have deep meanings.
Nice, Pete. They released some great material, although most people sadly only remember The Reaper. A little anecdote: the thriller writer Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling!!) has written a novel Career of Evil; each chapter is introduced by a quote from a BOC song. Fantastic novel, too. PS: do you think you can do a history of Camel one day?
One day I went to work and there in the shop was a bunch of crates. We opened them up and there was all this crazy looking gear and several disco balls, the mirrored ones. My boss had us uncrate everything and then we played with it. It was Blue Oyster Cult's hand laser rig and we set it up at the concert the night before. It was the first time, that tour, it had ever been used... Oh, and the British Lions opened the show and was followed by UFO.... 'Mirrors' is one of my favorite BOC albums, after Treaties and Cultasaurus and Heaven Forbid. "See You in Black', a song about domestic violence is one of my favorite all time BOC songs.
I saw that same lineup (no doubt the same tour) at an outdoor show in Carson City, Nevada, at a place called T-Car Speedway. They didn't have the mirror ball to use so Bloom just shot the wrist laser into the sky, which still looked pretty cool. During UFO's set, they lost power to the stage and the band stood around for awhile chatting with people at the front of the stage until they got the juice on again. i don't recall much about British Lion's set except that I was glad I finally got to see some Mott members in concert.
Imaginos along with Cultosaurus Erectus and Agents of Fortune are my favorites! I saw the Imaginos tour and it was obvious that it wasn't a BOC album, but they did play In the Presence of another world. I just think the material on Imaginos is superb, even though the story line is all out of sync (which adds to its mystique of the whole project imo). And the Siege and Investiture... is fantastic to play if you are a guitarist!
Great, great video of the career of the most underrated band of all time, BOC is more than Don't Fear the Reaper, Burning For You, Godzilla.....I've seen BOC many times over the years, not in their hey day, I'm not that old, they still put on a solid show to this very day, after hearing this years R N R hall of fame inductees, a very weak line up I may add, BOC has them all beat by a country mile, BOC for the R N R hall of fame...
Like the video, about to sub, but I have to correct you big-time on a song title: It's "Mistress Of The Salmon *Salt* (*Quicklime* Girl)" which is actually one of their best songs ever. Even though I do agree that Side Red is better than Side Black, this song is, to me, one of the all-time greatest album closers. Just that initial guitar riff followed by Eric Bloom's spirited, "Alright," gets my blood pumpin' and my head bangin' every time. LOVE IT!! Thanks for your show!! 🤘
Trivia: Back in the '80s there were Chu-Bops. It was a miniature album cover with a piece of bubble gum in the shape of a record and song lyrics from one of the songs. Cultusaurus Erectus was one of the albums.
I have seen BOC at least 30 times since 1981 (with Foghat and same year with Joe Perry Project) my favorite band Tyranny & Mutation is my favorite with secret treaties a close second!
Got into them through my bud George Soler (now a very accomplished Chapman Stick player in the Seattle area), who had all of the early ones through Some Enchanted Evening. I remember when he bought CE. Always read the liner notes on those albums - Eric played stun guitar! So, I just had this revelation about their manager/producer Sandy Pearlman, who I had always thought was female from the name back in when I was a young music scholar and didn't know any better. Come on - "Sandy" "Pearl" "Oyster" - talk about a professional stage name intertwined with the band! Forgive me if this has been discussed ad nauseum in the past. Great history lesson Mr. Pardo!
One of my favorite American bands ever and a cool story behind them. So many great songs that never got any airplay. “ Cities on Flame “, the E.T. song, “ The Golden Age of Leather “ and many other notables.
One of my top 3 favorite bands . Saw them live 7 times. Met Buck when he jammed with a local band in Tampa. And earlier at their motel in Shreveport, La.
Revolution By Night is my cruising disc. And Take Me Away is my favorite BOC Tune. And, "for the love of christ" Commercial FM Radio, Blue Oyster Cult has far more material than "Burnin For You".
Wonderful love this band too will be seeing them in Glasgow next year a truly underratrd band too so many classic songs and albums and always great live
I still have the lyrics printed on green bar computer paper. I saw BOC in small theaters, large arenas, dive bars, rib cook-offs, a ski area they always kicked ass. Their fans seem to have a special connection with the band and with each other. You can see by the comments here. Not everyone loves the same songs or albums or eras. But there isn't the usual venom you typically see in comments in UA-cam videos.
Great story Brian - I had seen them during their climb to the top in 1974 and 75 . Big arenas , great shows . Then fast forward to 2009 where they were playing at the Santa Cruz County Fair . After the show was over and I was watching the roadies tear down the stage , Eric Bloom shows up at the side fence and we chatted for a few minutes like old buddies . He was so nice and easy to be with I walked away shaking my head , was that Eric Bloom ? It certainly was .
Can't believe I watched this whole thing with my limited attention span. Love the Cult. First saw them in '77 at the Cape Cod Colosseum with Starz and REO Shitwagon.
Yes Jim-Starz is a treasured band amongst those in the know! Especially the debut and Violation, which were chock full of melodic, rifftastic, catchy as hell, well written gems!Liked Attention Shoppers as well and am currently looking to obtain Coliseum Rock on disc. Nice shout out for totally unsung band! Peace, Treff@@jamesian-allen8725
Great vid Pete , as an obsessive B.O.C fan for over 40 years i think the part of there mysticism and cult status ( no pun intended ) is the fact that they still probably are an underground band. As a kid at college i would never divulge who was playing that song on my trusty tape deck when asked by the uninitiated and dont forget you're as beautiful as a foot. Cheers from Downunder.
HUGH JARSENBALLS BÖC are cool as hell! I love bands that have a bit of mystique about them: BÖC, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and one of the most underrated bands of all time, The Church. Probably my fave BÖC album is Tyranny And Mutation. Cheers!
On the new album.. check out "That Metal Show". Buck mentions that they've been working on an all acoustic album. This was from almost 2 years ago after they returned from touring Australia. Many thx for the BOC history! Just saw them live again this past weekend and it was truly phenomenal. Real musicians, real music and the real deal all the way! Hard to believe that Buck and Eric are both over 70 years old now!
I was a kid growing up in Albany, NY in the early 80s (born 1970). I used to hear on the radio that Soft White Underbelly would be playing a club show in Albany, every now and then. Only years later did I learn that this was BOC doing one-off club shows for fun, when not on tour. I was too young to go to those clubs anyway, but I'm sure the older rockers in Albany looked forward to those shows.
Fantastic history Pete. My history with BOC goes back to the black and white albums because my oldest brother had gone to see them several times in their early days in Cleveland. I really started to really get blown away when the On Your Feet or On Your Knees album came. That was the kind of energy that I knew I had to go see and experience. I couple of years later when I got my driver's license I was privileged to see them on the Spectres tour. For my teenage mind it was mind blowing. The lazers were amazing, especially on the performance of Then Came The Last Days Of May. Buck Dharma did an extended lead that gave me chills. I saw them again on the Mirrors tour it was a strong concert but not as memorable as the first one. I have watched some amazing BOC concerts on UA-cam from France. I want to say 1972, maybe 1973. Regardless, they are definitely worth checking out. Cheers.
saw them at Akron Civic Theater in 75 . on your feet tour . high on white blotter .forever burned into my brain . the french shows you mentioned are from 75 also by the way
Sounds pretty boring since BOC was the only decent band there. Hatchet was a third rate Southern fried act gravy training Allman Bros and Skynyrd, Sabbath was always horrible live and Dio was only good when he fronted Rainbow.
I think that Buck had a relative that was a high school history teacher. This was in the late 70's. His last name was Roeser and it was odd hearing a middle age teacher talking about BOC.
This was a really insightful retrospect of the band. Learned a few things along the way and now throwing on the Cultasaurus Erectus album. What an interesting cover. They had some cool designs on the albums for sure.
@@joejones9520 Dio was the singer for Sabbath, for the Black and Blue tour, Heaven and Hell was the album, they had released, while Cultosauras Erectus was the BOC album, just letting you know that!
I caught BOC last month at a small venue in Virginia. Great show, intimate setting - a show well worth seeing. You mentioned covering MSG...oddly enough, I saw BOC open for RUSH in 85 and then MSG open for RUSH in 87
Thanks Pete. Lots of good info on one of my favorite bands. I have to agree with you that Secret Treaties is their best album. Only a few of my friends appreciate BOC like I do, so I guess that is their loss.
BOC was one of the best bands ever....I’m surprised that the young people have no idea about them... like a lot of the older 70-80s bands they often find their way back into the ears of young people, I hope BOC does, because they are truly great..and why would anyone want to miss out..
I am now 64 years old, and never had a chance to see BOC . That hopefully will all change October 23rd , when they play Saenger Theater in Hattiesburg, MS Its a 3 hour drive from home , but I'm taking my 18 year old son, and I can't wait ! Truly one of my favorite bands of all time, that never got the respect they deserved.
someone left a copy of tyranny and mutation at my sisters house after a party. She didn't like it and gave it to me. I loved it, but nobody else I knew liked it at all. Fine with me I got my own band to love. Then years later don't fear the reaper was a big hit and every one was talking about this great new band. I said " I've been telling you guys about them for years and you wouldn't give them a chance, They're not new they have at least three studio albums and a live album that kicks ass" My one time I was ahead of everyone else
Very, very cool! I got the first album and Tyranny and Mutation together back in 1974. T & M is still my all-time BOC fave but that's probably because it was my first exposure to BOC and I was only 14 years old. What a band. You can definitely hear the strong BOC influence in the currently super-successful band Ghost.
I bought the 1st album in 72 after hearing a song on VERY LATE NIGHT fm radio and was blown away by the whole record and the band- 2nd album just as great and then to top it off, Tyranny and Mutation - how many bands had 3 great albums to start their career? NOT MANY!! Then The live album - it got terrible reviews, my friends and I loved it - we burnt our stylus out playing that vinyl non-stop. I kind of lost interest after On your feet, but I still love the ORIGINAL Cult. The band that tours today does sound good, just not the original band that I love(d).
Thanks for the history lesson. Your favorite albums seem to match up with mine. I am, however, a little torn between T&M and Secret Treaties as my all time favorites. I've also discovered a deep appreciation for Spectres in recent times. A little tidbit about what made Agents of Fortune such a departure from there Black & White period was that the members of the band invested their earnings into 4-track recorders. That enabled them to write and try out their own songs without needing to collaborate with anyone else. This was talked about in some of Buck Dharma's interviews you can find on UA-cam. That time period also coincided with the rise of disco music, which of course, most heavy rock fans hated with a passion. However, the 4-track technology made it easier and more affordable for amateurs and unknowns to record more music on their own. All the BOC guys were already versed in a variety of instruments, so they could record demos for the other band members and producers. Another coincidence, that time period (late 70s) also sparked the rise of Punk and New Wave RnR. No wonder pop music went in so many directions during those years. Anyway, can you or have you done any histories on some of the San Francisco Bands. I'm thinking Jefferson Airplane/Starship and Quicksilver Messenger Service. That'd be really cool.
I agree Pete Secret Treaties best album ! They were great live with the Laser show........ I seen them with Uriah Heep on New Years eve in Cleveland and Once with Be Bop Deluxe , and few other times....
Watched this to see about the era where I first saw them, and love that you mentioned them opening for the Byrds and Mahavishnu Orchestra. I have never heard or read about that night anywhere else. But that show remains one of the more memorable ones in my life a half century later. My friends and I went to a Byrds show in December 1971 at what was then SUNY at Stony Brook, and saw two new-to-us bands opening - BOC first, then Mahavishnu Orchestra. Both were great, so I got the first BOC album when it came out and was so happy for them when they made it big later. While Mahavishnu Orchestra just sounded like random noise to me that night, I wound up warming up to them, got their first 2 albums within a few months and they became my gateway to the jazz-rock fusion that would be big for several years. The Byrds also played a fine show, mostly the Untitled album, and I was glad to see them that one time before they broke up.
I'm from LI ,NY. BOC was huge on LI in the mid to late 70s. IMO.. they were always a bit weird.. which set them apart from most other bands. I like about half the material they released between 1971- 81. I saw them lives 4 times.
Great history, glad you talked about Ghost, kind of the BOC revival last few years. When I heard Ghost for the first time I went and bought all those old Blue Oyster vinyl, of course I had some albums but after hearing Ghost I completed my collection very cheap, so I guess that was a good thing. I still don't have Imaginos cause that album is kind of expensive, that drives me nuts. My favorite album has always been Fire of Unknown and the one with dinosaurs. Their third one is very good too and I also like Spectres.
2021, and I'm still searching as much as I can about this band, really good video, B.O.C was ahead of it's time, in my opinion, it's a shame that just a few people know them, specially here in Mexico
Do get that Stalk-Forrest Group album, _St. Cecilia_ - it's pretty terrific. It's very typical Elektra Records fare for the time, an erratic and adventurous mix of psychedelic, folk, pop, and blues. At times, it almost feels like the missing bridge between Love's _Forever Changes_ and _Four Sail_ albums, oddly enough. Granted, it's not as mind-blowing as either of those classics, but they definitely shared a vibe. It's a shame the album fell through the cracks but at least Rhino Handmade rescued it from obscurity. And if it had been released, it seems a safe bet that the BÖC we know and love may never have happened. Perish the thought. By the way - Oaxaca is pronounced "wə-HAH-kə" (as in the Mexican state).
I've seen them in every type of venue over the years, from my local biker bar to a 60,000 capacity stadium. My favourite show was in 1981 when they played with Robby Krieger of The Doors.
B.O.C one of the most under rated bands of all time.
very few bummer albums. saw them many times in 70's and early 80's then later as now.
Oh, I rate them very high.
And Buck Dharma is a very unrated guitarist. And could say the same for the band as a whole, very well played progressive stuff on many of their tracks.
What makes you believe they're underrated? Did you travel the globe taking a survey from every citizen of the world? Please explain.
@@bluedream9668🎉❤😊😮🎉❤😢😊😢😂😮❤😊🎉❤❤😅❤😊😅😊❤😊😮😂😮😊😅🎉❤😅😅😅😊😅😅😊😊😅😅😅😅😅😅😊😊😊😊😅😊😊😅😅😮😊😅😅😮😅😮😅😢🎉❤😊😢😂😊😅😅😅😊😮😊😢❤😊😢🎉😂😢😂😊😊😅😊😅😊❤❤😊😮😢❤😮❤🎉❤😂😊😢😂😮😂😂😊❤😊🎉❤😊🎉😢❤😢❤
My favorite all time band. Why? Because each album sounded different from the next and always remained intelligent and thought provoking. Their themes were unique and quirky too.
What's not to love?
Exactly .... + great musicians as well ....
The granddaddies of metal!⚡❤⚡
You must like Ghost a lot too. I find they are heavily influenced by BOC in many ways. Check out Deezer Ghost session if you can!
@@LCRLive687 Nope
Me too. Favorite band. I loved their urge to tell stories in their songs and make you think for hours on end.
When my family first moved to America. Secret Treaties was the first album my older brother bought. It became a constant in our shared room. Absolutely essential listening for almost 50 years of my 58 years.
Awesome.
I always thought that was BOC’s best album! In my opinion their early music was their best. I didn’t like Godzilla and stopped following them after that.
BOC is an awesome band!! They belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!!
This band is so criminally underrated.Along with Rush,King Crimson,Sabbath and Judas Priest they are one of my favorite bands ever.These guys rock and it is so sad to see them being overlooked or passed on by todays generation of music fans.The Golden Age of Leather and Astronomy are some of my favorite songs of all time.Also Buck Dharma is a fucking legend.His live solo performance of Veteran Of the Psychic Wars is hands down one of the best live solos I have ever witnessed in my life. My favorite albums by these guys are Spectres,Fire of Unknown Origin and Secret Treaties in that order.Also love your channel and as a huge fan of hard rock and prog from the 70s and 80s it is great to hear someone talking at length about it and bringing it to people's awareness.
“Fire of unknown origin”. Was definitely my favorite album... it’s awesome
Fire is great. Heaven Forbid is also good if you like Fire. New one is good.
Way back in the day there was a house in St. James, Long Island that they would practice at. A friend and I would climb a water tower to listen to them practice. People would sit on the side of the road to listen. The police would chase them but didn't see us. Fond memories!!
It's a travesty that BOC and Steppenwolf are not in the rock hall of fame
Rock & Roll HOF is beneath both of them.
I agree Neil, it’s ridiculous they’re not in the Hall.
BOC is too good for the music politics of that place.
It points up the fact that the Rock and Roll hall of fame is a joke
And the Guess Who
Blue Oyster Cult was a band that you could buy an album and every song on both sides was great!
I remember years after the one time I saw them opening for Alice Cooper, I decided to buy their 'Spectres' LP .I had the white/black ,the one w/ 'the Red and the Black' on it. the hardest thing on 'Spectres' is GODZILLA, which I put up there w/ 'Iron Man'. but I would always be able to hang for the whole record. even now. the songs and musicianship make them listenable. I also seem to remember Pete, when they did 'Godzilla' on TV , I swear the drummer was wearing a Godzilla head.
Agents of Fortune is simply perfect. Every song is killer. The Patti Smith intro on Vera Gemini is classic. One of the best albums ever made.
Just saw them last night in Plymouth, Ma. 6/06/19.......TREMENDOUS show and they still sound great!!!
BOC is the greatest american rock band of all time. Period.
i'm inclined to believe that...the stooges/the dolls/the ramones and cheap trick are in there as my top 5.
The Eagles were pretty good :-)
Correct ....
@@normanwhaley1384 Seriously?
Boc the eagles CCR
Great band history of one of my all time favorites BOC. Been jamming to these guys since On Your Feet Or On Your Knees. Hard Rock Excellence of the Highest caliber!!!
This is my all time favorite Band that i was led to in 1974 and was drawn in with the lyrics and the hidden meanings.
Blown away by seeing them live in 1976!
This is the band that was ahead of their time.
Twin lead guitars was on the albums and FIVE guitars live on stage was never seen before .
Blue Oyster Cult is not like any other band in the world.
Copied by new groups like Ghost but never equaled.
Secret Treaties is BOCs magnum opus IMO. Well-produced, cohesive dark snarkiness throughout 😂 . 45+ yrs later I still listen to it end-to-end once a month or so. The final solo in “Dominance and Submission” is Buck’s best, period.
My personal favorite Buck solo is Flaming Telepaths. So emotional and beautiful.
Agreed. The first three are killer and consistent. Agents sucked, and then they got more produced etc. Mirrors, Cultasaurus, Fire of Unknown and Heaven Forbid are good. The new one is heavy Worth it.
I swear to you I am not exaggerating-I never heard Secret Treaties until about 3 months ago, but I have now heard it at least 200 times… I am obsessed, and can’t stop listening to it. Some days I would play it five, six, seven times. It’s one of the coolest albums ever made, in my humble opinion.
And yes, the solo at the end of “Dominance and Submission” is the high point of the album for me. One of my favorite guitar solos ever,in any song, from any band.
@@tproxytproxy6207 We were all over it when it came out in 74 , I was a senior in high school . They didn't come to the SF Bay until November of that year , but when they did they rocked .
I am so saddened to hear of losing Alan Lanier, I had often wondered why he was missing from the line up.
Allen...
Saw BOC in Annapolis Maryland on 10/6/19. At 70+, Eric and Buck rocked it. Excellent set at an intimate, 700-seat hall. Highlight was a 10-minute rendition of "Last Days of May" that accelerated mid-song and featured a 5-min guitar break by Richie Castellano and Buck. They're still worth every penny.
On Your Feet or on Your Knees...here they are, the amazing Blue Oyster Cult.
maxanne sartori, if I remember correctly... she was a late night DJ here in nyc, she did the intro on the album (w/ the greatest centerfold in rock album history).
You,sir, are obviously a man of considerable substance. Rock on B.O.C.!
@@bishlap i've read it was patti smith...she was involved with the keyboardist...i believe they were married for a minute.
@@dantierney5563 Thank's...from Brazil.
@@jamesian-allen8725 nope, definitely not Patti Smith. Yes, she was the gf of Allen Lanier.
I've loved this band since early on. Early on for me was 1974/1975. I had little knowledge of their history before then. Saw them live twice and they didn't disappoint. But I do know alot more now, TY Pete! My first album Secret Treaties is what got me started as a forever fan of BOC! 💙🖤
✌️🤟
Thanks so much for this video! BOC is one of those great bands that had mainstream hits and a whole lot of depth beyond that, and that many of us missed, until now! “Greatest unsung rock bands” indeed!
My absolute top pick for induction into the R&R HOF!
They should beg BOC to enter but they are just not smart enough to know it yet !!!
@Dr. Bombay my feelings exactly - R&R Hall of shit. Is taylor swift in yet?
My #2 snub right now....my #1 is Judas Priest. Both should be in the RnR HoF.
@Dr. Bombay
Don't forget Run DMC & Tupac..
Yeah, same her. Priest, Thin Lizzy, UFO, BOC all should be in before Madonna, tupac, run dmc. RRHF is a joke.
My #1 guitar influence-- Buck Dhsrma. I've seen BOC 9 times in concert. I'm sure I'll see them again bcz they're on tour forever!
I'm up to 13 times. and had the amazing fortune to meet them post Bouchard bros; with Bobby Rondinelli and Danny. I was able to meet the Bros Bouchard on tour with Blue Coupe however. And as a bonus Dennis Dunaway.
@@donnaschimming WOW. Dudes I met by chance include Sammy Hagar (walked into the record store I worked at in Fort Worth 1979) and Alice Cooper (walking into a Holiday Inn in Fort Worth 1978).
Of the many, many things that make BOC great is the diversity of their music. I go to many shows and love discussing our favorite tunes and albums. Where we all share a deep love for BOC, we rarely agree on our top songs or albums. Which is simply fantastic as no one is wrong. But just a great band that deserves significantly more recognition. Although if they did, I wouldn’t be able to have front row seats to 3-5 shows a year.
Pete Pardo - the Blue Oyster Cult is working on the new studio album. THey've been doing it intermittently around touring dates. But Don Roeser told me he is doing a "full court press" this winter and the plan is for a new album this spring. I have the impression that they do have a label deal or have an offer for one, waiting, probably, on a full slate of demos... Don told me he has three of the songs I worked on for said new album (I wrote the lyrics of these three, just as I wrote the majority of the lyrics in their prior two albums), ready, "in the can". He's developing other songs too. By the way I've also been working with Blue COupe (the Bouchard brothers from BOC and Dennis Dunaway from Alice Cooper) and they've got a bunch of demos completed for a new album. Both Eric and Don are writing songs for the new BOC album
...
Hey John, thanks for the info! The BOC website makes mention of the new recording session as well, but not your name. Currently it says the estimated release is Fall 2019.
Sorry the above review was so nonplussed about the songwriting on 'Heaven Forbid'. Going from memory, and that seems to get more sketchy every year, you wrote the lyrics for three songs on there that I rate highly: 'See You in Black', 'Damaged' and 'Power Underneath Despair'.
@@bobprivate8575 The latest word is early 2020 to mid 2020. This is from Eric's last press release. If you choose to follow Richie Castellano, you'll get fresher updates. He keeps us filled in regularly. Hell of a nice guy, just like every member of the band I've met since the late 70's. I even got to spend a Christmas Eve with Eric back in '92. After 4 hours, he almost answered every question I could have had for him at that time. What rock star would bother to invite a fan to a family gathering, causing him to miss a Nicks game just to be a good guy to a true fan. Could you imagine Joe Walsh or Joe Perry doing that? I kinda doubt it.
blue coupe???
I'm waiting with anxious ears
John Shirley I enjoy your short stories.😀
The new album was released in October 2020 and it's awesome. It's called The Symbol Remains - UA-cam Music link: music.ua-cam.com/play/OLAK5uy_nAgaNeeTVZu3x9uBmmso2L5l3IHsOr7eM.html
Cultasuarus Erectus, favorite BOC album, loved the artwork.
I love quite a few of B.O.C.'s album covers..
Cultösaurus has to be one of the most amazing album covers of all time
BOC has always been underrated. Saw them twice in 1981 and 1983. So good live. Unique. Thanks for the history lesson.
"Good" live is the key. NEVER great because Bloom was a very weak front man and Buck was a pretty good but not great guitarist. And they relied a lot on lasers and crap like that. BOC cannot even compare with the likes of Diamond David Lee Roth and EVH of Van Halen, Coverdale/Hughes or Gillan and Blackmore of Deep Purple and NO BAND compares with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who.
@@jaysantos536 Way to miss the point. My post: "underrated", "so good live", and "unique." You: "Lasers and crap like that." They did have a large mechanical Godzilla which remained covered until they played the song. No lasers. Thinking of Pink Floyd? Ironically, you compare BOC to VH with David Lee Roth, the most overrated, unoriginal, tool in rock. He couldn't sing/write/play a lick. His most famous live performance came when he forgot the lyrics to the songs at the Us Festival. He staggered around the stage drunk. Very pro. As for Deep Purple, The Reaper ranks #405 on the Rolling Stone Top 500 list, Smoke on the Water 434. Scoreboard. Finally, The Who. Signature move? Smashing the instruments! Brilliant comparison. Book The Who if you want to be trampled in a general admission stampede (Cincinnati, 1979.)
@@johnhallman3896 How old are you about 30? And who gives a sh#t how high or low Rolling Stone mag rates ANYTHING? It's a few guy's opinions. And as far as comparing bands "Live" let's look at ticker sales where folks offer their "oponions" backed up with hundreds odollars of their money. How many shows did BOc headline sold over 50,000 tickets? You tell me because I have no idea. But I do have an idea how many shows The Who played to over 100,000 and that was at least 20. And Van Halen was likely close to that same range and BTW when they opened in 1978 for Black Sabbath, OZZY even commented that VH blew Sabbath off the stage EVERY night and in 1980 in Orlando Tangerine Bowl VH opened for The Stones and BLEW those guys off the stage. And deep Purple was the biggest live band in 74-75 and regularly sold out 50,000 arenas throughout the world. Remind me what year BOC was even in the Top 20 live acts? CASE CLOSED mo-ron.
@@johnhallman3896 You are a real piece of sh#t sir. "Book The Who if you want to be trampled in a general admission stampede (Cincinnati, 1979.)" I know all about that show and to bring that up to somehow denegrate the band is simply wrong and shows your lack of character. Pete and Roger ahve both admitted how much that tragedy has been on their minds ever since and Daltrey visited the high school where 3 of the kids that dieg attended and talked with some folks that were at the show, It was very moving but you wouldnt understand. F#ck you and I'm done with you.
Forgot: as a collector of Heavy Metal magazine (at the time the best collection of european graphic novels (comics, bande dessinées, quadrinhos), i wento to see the Heavy Metal movie, featuring the Veteran of Psychic War (great) song.
Thanks for a very detailed retrospective of BOC
I'm going to sit back and go through the whole catalog in order.
Have to agree with your top picks for albums 👌. Found the band late but have really enjoy so many albums.
"Mistress of the salmon salt. quicklime girl!!"
Greatest band of all time. Their songs are very unique and atmospheric.
Nice potted history of a very interesting band, until recently I'd only heard one album and a handful or other songs, but found a few of my subs love BOC, so reacted to a couple of songs, and I am falling in love with this amazing band. This adds some real background to my new growing obsession, thanks.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this! I got to open for BOC in Detroit in 1998 in a weird twist of fate only because Rob Halford's tour got cancelled, which got rescheduled as opener for them, lso with the progrock band TILES from my area of Detroit ROCK City. haha
I'm not just a lifelong fan but I also see the deep essoteric meaning in the lyrics, symbols,and album covers..They weren't just a regular rock band but somehow they or people working with them behind the scenes had alot of profound essoteric knowledge and knew things that the average person wouldn't know.
That was all marketing. If you look actually closer, there's nothing behind those lyrics, except maybe poetry. Read the inteviews, very disappointing. You can make whatever interpretation you want of the lyrics because they don't really have deep meanings.
Right you are, Sandy Pearlman was a student of the hermetic sciences!
@@antenanashi Right , but when you have Buck Dharma on lead guitar the lyrics don't matter that much .
Imaginos is a highly underrated album yet one of my favorites along with Cultosaurus Erectus. Fantastic material.
I am absolutely addicted to “Death Valley Nights”, right now.
I absolutely love the bass in that song
Nice, Pete. They released some great material, although most people sadly only remember The Reaper. A little anecdote: the thriller writer Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling!!) has written a novel Career of Evil; each chapter is introduced by a quote from a BOC song. Fantastic novel, too. PS: do you think you can do a history of Camel one day?
Saw them last night. In Newark ,uk .
Great show.
One day I went to work and there in the shop was a bunch of crates. We opened them up and there was all this crazy looking gear and several disco balls, the mirrored ones. My boss had us uncrate everything and then we played with it. It was Blue Oyster Cult's hand laser rig and we set it up at the concert the night before. It was the first time, that tour, it had ever been used... Oh, and the British Lions opened the show and was followed by UFO.... 'Mirrors' is one of my favorite BOC albums, after Treaties and Cultasaurus and Heaven Forbid. "See You in Black', a song about domestic violence is one of my favorite all time BOC songs.
I saw that same lineup (no doubt the same tour) at an outdoor show in Carson City, Nevada, at a place called T-Car Speedway. They didn't have the mirror ball to use so Bloom just shot the wrist laser into the sky, which still looked pretty cool. During UFO's set, they lost power to the stage and the band stood around for awhile chatting with people at the front of the stage until they got the juice on again. i don't recall much about British Lion's set except that I was glad I finally got to see some Mott members in concert.
Imaginos along with Cultosaurus Erectus and Agents of Fortune are my favorites! I saw the Imaginos tour and it was obvious that it wasn't a BOC album, but they did play In the Presence of another world. I just think the material on Imaginos is superb, even though the story line is all out of sync (which adds to its mystique of the whole project imo). And the Siege and Investiture... is fantastic to play if you are a guitarist!
Love BOC. Simply FABULOUS
Great, great video of the career of the most underrated band of all time, BOC is more than Don't Fear the Reaper, Burning For You, Godzilla.....I've seen BOC many times over the years, not in their hey day, I'm not that old, they still put on a solid show to this very day, after hearing this years R N R hall of fame inductees, a very weak line up I may add, BOC has them all beat by a country mile, BOC for the R N R hall of fame...
Like the video, about to sub, but I have to correct you big-time on a song title: It's "Mistress Of The Salmon *Salt* (*Quicklime* Girl)" which is actually one of their best songs ever. Even though I do agree that Side Red is better than Side Black, this song is, to me, one of the all-time greatest album closers. Just that initial guitar riff followed by Eric Bloom's spirited, "Alright," gets my blood pumpin' and my head bangin' every time. LOVE IT!! Thanks for your show!! 🤘
The "Cities on Flame with R&R" riff can proudly stand beside anything Page, Iommi or Blackmore ever created.
I always think the Black & White period and albums are their best. Maybe because of my age. I listen to them as one massive piece of work.
I do prefer Mirrors, Cultausaurus or Fire of unknown Origin,
Songs better
Trivia: Back in the '80s there were Chu-Bops. It was a miniature album cover with a piece of bubble gum in the shape of a record and song lyrics from one of the songs. Cultusaurus Erectus was one of the albums.
@@bryanlopez3661 You can get them for $15 on eBay.
I had that one and Get The Knack. The gum was great, too.
I have seen BOC at least 30 times since 1981 (with Foghat and same year with Joe Perry Project) my favorite band Tyranny & Mutation is my favorite with secret treaties a close second!
And this from the man who played Cliffs of Dover and Trademark! I appreciate you.
Got into them through my bud George Soler (now a very accomplished Chapman Stick player in the Seattle area), who had all of the early ones through Some Enchanted Evening. I remember when he bought CE. Always read the liner notes on those albums - Eric played stun guitar! So, I just had this revelation about their manager/producer Sandy Pearlman, who I had always thought was female from the name back in when I was a young music scholar and didn't know any better. Come on - "Sandy" "Pearl" "Oyster" - talk about a professional stage name intertwined with the band! Forgive me if this has been discussed ad nauseum in the past. Great history lesson Mr. Pardo!
Excellent Video which brought back some memories of my favorite rock band of all time. Been a Cult fan since '73. Looking forward to the new record.
One of my favorite American bands ever and a cool story behind them. So many great songs that never got any airplay.
“ Cities on Flame “, the E.T. song, “ The Golden Age of Leather “ and many other notables.
Burnin fir you has to be my favorite
It got so much radio play in the summer. I have so many memories of being a teen connected to this song
First band I ever saw. Secret Treaties tour, opening for REO (Lost in a Dream your). BOC blew REO off the stage.
Love the track Lost In A Dream!
One of my top 3 favorite bands . Saw them live 7 times. Met Buck when he jammed with a local band in Tampa. And earlier at their motel in Shreveport, La.
Greatest band ever.
Laughable. The Who. Van Halen. Deep Purple. And at least 20 more....
@@jaysantos536 does it really make a difference to you what this person thinks is the best band ever? Lol
@@Themostfluffiest Just trying to educate.
Revolution By Night is my cruising disc. And Take Me Away is my favorite BOC Tune. And, "for the love of christ" Commercial FM Radio, Blue Oyster Cult has far more material than "Burnin For You".
About 75-80 good sings if you ask me
Pumped lotz of 🐱 while listening to that album on the old Pioneer super tuner.
I saw them twice betweein 79-80 in Nashville..stellar gigs.
Saw them many times since 1977... and at Lake Tahoe in '17.. just Eric & Buck... Two Oyster Cult in acoustic.. so awesome...
TWO Öyster Cult - nice!
Wonderful love this band too will be seeing them in Glasgow next year a truly underratrd band too so many classic songs and albums and always great live
Thanks for the proper spelling of too
Good job!
We understand, we understand....
I still have the lyrics printed on green bar computer paper. I saw BOC in small theaters, large arenas, dive bars, rib cook-offs, a ski area they always kicked ass.
Their fans seem to have a special connection with the band and with each other. You can see by the comments here. Not everyone loves the same songs or albums or eras. But there isn't the usual venom you typically see in comments in UA-cam videos.
Great story Brian - I had seen them during their climb to the top in 1974 and 75 . Big arenas , great shows . Then fast forward to 2009 where they were playing at the Santa Cruz County Fair . After the show was over and I was watching the roadies tear down the stage , Eric Bloom shows up at the side fence and we chatted for a few minutes like old buddies . He was so nice and easy to be with I walked away shaking my head , was that Eric Bloom ? It certainly was .
Can't believe I watched this whole thing with my limited attention span. Love the Cult. First saw them in '77 at the Cape Cod Colosseum with Starz and REO Shitwagon.
starz rocked.
Yes Jim-Starz is a treasured band amongst those in the know! Especially the debut and Violation, which were chock full of melodic, rifftastic, catchy as hell, well written gems!Liked Attention Shoppers as well and am currently looking to obtain Coliseum Rock on disc. Nice shout out for totally unsung band! Peace, Treff@@jamesian-allen8725
REO was badass back then!
@@eric_in_florida Golden Country
Great vid Pete , as an obsessive B.O.C fan for over 40 years i think the part of there mysticism and cult status ( no pun intended ) is the fact that they still probably are an underground band. As a kid at college i would never divulge who was playing that song on my trusty tape deck when asked by the uninitiated and dont forget you're as beautiful as a foot. Cheers from Downunder.
HUGH JARSENBALLS BÖC are cool as hell! I love bands that have a bit of mystique about them: BÖC, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and one of the most underrated bands of all time, The Church. Probably my fave BÖC album is Tyranny And Mutation. Cheers!
I've got a fever, and the only prescription, is more classic rock video reviews.
I do a similar type of show,a little crazier. Called Eddy G`s Music World on UA-cam
So well done. Thanks
My all time favorite rock n roll band
Saw BOC open for Joe Walsh in the mid 70's. Kind of an odd pairing but a great concert and BOC kicked butt.
On the new album.. check out "That Metal Show". Buck mentions that they've been working on an all acoustic album. This was from almost 2 years ago after they returned from touring Australia. Many thx for the BOC history! Just saw them live again this past weekend and it was truly phenomenal. Real musicians, real music and the real deal all the way! Hard to believe that Buck and Eric are both over 70 years old now!
First heard them when Secret Treaties came out. I just saw them last weekend in Baltimore. Awesome show.
I saw them last night it was amazing... Got to meet Buck after the show...
I was a kid growing up in Albany, NY in the early 80s (born 1970). I used to hear on the radio that Soft White Underbelly would be playing a club show in Albany, every now and then. Only years later did I learn that this was BOC doing one-off club shows for fun, when not on tour. I was too young to go to those clubs anyway, but I'm sure the older rockers in Albany looked forward to those shows.
They're 2nd album had a lot of songs that had a punk feel to it, but the musicianship gave them away, like early Police.
Proto Thrash Metal?
Wikipedia says that the first BOC album was released January 16, 1972.
Fantastic history Pete. My history with BOC goes back to the black and white albums because my oldest brother had gone to see them several times in their early days in Cleveland. I really started to really get blown away when the On Your Feet or On Your Knees album came. That was the kind of energy that I knew I had to go see and experience. I couple of years later when I got my driver's license I was privileged to see them on the Spectres tour. For my teenage mind it was mind blowing. The lazers were amazing, especially on the performance of Then Came The Last Days Of May. Buck Dharma did an extended lead that gave me chills. I saw them again on the Mirrors tour it was a strong concert but not as memorable as the first one. I have watched some amazing BOC concerts on UA-cam from France. I want to say 1972, maybe 1973. Regardless, they are definitely worth checking out. Cheers.
saw them at Akron Civic Theater in 75 . on your feet tour . high on white blotter .forever burned into my brain . the french shows you mentioned are from 75 also by the way
@@markbyers1651 oh ok I'll take your word for it.
@@scottmcgregor3317 well , look it up my friend .live in Paris 75
@@markbyers1651 I did ,I was also listening to the '72 boot as well. My old feeble mind is easily confused these days.
Saw BOC and sabbath with dio at the Oregon jam at the fairgrounds in Salem. July 1980. Molly hatchet opened,.
Saw the "Black and Blue" tour 1980, Rochester NY. Purple microdot. 🤟🥴
They called that the Black and Blue tour, yes?
Sounds pretty boring since BOC was the only decent band there. Hatchet was a third rate Southern fried act gravy training Allman Bros and Skynyrd, Sabbath was always horrible live and Dio was only good when he fronted Rainbow.
I think that Buck had a relative that was a high school history teacher. This was in the late 70's. His last name was Roeser and it was odd hearing a middle age teacher talking about BOC.
Love all BOC,but Secret Treaties is their masterpiece imo👍👍
100% this. An absolute masterpiece.
I'm pretty sure it was, too--for that year.
Like heavy metal fruit
Mirrors
So is tyranny and mutation
This was a really insightful retrospect of the band. Learned a few things along the way and now throwing on the Cultasaurus Erectus album. What an interesting cover. They had some cool designs on the albums for sure.
Had the concert experience of a lifetime, black and blue in Boston Garden, BOC blew Black Sabbath away! Rock on Pete!
BS was tight and loud, was Ozzy's voice off or something that nite?
@@joejones9520 Dio was the singer for Sabbath, for the Black and Blue tour, Heaven and Hell was the album, they had released, while Cultosauras Erectus was the BOC album, just letting you know that!
@@neil1390 oh yeah, I forgot about him, Ive been into early BlkS lately!
@@joejones9520 Great stuff! To me, early Sabbath was the best, have a good one, Joe!
BOC and Uriah Heep! Man, I would have *loved* to see that show. Good one.
I caught BOC last month at a small venue in Virginia. Great show, intimate setting - a show well worth seeing. You mentioned covering MSG...oddly enough, I saw BOC open for RUSH in 85 and then MSG open for RUSH in 87
Thanks Pete. Lots of good info on one of my favorite bands. I have to agree with you that Secret Treaties is their best album. Only a few of my friends appreciate BOC like I do, so I guess that is their loss.
BOC was one of the best bands ever....I’m surprised that the young people have no idea about them... like a lot of the older 70-80s bands they often find their way back into the ears of young people, I hope BOC does, because they are truly great..and why would anyone want to miss out..
I am now 64 years old, and never had a chance to see BOC . That hopefully will all change October 23rd , when they play Saenger Theater in Hattiesburg, MS Its a 3 hour drive from home , but I'm taking my 18 year old son, and I can't wait ! Truly one of my favorite bands of all time, that never got the respect they deserved.
Thank you so much for doing this feature on BOC! I absolutely love this band. ❤🙂
(Cultosaurus Erectus!!)
Oaxaca is pronounced "wahahka" - it's a place in Mexico.
St Cecilia is a great album. I bought it when it was first released.
Tranny and Mutation is my favorite, the guitar s really have a great back and forth with each other I love it and I still ❤️ the band.
One of the top 5 live bands I ever saw. Fantastic musicians.
Always loved them.Great band and great live shows.Awesome songs.
someone left a copy of tyranny and mutation at my sisters house after a party. She didn't like it and gave it to me. I loved it, but nobody else I knew liked it at all. Fine with me I got my own band to love. Then years later don't fear the reaper was a big hit and every one was talking about this great new band. I said " I've been telling you guys about them for years and you wouldn't give them a chance, They're not new they have at least three studio albums and a live album that kicks ass" My one time I was ahead of everyone else
Very, very cool! I got the first album and Tyranny and Mutation together back in 1974. T & M is still my all-time BOC fave but that's probably because it was my first exposure to BOC and I was only 14 years old. What a band. You can definitely hear the strong BOC influence in the currently super-successful band Ghost.
I bought the 1st album in 72 after hearing a song on VERY LATE NIGHT fm radio and was blown away by the whole record and the band- 2nd album just as great and then to top it off, Tyranny and Mutation - how many bands had 3 great albums to start their career? NOT MANY!! Then The live album - it got terrible reviews, my friends and I loved it - we burnt our stylus out playing that vinyl non-stop. I kind of lost interest after On your feet, but I still love the ORIGINAL Cult. The band that tours today does sound good, just not the original band that I love(d).
Nazareth n blue oyster cult 2 most favorite bands seen both 3 times each
Seen BOC a few times, love Nazareth but never saw them
Great history! Love BOC! Great job!
Thanks for the history lesson. Your favorite albums seem to match up with mine. I am, however, a little torn between T&M and Secret Treaties as my all time favorites. I've also discovered a deep appreciation for Spectres in recent times. A little tidbit about what made Agents of Fortune such a departure from there Black & White period was that the members of the band invested their earnings into 4-track recorders. That enabled them to write and try out their own songs without needing to collaborate with anyone else. This was talked about in some of Buck Dharma's interviews you can find on UA-cam. That time period also coincided with the rise of disco music, which of course, most heavy rock fans hated with a passion. However, the 4-track technology made it easier and more affordable for amateurs and unknowns to record more music on their own. All the BOC guys were already versed in a variety of instruments, so they could record demos for the other band members and producers. Another coincidence, that time period (late 70s) also sparked the rise of Punk and New Wave RnR. No wonder pop music went in so many directions during those years.
Anyway, can you or have you done any histories on some of the San Francisco Bands. I'm thinking Jefferson Airplane/Starship and Quicksilver Messenger Service. That'd be really cool.
Great stuff.. I wonder if there is much archive footage from back in the day… photography.. it would be great to see a proper documentary on the band
I agree Pete Secret Treaties best album ! They were great live with the Laser show........ I seen them with Uriah Heep on New Years eve in Cleveland and Once with Be Bop Deluxe , and few other times....
Thanks for the be Bob deluxe mention. I saw b.b.delux and opening were the Jam !
First concert was in Long island as the Soft White Underbelly on 20th October 1967 .....
Steven Wilkinson Awesome! How were they in 67?
@@stewwalker1498 Largely a work in progress until they did the recordings for the Stalk Forrest Group album in 1970 (which is on UA-cam) ...
Watched this to see about the era where I first saw them, and love that you mentioned them opening for the Byrds and Mahavishnu Orchestra. I have never heard or read about that night anywhere else. But that show remains one of the more memorable ones in my life a half century later. My friends and I went to a Byrds show in December 1971 at what was then SUNY at Stony Brook, and saw two new-to-us bands opening - BOC first, then Mahavishnu Orchestra. Both were great, so I got the first BOC album when it came out and was so happy for them when they made it big later. While Mahavishnu Orchestra just sounded like random noise to me that night, I wound up warming up to them, got their first 2 albums within a few months and they became my gateway to the jazz-rock fusion that would be big for several years. The Byrds also played a fine show, mostly the Untitled album, and I was glad to see them that one time before they broke up.
Just last week, Richie Castellano let it be know there'll be a new studio album to be released next year. Damn near holding my breath!
I'm from LI ,NY. BOC was huge on LI in the mid to late 70s. IMO.. they were always a bit weird.. which set them apart from most other bands. I like about half the material they released between 1971- 81. I saw them lives 4 times.
Great history, glad you talked about Ghost, kind of the BOC revival last few years. When I heard Ghost for the first time I went and bought all those old Blue Oyster vinyl, of course I had some albums but after hearing Ghost I completed my collection very cheap, so I guess that was a good thing. I still don't have Imaginos cause that album is kind of expensive, that drives me nuts. My favorite album has always been Fire of Unknown and the one with dinosaurs. Their third one is very good too and I also like Spectres.
FoUO is one of the most consistent records i know of. All the tracks are good!
2021, and I'm still searching as much as I can about this band, really good video, B.O.C was ahead of it's time, in my opinion, it's a shame that just a few people know them, specially here in Mexico
Do get that Stalk-Forrest Group album, _St. Cecilia_ - it's pretty terrific. It's very typical Elektra Records fare for the time, an erratic and adventurous mix of psychedelic, folk, pop, and blues. At times, it almost feels like the missing bridge between Love's _Forever Changes_ and _Four Sail_ albums, oddly enough. Granted, it's not as mind-blowing as either of those classics, but they definitely shared a vibe. It's a shame the album fell through the cracks but at least Rhino Handmade rescued it from obscurity. And if it had been released, it seems a safe bet that the BÖC we know and love may never have happened. Perish the thought.
By the way - Oaxaca is pronounced "wə-HAH-kə" (as in the Mexican state).
I'm pretty sure the first album came out in 1972.
It did.
Correct- I jotted down the wrong date
@@seaoftranquilityprog Recorded late in 1971 & released early in 72 .....
I've seen them in every type of venue over the years, from my local biker bar to a 60,000 capacity stadium. My favourite show was in 1981 when they played with Robby Krieger of The Doors.