BLUE OYSTER CULT
BLUE ÖYSTER CULT “Ghost Stories”
By Colonel Angus
BLUE ÖYSTER CULT was one of the gateway bands that got me into heavy metal. Like most people, I was introduced to them in 1976 with “Agents of Fortune” and their huge hit "(Don't Fear) The Reaper". At the time, I wanted more so like any devout CULT fanatic, I went for their back catalogue and discovered the magic of their “Black & White” period. Those first three records are stuff that legends are made of and quite frankly, they need to be held to the same high regard as the early BLACK SABBATH albums. Moving forward, the band hit their peak in the late 70s and early 80s before hair metal and thrash took over as the reigning genres.
The folks at Frontiers Music have done a great job of releasing a host of live records and their amazing "comeback” disk “The Symbol Remains”. All of them have been quality releases but I have read that the band is capping off their illustrious career (of evil) with “Ghost Stories”. This album is a collection of tracks that were recorded during their heyday of 78-83 (with one tune from 2016) but were never released to the public. One might call them “cutting room floor” songs but the quality of their material is so high that even though they didn’t make it to their original records, they are still worthy to be part of your B.O.C. collection.
Things start off with a funky “Late Night Street Fight” that had all the Eric Bloom hallmarks. It is moody cut with a very nice guitar solo from Buck Dharma. It definitely sounds like something that would have fit snuggly on “Cultösaurus Erectus”. As we progress, “Cherry” has a very old B.O.C. vibe and reminds me of their very early material which is odd because these tunes were recorded after 1978. It has a very rock and roll feel and has more of a poppy feel which is right up there with the Dharma catalogue of songs. Bloom definitely was more the architect of the heavier and menacing material. “So Supernatural” sounds like the title would suggest except the chorus makes the overall track slightly lighter. This is the standout on the record and begs to wonder why this wasn’t on one of their records before this one.
The addition of covers is where B.O.C. loses me as I feel that their original material is so strong that they need to ditch the covers. I understand bands that are starting out need additional songs to round out their show because of the lack of original tunes but this late in their career is no place for them. I also don’t generally like their song selection for covers and hated it when they added “Born to Be Wild” or “Roadhouse Blues” into their set. Here we get the awful ANIMALS tune “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” and the MC5 “Kick Out the Jams”. I disliked the live version on “Some Enchanted Evening” and here we get the studio take of that track. I could have done without either of these songs on the disk.
“Ghost Stories” improves immensely with “Soul Jive” which revisits that funky vibe that was present on the opening cut. Again, this one would fit on “Cultösaurus Erectus” and it would not have been out of place one it. “Gun” is another Bloom tune that captures the heavier side of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT These are a couple of cool tunes and shows that their own material is way more interesting and worthy than the covers that they obviously spent time recording. I wouldn’t be surprised if “Shot in the Dark” came from the Cultösaurus session as there is this weird (in a good way) intro where Allen Lanier is very up front and then the track evolves into a cool rocker. It reminds me a lot of "The Marshall Plan" in both sound and vibe. Another Dharma track is next and it has that mellow pop rock sound that he does very well. “The Only Thing” has a sound that I feel captures the early 80s B.O.C. sound where they were trying to get hits on the radio and it seemed that the label always pushed his material over the heavy Bloom stuff. “Kick Out the James’ is next and I think I made myself clear on what I thought of that song. I will be skipping that one along with THE ANIMALS cover whenever I play this disk.
Thankfully Bloom comes in to save the day with another rocker that has more of that heavier rock sound. “Money Machine” may have lyrics that are a bit weak but musically it is a winner and another highpoint for “Ghost Stories”. Another early 80s sounding rock tune finishes the best part of this record. “Don't Come Running To Me” is another song that should have been released earlier as it has the pop sensibilities of the type of metal that made it onto radio but it is heavy enough to still appeal to the older B.O.C. fans. The disk ends with another cover that I could do without. This BEATLES cover “If I Fell” was the only track that was recorded in 2016 and quite honestly doesn’t really belong on “Ghost Stories”. The overall sound/production makes it stick out like a sore thumb and it would have been better off left on the “cutting room floor”.
So there you have it , BLUE ÖYSTER CULT fans. A song by song review of this odds n’ sods release that puts the cherry on top of their recording career. My biggest complaint if you couldn’t figure it out from the previous paragraphs is the inclusion of the three cover tunes. Not only are they unnecessary but their choice of tracks leaves a lot to be desired. Aside from that, I love the other material and will definitely be playing it often. I always enjoyed BLUE ÖYSTER CULT (in all their incarnation) but I do favor the original line-up so to get additional material from that group of musician is a win in my book. If in fact, this will be the last B.O.C. record, then “Ghost Stories” is a great way to end a career.