ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 9, 1988
By Steve Newton
Few rock ‘n’ roll bands can fuse raunchy guitars and menacing vocals and still come up with really beautiful music. But New York’s Blue Öyster Cult has done that on more than a dozen albums since 1972.
The latest boasts the same hard-hitting, finely crafted tunes that have made so many of their records must-haves for the serious hard-rock collector. Unlike Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, who really benefited from having local producer Bruce Fairbairn at the controls, Blue Öyster Cult’s Fairbairn-produced ’83 LP, The Revolution By Night, was–while not a bad record–far from their best.
With the new disc they’ve got longtime associate Sandy Pearlman back in the producer’s chair, and he brings out the best. B.Ö.C. sounds terrific on typical ear-busters like “I Am the One You Warned Me Of” and “Les Invisibles”, as well as the more funky title track, which features guitarists Joe Satriani, Aldo Nova, and the Doors’ Robbie Kreiger.
never saw BOC but did see Soft White Underbelly and later Stalk Forest before they became BOC… July 3, 1970: TEN YEARS AFTER/ MC5/ STALK FOREST GROUP @ STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY.