This band are so underrated. I only got into them recently, they are one of the great 70s rock bands. They deserve to be mentioned alongside the likes of Deep Purple and Sabbath.
They are awesome, and Secret Treaties is as good as anybody has ever done it, but beware, they have some low points. Revolution By Night is pretty bad!
@@grahamtaylor8912 Take Me Away is a total banger, but the rest is rough to get through. All 3 shows I went to they played Shooting Shark wishing for the latter.
@@BlackTerror I saw them play Take Me Away at Sheffield City Hall in 1988. It was up tempo and a real banger live.. I like a few other tracks on the album, Feel the Thunder, Shadow of California, Dragon Lady and Veins. Not one of the better efforts by them though I agree. Best albums are Fire of Unknown Origin, Cultasaurus I reckon.
There are no bad BOC albums, they are all gold. They have varying styles, but remain BOC. Listen to the ones you don't like more, you will appreciate them more.
Mirrors needs a few more plays and the songs on last two that I've heard played live (Harvest Moon and Dance on Stilts) are growing on me but I just can't get through Revolution. Take me Away is awesome but then that's it.
1. Cultosaurus Erectus 2. Fire of Unknown Origin 3. Tyranny and Mutation 4. Spectres 5. Secret Treaties 6. Heaven Forbid 7. Imaginos 8. The Symbol Remains 9. Blue Oyster Cult 10. Agents of Fortune 11. Mirrors 12. Club Ninja 13. The Revolution by Night 14. Curse of The Hidden Mirror
Applaud the bottom third of this list. You have more balls than I do to but Agents that low but I always thought it was overrated. Love #1&2. Best era of the band,
I should have gone more into it but I didn’t like how there were no songs on that or curse that had an epic and creepy tone to them like a flaming telepaths or veteran of a psychic war. Stuff with cool keyboards. Allen Lanier was on those albums but didn’t seem to have a big role.
Blue Öyster Cult Top 5: 5: THE REVOLUTION BY NIGHT 4: FIRE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN 3: SECREAT TREATIES 2: SPECTRES 1: THE SYMBOL REMAINS Best live: EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIVE (1983)
Wow, Symbol Remains at #1! Controversial. I liked it but I don't think it had enough Eric Bloom vocals on it for me. His songs on it were probably the best they did since maybe Fire of Unknown Origin. I don't know if it was released worldwide but there was a live greatest hits CD I don't remember if I mentioned in the video called Career of Evil which basically combined ET Live and Some Enchanted Evening with a few other studio hits.
@@BlackTerror I like Symbol Remains a lot. I think they basically sound like in the old days but still fresh and modern. Eric Bloom was a fantastic singer back then but now lost his voice, so I don't think he wanted to sing more than this. I am not a big fan of Blue Öyster Cult 'cause it's too psychedelic for me, and maybe that's why Symbol Remains could jump as high as no. 1 for me. I think they have some great tracks but I don't like the dry sound that they often have - the only great sounding albums are the one that Martin Birch produced. But the first 4 on my list are good start to finish. Revolution by night has some fillers as have the other's. Oh, I like Mirrors too, but I can't find it on cd. Didn't heard about that live album you mention. I have the first official three, but don't like the first because of the sound, again. Martin Birch was a wizard soundwise. He gave all his artists an identity, never failed. BÖC sounded never great without him.
Hi there, I am starting to really appreciate the BOC. Always loved the hits but I am beginning to collect more of their recordings. Not many bands that you can sit down and listen to 3-4-5 albums in one sitting and not hate or be bored at any particular time. They have made a niche for themselves indeed.... Prog/classic rock/psychedelic but definitely not metal... maybe in image only but only my opinion. One of the finest guitarists and vocalists and yes, they can all write material which made every album different. Now that is what I call a well rounded, group. Always good to hear more cowbell in life.... (get it) God bless and keep rocking, PS just subscribed based on the viewing of this video alone. Tino
Thanks for the subscribe. I only just started doing rock reviews and have gotten good reactions like this so it'll only encourage me to do more than my usual videos on vintage toys. As for the BOC, I think they really shine is live in the live concert bootlegs all over youtube. Anything from the mid 70's or 80 or 81 is awesome. They had a great mysterious spooky vibe to them in their prime. The official live albums they do have though are all good but are edited. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-77TKxVXa74A.html
Saw them live at Sturgis (K S from Utopia on bass) and saw them at The Variety Playhouse in Atlanta right before the shut down ..both shows were great ! Excellent sound and musicianship..they rocked just as if it were MSG! I do wish their set had of incorporated a just little more 80s stuff ..but all good! I will go see them any chance I get
Spot on! I always wondered I am the only one who loves FOUO, because BOC fans tend to rate it close to the bottom. I never understood the dislike for it, literally every song on that album is good.
I've always known it to be one of their most beloved and highest rated albums by fans (deservedly so). It's also their second highest rated album on rate your music, just barely behind secret treaties. I wonder where these fans are that rate it close to the bottom, because I've never really seen them.
Sea of Tranquility is a well-established channel. Don’t worry about how many hits they get. And Pete pumps out videos one after another. I’m watching to see which albums you like the most.
Yeah, I didn’t know that he was a big channel then. I’ve become a fan of his. I’m impressed he can make so many worst to best vids when it takes me weeks to relisten to a whole discography. He must listen to music on an endless loop all day. Thanks for watching my stuff!
I've been listening to BOC since 1975 and their first 5 LP's + Live were a big influence, along with Sabbath, Stones, Kiss, Rush, Nazareth, UFO, etc..., on me getting into Rock and Metal.. my ratings are: 1. - Secret Treaties 2. - Tyranny and Mutation 3. - Agents Of Fortune 4. - Fire Of Unknown Origin 5. - Blue Oyster Cult (s/t) 6. - Spectres 7. - Cultasauras Erectus 8. - Mirrors 9. - Imaginos 10.-The Symbol Remains 11.-Curse Of the Hidden Mirror 12.-Revolution By Night 13.-Club Ninja 14.-Heaven Forbid
Alright another list! Love it! We're on the same basic wavelength too. Some albums a little higher some a little lower but we're in the same neighborhood with our ranks. Some people give me crap over ranking Heaven Forbid so low but you back me up on it.
Heaven Forbid is the heaviest album they ever did? Its definitely in the spirit of Tyranny and Mutation and Secret Treaties. Its a masterpiece. You need to go back and listen to it again.
I've listened to again since I made this video. I still cant get into it. I found it heavier because its more guitar driven and lacked keyboards. One of my favorite elements of the band was Allen Lanier's keyboard work which was strange because he was still with the band at this point. No big piano breaks like Flaming Telepaths or otherworldly keyboards like Psychic Wars.
That's a pretty honest review! I've been getting into them more lately, discovering that they are still a band(s) (Blue Coupe sounds pretty close to the same, The brothers really cary the vibe),after only hearing Agents of Fortune since the early 90s. So far theres 6 studio albums I find really good from start to finish and they're my to priority to find hard copies of. I'm not sure if I like Cultosaurous or Fire of Unknown Origin as my favorite so far and the variety of songs on Agents of Fortune is unbeatable.
6 albums you like from start to finish from any band is a blessing. Some only have one. If your looking for hard copies, Deepdiscount.com always has good stuff. They have the hard to get imports without charging to much like amazon sometimes does when they run out of stock and you have to buy third party. I haven’t checked out Blue Coupe but mean to. I burned myself out on BOC making this video and haven’t listened to them much since. Sometimes you got to put your favorites away for a while to make you miss them.
@@BlackTerror Blue Coupe is just Blue Oyster Cult and Alice Cooper Songs. I believe they have original recordings but Ive only checked out their live show. I've seen all the albums I'm looking for on Amazon between $5--$8, but I'm not sure about buying CDs from Amazon, I'll buy one first and see how it goes. I had a bunch of CDs stollen 20 years ago, so I'm slowly re gaining my collection.
Enjoyed it! Have to say how much I love RbN ...since you like the creepy/ sci fi /weird vibe that they do so well ya owe it to yourself to revisit Veins, Feel the Thunder, and Dragon Lady!
I’ll give it another spin eventually. Some bands for me are seasonal. BOC I listen to in the fall to get into that Halloween vibe. Pink Floyd is winter music, Judas Priest is spring. Live albums are for walks on summer nights.
@@BlackTerror That is how we as people are. We know what we love and we always hope for something similar that gives us the same feeling like our special record does and then there is the artist who wants to do something new and says his newest one is the best work he ever did. :-)
I agree and have to say that I personally never recognized BÖC as a heavy metal band. Their positive contribution was a mix of rock, metal and popular styles, dominated by different song writing but especially by the main voices Eric Bloom and Donald Roeser. Right now, at the age of 53 I'm coming back to the things I heard at 14,15 and 16... What a gift!
I think BOC when they were at their best were somewhere between Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd other than straight up metal and that aint a bad place to be. If I ever finally get a band going it would sound like the Blue Oyster Cult!
I agree. Take me Away is awesome but I don't like the rest of Rev. Club Ninja has Dancin' In The Ruins which rules but I'm only mildly indifferent to the rest of the album.
Dude! You crack me up...lol. You know more about BOC than BOC. Anyways...thanks for the video, you made my day. Have u listened to their New album? Curious what u think.
I always enjoy positive comments. You made MY day! You get a thumbs up! Yeah, I listened to it. Here’s my review... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1VaaYZxv-ck.html
A song not in my top 20 BOC (maybe #26) but I should have mentioned that one, its one of the better ones off that album. I think I spent a bunch of time hating on Golden Age of Leather during the Spectres part.
I would rank their albums a lot different than you did. I'm an old school, longtime BOC fan & I cant believe how many great songs you don't like but, then again everybody's different. I'd rank them like this 1. Secret Treaties 2. Blue Oyster Cult 3. Tyranny & Mutation 4. Cultosaurus Erectus 5. Agents Of Fortune 6. Imaginos 7. Fire Of Unknown Origin 8. Heaven Forbid 9. Revolution By Night 10. Spectres 11. Mirrors 12. Club Ninja 13. Curse Of The Hidden Mirror I didn't bother with Stalk Forrest Group or Bad Channel as they aren't BOC proper albums IMO.
I love checking out response lists! I'm surprised by most of the feedback I get from this list that I'm the only one who puts Fire of Unknown Origin so high. I thought it was a stone cold classic. You have it in the middle of the pack. You can probably attribute my not liking some classics do to my slant towards their style on that album.
Specters at 10 ? Omg ! That’s top 5 on my list. Def agree with heaven forbid in top 10 and your top 3 in any order wouldn’t be wrong but I’d probably have the first album as #1 then treaties #2 then Tryanny #3
I would guess you saw them at their NH gig in July of 2020... They still jam in an unbelievable way... They aren't going to duplicate 72 thru 83 ever again nor should they...They're 70. But great insight.
Nah, didn’t see them in NH. I didn’t even know about that show till it popped up in my suggested videos a little after it happened. If they are anyway within 2 hours from my house, I definitely see them again though!
They don't sound like a band in your top 10! Harvest Moon not even mentioned in Heaven Forbid? I just like the fact that every album sounds different from the last. Club Ninja underrated too. Not really a bad album in their catalogue to me. You don't like Golden Age of Leather? I like Death Valley Nights. I agree Veteran of the Psychic Wars is one of my favorites and the song that actually got me into the band early 80's.
Like i said they’re in my top 10 but they are number 10. That’s because the BOC stuff that I like, I LOVE and those albums are some of my favorite of all time (Fire of Unknown and strangely Cult Classic) but their discography to me is real spotty. BOC’s missteps aren’t as interesting disasters as somebody like Kiss doing The Elder or Queen’s Hot Space. You got me on forgetting Harvest Moon. Club Ninja I was hoping was underrated because I love dancing in the ruins and 70’s bands 80’s albums but once I heard the whole record I was underwhelmed. It was way better than Revolution though. Total let down after Fire.
@@BlackTerror have you revisited the albums? Still feel the same way? Have you heard "That Was Me" which is their new song on RU-vid? Looking forward to the new album?
@@russellgentile4719 Its the fall so I should be revisiting BOC soon for Halloween. They’re good for the season. I heard both new songs. That was Me was good but Box in my Head is wasn’t so much. But I wasn’t blown away by Deep Purple’s new stuff till I actually had the cd and cranked it up in my car though and I ended up loving that album. I’ll definitely do a review for the album when it comes out but I’m nervous it’ll be a mixed bag.
@@BlackTerror ha! It's funny you mention Fall is coming. Come Fall and Halloween I play a lot of their music. It just feels right doesn't it? I especially like to play Agents, Spectres, and Cultosaurus around that time but any will do. Regarding their new tracks I'm in agreement. Box in My Head was just ok to me. The other track seems to get better and better. I am hoping it's not a mixed bag. I think they may surprise us!
@@russellgentile4719 Cult Classics is my go to Halloween album. Great mix of their sci fi songs. Its also the first album I bought by them and didn't know they were remakes so it has a special place with me.
Worst to best. Revolution by Night Tyranny and Mutation Curse of the Hidden Mirror Imaginos Heaven Forbid The Symbol Remains Fire of Unknown Origin Mirrors Club Ninja Secret Treaties Spectres Blue Oyster Cult debut Agents of Fortune Cultosaurus Erectus.
Thanks for sharing a list! Very varied and very interesting. Tyranny and Mutation is circling the bottom. Controversial yes, but I like seeing the unconventional opinions. Being unique really gives your fandom some cred. I’m a little surprised by the separation between Fire and Cultosaurus. I always saw them as a 1, 2 punch. Club Ninja has its fans and you got them just outside the top third. You got new album out ranking the other comeback albums but no higher which I agree.
Your top two and my top two are the same, except I have Secret Treaties at #1. There's not a clunker on either of the top two, and I agree with you that FoUO comes off as a concept album, it has a great flow to it.
Some albums I think of as seasonal favorites. It’s the beginning of Fall, my favorite time of year to listen to those two. They go well with the leaves coming down and dusk coming earlier in the day during Halloween.
Saw this band when I was 13. New Years Eve at The Palladium in NYC been a fan ever since. A great live band back in the day. They just came out with an album in 2020. I agree pretty much after Fire Of Unknown Origin I lost interest. After seeing them in the early days it's hard to compare what they're doing today. You have to understand these guys are in their 70s now you're not gonna get that energy from the old days. Imaginos is closer to the bottom of the list for me and Tyranny is my personal favorite Oyster album. ✌
I don’t think their age is really a problem with their current live show. I think they, like many older bands, are that they are perpetually on tour. The shows seem less special. They’re not debuting something new like the old days. They got the new album so it’ll freshen up the set and give you something new on their next stop in my area.
No hate on that, Treaties rules. Sole Survivor has a great story. A lot of BOC lyrics are sort of vague in the storytelling. You just know something cool and creepy is going on, but Sole Survivor tells the story awesomely and hooks me in.
Also, I thought it was a little weird that, Cultosaurus Erectus and the movie "The Shining" were released the same month, June of 1980. Both of them have the phrase "Here's Johnny".
Not a favorite but Mirrors is probably worth a revisit. When I’ve listened to my favorites a million times you always hope you can find something, maybe even just a song you overlooked.
I appreciate this guy's honesty but I have to vehemently disagree on a few of his placings. I must say first that I was so biased about the first three albums that I thought everything after Secret Treaties was subpar. I never liked upon first listen Spectres, Cultosaurus Erectus,or Fire of Unknown Origin. The latter albums I never even bought. I recently decided to revisit the bands catalog and I was surprised at how much I now love the above three mentioned albums and like many of the others. I respect the opinions of the author but I will say Secret Treaties and Spectres should rank higher. The former is number one and Spectres while I had a similar opinion of prior, is way better now that I've listened multiple times. I love Death Valley Knights!! I'll say I saw the band multiple times in their prime and all but one show was phenomenal. My rankings are. Secret Treaties Blue Oyster Cult Spectres Fire of Unknown Origin Tyranny and Mutation Cultosaurus Erectus Agents of Fortune Curse of the Hidden Mirror Revolution by Night Club Ninja
Thanks for sharing but your missing a few albums on the list! I can see skipping Heaven Forbid but I’d be curious to see how low it ranks. Their last album The Symbol Remains is fairly decent when you might not expect much and has a few really good Eric songs. You should check out Imaginos though. It’s got a strange history of production but actually turned out pretty good. I forgot the exact order I did the list but I’m sure secret treaties was at least #3 or 4. Not too shabby, but Spectres never blew me away top to bottom.
@@BlackTerror Thanks for commenting on my comments. I'm guilty, I admit, of missing a couple of more. I'm on vacation and replied hastily. I never liked Spectres either until recently. I like the newest but hate Lemmy's Song. Heaven Forbid I've only heard once so I'll have to reserve judgement. Once again, thanks for replying and I enjoyed your video except that Secret Treaties not being top😁
I forgot the exact order in the video but I'd put it above mirrors, curse, heaven forbid, revolution, and club ninja. So around top of the bottom third. It was a respectable comeback. I did a review on it here... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1VaaYZxv-ck.html
We all have different preferences and I totally respect your's but where I would disagree with you is that I dont think there are ANY duds in their discography. Ok the later ones don't really sound like BOC anymore...and they're not as most of the original members have gone by then but they're still packed with strong tunes.
Sandy Perlman pretty much was the brains behind much of BOC’s music. Everything after “Secret Treaties”, although petty good, started going downhill. Seems to me they were trying to follow the times, the trends, trying to keep relevant instead of breaking the mold they created.
I think Sandy’s lack of involvement and especially kicking Albert out was when they lost truly lost their mojo. They almost hit greatness again with Imaginos after flailing with trends (It was Albert and Sandy songs). If that was more of a real band effort that would have been a classic instead of merely pretty good.
Ahhhh. BOC. I love bands who were hard rock but rarely wore their encased metal Jacket Fully. Other bands included are Thin Lizzy, UFO, And Golden Earring. All squarely hard rock bands w/great And thought provoking lyrics. None of that silly Satanic or Silly mysticism of Sab or Zep. Why does Revolution continue to take so Much truck! Am I the only Who thinks it’s Top 10 At Least.😊 My Top 10 BOC Secret Treaties Tyranny BOC debut Spectres Cultosaurus Fire of unknown Origin Revolution Agents of Fortune The Symbol Remains Club Ninja The rest of pretty good Not a terrible Album In the discography in my view.
This is the one list I didn’t like making. It’s the only one where I flat out hated some of the albums. Their albums that I like, I love like Fire of Unknown Origin but Heaven Forbid is a dust collector on my shelf. Once Albert got kicked out, I think the magic left the band. I still haven’t listened to their newest album of remade leftovers. That’s either really good idea or a dud.
I have it at #8. You can argue it's better than Imaginos at #7 but what else does it bump out of my top six. Not the first 4 or the Birch albums. Give me your list?
@@BlackTerror I just think that the whole album is brilliant..nothing forgettable. Secret Treaties Tyranny Spectres BOC Agents FireOUO Cultasaurus Mirrors. Sorry if I sounded rude
Any time they stuck to their classic sound they made good music. When they followed a trend or stepped out of their box they always fell flat on their faces.
@@BlackTerror That's basically it. Although there are a few places where they stepped out of their comfort zone and still came up with good songs. I like some of the poppier stuff on Mirrors, but then I really dislike The Marshall Plan, off Cultosaurus, which is more straight forward rock. I will often love a whole BOC album with the exception of one song that really annoys me.
They did do some great pop songs. In Thee was one. Mirrors was a bit of a misstep but they rebounded with the next two. Then blew it big time with Revolution and Club Ninja and were never on top again.
@@BlackTerror I totally agree, although there are some moments on both Revolution (Shadow of California) and Club Ninja (Perfect Water) that I rather like. Imaginos also has some great moments.
@@BlackTerror My rankings: 1. Secret Treaties 2. Fire of Unknown Origin 3. Tyranny and Mutation 4. Cultosaurus Erectus 5. Blue Oyster Cult 6. Agents of Fortune 7. Spectres 8. Mirrors 9. Revolution by Night 10. Heaven Forbid 11. Imaginos 12. Club Ninja The only reason that Revolution, for me anyway, wasn't lower than 9th was because of Take Me Away, a great song. Mirrors for me had nothing that stood out, but nothing bad either. Cultosaurus was just a little bit lower on the rung than the others. Black Blade and Monsters are great songs.
1. Secret Treaties 2. Agents of Fortune 3. Fire of Unknown Origin 4. Tyranny and Mutation 5. Blue Öyster Cult 6. Cultösaurus Erectus 7. Spectres 8. The Symbol Remains 9. Club Ninja 10. Imaginos 11. Heaven Forbid 12. Mirrors 13. The Revölution by Night 14. Curse of the Hidden Mirror
Thanks for sharing. Very close to my own list, we have similar taste. Early years and early 80’s at the top. My list only needed one update which is Symbol Remains. It is the better than anything they did since Fire which from your list you appear to agree.
