That ball tearing solo at the end still does it for me since I owned the album in the late 70's.... do some reading up on the story behind that song.... they were smart guys and made thinking man's heavy rock....
This album - Secret Treaties, an amazing work from start to incredible finish (Astronomy!) - came out in 1974. Think about what popular music was then. Metal was still in its infancy, and BOC was pushing the limits a lot, musically and lyrically. Which brings us to this song, which is actually about one on the songwriters' experiences, coming back from a '63/'64 New Years party and hearing The Beatles on the radio for the first time. The difference between how the same music can be used and manipulated by the music industry, yet have a profound influence on the individual. Most people only know three songs from BOC's extensive library, and it's so nice to see you reacting to a song that's not one of those three.
Buck Dharma is one of the all time great rock and roll guitarists. theres a live version of "Veteran of the Pyschic Wars" Epic guitar solo. I swear to god the whole song was wrote just so he could show off!!!
You can never go wrong with BOC. I saw them in Denver on what they billed as "Black And Blue Sunday". Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult playing back to back. Incredible concert. The clouds of smoke were so thick that you got a contact high whether smoking or not. Police policy at the time was that once you got into the venue, it was all good and they weren't going to bust anyone unless violence broke out. They tried busting a concert a couple years before with only 300 cops vs 6000 screaming fans. Luckily nobody was killed but a bunch of cops got pretty seriously hurt, so they said "screw it". Please note that I am NOT advocating violence against the police here, just relating pertinent facts to the story. Seriously folks, don't mess with the cops, you just might turn around and need them someday and you want them to be willing to come to your location
Don't worry if you can't figure out what the lyrics are about. Even hardcore fans can't agree what this song is about! The mystery is part of the fun. ("Charles, the grinning boy" is a inside joke amongst fans. 😁)
So glad you're doing more BOC. This is one band that I would say are better live than studio versions. Anything off of Extraterrestrial Live is worth listening to.
No disrespect, but totally disagree. After listening to BOC for 50 years, I've always labeled Buck's closing solo on this as his quintessential moment.
I adore ETI, one of my all-time favorite live albums and only the second album I bought with my own money back in the day (the first being Pink Floyd: The Wall). Some great live versions, including this song, Joan Crawford, and Veteran of the Psychic Wars. It's not my favorite BOC, but that's only because my absolute faves from their extensive library are ones they rarely if ever play live. Great album!
@Steven Sauer Although many of we Cult fans from their black & white era will forever love OYFOOYK as their best live release, we also will never be able to understand why "Astronomy", "Dominance & Submission", & "Flaming Telepaths" were not on it. Eric's pipes were at their peak in 1974.
Fun watching this. In concert, BOC fans do something really fun during this song! When the singer screams out "Dominance" the crowd throws their hands up in the air. Then when they say "submission " the crowd, in unison, cowers on the ground as if they are subhuman. Only been to one live show, '92 Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon
This song leads right into ME 262 , which rightfully should always be played together which I do all the time since I've had this vinyl for many many moons, it actually makes the whole thing 100 times more kick-ass as it already is 🍺🍻🎸✌️🎉
Sounds like teenagers out for a adventure getting blitzed for New years Eve between 1963 into 1964 I don't know that's what I stink I mean think it's about, this song holds lotz of meaning to me since I was born in 1963 , I have this album I got it when I was a teenager for the kwipes Sakes 😊🎉✌️♥️🍺🍻🎸
……still can smell the vinyl Lp when removing from album cover and placing this masterpiece on my turntable back in 1974 🤗 wore this album out during that whole summer. Would do anything to relive those memories ❤️🎸🔥 B.O.C. didn’t write 1 song on the album !!! (Secret Treaties) “Patti Smith/Sandy Pearlman” did all writing. Only album that does not feature a track with lead vocals sung by lead guitarist 🎸 Buck Dharma 🎸
I saw the Black and Blue tour as well, great pairing and both bands were on fire. You can see that tour on You Tube. Try Cities On Flame from that show, it's another banger! Enjoy. 🎵🎸🎤🎸🎶
great great band. Many unknown tunes. Try " I love the night" for something completely different. a true gem of a song to listen to while your honey is by your side.
Wow, never would've believed you guys would've reacted to this particular BOC piece. From their "black & white era", it arguably best represents why they were called "the American Black Sabbath". Although many would say "7 Screaming Diz-Busters" would've done that. If you want something from them that would make you think, "This cannot possibly be the same group as "Dominance & Submission", may I suggest the studio version of "I Love The Night".
BOC my favorite band, glad you two are getting more into them,saw in in 76' Commack Arena Long Island NY ,they headlined also with J Geils band and STYX $7 at the door general admission they are a Long Island band and also known as Soft White Underbelly and Stalk Forrest group and couple other names i believe, have a great rest of the week you guys.
It's about the transition in music to Rock and Roll in the early sixties and the experiences of the writer with his girlfriend and her brother. What happened in 1964.....THE BEATLES! "Kingdoms of the Radio, 45rpm.....too much revolution!" See, all the great rock songs for teens came in 45rpm (versus 33 rpm for long play). Parents objecting to rock music. Dominance and Submission is the war between adults for control and teens to submit. The lead guitar near the end is one of the most underappreciated guitar leads of all time. Wish radio stations would give this the airplay it deserves.
Blue Oyster Cult is a PHENOMENAL band. SOOO UNDERRATED, and one of the greatest guitarists out there! This Song is so much better live. BOC is a LIVE band. Almost all of their songs are better live.
Besides RUSH, BOC is my favorite band from nearby Long Island. These guys are eclectic. A true musicians band. 3 of my first 4 concerts here in CT. One of those RUSH warmed up for them. That was 1978. If you are intrigued by some real out-of-the-box rock n roll with darkness, humor, warmth & no barriers, you will appreciate their place amongst the greats. D&S is early & they were paving their way. So many songs I could suggest. I'm a B-side deep track type of guy so I'll give you a few that most people might never have heard: GOLDEN AGE OF LEATHER, MONSTERS, SINFUL LOVE, THEN CAME THE LAST DAYS OF MAY (LIVE From On Your Feet or On Your Knees), LONELY TEARDROPS, IN THE PRESENCE OF ANOTHER WORLD & AFTER DARK.
Saw that show with Rush opening for them, also, same tour, saw UFO open. Both times, BOC with lasers at their peak but the openers were otherworldly good too, tremendous shows!
@@vicprovost2561 My first concert was the UFO/BOC show in my hometown Bridgeport @ the old Jai-Alai fronton. Front row in the mezz gave us a great view & appreciation of the band with the full laser show. Albert donning the Godzilla head during his solo & the five guitar army were definitely the highlights. Cool to finally hear from someone who was at that show almost 50 years later.
@@davidmel2158 Yeah, we were there as much for UFO as they were not around nearly as much as BOC, ended up seeing BOC 19 times, 8 times in the 70s, saw UFO 6 times, 4 with Michael Schenker, once each with Paul Chapman and then Vinnie Moore. Every time I saw those bands was awesome. Great times indeed!
@@vicprovost2561 Since I was 12 years old, I was early in my musical journey, so I didn’t know who UFO was. When they came out that black & white combo of Michael’s Flying V & Pete’s striped suit, it left a lasting impression. The rumble & thunder of live rock n roll had pierced my soul.
I like the song and I liked your thoughts about it. They're a good band. And you're right about the guitarist tearing it up. That's a wicked solo, much better than average.
AND OF COURSE THEY HAD 2 HUGE HUGE HITS THAT WERE ON THE RADIO : DON'T FEAR THE REAPER & BURNIN FOR YOU 😊BUT THEY WERE NOT A COMMERCIAL BAND BUT HAD SO MANY GREAT ROCK SONGS ASIA AND BJ 😊BUCK DHARMA & ALAN LANIER THE MAIN LEADERS, YOU WANNA HEAR BUCK'S GUITAR THEN TRY : BUCK'S BOOGIE
...the radio was on, can't you dig The Locomotion. Carly Simon hit back in the day. Grand Funk Railroad did a cover, was also a hit. Back in the days of AM radio.
