Umlaut on the O

Quick. What pops into your head when I say “Blue Öyster Cult”? (and note that it took me like 15 minutes to figure out how to get the umlaut over the O). First thing is “Don’t Fear the Reaper”, right? And the second thing is “just another one-hit wonder”. 

At least that’s what popped into MY head. Until I was window-shopping on Amazon and saw a BÖC box set on offer. First, I was astonished to see that it was 16 frickin’ CDs. And then I was even more astonished that the box came with a download code for four additional disks of live concerts. Yes, that’s 20 disks of music from a band you thought had their seven minutes and some-odd seconds of fame in the 70s with (admittedly pretty good) FM radio hit “Reaper”. 

I dithered over it for a while. Listened to the fragments of each song that Amazon offers as purchase inducement. Read some of the reviews. Decided to take the plunge. 

Well. Turns out that BÖC (love that umlaut) were far more than one-hit wonders. 

OK, you’re probably thinking. More than one-hit wonders. Yeah. But are they 20 disks worth of more than one-hit wonders? 

Well…yeah, they are. Let’s start with lyrics. These are not typical lost love, unrequited love, past love, need love, can’t find love pop poems.  There’s a song about the Messerschmitt ME 262, a jet fighter aircraft that, had it been used in timely fashion by Germany in World War Two (it was available beginning in 1941, before the allies had workable jet technology or even advanced piston engine fighters like the P-51 and P-47), might well have altered or at least extended the outcome of the war. Then there’s this ditty: “This ain’t the garden of Eden, there ain’t no angels above, and things ain’t what they used to be, and this ain’t the Summer of Love”, from the album Agents of Fortune in 1976.

But the real treat across all of this massive horde of music is the guitars. These guys knew how to throw electric guitars into a mix, like some unholy genetically engineered spawn of Jimi Hendrix and Keith Richards. In fact, they had a concert gimmick where they ended up with five guitars on stage for a fan favorite that held up year after year.

So. Not a one-hit wonder. Rather, a heavy contribution to rock history, extremely listenable music, gorgeous guitars, pounding drums. No Household Should Be Without. And don’t forget to download the additional concert disks!