Spectres [Expanded Edition]

by Blue Oeyster Cult

Overview

Blue Oeyster Cult scored big with Agents of Fortune and its now-classic rock hit, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." It took the album into the stratosphere and the band's profile with it; it put them in the visible pop space they'd tried for years to get to. But upon arrival, they found that kind of success difficult to respond to. Not only did the Cult want to respond, they wanted to cement their place. Spectres is not the masterpiece that Agents of Fortune is, but it didn't need to be. However, upon hearing Spectres again, the album offers proof that the commercial and creative bent of Agents of Fortune was still in place at certain moments, and the band laid out a major single in the opening cut, "Godzilla," a tune -- however silly it may be -- that is every bit as memorable as "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." It's not the only big number here either: "Goin' Through the Motions" and the truly spooky "I Love the Night" by Buck Dharma also scored. The former track is a wonderful blend of Tommy James & the Shondells, Boston, and Mott the Hoople's roots rock glam attack. Written by Eric Bloom and Ian Hunter, it's a stunning single. It sounds less like the Cult than anything they'd recorded, but as a classic rock & roll single it succeeds in spades. And "I Love the Night" (with its guitar part resembling "Reaper" for a moment) is one of rock & roll's truly strange and seductive love songs. There is more spook and darkness here, of course, in the album's closer, "Nosferatu." As a closer, "I Love the Night" may have been a better choice, but this track has all those layered harmonies, a reverbed piano, Dharma's power chords, and lyric fills that never lose their sense of menace and once more, a story. BOC were the only band in their league, walking the line between AOR rock and metal, and offering such detailed narratives. Spectres also contains tunes that were ready-made for touring, which is what the Cult did immediately after, resulting in the wildly successful live album Some Enchanted Evening. In sum, the only reason Spectres is not regarded as a classic is because it followed Agents of Fortune. Other than the false funk of "Searchin' for Celine," it's flawless as a finely tuned tome that begins with sci-fi humor and ends with gothic horror -- all of which can be hummed to. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	02/13/2007
Label:	Bmg / Bmg / Sony Music / Sony Music Entertainment
UPC:	0886976927127
Rank:	24062

Tracks

1. Godzilla
2. Golden Age of Leather
3. Death Valley Nights
4. Searchin' for Celine
5. Fireworks
6. R. U. Ready 2 Rock
7. Celestial the Queen
8. Goin' Through the Motions
9. I Love the Night
10. Nosferatu
11. Night Flyer
12. Dial M for Murder
13. Please Hold
14. Be My Baby

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Blue Oeyster Cult   Primary Artist
Newark Boys Chorus   Primary Artist
Eric Bloom   Keyboards,Vocals (Background),Lead,Guitar,Vocals
Albert Bouchard   Lead,Drums,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica,Vocals (Background)
Joe Bouchard   Bass,Lead,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Donald Roeser   Lead,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Guitar (Rhythm),Vocals (Background)
Newark Boys Choir   Choir/Chorus
Allen Lanier   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Eric Bloom   Composer
David Lucas   Producer
John Jansen   Engineer
Sam Ginsberg   Assistant Engineer
Sandy Pearlman   Composer,Producer
Rod O'Brien   Assistant Engineer
Thom Panunzio   Engineer
Murray Krugman   Producer
Albert Bouchard   Composer
Bruce Abbott   Composer
Corky Stasiak   Engineer
Joe Bouchard   Composer
David Thoener   Assistant Engineer
Richard Meltzer   Composer
Jay Krugman   Assistant Engineer
Helen Wheels   Composer
Donald Roeser   Composer
Gray Russell   Assistant Engineer
David Swope   Mixing
J. Bouchard   Composer
R. Meltzer   Composer
Helen Wheels Band   Composer
Allen Lanier   Composer
Shelly Yakus   Mixing,Engineer
Andy Abrams   Engineer
Blue Oeyster Cult   Producer
Ian Hunter   Composer
Joe Brescio   Mastering
Ellie Greenwich   Composer