I will always have a soft spot for the legendary hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult. For one, they are hometown boys from New York; Long Island, to be specific. Also, way back in my high school days, I was part of a rock band and we played a good half-dozen of their songs. In fact, we played their mega-hit “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” at a talent show and the judges called us “The Blue Öyster Cult Impersonators” since we had neglected to submit a band name, lol.
Well, our band didn’t last long but the real Blue Öyster Cult recently celebrated its 50th anniversary! To honor the time, they played a special run of 3 sold-out shows in September 2022 at Sony Hall, in New York City. And they recorded all 3 shows to be released as 3 individual, specially packaged albums: 50th Anniversary Live – First Night, Second Night, and Third Night.
Each show features the band playing one of their first 3 albums (“Blue Öyster Cult”, “Tyranny And Mutation” and “Secret Treaties”) in its entirety, followed by a set of classics and deep cuts from their extensive catalog of albums.
The album for this review is “50th Anniversary Live – First Night” and comprises the 1st of these sold-out shows, featuring their album “Blue Öyster Cult” from 1972. The current line-up features BÖC‘s original core duo of vocalist/lead guitarist Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser and vocalist/rhythm guitarist Eric Bloom, complemented by Richie Castellano on guitar and keyboards, and the longtime rhythm section of bass guitarist Danny Miranda and drummer Jules Radino. Founding member Albert Bouchard was a special guest on all three nights as well.
Back in the early to mid-70’s, Blue Öyster Cult was popular on the live circuit but they had yet to achieve mainstream success – which they eventually did with the “Agents Of Fortune” album in 1976. The band has gone through many changes since then although they’ve always retained a heavy touring schedule. My initial concern was, after so many years would this band sound tired in 2023?
Surprisingly, the answer is an emphatic no. In fact, this band sounds livelier and more engaged than many bands less than half their age. The band sound like they are actually having fun! And that comes through in many ways, from the exuberant playing to the spot-on vocal harmonies. Everything in this package screams quality and professionalism.
There is close to 3 hours of material here on 2 CD’s / 1 DVD and so there will be highlights and songs that stand out. My favorite from the 1st CD (the material from their 1st album) is “Then Came The Last Days Of May” – a slow-burning tune with a long series of amazingly intricate guitar solos that never seem to run out of creative ideas. I also like their rocking live staple “Stairway To The Stars” and the spirited biker-boogie of “Before The Kiss, A Redcap.”
While the other songs from the 1st CD are stylistically not my favorites, they do demonstrate the incredible versatility and musicianship of the band. Blue Öyster Cult can travel effortlessly from psychedelic rock with a jam band feel (sort of like the Grateful Dead meet the Doors) to hypnotic classic rock, to hard rock with a punk edge that is like a mishmash of MC5, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, and Jefferson Airplane.
The 2nd CD generally appeals to me more than the 1st. The material is a wider mix of older, mid-period, and more recent, including their 3 biggest hits “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” Burnin’ For You, and “Godzilla.” While they do great versions of these songs (in some cases with extended jam sessions!), there are other highlights here as well. “Harvest Moon” is one of their best songs ever and is one that I feel is often overlooked. They also do enthusiastic versions of “Dancin’ In The Ruins” (from Club Ninja), “The Vigil” (from Mirrors) and “Tainted Blood” (from 2020’s “The Symbol Remains” album).
All in all, “50th Anniversary Live – First Night” shows this influential rock band still kicking it after 50 years in the business. There’s some great material to be found here and I look forward to hearing the next 2 recordings of Second Night and Third Night. Release dates for those have not been made available yet.
The new album “50th Anniversary Live – First Night” will be released on December 8, 2023 in three different configurations: 2-CD plus DVD; BluRay; and a 3-LP album pressed on Gold Vinyl.
Rating: 8.75/10
Set For Release On December 8 through Frontiers Music https://orcd.co/boc50thfirstnight
Disc 1
1 Transmaniacon Mc
2 I’m On The Lamb But I Ain’t No Sheep
3 Then Came The Last Days Of May
4 Stairway To The Stars
5 Before The Kiss, A Redcap
6 Screams
7 She’s As Beautiful As A Foot
8 Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll
9 Workshop Of The Telescopes
10 Redeemed
Disc 2
1 Dr. Music
2 Burnin’ For You
3 Train True (Lenny’s Song)
4 Tainted Blood
5 Harvest Moon
6 Dancin’ In The Ruins
7 The Vigil
8 Career Of Evil
9 Box In My Head
10 Godzilla
11 (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
12 In Thee
13 That Was Me
14 Hot Rails To Hell
Dvd – Bluray
1 Transmaniacon Mc
2 I’m On The Lamb But I Ain’t No Sheep
3 Then Came The Last Days Of May
4 Stairway To The Stars
5 Before The Kiss, A Redcap
6 Screams
7 She’s As Beautiful As A Foot
8 Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll
9 Workshop Of The Telescopes
10 Redeemed
11 Dr. Music
12 Burnin’ For You
13 Train True (Lenny’s Song)
14 Tainted Blood
15 Harvest Moon
16 Dancin’ In The Ruins
17 The Vigil
18 Career Of Evil
19 Box In My Head
20 Godzilla
21 (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
22 In Thee
23 That Was Me
24 Hot Rails To Hell
Total Time: 3.44.38
Cd1: 0.43.03
Cd2: 1.07.56
Dvd: 1.59.31
Line-up:
Eric Bloom – Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Donald “Buck Dharma ” Roeser – Guitars, Vocals
Richie Castellano – Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Danny Miranda – Bass, Vocals
Jules Radino – Drums
Special Guest:
Albert Bouchard – Drums, Percussion, Guitars, Vocals
