In May 2009 I offered a birthday salutation to a fellow Taurean "Then Cäme the Läst Däys of Mäy". It was called "3 & a half minutes of aural beauty". It featured one of my favorite BÖC tunes, from their initial self-titled album of 1972. The three song set that ends that first side is also one of my favorite chunks of "aural beauty". I decided to post up those three song but when I dug into the BÖC stack, I reacquainted myself with other tunes I had left to another time.
Culled from the first seven Blue Öyster Cult studio albums (primarily the first three "Black & White" releases...by Cultosaurus Erectus I could only really offer up "Divine Wind"). If the band was in decline since the Black & White trilogy, then they went to total shit when Al Bouchard was fired after Fires of Unknown Origins. This compilation ends with the three song set this concept began with....big finish!
She’s as Beautiful as a Foot
ME 262
Divine World
The Red & the Black
This Ain’t the Summer of Love
The Revenge of Vera Gemini
Harvester of Eyes
Joan Crawford
Morning Final
O.D.’d on Life Itself
Death Valley Nights
Sole Survivor
Dominance & Submission
Flaming Telepaths
I Love the Night
Then Came the Last Days of May
Stairway to the Stars
Before the Kiss, a Redcap
Also I have added the band's(???) swansong (IMO) Imaginos. One of the best BÖC albums you probably never heard. The story behind Imaginos is interesting enough to tell here, I believe. If you want the in-depth stuff, check out Imaginos: Cult-album enigma, titanic turd, or both?
The concept of Imaginos was originally created by the young Sandy Pearlman for a collection of poems & scripts called The Soft Doctrines of Immaginos. Pearlman was Blue Öyster Cult's lyricist/producer. Bouchard began writing music for Imaginos following the release of the BÖCs first album in 1972. There were plans as early as 1975 to release a concept album dedicated to Pearlman's scripts, but the material was not ready. All of the songs had been written by 1977. At least four of them ("Astronomy", "In the Presence of Another World", "I Am the One You Warned Me Of", & "Imaginos") were completed & recorded during the sessions for the album Spectres. Demos of the other tracks were recorded by Bouchard & remained in various stages of development during the following years. Two parts of the narrative, "Subhuman" (now entitled "Blue Oyster Cult") & "Astromony" appeared in earlier iterations on 1974s Secret Treaties (last of the Black & White trilogy). By 1981, when work began in earnest on Imaginos, it had become essentially Bouchard’s solo project. Both Bouchard & Pearlman were out of the Cult.
However, as the early Bouchard/Pearlman Imaginos sessions ramped up, the two were joined by Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, Joe Bouchard, & Allen Lanier along with several other notable guest stars, including Robby Krieger of the Doors (on two tracks, including "Blue Oyster Cult" [the rewrite of "Subhuman"]), Aldo Nova, Kenny Aaronson & Thommy Price (both from the Billy Idol band).
Despite the star power, however, this first mix of Imaginos was summarily rejected by Columbia Records, sending the project further along on its strange odyssey. Pearlman would continue tinkering, adding future Blue Öyster Cult bassist Jon Rogers on vocals for the title track, a young Joe Satriani on "The Siege & Investiture of Baron von Frankenstein's Castle at Weisseria" (the guitarist actually traded for studio time to finish Surfing with the Alien, his 1987 breakthrough), as well as parts from Karl Precoda of the Dream Syndicate, among others. Still more new vocals & guitar parts were added, along with a keyboard overdub by Allen Lanier’s BÖC successor Tommy Zvoncheck. The final version was finally released in 1988.
Side 1 -
I am the One You Warned Me Of
Les Invisibles
In the Presence of Another World
Del Rio’s Song
The Siege & Investiture of Baron von Frankenstein’s Castle at Weisseria
Side 2 -
Astronomy
Magna of Illusion
Blue Öyster Cult
Imaginos
Man, this started out as just some Blue Öyster Cult flight of fancy...then it metamorph’d into some entirely different soft doctrine.
After Albert was fired from BÖC in 1981, he returned to work with Sandy Pearlman on the Imaginos project, recording all the basic tracks by 1982. Then Albert brought Joe Bouchard, Allen Lanier, & Buck Dharma to play certain portions of some of the tracks. By 1984, the Imaginos work was essentially completed. Sandy Pearlman first approached CBS about putting the album together around 1981, & CBS was initially interested in the project. But BÖC basically imploded by 1986. Now CBS’s only interest was as a new BÖC album with Eric Bloom & Buck Dharma singing lead vocals.
With the band re-forming in mid 1987 without Albert or Joe Bouchard, Albert abandoned the Imaginos project. However, Sandy Pearlman & BÖC went forward with the project, re-doing some of the tracks by early 1988, releasing Imaginos as a Cult album later that year. The original 5 members of the band are credited as performing on the album, along with several other musicians (see section about BÖC - Imaginos). However, it is not clear how much of a BÖC album it really was, beyond Eric & Buck’s lead vocals.
According to Albert Bouchard, the bulk of the instrumentation credits should go to former Ian Hunter guitarist Tommy Moringiello, former David Johansen guitarist Jack Rigg, Tommy Mandel (keyboards – uncredited on the album), Kenny Aaronson (bass) & Thommy Price (drums) both of Billy Idol band. Tommy Zvoncheck later indicated that most of Tommy Mandel’s keyboard parts were replaced by his own on the Columbia version of Imaginos.
Give these demos a listen if you care about such things...it’s worth it just for the Subhuman Dub ("Blue Oyster Cult (reprise)").
Albert Bouchard & Friends - Imaginos Demos, Al Bouchard studio soundboard, 1981-1984.
I Am the One You Warned Me Of
Imaginos
Gil Blanco County
Del Rio’s Song
Blue Oyster Cult
Les Invisibles
The Girl That Love Made Blind
The Siege & Investiture of Baron von Frankenstein’s Castle at Weisseria
In the Presence of Another World
Blue Oyster Cult (reprise)
Astronomy 1984
Magna of Illusion
Magna of Illusion Chorale
musicians on these demos: Al Bouchard – lead vocals, drums, guitar; Tommy Moringiello – guitars; Jack Rigg – guitars; Phil Grandee – guitar; Tommy Mandel – keyboards; Kenny Aaronson – bass; Thommy Price – drums; & Jon Rogers – additional lead vocal (“I Am The One You Warned Me Of ”) with backing vocalists Jeff Kawalik, Corky Stasiak, Helen Wheels, Glen Bell, Peggy Atkins, & Casper McCloud
Radios Appear,
NØ
ZmYEbgRe5FctWGZFB-dR5dvThC8XwHhjfownpD9kNEo
ReplyDeleteI'm very glad that you put this together. I have been looking for a point of entry to the BÖCult, particularly the early albums prior to their radio hits (not that I have anything against those, just seems like a different band). Your efforts are appreciated (as always)!
ReplyDeleteI concentrated on their earliest albums most heavily. I skipped their radio hits "(not that I have anything against those, just seems like a different band)". &by the time they broke up in mid 80s, I decided they were DONE even though of course they weren't (aren't???).
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Of course I have all this music, except the Imaginos demo. I should really listen again. Tried once, but the terrible singing really killed it for me. Imagonos stunned me when first released in how it brought together the amazing lyrical concept that ran throughout the early albums.
ReplyDelete