It’s anyone’s guess exactly how many ‘live’ albums have been issued by Blue Öyster Cult (BOC), but this latest release captures the performance from the third night of their 50th-anniversary celebration. In September 2022, over three nights in their native New York, BOC delivered a series of special concerts where they performed complete renditions of their first three albums—Blue Öyster Cult, Tyranny and Mutation, and Secret Treaties—in order. Alongside these iconic tracks, they also included a selection of other classic BOC songs and deeper cuts. To enhance the nostalgic experience, original member Albert Bouchard joined them on stage playing guitar instead of his usual drums.
BOC established their reputation as one of the rare hard rock bands to gain both critical acclaim and widespread popularity. While it’s fair to acknowledge that their era of blockbuster album sales is likely in the past, with approximately 20 million albums sold, their live recordings indicate they still possess much to contribute. This is clearly demonstrated by these anniversary performances.
The first set begins with a complete run-through of Secret Treaties, the third from BOC’s ‘Black & White’ period. It’s an album which tends to slip under the radar when compared to some of their later releases, but it’s one well-regarded by their fanbase. From opener ‘Career Of Evil,’ co-written by Patti Smith, to closing track, the powerful ‘Tainted Blood,’ BOC rock out in a manner which suggests they were doing more than just going through the motions on an album where, apart from Astronomy, most of these songs probably haven’t been performed for many years, and they inject tracks like ‘Harvester Of Eyes,’ ‘ME262’ and ‘Dominance & Submission’ with some degree of vigour and urgency.
‘Treaties’ is followed by a series of well-known BOC classics and a few deep cuts from right the way back to their debut album, Blue Öyster Cult, notably ‘Cities on Flame’ with ‘Rock ‘n Roll,’ right up to including two tracks from 2020’s The Symbol Remains, ‘The Alchemist’ and ‘Train True (Lenny’s Song)’. They give us spirited versions of classics like ‘Godzilla,’ ‘Burnin’ For You’ and their stone-cold classic, ‘Don’t Fear The Reaper,’ all played with an intensity belying the fact the two original members still performing, ‘Buck Dharma’ and ‘Eric Bloom,’ are knocking on eighty’s door.
This is a very good Blue Öyster Cult album and they prove when they play ‘live,’ they do so much more than just peddle nostalgia. Enjoy them while they’re still playing.
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