Blue Oyster Cult album Agents Of Fortune: In your collection?

[Ivan May]

Having acquired most of my records from my father's coworker last summer, one of those records was Blue Oyster Cult's Agents Of Fortune, and their classic live album Some Enchanted Evening. In October, I also bought Blue Oyster Cult's 1977 album Spectres (the album with 'Godzilla' on it). I also own Mirrors and The Revolution By Night, though neither album has aged well.

 

Do you own 'Agents Of Fortune' or any other albums/compilations/singles with Blue Oyster Cult's music on
cassettes, records, CDs, SACDs, DVD-Videos (live performances/concerts, ...), digital files (low or hi-res), ...?
Compilations include 'Best of', 'Greatest Hits', and so on.

 

Although it is never really specified who played the cowbell on Don't Fear The Reaper, it is largely rumored that either Eric Bloom, David Lucas, or Albert Bouchard played the cowbell, as all 3 musicians are credited with playing percussion. I also hear a shaker in that track somewhere...

 

Agents Of Fortune is also the only BOC album not to feature any composing credits from Eric Bloom, and the only BOC album where all members share lead vocals.

The opening track, This Ain't The Summer Of Love, features a sinister lead vocal from Eric Bloom, whose darkly soulful vocals can resemble Lou Reed at times. Some very good guitar work from Mr. Bloom and Buck Dharma.

 

True Confessions, composed by Allan Lanier, is the only throwaway song on the album. Goofy rinky dink piano, tired guitars, and blustery car horn sax that wastes the talented guest work of Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker. It's also very short.

 

Don't Fear The Reaper. Oh yeah, this is the song that introduced Blue Oyster Cult to the world. The SNL skit "More Cowbell" would have never existed if not for this song. And more importantly, some great guitar playing and vocals from Buck Dharma, whose guitar playing creeps up like a viper in the grass. To be honest, I always felt that Buck Dharma was the most creative member of Blue Oyster Cult, given that all their biggest hits feature him on lead guitar, lead vocals and he is also the primary composer. Not that I have anything against Eric Bloom, who is a great vocalist. Again, the guitar solo is cut short on the single edit, but most radio stations play the full length version of this song.

It was also used prominently in the 1978 film Halloween.

 

ETI Extra Terrestrial Intelligence is more spacey stuff that would have fit perfectly with the type of music Hawkwind and Rush were putting out during this time. Christopher Paolini, the writer of the Eragon book series, has listed the lyrics of Blue Oyster Cult and Rush as an influence on his writing. 

 

The Revenge Of Vera Gemini features spoken word from Patti Smith, who co-wrote the songs The Revenge Of Vera Gemini and Debbie Denise. Patti was also the girlfriend of BOC keyboardist Allan Lanier, who played on her Horses album. It is a very trippy song, featuring lead vocals from drummer Albert Bouchard.

 

Side 2 opens up with Sinful Love, which would have fit better on one of their earlier albums (namely Tyranny and Mutation). It was written by Albert Bouchard with Helen Wheels (who also composed several songs with Albert Bouchard on the Spectres album). It does feature some great multi-tracked guitar from Buck Dharma, who trades leads with Eric Bloom. I also like that it crossfades into the track Morning Final (which was also the name of a fan-made newsletter regarding Blue Oyster Cult tour info.) Joe Bouchard wrote the song and sings lead vocals on it, whilst Allan Lanier plays the bass. It has a very orchestral feel to it, which is unusual for a guitar driven band like Blue Oyster Cult. Tattoo Vampire is a bit repititive, whilst Tenderloin has a very unconnected sound, sounding more like Rainbow than it does Blue Oyster Cult. Debbie Debise, co-written with Patti Smith, is the only other highlight on Side 2 aside from Sinful Love and Morning Final.

 

I believe Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom both played Gibson SGs on this album.

That being said, this is probably the only Blue Oyster Cult studio album you should own. It is best recommended to be played in a dark room with a candle burning. But I recommend that with every album. I need to get it on CD. That would be good.

 

And if you have any other Blue Oyster Cult albums, I wouldn't mind you talking about them here. Their cover of Kick Out The Jams by MC5 on their Some Enchanted Evening album is highly enjoyable.

 

The Marvel comics character Vera Gemini and the Marvel comic Agents Of Fortune are both named after this album. Just an interesting piece of trivia I thought I'd share.

[Dannyalcatraz]

I won’t lie or exaggerate and say I’m BÖC’s biggest fan, but I have several of their albums, this one among them.

 

I also count the one time I got to see them as one of my favorite concerts.  Probably top 5.  It was the early 1990s, I was in 

Austin, and had recently broken my foot when a friend called and told me they were playing a local club.  I didn’t hesitate- “Let’s go!”

 

She and I went to the club.  The stage was elevated maybe 3’ from the dance floor.  Part of me was sad that so great a band was playing in a club again, but I was glad for the opportunity.  Because I was on crutches, I found a piece of wall to lean on, my friend beside me.  We were soon joined by a huge blonde guy wearing a sheepskin vest…and no shirt.  He had clearly been drinking.  For some reason, he thought he had a shot with my friend.

 

Opening was a local band called Black Pearl, fronted by Lisa Tingle- a powerful and talented vocalist.  I hadn’t seen them before, but was VERY impressed.  I saw them several more times while in .Austin, and was surprised they never made a bigger splash.*
 

Next up, a band from Houston called Galactic Cowboys…and the drunk blonde guy peeled himself off the wall and got up on stage behind the keyboards.  Yep.  He was in the band.  GC announced they had JUST gotten signed to a major level recording contract, then started to play.  Badly.  And mostly because of- you guessed it- the drunken keyboardist.  (I heard they canned him a few weeks later, but cannot confirm.  Never saw them live after that.)

 

Then came BÖC, and it was everything you’d want it to be, all things considered.  Here’s a band who was a staple of the better classic rock radio stations, on a small stage, in a small club…and absolutely killing it.  They performed like who you’d think they were: rock stars on an arena tour.  All they played were hits and better deep cuts.  No filler.  High energy.  

 

 

 

* Last I checked, she’s still playing killer shows as a soloist down in Austin, including some Black Pearl songs in her set lists.

[Caevan O’Shite]

7 hours ago, IMMusicRulz said:

That being said, this is probably the only Blue Oyster Cult studio album you should own.

Not at all! Cultösaurus Erectus has a lot of great, imaginative material on it and I'd highly recommend it!

[Winston Psmith]

Agents Of Fortune: I have it on CD, wore out at least one vinyl version, back when . . . ETI is one of my favorite tunes, of any time, by any band.

 

I've long said, scratch any Prog or Fusion Guitarist, and you'll find a streak of Metal, just under the surface. I'm certainly no exception . . .

 

[desertbluesman]

I am not sure if I ever had an album, single, or tape as done by Blue Oyster Cult. Of course I listened to them on the FM stations back in the late 60's and early 70's. I used to commute to Philly from the Jersey Shore and back, for work, a 55 minute to an hour and a half trip back an forth each way depending on traffic volume and the Bridge that I had to negotiate (there were 5 or 6 of them going into Philly and outlying towns from South Jersey). Anyways I listened to WMMR 93.3 and WDAS 105.3 on the FM stations on the way back and forth  from home to Philly and back, so I am sure I heard much of their stuff on a daily basis back then.

[Caevan O’Shite]

1 hour ago, Winston Psmith said:

ETI is one of my favorite tunes, of any time, by any band.

I freakin' LOVE BÖC's "ETI"! Both the original 'studio' track, and the live version from Some Enchanted Evening.

[KuruPrionz]

Secret Treaties is a great album, their third. 

Career of Evil is a great song, so is Dominance and Submission. 

 

One of my all time favorite bands, I think the first to put an umlaut in their name as well. 

[Caevan O’Shite]

 

[Sharkman]

Back in the late Nineties I was dating a woman named Amy.  Her first husband was Jeff, and he was both a pretty decent musician as well as an idiot.  I think it was sometime in the Nineties when Jeff auditioned for Blue Oyster Cult, who were looking for a new guitarist.  They liked Jeff, and offered him the job.  Jeff wanted to be the lead guitarist, and refused to take the job unless he could be both the lead guitarist and lead singer for some of the songs.  Blue Oyster Cult found somebody else.  Did I mention that Jeff was an idiot?

[Ivan May]

32 minutes ago, Sharkman said:

Back in the late Nineties I was dating a woman named Amy.  Her first husband was Jeff, and he was both a pretty decent musician as well as an idiot.  I think it was sometime in the Nineties when Jeff auditioned for Blue Oyster Cult, who were looking for a new guitarist.  They liked Jeff, and offered him the job.  Jeff wanted to be the lead guitarist, and refused to take the job unless he could be both the lead guitarist and lead singer for some of the songs.  Blue Oyster Cult found somebody else.  Did I mention that Jeff was an idiot?

And part of the reason why Jeff was an idiot is because he probably couldn't play as good a guitar as Buck Dharma did.

[Caevan O’Shite]

1 hour ago, IMMusicRulz said:

And part of the reason why Jeff was an idiot is because he probably couldn't play as good a guitar as Buck Dharma did.

Well, he must've been fairly good enough at it to have been offered the job after auditioning...

[KuruPrionz]

Checked out the song list, I was in The Band From Hell and we played one gig a year - Halloween at Club Fred in Fresno. 

 

We did Don't Fear the Reaper, which is on Agents of Fortune. We also did Burnin' For You, another great BOC tune. Would have been fun to do Godzilla but we had more than enough Halloween tunes already down. 

 

Good times, I'll never forget seeing Little Red Riding Hood come in the door, push her way through the standing room only crowd until she was right in front of me. Then she leaned over and puked on my multi-colored glitter tennis shoes. I think that was meant to be an honor of some sort and I took it as such, whatcha gonna do? The shoes were already puked on, no easy way to un-puke them and we had one more set to play.