CD Odyssey Disc 751: Blue Oyster Cult

I’ve been so busy after work this week that I haven’t had time to blog. This has been kind of awesome, because it has given me the chance to listen to this next album over and over. I’ve listened to it hundreds of times over the years, but that didn’t make it any less of a treat.

Disc 751 is….Fire of Unknown Origin

Artist: Blue Oyster Cult

Year of Release: 1981

What’s up with the Cover? Blue Oyster Cultists, obviously. Each has their own votive blue oyster shell. I’ve always felt this would make a wicked Halloween costume.

As is tradition with BOC covers, you must search out the BOC symbol – in this case it is on the left breast of the lead cultist.

How I Came To Know It: I’ve known this album ever since my brother brought it home in 1981.

How It Stacks Up: I have 11 of Blue Oyster Cult’s studio albums. “Fire of Unknown Origin” is tied for first overall with another album that is so different it is hard to compare them. However, since it is my job at this juncture of our journey together to do so, I’ll reluctantly slide “Fire of Unknown Origin” into second place.

Ratings: 5 stars

There is so much to say about “Fire of Unknown Origin,” but I am mindful that few readers will be the Blue Oyster Cult fanboy that I am, so I’ll try to restrain myself.

OK, I tried. “Fire of Unknown Origin” is one of the greatest rock albums ever, by one of the greatest rock bands ever. It may not make the same splashes into conversations about great albums, but that’s just because those conversations didn’t involve me.

This record is the emergence of Blue Oyster Cult into the eighties. Technically, “Cultosaurus Erectus” came out a year prior, but the sounds of “Fire of Unknown Origin” absorb eighties sensibilities better. The title track leads the album off with a synthesizer riff that is brilliant, innovative and thoroughly (for the time) modern. Later in the decade bands would overdue it with the synth. Even BOC overdoes it two years later on “The Revolution by Night” album.

But on “Fire of Unknown Origin” the band uses it in just the right proportion. The organ augments other songs, and the fuzzy quality of it is something earlier bands like Deep Purple could only dream of having at their disposal.

But don’t be fooled, “Fire of Unknown Origin” is not a synth-driven album. The band still rocks it out, with every classic rock instrument getting its due. “After Dark” is driven by its bass lick, “Heavy Metal: Black and Silver” is all about screeching guitar and “Veteran of the Psychic Wars” is nothing if not for the driving martial beat of its drums calling you to conflicts best forgotten.

Most songs just blend them all perfectly together. The great thing about Blue Oyster Cult is every instrument – even voice – gets equal treatment in the mixing room, and your ear is free to wander to whatever sound it fancies at that moment.

This is a prog album for sure, with all the hallmarks of prog. Tempo and time signature changes, and crazy otherworldly topics abound. For topics, we are treated to UFO abductions, vampires, the aforementioned psychic wars and even Joan Crawford rising from the grave to launch the end times.

The band really outdoes itself with “Vengeance (the Pact),” a song written for the movie Heavy Metal, but rejected – probably for being too close to the story. The band writes the tale of a Tarakian taking vengeance on some murderous raiders. If you don’t know, a Tarakian is a woman warrior with white hair who wears very little clothing, but is very talented with a sword. She flies around on some kind of reptile with wings to wreak her vengeance.

How could stuff like this appeal to anyone past the age of 15? Put simply, the musicality of “Fire of Unknown Origin” is exceptional. These are tight and thoughtfully written songs both musically and lyrically. “Vengeance (the Pact)” is the best thing that never happened on the Heavy Metal soundtrack. The song that was chosen, “Veteran of the Psychic Wars” is the best thing that did.

Buck Dharma’s guitar solos are less prominent than on some records, but he still gets his licks in. The album’s ‘hit’ (and BOC’s only ever #1) “Burnin’ For You” isn’t my favourite song, but the guitar work on that song is exceptional. While “Heavy Metal: Black and Silver” is not as great a song in its construction, the guitar is some of the heaviest stuff going on in 1981.

The album’s proggy nature is wrapped in pretty melodies, many of which move in unexpected ways but never feel forced. This album is Blue Oyster Cult taking all the fearless weirdness from their first three albums, mixing in the doo wop and fifties rock from “Agents of Fortune” and “Mirrors” and adding the rock edge of “Spectres.”

The album never makes a bad step, which is not to say it doesn’t take precarious ones. “Joan Crawford” starts with classical piano, and then slips into lyrics about catholic school girls throwing away their mascara and chaining themselves to the axels of big Mack trucks. “After Dark” starts with a bass riff, mixes in a new wave organ and then lets Buck’s guitar add rock and roll without the very real fear it could be too much.

All of that is dangerous footing, but this album is the mountain goat of prog; knowing just where to put the notes down so as not to slip. Because it covers so much ground on what the band is about, and doe so ably it is my go to ‘gateway album’ to get other people interested in the band.

I rank “Fire of Unknown Origin” as my second favourite record. It could easily be my first. I play it all the time, and have done for decades, yet I never tire of a single track. It is music that makes you think, encourages your imagination to take flight and does it all at a high level. In short, this is must have rock and roll.

Best tracks: All tracks