This next album is my favourite
album by my favourite band, so if I wax poetic, please be understanding.
Disc 866 is….Secret Treaties
Artist: Blue
Oyster Cult
Year of Release: 1974
What’s up with the Cover? An illustration of the band in
front of an ME 262 Messerschmitt, the world’s first jet fighter. They were developed
by Germany, but this one is in the service of the Blue Oyster Cult Air Force (note
the insignia on the tail).
In front
we have the band looking a bit out of place, but somehow still totally cool,
except maybe Eric Bloom who with T-shirt and cape looks like a nerd at a comic
convention. In front of the band are some dogs, no doubt fixed and consequent.
That
last sentence was for serious BOC fans only.
How I Came To Know It: I grew up with Blue Oyster Cult,
so I’ve know this album for most of my life.
How It Stacks Up: I have eleven studio albums by Blue Oyster
Cult. “Secret Treaties” is my favourite. #1, baby!
Ratings: 5 stars
“Secret Treaties” is innovative and musically brave
to the point of being foolhardy, yet never lets that innovation get in the way
of being one of rock and roll’s greatest records.
The songs have strange rhythms, unorthodox time
signatures, and psychedelic neo-Lovecraftian lyrics all thrown into a soup of
sound. This should result in a muddy mess, but “Secret Treaties” never take a
wrong step, consistently rocking out amidst all the prog.
A big part of this is how tight the band plays. Blue
Oyster Cult is one of those bands that is blessed with great musicians who care
about their craft. They are precise in their timing, but also possessed of that
organic quality of musicians who have played together so long they are able to
anticipate each other’s subtle nuance and build off of it.
The record opens with “Career of Evil,” with music by drummer Albert Bouchard and lyrics by
Patti Smith (who was dating BOC keyboardist/guitarist Allen Lanier at the
time). “Career of Evil” sets the
stage for what is to come perfectly. Yes it rocks out, but in a very unorthodox
way. First a lilting guitar riff, which then shifts multiple times, almost
sounding like four different songs glued together. The only part of the song
that sounds like a conventional rock anthem is the chorus, and yet it feels like a rock song throughout.
For all its craziness, “Career of Evil” is probably the most radio friendly song on the
record. The next track, “Subhuman” is
a bizarre and beautiful prog song, shifting back and forth between eldritch and
arcane rhythms and a moody melody that evokes the mysteries of the sea. Buck
Dharma’s guitar playing is sublime here as well, and as ever with Blue Oyster
Cult, nestled evenly in the mix; there if you want to marvel at it, but not
rudely above the mix of the rest of the players.
With “Dominance
and Submission” the band completes a trio of bat-shit crazy rock songs that
tease your ear with musical constructions they just aren’t used to. Then the
boys switch gears with “ME262” which
is like a cross between garage rock, Chuck Berry and some sort of proto-punk.
It is bat-shit crazy as well, but a different
bat-shit crazy.
Side Two opens with a couple of strange tracks, “Cagey Cretins” and “Harvester of Eyes.” “Cagey
Cretins” has lyrics that include:
“I’m graduating in one more term
Because I haven’t any time to
burn
Repeating taste of high-heeled
shoe
An eel is waiting under the train
Being chased around by the
neighbour’s cat
Well it’s so lonely in the state
of Maine.”
I have no idea what this song is about. “Harvester of Eyes” is more understandable;
it’s about some man or creature that harvests eyes. And it bears repeating,
both these bizarre tracks are great rock songs.
The album saves the best for last, with two epic
tracks, “Flaming Telepaths” and “Astronomy”.
“Flaming
Telepaths” is a glorious blend of creepy piano, thunderous electric guitar
riffs and lyrics that are grandiose and bizarre, evoking some dark world where
magic, science and horror all meet. The song opens:
“Well I’ve opened up my veins too
many times
And the poison’s in my heart and
in my mind
Poison’s in my bloodstream
Poison’s in my pride
I’m after rebellion
I’ll settle for lies”
This song is the precursor to 1981’s “Veteran of the Psychic Wars,” telling a
similar tale of someone who has delved into knowledge best left undisturbed.
You might be tempted based on those lyrics that it is simply about drug use,
but with BOC nothing is ever so simple. There is always some darker layer of
the subconscious bubbling into a song’s music and lyrics.
“Astronomy”
is an epic track about travel through time and space. Creepy mansions, mystical
bars and ancient artifacts spun into a tale of wonder and mystery. The song is
a mainstay of BOC’s live shows, and rightfully so. It is complex, full of
shifts and unexpected turns, but also loaded with exceptional musicianship and
rock riffs. It has a little something for everyone.
This edition of “Secret Treaties” is a remastered
CD, with four bonus tracks. While not at the same level as the original eight
tracks, the bonus material is very cool, particularly “Boorman the Chauffer” (sic) and “Mes Dames Sarat”. The band does a great version of “Born to be Wild” as well, previously only
available on live albums. It is fun to hear their studio version, which does a
good job of capturing the energy of their live performance. I could have lived
without the misogynist “Mommy” and
the superfluous single edit of “Career of
Evil” but these are minor quibbles.
“Secret Treaties” is the third and final of BOC’s
early prog phase, and the lessons learned on their self-titled debut and 1973’s
“Tyranny and Mutation” are applied to perfection. Keep it strange, trust in
your dark muse and fear nothing. Their next album, “Agents of Fortune” (reviewed
back at Disc 463) feels positively mainstream by comparison.
This is a complex and dense rock album that despite
hundreds of listens over forty-plus years continues to reveal new secrets to
me. Because of this complexity, it can be jarring to the ear on a first listen,
and I don’t recommend it as a newcomer’s first foray into the Blue Oyster Cult
canon (for that, go with “Fire of Unknown Origin” reviewed back at Disc 751). However, make no mistake, this is one of the greatest rock records ever
made, and worth the time you will invest getting to know it better.
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