Album review: BLUE OYSTER CULT – Cult Classics

Frontiers [Release date 24.01.20]

Surprising and exciting news was announced in the autumn of last year in that Frontiers have signed Blue Oyster Cult for a series re-issues (including their hard to find 1998 album ‘Heaven Forbid’ which is re-issued in March), previously unreleased live albums and most exciting of all, a new album! The latter is due sometime this year and will mark the first new album by Blue Oyster Cult since 2001’s ‘Curse Of The Hidden Mirror’.

‘Cult Classics’ was originally released in 1994 and is a re-recording of Blue Oyster Cult songs by the line-up of Eric Bloom (vocals, stun guitar, keyboards), Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser (lead guitar, vocals, keyboards), Allen Lanier (keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Jon Rogers (bass, backing vocals) and former Rainbow drummer Chuck Burgi. This was the line-up that recorded on the ‘Bad Channels’ film soundtrack released in 1992 and then went onto record the aforementioned ‘Heaven Forbid’ album.

‘E.T.I.’ adds in more guitar hijinks, whilst ‘This Ain’t The Summer Of Love’ is heavier than the original version. Sadly ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’ sees the cowbell way down in the mix, however ‘Godzilla’ has its distinctive heavy riff with a few more guitar parts added.

Two TV mixes were tacked onto the end of the album – ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’ and ‘Godzilla’ – consisting of the instrumental backing and backing vocals. One for a BOC karaoke night perhaps?!

If this one passed you by first time around (and chances are it did as BOC seemed to lack any major promotion in the 90s), definitely one to pick up now. ****

Review by Jason Ritchie

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DEFENCES Breathe It In (Long Branch Records)

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