Spectres [Bonus Tracks]
Spectres
Blue Öyster Cult scored big with Agents of Fortune and its now-classic rock hit, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." It took the album into the stratosphere and the band's profile with it; it put them in the visible pop space they'd tried for years to get to. But upon arrival, they found that kind of success difficult to respond to. Not only did the Cult want to respond, they wanted to cement their place. Spectres is not the masterpiece that Agents of Fortune is, but it didn't need to be. However, upon hearing Spectres again, the album offers proof that the commercial and creative bent of Agents of Fortune was still in place at certain moments, and the band laid out a major single in the opening cut, "Godzilla," a tune -- however silly it may be -- that is every bit as memorable as "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." It's not the only big number here either: "Goin' Through the Motions" and the truly spooky "I Love the Night" by Buck Dharma also scored. The former track is a wonderful blend of Tommy James & the Shondells Boston and Mott the Hoople s roots rock glam attack. Written by Eric Bloom and Ian Hunter it's a stunning single. It sounds less like the Cult than anything they'd recorded, but as a classic rock & roll single it succeeds in spades. And "I Love the Night" (with its guitar part resembling "Reaper" for a moment) is one of rock & roll s truly strange and seductive love songs. There is more spook and darkness here, of course, in the album's closer, "Nosferatu." As a closer, "I Love the Night" may have been a better choice, but this track has all those layered harmonies, a reverbed piano, Dharma s power chords, and lyric fills that never lose their sense of menace and once more, a story. BOC were the only band in their league, walking the line between AOR rock and metal and offering such detailed narratives. Spectres also contains tunes that were ready-made for touring, which is what the Cult did immediately after, resulting in the wildly successful live album Some Enchanted Evening In sum, the only reason Spectres is not regarded as a classic is because it followed Agents of Fortune Other than the false funk of "Searchin' for Celine," it's flawless as a finely tuned tome that begins with sci-fi humor and ends with gothic horror -- all of which can be hummed to. [The Legacy edition of Spectres includes four previously unreleased bonus demos recorded during the album sessions. The hip thing is that these bonus cuts are really worth it and not add-ons from the dead-dogs file: the rocker "Dial M for Murder," the would-be single "Night Flyer," Albert Bouchard s "Please Hold," and a fun (and raw) cover of the Ronettes "Be My Baby." ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
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Credits »
Steven Berkowitz - A&R
Andy Abrams - Engineer
Joe Brescio - Mastering
Sam Ginsberg - Assistant Engineer
John Jansen - Engineer
Lenny Kaye - Liner Notes
Murray Krugman - Producer
Murray Krugman - Original Recording Producer
David Lucas - Producer
David Lucas - Original Recording Producer
Rod O'Brien - Assistant Engineer
Thom Panunzio - Engineer
Sandy Pearlman - Producer
Sandy Pearlman - Original Recording Producer
Gray Russell - Assistant Engineer
Corky Stasiak - Engineer
David Thoener - Assistant Engineer
Shelly Yakus - Engineer
Shelly Yakus - Mixing
Howard Fritzson - Art Direction
Vic Anesini - Mastering
Jay Krugman - Assistant Engineer
Eric Meola - Photography
David Swope - Mixing
Bruce Dickinson - Reissue Producer
Jeremy Holiday - Packaging Manager
Stacey Boyle - Coordination
Stacey Boyle - A&R
Jim Parham - Product Manager
David Infante - Effects
David Infante - Photo Assistance
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