Blue Oyster Cult
Hailing from Long Island, Blue Oyster Cult formed in ‘70 and managed to land a recording contract in ‘72. On the way, they became a regular opening act for Alice Cooper.
The starting line-up had Eric Bloom (vocals, “stun” guitar, keyboards and bass), Donald Roeser a.k.a. Buck Dharma (vocals, keyboards, bass, regular guitar – no stun), Allen Lanier (keyboards), Joe Bouchard (bass) and Albert Bouchard (drums). Not a bad idea having brothers hold down the rhythm section.
Some lyrics came from Rock critic Richard Meltzer, fantasy writer Michael Moorcock and singer/songwriter Patti Smith.
B.O.C. announced their presence with an effective one-two punch: “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” and “Godzilla.”
“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” written and sung by Roeser, dealt with eternal love and the inevitability of death. It also possessed a ‘killer’ guitar riff.
The lyrics to “Godzilla” are a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the popular movie monster of the same name. Though it failed to chart the song garnered extensive airplay on Rock radio.
In the early ‘80’s “Fire Of Unknown Origin” arrived. It was the group’s best-selling effort of the decade.
The set held “Burning For You,” co-written by Roeser and Meltzer. Also, Roeser sang lead vocals rather than the band’s usual vocalist Eric Bloom.
Meanwhile, their older albums kept moving notching gold and platinum certifications.
After a U.K. tour supporting “Fire Of Unknown Origin,” Al Bouchard left. Not only did B.O.C. lose his drumming and songwriting expertise, but it also began a revolving door scenario, with members coming and going regularly.
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