Search - Blue Oyster Cult :: Essential Blue Oyster Cult

Great collection of clasic hard rock

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 11/18/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not sure why people are complaining about this Blue Oyster Cult collection. If a band lasts long enough, there are bound to be a few "best of" compilations released. For my tastes, the Essential Blue Oyster Cult works quite well. You get a nice overview of BOC's career, including their biggest hits (Don't Fear) the Reaper and Burnin' for You, digitally remastered sound, and a (sale) price tag that is about half the cost of the average CD.



No matter what songs appear on a "best of" or "greatest hits" package, there's always going to be a track that gets left off that you think is one of the band's better tracks. The Essential BOC does a pretty good job at showcasing the band's best material, and compared to the 30-40 minute 20th Century Masters series, it looks pretty impressive with its 14 tracks clocking in at 70 minutes.



Serious BOC fans will probably have no use for this collection, and that's perfectly OK. This wasn't released with them in mind. It was released for people like me who wanted an affordable way to get a better idea of what BOC has to offer without jumping straight into the band's studio albums. Of course now that I've heard more BOC material than what the classic rock stations typically play, I will most likely be seeking out those studio albums in the near future!"

That's right - another BOC compilation

Justin Gaines | 04/29/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sony spits out BOC compilations these days the way the band spit out live albums back in the glory years - and just like those
live albums, some best-of's are somewhat comprehensive and interesting for the casual fan and die-hard alike (Workshop of The Telescopes) and some are very poor representations of a very good band (Career of Evil). BOC fans are indeed a cult and are wary of the public at large writing the band off as an arena rock three-hit wonder. This particular "power-pop" driven collection seems to represent enough radio hits to please the casual listener, while also exposing them to some great deeper album cuts. Through the years on these various compilations, there has been a round robin song selection from the seminal first three studio albums, so for every "Dizbusters" and "Harvester Of Eyes" there is the absence of a "Red & Black" or "Dominance & Submission." No worry, since true fans consider those three combined albums as must-haves anyway. If you're looking for a place to collect the songs you may know from the radio or your youth, this is a good choice."

A Good, Not Great, Overview

WalterDigsTunes | 11/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Blue Oyster Cult's sound shifted tremendously over the years, and this set proves that. From their early distorted rock creations, they went on to craft the most amusing progressive songs one could hope to get from a gang of none-too-serious musicians. Later, their sound gives into to the arena rock affectations of the late 70s and early 80s. During this time, they play with the usual Journey/Foreigner/Boston mold by meshing it with abundant acoustics and synths a' plenty.



By the end of these 70 minutes, you really wish you had more music. An essential anthology would've compiled two discs worth of music. As a result, you're better off getting the two-disc compilation that everyone's been raving about. That will give you the same idea as this one, but it'll be presented in a more consistent manner."