Search - Blue Oyster Cult :: Fire of Unknown Origin

An Amazing Album From BOC

Andre S. Grindle | Brewer Maine | 07/15/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Following the immensely creative Cultosaurus Erectus Blue Oyster Cult baught together all of the rhythms and styles they'd been bringing into their orbit ever since they released Agents of Fortune into a huge musical peak for them in the 80's. This album doesn't contain any uncertain sounds or experiments defined by ideas not quite finished off. It's still brimming with their sense of creativity but all the music here is very focused towards a specific goal. The title song of the album is one of their greatest songs ever. Whether one hears it or not it's an intense,polyrhythmic rocking ska/funk explosion whose emotionally potent lyrics point to that connective quality this band had embraced without it's audience perhaps being 100% aware of it. The hit single is "Burnin' For You"; this song has the sound of an 80's update of what they'd done on "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" and is very likely one of two BOC songs most radio listeners will remember. The reminder of the album finds the band exploring in every possible respect their hard rock/fusion sound to the best of it's ability on songs such as "Veteran of The Psychic Wars","Sole Survivor","After Dark" and "Heavy Metal: The Black And Silver" and "Vengence (The Pact)". Not only do none of these songs go over the five minute mark but they use their heavy-on-easy style rock based rhythms in very atypically rock and roll way. Once again rather than using guitars and drums to produce melodramatic noise they're utilized to create a varied emotional flavor that is aptly expressed in the lyrics. A certain degree of synthesizers are also involved in the overall production but are used in a pleasing,sparing way again to create texture as opposed to any operatic overkill. There's a similar flavor on the ghostly,darkly comic "Joan Crawford",where the abusive actress rises from the bed;those familiar with the film Mommie Dearest,released the same year as this album will identify with the ghostly cries "CHRISTINA,CHRISTINA" in the songs bridge. So rather than embrace hard rock clishes BOC go for having a bit of fun with them and using them as a means to express wit and irony rather than take themselves 100% seriously. After all,nothing serious can lack all humor right? "Don't Turn Your Back" embraces the heavy rock n soul element strongly hinted at on the previous recording to end the album. No matter who chooses to admit it or not BOC were on a creative winning streak from 1976-1981 and it was because they were album to mix their creative instincts with a unique way of musically communicating with the audience. Here was one of a very few hard rock bands who actually expressed their egos more outward than inward."

A LAST GREAT ALBUM BY THE MIGHTY BLUE OYSTER CULT

Carly Errebo | kansas | 08/11/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the summer of 1981 Blue Oyster Cult released their 8th studio album. I waited all summer for this to come out and drove 75 miles west to Hays,Ks. and bought it the 1st day it came out at the "Brass Ear". (one of the best record shops in Kansas (1979-2005). Those days bring back a lot of good times!

Anyway back to the album "Fire Of Unknown Orgin" #24, who would of thought this would really be their last great album. Let's look at the highlights of this great CD.



"Fire Of Unknown Orgin"- A song that was demoed in 1976 on the "Agents Of Fortune" sessions. This is the full version here more peppy version. Great keyboards by Allen Lanier.



"Burnin' For You"- #40 hot 100 and #1 rock track. A great pop-rock tune. Ithink it should of climbed higher in the charts, but 3 weeks at #40 is all they could get to. Buck Dharma puts out a great guitar solo here.



"Veteran Of Psychic Wars"- Played on the radio a lot back in '81. Still played today on one of our rock stations out here today. Appeared on the Heavy Metal soundtrack. One of BOC's psychedelic numbers. Good vocals by Eric.

"Oh please, don't let these shakes go on."



"Sole Survivor"- Bass is tremendous by Joe Bouchard. Another song that could of been a hit. Karla DeVito background vocals, she had a few albums in the early 80's.



"Heavy Metal The Black And Silver"- The hardest rockin' tune on the album. Almost like "Heaven And Hell" Black Sabbath. Martin Birch produced that album also. (Martin is one of the best hard rock producers and Enginers since the late 60's).



"Vengeance (The Pact)"- New wave sounding. The Bouchard bothers wrote this awesome song. Albert on lead vocals. A great galloping rocker.



"After Dark"- The continuation of "Vengeance", more of a snyth driven tune. Buck puts in a great solo.



"Joan Crawford" - A Classic! (#49 rock tracks). The Faye Dunaway movie Mommie Dearest had just ben released in 1980, so i figure this is where they came up with the idea. Buck put together a great piece of work here, he also did all the sound effects. Allen put's in a great piano opening on this song. Radio should of played this more.

"Joan Crawford has risen from the grave".



"Don't Turn Your Back"- A very effective mid-tempoed ballad, reminiscent of a "Spectres" period ballad.



It's just a shame they never returned to these heights again. Albert Bouchard would be kicked out of BOC after this album. They would miss his songwriting and vocals. (Albert formed the Brain Surgeons in the early 90's).



The best BOC line-up:

Eric Bloom: Lead Vocals, Guitar Born 12-1-44

Albert Bouchard:Drums,Vocals 5-24-47

Joe Bouchard: Bass,Vocals 11-9-48

Allen Lanier: Keyboards,Guitar 6-25-46

Donald (Buck Dharma) Roeser: Lead Guitar and Vocals 11-12-47



This album needs a remaster from Sony someday soon, LET'S GET IT DONE!!!!!!!!!!"