BOC R.I.P.??

[Thomas Nelson]

This is  the Gumby Man.

I have been quietly and slowly digesting the recent topic of "Is BOC dead?"
(Digestion isn't to be hurried)   Here are my feelings:

It is kind of scary to see this topic even brought up. I look around and
what do I see? The last four albums released have been Career of Evil, On
Flame with Rock and Roll, Bad Channels, and Cult Classics. The next release
is Workshop of the Telescopes.

As I take a bite out of this morsel I realize that I am being served the
same meal over and over again (except for Bad Channels, which certainly
left a bad taste in my mouth).  The listeners of BOC are being feed
compilation album after compilation album.

In that aspect, it doesn't feel like BOC is alive. It almost feels like
they are a 70's/80's band with nothing more to offer. Lack of record label
notwithstanding, the absence of new material is unprecedented in their
history (Actually, they have been sporadic since _Club Ninja._ That in
itself can be troubling for a fan that is used to having a new album every
couple of years).

Yet despite all of this, I still think that BOC is alive. Their commitment
to playing live is a testament to this.  It isn't unprecedented for a band
to concentrate on touring. Take the Grateful Dead as an example. They have
released only occasional studio albums in the last 15 years. Few people, if
any, have ever claimed that they might be washed up. In fact, the band's
reputation is strictly built around it's concerts...they are quite
comfortable with the image that they stut their stuff on stage, not in the
studio. Why should BOC be any different? They are, after all, "On Tour
Forever."

Once again, though, I must mention that just the fact that the topic is
being brought up means it is on people's minds. This doesn't bode well for
the group. We need to stand behind them completely.  I talk about the band
all of the time at my workplace. The common response is " Yeah, BOC was
great, weren't they?" It is always phrased in past tense, as if they are
"no more." Of course, I quickly respond that the band is still together
with a firm commitment  to touring.  Generally, people are happy to hear
this, but they seem more interested in whether or not they have put out any
new material.

The verdict:            To the hardcore fans, Blue Oyster Cult is still
going strong

                                   To the general public, they are fondly
remembered, i.e. -  dead




Time for some questions.

1.      I haven't purchased Cult Classics yet. I've been putting it off.
Can anybody give me a clue as to whether I should pick it up?

2.      Is Workshop of Telescopes going to be stictly rares and b-sides, or
is it going to be a greatest hits album with a few "extra" tracks on it?

Finally, I must put my vote in for favorite live album.
Extraterrestrial Live receives my vote (with OYFFOOYK a very close second).
The opening 5 or 6 tracks rock hard.  My favorite track on all of the
albums would have to be "Then Came the Last Days of May" on  OYFFOOYK.
Everytime I listen to it, it reminds me of seeing Buck do this song when I
caught them on tour. Isn't that what a live recording should do?

This has been a long one.

With a wink and a burp,
The Gumby Man is out.


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gumby at primenet.com

"In my tortured ears there sounds unceasingly a nightmare whirring and
flapping..."

                                                                 H.P.
Lovecraft ("The Hound," 1924)
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