BOC FAQ: Part 5 of 7, Ver. 2.0
John A Swartz
jswartz at MBUNIX.MITRE.ORG
Fri Sep 1 15:04:52 EDT 1995
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BOC FAQ -- Part 5 (Questions - Part 3, Other Info - Part 1)
Version: 2.0 Date of Latest Revision: September 5, 1995
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NOTE: The file for this FAQ has been split into 7 parts for portability
among newreaders, mail servers, etc as it contains approximately 210
Kbytes of data. If you don't see and "End of Section" indication at the
end of each section, you didn't get the whole thing. The FAQ will be
available in its entirety for FTP access (see elsewhere in this FAQ for
more information). See copyright and disclaimer at the end of Part 7 --
this FAQ may only be distributed in its entirety, including the
copyright and disclaimer. Thanks for your cooperation,
John
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Where is the BOC symbol on the _____ album?
-------------------------------------------
The symbol of Kronos (Saturn) appears on every BOC album.
According to Albert Bouchard, the symbol was used by Bill Gawlik in his
"City of the Future" project (his Masters thesis in architecture at
Stony Brook University). Sandy Pearlman liked the symbol, and hired
Bill Gawlik to do the covers for BOC's first two albums. Sandy had Bill
put the symbol on the covers, and it became the band's logo. The symbol
is also very similar to the ancient Greek symbol for "chaos". While it
is visible on most albums, it can be hard to spot on a few (most notably
"Spectres" and "Cultosaurus Erectus"). The following lists the location
of the BOC symbol on each album:
*Blue Oyster Cult* -- Album center, on the horizon.
*Tyranny And Mutation* -- Album center, over the tower.
*Secret Treaties* -- On the tailfin of the plane (which is an ME 262).
*On Your Feet Or On Your Knees* -- On the flag on the limo.
*Agents Of Fortune* -- On one of the stones in the doorway.
*Spectres* -- In the crystal ball on the floor in the lower left corner
(Note: This is difficult to see on the cassette, and the CD cover is
cropped so that only part of the crystal ball can be seen.)
*Some Enchanted Evening* -- On the horse's bridle.
*Mirrors* -- Bottom center of album.
*Cultosaurus Erectus* -- Slightly tilted, on the side of the spaceship.
(Note: Unless you have the LP cover, you probably can't see this.
Perhaps it is visible with a magnifying glass on the CD, but on the
cassette, even the spaceship itself can barely be made out. The symbol
is easily visible on the LP, though. Also, the symbol was not included
on the spaceship on some European releases of this album.)
*Fire Of Unknown Origin* -- On the robe of the cultist in front.
*Extraterrestrial Live* -- On the robe of the cultist, side of the
spaceship, and on the band's equipment cases.
*The Revolution By Night* -- Lower right-hand corner, on the side of
the highway.
*Club Ninja* -- The space station is in the shape of the symbol.
*Imaginos* -- Next to the word "cult", below the album title.
*Career of Evil: The Metal Years* -- Album center, in flames.
*On Flame With Rock And Roll* -- Album center, in flames.
*Cult Classic* -- Album center, outlined by the windows, the railings,
and the snake.
As an aside, the curved part of the symbol represents a sickle --
Greek mythology tells us that the god Kronos, was given the sickle by
his mother to kill his father, the god Ouranos. Kronos sliced off his
father's genitals, and threw them into the sea, which later formed the
goddess Aphrodite. Kronos later became the father of the Greek gods
Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. Also, Saturn and Lead
were congruent in alchemy, so the symbol for Saturn (the Roman name for
Kronos) is also the symbol for lead, which is a "heavy metal". Just to
throw a few other pieces out on the table, from Chetwynd's Dictionary of
Symbols:
Lead, personified as Saturn: depression or unconscious content,
which once raised into the light of the conscious, rational mind,
becomes gold
Saturn or Kronos
The lowest and darkest stage of any process of transformation. The
terrifying aspect of losing your youth. But at the same time this nadir
of life, this mood of darkest depression, liberates what is essential
from the dross and affords the chance of transformation.
[...]
Kronos castrates his father: He severs the point of contact
between male and female in his fierce struggle to be born, to achieve
individuality.
[...]
... Saturn becomes the focal point of opposites, each changing into
the other in the course of life....
Alchemy
(Summary of tables)
The Descent into the Black
Yellow, leaving the sun of ordinary consciousness behind
Blue, for the sky empty of sun or ego
Green, for dissolution in the sea. Sinking within.
The Fourfold Sequence of Alchemical Work
The Black: Lead, Earth, Death of the ordinary conscious outlook
The White: Quicksilver, Air, Disintegration of the corpse
The Red: Sulfur, Fire, Relating conscious with unconscious parts
The Gold: Gold, Water, Germinates the seed of the new Self
Editor's Note: The above is not meant to imply that BOC intended
people to extract all of these meanings out of the fact that they used
the symbol of Kronos. However, some of the implications do seem to fit
nicely with many of their songs, and may spawn endless hours of
discussion among BOC fans.
Where can I get a complete set of BOC lyrics?
---------------------------------------------
Bolle Gregmar has worked with the band to compile a complete
"official" set of lyrics to all of the BOC songs. The lyric book is
available to BOC fan club members. Bolle's address is listed elsewhere
in this FAQ.
The BOC-L archive site, <ftp.spc.edu>, contains "unofficial" BOC
lyric files. These files have come about from BOC-L members spending
long hours trying to figure out the lyrics (not an easy task!). The
site also has an "official" copy of the lyrics to the Brain Surgeons'
albums, which were reproduced from the CD's liner notes, with permission
from Albert Bouchard and Deborah Frost.
Note: The band, their management, and/or their record labels hold
the legal rights to BOC's song lyrics. The BOC fan club had previously
received legal permission to re-produce a limited number of copies of
them in the lyric book. All other sources of lyrics, unless they come
directly from the band, their management, or their record labels should
be considered "unofficial".
You used to be able to send 50 cents to an address (believed to by
Sandy Pearlman's) printed on the back of BOC albums and get a complete
set of BOC lyrics. It was a bargain, despite several errors. However,
they are no longer available this way. So, if you just bought your
first copy of *Some Enchanted Evening*, and were hoping to get lyrics,
save your 50 cents.
The lyrics for all of the songs on *Extraterrestrial Live*, with
the exception of "Roadhouse Blues", are listed in the liner notes.
These too, have several errors. Lyrics to the songs on *Flat Out* are
printed on the inner sleeve of the LP. The lyrics for all of the songs
by the Brain Surgeons are listed in the CD liner notes.
What is a (Diz-Buster, ME-262, Stun Guitar, . . .)?
---------------------------------------------------
Former BOC drummer Albert Bouchard has stated that the "diz" refers
to the cleft of the penis. Bolle Gregmar further tells us that
"duster's dust" (from the song, "Seven Screaming Diz-Busters") refers to
sperm. Therefore, a "Diz-Buster" refers to someone (or something) which
causes one to ejaculate. Well, you wanted to know . . .
The ME-262 (referred to by the BOC song of the same name) was the
world's first operational tubojet-powered fighter plane (as the song
says, "ME-262 Prince of turbojets"), first entering operational service
for Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany on July 10th, 1944 (at Juvincourt,
France). "ME" is short for Messerschmitt, the German aircraft builder
Willy Messerschmitt (as the song says, "Willy's done quite a job").
Unfortunately for Nazi Germany, while the plane as a fighter proved to
be superior to any of the Allied planes of its day, the plane did not
end up to be a major factor in World War II. The main reasons for this
are that it entered too late into the war (only about 10 months before
the end of the hostilities in Europe), and there was not a good plan for
the deployment of the ME-262 (they were used mostly as bombers, where
their true tactical superiority were as fighters due to their speed
advantage). Technical Data (as reported in "Jane's History of
Aviation"): Engines - two 8.825 kN (1,984 lb st) Junkers Jumo 109-004B-
1 or 004-4 turbojets (as the song says, "Junkers Jumo 004"). Wing Span
- 12.5 m (41 ft). Length - 10.61 m (34 ft, 10 in). Max Take-Off weight
- 7,045 kg (15,531 lb). Take-Off run with two auxiliary rockets - 600 m
(1,969 ft). Max level speed - 868 km/h (539 mph) at 7,000 m (22,975
ft). Range - 1,050 km (652 miles).
Eric Bloom is listed on the first 4 BOC albums as playing "stun
guitar". There has been much discussion on BOC-L as to exactly what a
stun guitar is. Some have heard that it refers to a guitar that was
wired for a constant "fuzztone" sound. Other people have suggested that
it may be an inside joke with the band, referring to either Eric wanting
his guitar turned up loud (according to Albert Bouchard, there used to
be some arguments among the band members about how loud Eric's guitar
should be during BOC's concerts), or possibly that he did not play much
guitar on the albums (again, according to Albert Bouchard, Eric did play
some guitar on most of the albums, although Buck did most of the guitar
work). Others have jokingly said it refers to Eric's guitar-playing
skills (Editor's note: Eric may not be Buck Dharma when it comes to
playing guitar, but Eric can play. However, he was originally brought
into the band as a singer, not as a guitar player). According to Albert
Bouchard, the true meaning of "stun guitar" is as follows: "He played
fuzz parts on 'She's As Beautiful As A Foot' and other songs on the
first BOC album. They were all pretty easy so we decided to make it
more mysterious by calling it Stun instead of Fuzz." According to Bolle
Gregmar, however, a more accurate description of the parts that Eric
played would be that they were "muted" (i.e. muting the guitar strings
with the hand), and cites underlying guitar parts on "Stairway To The
Stars" and "O.D.'d On Life Itself" as some of the better examples of
Eric's stun guitar work.
According to Albert Bouchard, there is a somewhat interesting story
regarding Eric Bloom playing guitar with the band. After the band's
first performance with Bloom as lead vocalist (at the Fillmore East in
New York City), it was decided that he should have a guitar. For their
next performance (at The Electric Circus in New York City), Bloom had a
guitar, however it was not plugged in at the time. Elektra executives
were at the performance, and later remarked that they felt that Bloom's
rhythm guitar added greatly to the band's sound.
The insert enclosed with the radio promo copies of BOC's first LP
provides some insight into the term, "Bungo Pony": "I'm on the Lamb But
I Ain't No Sheep" is a colorful tale set in New York during the late
fifties. The location is Columbia University where the apathy setting
in on campus results in a dreadful scandal. The diseases picked up from
animals caught cruising the dormitories are still showing scars.
"Salamander Drake" (as mentioned in the song, "Workshop Of The
Telescopes") may refer to a fire-breathing dragon: salamander - a
mythical animal having the power to endure fire without harm, an
elemental being in theory of Paracelsus inhabiting fire; drake - dragon.
Note: There may be more to this, as the BOC lyric book capitalizes the
words "Salamander" and "Drake", implying perhaps a proper name rather
than a thing. Perhaps "Drake" actually refers to Sir Francis Drake,
who, under approval of England's Elizabeth I, raided Spanish ships
bringing gold from Mexico (this ties in with some of the concepts of
*Imaginos* -- European conflict originating from the New World).
"Undine" (also mentioned in the song, "Workshop Of The Telescopes") is,
according to the Swiss-born alchemist and physician Paracelsus, a water-
spirit that can obtain a human soul by bearing a child to a human
husband. This may also refer to "Captain Von Ondine" in the song, "ME-
262" (perhaps Captain Von Ondine is the child born of a water spirit -
this also appears to tie in with some of the concepts of *Imaginos*).
Conry's bar (mentioned in "Before The Kiss (A Redcap)") is a real
place, and BOC has played there. According to Al Bouchard, there were
two, Conry's East and Conry's West, both on Hempstead Turnpike. BOC was
the house band at Conry's West for several months in 1969-70. They
played Conry's East on New Year's Eve 70/71 (playing an Auld Lang Syne /
In A Gadda Davida medley at midnight). Alas, the two bars have both
been gone for over 20 years now.
"Redcap" (mentioned in "Before The Kiss (A Redcap)") refers to a
barbiturate. According to Buck Dharma, Sandy Pearlman witnessed a woman
and a man exchange the pill through a kiss when the band was playing at
Conry's bar. The line "their tongues extend, and then retract" refers
to the act of exchanging the pill through their kiss.
Who is (Suzy, Celine, Debbie Denise, Sir Rastus Bear, . . .)?
-------------------------------------------------------------
"Suzy" is referred to in at least 4 BOC songs ("Before The Kiss, A
Redcap", "Dominance and Submission", "Astronomy", and "The Marshall
Plan"). Suzy originally referred to one of Sandy Pearlman's many
girlfriends, but later just came to refer to "some mean bitch" (poor
Sandy).
"Celine" (as referred to in the song, "Searchin' for Celine") is
Louis Ferdinand Celine, a French writer from around the turn of the
century. As such, "Searchin" was originally written as searching for a
"he" instead of a "she". The following is from the America On-line
Encyclopedia on CIS:
Celine, Louis Ferdinand
{say-leen'}
Louis Celine, originally named Louis Ferdinand Destouches, b. May 27,
1894, d. July 1, 1961, was a French writer and doctor whose novels
Journey to the End of the Night (1932; Eng. trans., 1943) and Death on
the Installment Plan (1936; Eng. trans., 1938) are innovative, chaotic,
and antiheroic visions of human suffering. Pessimism pervades Celine's
fiction as his characters sense failure, anxiety, nihilism, and inertia.
Celine was unable to communicate with others, and during his life sank
more deeply into a hate-filled world of madness and rage. A progressive
disintegration of personality is visible in the stylistic incoherence of
Guignol's Band (1944; Eng. trans., 1954), Castle to Castle (1957; Eng.
trans., 1968), and North (1960; Eng. trans., 1972). His novels are
verbal frescoes peopled with horrendous giants, paraplegics, and gnomes,
and are filled with scenes of dismemberment and murder. Accused of
collaboration, Celine fled (1944) France to live in Germany at
Sigmaringen and then moved (1945) to Denmark. Condemned by default
(1950) in France to one year of imprisonment and declared a national
disgrace, Celine returned to France after his pardon in 1951.
"Debbie Denise" (referred to in the song of the same name) was
originally one of Patti Smith's poetic flirtations with lesbianism --
the words were about a woman as told by a woman (the line "I was out
rolling with my band" originally read "I was out rolling with my man").
Was there a Debbie Denise? It doesn't appear that there was. However,
somewhere in the mid to late 70's, two young, blond, attractive twins
named "Debbie" and "Denise" turned up in L.A., and apparently became
well acquainted with members of the band's touring personnel.
According to Bolle Gregmar, "Sir Rastus Bear" (as referred to in
the song, "Redeemed") was the dog of Henry Farcas (who wrote the lyrics
to the song).
Where can I get BOC live recordings?
------------------------------------
Editor's Disclaimer: With the exception of *Live 1976* (which I have
seen sold in major U.S. record stores), I can not advise as to the
availability or legality of the "Import Live Recordings" previously
listed in this FAQ.
As far as "live recordings" go, one must distinguish between a
"live tape" and "bootleg" (often referred to as "Import", "Live
Recording" or "Euro-CD"). A "live tape" is a tape of a live performance
- perhaps obtained by taping a radio broadcast, or a live show.
Sometimes the tape may come from the soundboard of the band's sound
engineers. These live tapes are usually traded amongst fans, or kept as
personal copies, and are not distributed on a for-profit basis.
"Bootlegs", on the other hand, are mass-produced copies of a band's
material (usually a live concert, but sometimes studio outtakes) which
are sold for profit by individuals or organizations most likely not even
closely related or affiliated with the said artist. Different people in
the music world have different opinions of live recordings. Some argue
that they hurt album sales, and take money away from the artist. Others
argue that fans interested in live recordings (which are usually of
lower quality than official releases) most likely already have bought
most of the artist's official releases anyway, and in fact these
recordings may even help to promote the artist. At any rate, a "live
tape" is not illegal, as long as it is not sold for profit. A
"bootleg", on the other hand, may be illegal, depending on what country
you live in.
There has been a fair number of BOC shows that have been taped over
the years, in one way or another. Many BOC fans have tapes of various
shows, and the best way to obtain them is by trading with other BOC
fans. To find other BOC fans to trade with, you could consult the BOC
discussion group or the BOC Fan Club (see elsewhere in this FAQ for
information) or appropriate internet newsgroups, check out the ads in
magazines such as Goldmine or Discoveries (see below for more
information), or meet some new friends at the next BOC concert.
There are some dealers which may carry "Imports", "Live
Recordings", and "Euro-CD's", although most of these are either small
record stores, or mail-order dealers. Sometimes dealers can be found at
flea-markets and record shows. Mail-order dealers can be tricky to deal
with as some have been known to be unscrupulous, fly-by-night operations
that have inconsistent records of service and have no qualms about lying
to customers or otherwise ripping them off. In addition, these
recordings can often take months to arrive, so you want to be careful
about how you are paying for your purchases. People who have dealt with
mail-order dealers recommend that you never make a large initial order
from a dealer that you have never dealt with before. People with
internet access might want to ask people on appropriate newsgroups for
information on the reliability of a particular dealer.
Another way to find people selling or trading live recordings,
videos, and other collectibles is to look in Goldmine or Discoveries,
two magazines for record and CD collectors. These magazines run
numerous ads from individuals and dealers looking to buy, sell, or trade
records, CDs, tapes, and other memorabilia. Goldmine, which is
published bi-weekly is the more extensive (and expensive) of the two.
Discoveries is published monthly. Some of the BOC items that have been
advertised recently include vinyl singles, *Flat Out* on CD, and a
Quadrophonic pressing of *Secret Treaties*. If you can't find these
magazines in your local bookstore or newsstand, here is some
subscription information (Editor's Note: I have no affiliation with
either Goldmine or Discoveries):
GOLDMINE
Special Services
Subscription Department
700 E. State St.
Iola, WI 54990-0001
U.S.A.
Master Card & Visa orders: (800) 258-0929
DISCOVERIES
Antique Trader Publications, Inc.
100 Bryant St.
Dubuque, Iowa 52003
Master Card & Visa orders: (800) 334-7165
Where can I find Rossignol's book, 'The Origins of a World War'?
----------------------------------------------------------------
You can't. The book mentioned in the liner notes of the *Secret
Treaties* album does not exist.
As an interesting aside, however, the following listing appears in
the Library of Congress catalogue:
Hubert, Joseph, 1874-
Rossignol: le combat du 22 aout 1914.--Le martyre de habitants.--Les
annees d'occupation.--A la memoire des fursilles.
--Annexes ...
[translation by Andy Gilham: Rossignol - the battle of the 22nd August,
1914 - the martyrdom of the people - the years of occupation - to the
memory of the (riflemen? if it's a typo for "fusiliers") --
appendices...]
Tamines, Imprimerie Duculot-roulin [1938] 212 p., 1 l. incl. front.,
illus. (incl. ports., plan) maps (1 fold.) 20 cm.
[pub.Tamines, Duculot-roulin Printers, etc, etc]
LC CALL NUMBER: D542.R6 H8 1938
SUBJECTS:
European war, 1914-1918--Campaigns--Belgium.
European war, 1914-1918--Atrocities.
Rossignol, Belgium.
ADDED ENTRIES:
Neujean, Joseph, 1880-1931, joint author.
Les drames de l'invasion allemande dans le Luxembourg belge.
[The tragedy of the German invasion of Belgian Luxembourg.]
GEOG. AREA CODE: e-be---
LCCN: 40-10573
Rossignol, as referred to by this entry, is actually the name of a
place - there does in fact exist a small town called Rossignol, in the
Belgian province of Luxembourg (not to be confused with the country of
the same name).
What do the Japanese words in "Godzilla" mean?
----------------------------------------------
The romanised Japanese is:
Rinji news o moshiagemasu! Rinji news o moshiagemasu! Gojira ga Ginza
hoomen e mukatte imasu! Daishkyu hinan shite kudasai! Daishkyu hinan
shite kudasai!
The translation is:
Attention, emergency news! Attention, emergency news! Godzilla is
going toward the Ginza area! Immediately escape/catch up/find shelter
please! Immediately escape/catch up/find shelter please!
Are there other BOC songs, and how can I hear them?
---------------------------------------------------
BOC made a recording under the name, "Soft White Underbelly", when
the band was still known by that name. Les Braunstein was the lead
vocalist at that time. The track list from the sessions:
Rationale Passionale
Fantassy Morass
Mothra
Jay Jay
Queen's Boulevard (note: Suzy's first appearance)
Buddha's Knee
Bark In The Sun
After "Soft White Underbelly", the band's name was (briefly)
changed to "Oaxaca" (named after a city/state in Mexico), and they
recorded another EP in 1970 for Elektra Records. The line-up was Prins
Omega (Albert Bouchard), Buck Dharma (Donald Roeser), Jessie Python
(Eric Bloom), La Vern (Allen Lanier), and Andy Winters (Andrew Winters).
Sandy Pearlman supposedly came up with the nicknames for all the band
members, however only Donald Roeser continued later to use his nickname
"Buck Dharma". Before the album was almost (but never) released, the
band's name was changed to "Stalk-Forrest Group". The EP, entitled "St.
Cecilia" (a press kit from the *Mirrors* album lists this album title as
"The California Album", which, like *Mirrors* was recorded in
California), had the following tracks (note: in addition to the seven
songs listed, BOC recorded a short version of "I'm On The Lamb" and "Sir
Rastus Bear", which later became "Redeemed"):
Bonomo's Turkish Taffy (A. Bouchard, R. Meltzer)
Arthur Comics (A. Bouchard, R. Meltzer)
Curse Of The Hidden Mirrors (A. Bouchard, R. Meltzer)
Gil Blanco County (A. Lanier, S. Pearlman)
What Is Quicksand? (A. Lanier, R. Meltzer)
Ragamuffin Dumplin' (A. Bouchard, R. Meltzer)
St. Cecilia (A. Bouchard, A. Winters, S. Pearlman)
While the "Stalk-Forrest Group" album was never released, a small
number (probably about 200, according to Richard Meltzer) copies of
"What Is Quicksand?" and "Arthur Comics" may have been pressed as a
single. In addition, "Arthur Comics" was part of the set played on
9/8/80 at the Old Waldorf Theatre in San Francisco, California as part
of a radio broadcast.
Note: In a 1994 edition of ICE magazine (which gives information
on upcoming CD releases), it was suggested that the Stalk-Forrest Group
material may eventually be released on CD.
BOC performed the song, "Wings of Mercury", live on occasion during
the 1985/1986 timeframe. The song appears on the *Into The Crypts Of
Rays* recording, as well as some live tapes from that time period. This
song, as previously mentioned, was actually written by K. Percoda of
Dream Syndicate. While Dream Syndicate didn't want to use it, Sandy
Pearlman, who was producing one of their albums at the time, liked it,
so BOC performed the song live. However, the band decided it was not
right for the *Club Ninja* album.
In 1988, Buck Dharma, Jon Rogers, and Ron Riddle formed another
band, "The Red and The Black" (also known as RonDonJon, or Roeser,
Riddle, and Rogers), as a side-project to BOC. They played a number of
gigs around NY in 1990 and maybe a little into '91. The music has been
described as "heavy pop caught with one hand in the progressive cookie
jar", having more in common with the harder parts of *Flat Out* than
with BOC. The lead vocals were shared by the three of them, except that
Buck sang all of the BOC tunes (interesting to hear Buck sing "Cities On
Flame With Rock And Roll"). A demo of the band was reviewed in "Morning
Final" (BOC Fan Club Newsletter). A (not high quality) live tape of one
of the band's performances (Studio One, Newark, N.J.). contains the
following songs:
What About Love?
Savage Garden
Harvest Moon
I Can't Get Next To You
Andrea
Buck's Boogie
Speed Of Light
River Of Dreams
Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll
These Are The People In Love In America
Caroline
Redline
The Red And The Black
Expressway To Your Heart (cover tune)
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Perfect Water
Godzilla
Also around 1991, Joe Bouchard toured with a number of musicians
(including current Brain Surgeons' guitarist Billy Hilfiger) under the
name "Cult Brothers". While they performed mostly BOC tunes, they also
did a few originals. Joe sang lead vocals for most, if not all of the
songs. A (not high quality) live tape of one of the band's performances
(Syria Musque, Pittsburgh, PA) contains the following songs:
The Red And The Black
R. U. Ready 2 Rock
Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll
Burnin' For You
Wild One
On Fire With Love
Astronomy
Godzilla
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
BOC has performed the following songs over the past few years:
"Still Burnin'", "Harvest Moon", "The Power Underneath Despair", "In The
Cold Grey Light Of Dawn", and most recently, "I'd Like To See You In
Black". These songs, according to Eric Bloom, will be on the next BOC
studio album. The band also has played the two songs from the *Bad
Channels* soundtrack, "Demon's Kiss", and "The Horsemen Arrive" live.
It is not known if these two songs will be on the upcoming studio album.
While the *Bad Channels* soundtrack is available on CD, the other songs
can only be heard on live tapes.
In addition to the songs previously mentioned, there are a number
of BOC or BOC-related songs which consist of home demos and session
material. Some of the demo material was mere pieces of songs, some
were 4-track recordings (usually bass, guitar, drums, and vocals), and
others were nearly complete songs. There are also a number of tracks
that were completely worked up by the band during the sessions, but
eventually left off of the album. A few of these rare songs may appear
on a live tape as a few of the songs were done by the band live a few
times, but otherwise, the vast majority of these songs and snippets will
never be heard by most BOC fans. Unless you personally know one of the
members of the band, the only way one might hear some of this material
is by making a pilgrimage to "The Museum of Cult". Bolle Gregmar, head
of the BOC fan club, has copies of most of BOC's unreleased material.
He may play some of it for you if you visit the museum (a.k.a. his
apartment), but he is under agreement with the band not to duplicate any
of the demo material (Editor's Note: He sticks to that agreement, so
don't even bother asking for copies). Small descriptions of many of
these tracks and demos can be found in issues of the BOC fan club's
newsletter, "Morning Final".
Will the original line-up ever get back together again?
-------------------------------------------------------
Short Answer: No
Longer Answer: While many BOC fans (especially those that saw the
original line-up together) would like to see this happen, it is just not
likely. By "original line-up", we mean of course, Eric Bloom, Buck
Dharma, Allen Lanier, Joe Bouchard, and Albert Bouchard. It has now
been over 10 years since that line-up performed live together, and while
*Imaginos* was credited to the entire band, it was not really a "band
effort" (this was discussed previously in the FAQ). The current line-up
of BOC are happy with their current situation, and both Bouchard
brothers are pursuing their own individual projects.
5. A Harvest of Life, A Harvest of Death -- Other Items of Interest
Use of Umlauts, and the Origin of the Name, "Blue Oyster Cult"
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In the August 16, 1991 issue of Entertainment Weekly, on page 62,
there's a story on band names that have umlauts in them. (Umlauts, we
learn, are the two little dots over a letter, in particular over the "O"
in Blue Oyster Cult.) The story credits Richard Meltzer with the "fad"
of using umlauts in names, and recounts the story of how BOC was named.
>From the article:
"Sometimes genius strikes at the least-expected moment. In 1971,
musician and songwriter Sandy Pearlman was trying to devise a new name
for his band. Standing on a New York street corner with rock writer
Richard Meltzer (who had been in an earlier incarnation of the group),
Pearlman glanced into the window of a nearby restaurant and noticed that
the menu included Blue Point oysters. "I said, 'Why don't we call it
Blue Oyster Cult?'" he recalls. "And Richard said, 'And we'll add an
umlaut over the o!' And I said, 'Great!'"
There's another quote from Pearlman later in the story: "It was
meant to bring all sorts of ambiguous implications to the name."
Bolle Gregmar reports that the "dots" over letters are known as
"diacritics", and that the word "umlaut" actually refers to the letter
'u' with a diacritic over it.
An anagram for "Blue Oyster Cult" is "Cully Stout Beer". According
to Bolle Gregmar, someone made a fake label for this "beer" using the
BOC symbol, and the label appeared in some rock magazine (possibly
"Circus").
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End of Section 5 out of 7
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