BOC: new album

[Ted O. Jackson]

Ken,

Fine bit of work for 1 april!  You've done some great BOC homework
here.

> Today I finally received the promised early release of the new BOC album.
> _Still Burnin'_ features 11 tracks:
>
> Still Burnin'
> Queen of Ice                 [Baby Ice Dog redux?]
> Payback Night                [More like a title for Albert?]
> The Power Beneath Despair
> Succubus Razor               [Black Blades encore?]
> See You in Black

Fatwah (the Death Edict)     [Can't have a BOC album without a
                               parenthetical title]

> Immortal Lust               [Nosferatu?]
> Arthur Comics [!]
> The Will of Mars            [Wings of Mercury?]
> Harvest Moon
>
> Despite the title, this isn't some sort of attempt to rehash old ideas;
> musically it is a fresh new album throughout.  The guitars are heavier
>
Yet your titles suggest nothing but recycled ideas!  Hey, ZZ Top has
already done this!

than most BOC albums, but it sounds quite different from _Imaginos_.
> I'm still on my first listen, however.
>
I bet Albert's relieved to hear that!

> Overall, the lyrics are rather bland by BOC standards.  They really seem
> simplistic and uninspired.  Maybe there are no more good lyric writers
> among the remaining members.

No doubt about that one.  "Still Searchin'" would be more like it,
e.g. still searching for another FM radio number.  I think the
Oysters have hitched their collective wagon to a fading star if they
think that pandering to radio schlock will recapture the glory days.
They became great on the strength of being true to their original
core of fans.  Albert understands this, and has stuck to his guns.
Surgeons fans understand this and appreciate wat he's doing.  BOC
chooses to ignore its fans and the great material from the early days
that earned their respect.



> The cover has a picture of the band in a rather, umm, bizarre setting.
> I don't think they've been on the front cover like this since _Spectres_
> (or the back of _Mirrors_).  The members (the few that I still recognize)
> have changed their appearance a bit over time; Buck especially looks very
> strange because he has no mustache!  There still seems to be more than
> the average amount of leather though.

Right!  They [almost] look like   Republicans nowadays.  Why doesn't
E.B. completely scuttle the past, and a la Kiss, take off the shades.
 As long as you're ignoring the fans, why not completely insult them
and see how many more diehards you can alienate?   The leather's
probably naugahyde!

Again, great job, Ken, and thanks for a giant hoot!
theo