Albert's last BOC gig

[M R Godwin]

As a recent subscriber, I was interested to see Al's last BOC gig listed
as being in Norfolk. It was actually in Bedfordshire - I was there and I
wrote this review, which was never accepted for publication,

SOFT WHITE UNDERBELLY, Queensway Hall, Dunstable, August 1981.

The Blue Oyster Cult fans were out in force for this 'undercover' warm-up gig
for Castle Donington. Some were still wondering whether they'd been conned by
a no-publicity stunt until they arrived  to see Dunstable plastered with the
notorious Kronos symbol  _!_
                          )
T-shirt chic was the order of the day with all the fans checking out the
hottest designs. Fortunately my 1976 Agents of Fortune pic was not duplicated.

Dead on nine o'clock the PA announced 'From New York City, Soft White
Underbelly', and there was Eric belting out THE RED AND THE BLACK (it's their
colour scheme) to the citizens of Dunstable. The main surprise of the night
came as Bloom introduced the band: 'Buck Dharma; Alan Laneer; Joe Bouchard;
and tonight on drums, Rick Downey(?)'.

The jaws of dozens of aspiring drummers dropped as they realised that their
hero hadn't made the gig. But it was OK - after EXTRA TERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCE
and JOAN CRAWFORD HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE: 'Oh here's Albert' said someone,
and the world's top rock drummer wandered sheepishly onstage to batter the
skins into submission for the rest of the evening.

The band: Buck warbled his way through BURNIN' FOR YOU looking like a Klingon
Empire traffic warden in his silver lame tanktop; Alan (who looked absolutely
DREADFUL) hopped from keyboards to impeccable harmony guitar to attempted
frontman (but nobody gave him a mike); Joe looked singularly cheerful singing
HOT RAILS TO HELL.

The minuses: Someone went into the middle 8 in the wrong place in OD'D ON LIFE
ITSELF; Albert never put on a dinosaur head in GODZILLA; Eric didn't shoot
firecrackers from his fingers in FLAMING WONDER TELEPATH; Buck was sloppier
than usual.

The pluses: Buck's amazing E-bow feedback noise on HEAVY METAL BLACK AND
SILVER; Albert hammering the snaredrum stand into something like a CB aerial
in a crosswind for a shattering version of Michael Moorcock's answer to
'Apocalypse Now', VETERAN OF THE PSYCHIC WARS; and of course Eric Bloom
holding the act in one piece, moving round the stage like a prowling vampire
as he slashed blood from his palm in UNKNOWN TONGUE.

All too soon Joe was into his bass feature, presaging the moment when the
smoke bombs went off wham into BORN TO BE WILD (good lord, are they still
doing that?) and off they trooped.  The carefully programmed encores were WE
GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE and (would you believe) (DON'T FEAR) THE REAPER.
Dead on 10.30 they were off and it was over; no CITIES ON FLAME, no LAST DAYS
OF MAY, no ME262. 'Sorry I was late' said Albert.

POSTSCRIPT (27/8/81): I see from today's weeklies that the day after
Dunstable, Albert Bouchard flew back to the States announcing that he had left
the band, dooming them to play a duff set at Castle Donington and breaking up
what must be by now one of the longest-lived unchanged rock band lineups in
rock band history (along with Quo). Don't do it, Albert! Think again! The
Stalk Forrest Group needed you! The Soft White Underbelly needed you! Don't
quit on BOC just as the band gets its first major chart album!

Mick Godwin, Bath, August 1981.

Note : I am not absolutely sure of the stand-in drummer's name, but Rick
Downey is the drummer on the 1982 Extra Terrestrial Live album, so he is
the most likely candidate.