Next BOC Album

[John A Swartz]

Well, one can make arguments for ANY (and ALL, as I do) of BOC's albums.
Because some (usually Club Ninja, RBN, and Mirrors - and usually in that
order) are recognized by *most* BOC fans as not being of the same caliber
as most of BOC's other releases (I said most - lets not start another -
"But I *like* Club Ninja thread), I do think it is appropriate that
while there are good tunes on them, they are NOT the albums for the
new BOC fan to purchase after WOTT.

So, my recommendations would be as follows:

1. Buy *Imaginos* - for several reasons.  First, NONE of its tunes were
on WOTT, so you'll have no overlap.  Second, the album is HEAVY.  3rd,
the album represents a lot of the lyric/imagery that makes BOC intriguing,
once you get beyond the great music.  4th, the album is out of print now,
and will probably be very hard to find in the future -- actually, it is
very hard to come by now.

1A. Check the writing credits of a lot of the songs you like on WOTT - if
many of them have "A. Bouchard" next to them (and of course they probably
will), then definitely consider checking out The Brain Surgeons, Al's new
band.  While they don't sound much like BOC (other than Al's characteristic
vocals and drumming), you will probably appreciate this music.  Of their
3 albums, *Box of Hammers* (their latest) is definitely a good bet to
start with, although I am somewhat partial to *Trepanation* for its
overall heavier sound.  *Eponymous* (their first album) is also quite
good, but a bit more ecclectic than the other two, and was also not done
by the complete Brain Surgeons line-up of today.

2. I like the recommendations given regarding BOC's first 3 albums, and
I agree -- if you can find the 3-Pak (which has *Blue Oyster Cult*,
*Tyranny and Mutation*, and *Secret Treaties* - and usually goes for around
$20), that is the best "bang for the buck".  As correctly pointed out,
however, there is a fair overlap with the songs on *Secret Treaties* and
*Blue Oyster Cult* with WOTT, so if you can't find the 3-Pak, *Tyranny
and Mutation* is probably your best bet.

2A. At this point, you *might* want to opt for a live album - of course,
there will be more song overlap, so you might want to hold off on this
one.  For someone who has WOTT, I would recommend *ETL* (highlights
include "Roadhouse Blues" w/Robbie Krieger, a great live version of
"Veteran of the Psychic Wars", and perhaps "Black Blade" +
"Dominance and Submission") or *On Your Feet...* (which is much rawer,
but has some great stuff, including "Buck's Boogie").  *Some Enchanted
Evening* is also very good, but for someone who has WOTT, the main reason
to get this would only be for the live versions of "Astronomy" and maybe
"R U Ready 2 Rock".

3. At this point, *Cultosaurus...* is perhaps the best bet, and then any
(or all) of the albums which featured "The Big 3" - BOC's hits "(Don't
Fear) The Reaper" (on *Agents of Fortune*), "Godzilla" (on *Spectres*),
and "Burnin' For You" (on *Fire of Unknown Origin*).

4. If you're still buyin BOC albums at this point, then *Mirrors*,
*Revolution By Night*, and *Club Ninja* are next, and then you might
wish to consider *Cult Classic* too.


One final point - no matter where you might be in the above order, if and
when *Ezekiel's Wheel* (or whatever it gets titled) is released, that
should definitely be your next purchase.

John