BOC: X-Brothers, Heaven Forbid, Brain Surgeons

[John A. Swartz]

> I think guesting is great, but I'd rather not have a permanent BOC reunion
> if it kept Al, Joe, Buck, and 3OC from making their own unique music. Not
> that I'd begrudge one reunion CD and tour, of course. ;-)

Yes, no BOC fan would complain about seeing the original 5 together
again for a few shows - but very few would probably want them to be back
together permanently - the musical output is greater for the most part
now with the various entities putting out their own stuff.  I mean, how
much of the 5 (6 if you count PoW as 2 discs) tBS CDs would have been
put out on a BOC record?  Maybe half a CD's worth?

And, while the real intent of the effort is to honor a dearly-departed
friend, many of us are very interested in the upcoming Helen Wheels
tribute CD - which reunited Buck, Al, and Joe.  I wish they could have
met under other circumstances though...

> > << I agree with you there. Stuff like "Hot Time in Hell" especially. I wish
> > they performed that song a little heavier though. >>
> >
> > I put Solid Citizens in the player with Buck in the car in San Antonio.  Buck
> > asked if Joe was singing "Hot Tub In Hell" :-)
>
> Great. Now every time I hear it I'll think he's saying that! Kind of like

Kind of like the way BOC fans hear K.C. and the Sunshine Band when
listening to "Damaged" of HF (I'm Damaged - uh huh, uh huh - and Like It
- uh huh, uh huh...)  ;-)

>
> I guess a "BOC vibe" is a pretty good way to describe
> the feeling I got off Solid Citizens.  And while I
> liked Heaven Forbid, I don't really think it has very
> much of that "vibe".  With the exception of the first
> two tracks, it really doesn't feel -- lyrically or
> musically -- like BOC as I've come to know them.

Well, the BOC that we had come to know hadn't put out a complete studio
album in over 10 years, and had gone through 3 new bassplayers (Rogers,
Smith, Miranda) and 6 drummers (Wilcox, Riddle, Burgi, Miceli, O'Reily,
Rondinelli).  It isn't a stretch to say that it's a different band than
it was 20 years ago.  Actually, I think much of the "vibe" on HF (at
least on the heavier tunes) sounds very much like the current line-up --
it just doesn't sound much like "classic BOC".

> And
> while some may say that even SIYB is hackneyed, I found
> it delicious.  "I'd like to see you in black/It'd make
> me feel like your husband's dead" is no more or less
> corny than "I'd like to do it to your daughter on a
> dirt road".

Well, what I liked most about SYIB (as a first single and an album
opener), and the somewhat cheezy cover-art is that there appeared to be
a sense of daring with the band - a sense that they were going to come
out as a hard-hitting rock/metal act - not at all like, oh, say *Club
Ninja*.  It made a statement that BOC is back.  The general public's
response ultimately may have been "who cares?", but I still liked the
agressive move.  As a fan waiting for a new album for 10 years, it
resonated with ME.


> Can anyone tell me this.. I bought Eponymous a few years ago and didn't care
> for it. (Sorry Al :) It had a few bright spots but not enough to earn it a
> spot on my frequently played list. Part of the problem is my own hang up
> about female vocalists - I just don't enjoy them, however talented they may
> be. I can't explain why.. I'm not sure myself! So from what I told you here,
> would it be worth my time to seek out more Brain Surgeon CD's? Or is
> Eponymous pretty representative of all BS music?

Well, maybe Al should repost Steve Swann's review of *Eponymous*...  ;-)

I like *Eponymous*, but would say that it is not as hard-hitting and
instrumentally rich (mix-wise) as the other tBS albums.  It might also
be the most stylistically diverse (up until perhaps *Piece of Work* -
more on that in a minute) - *Eponymous* was really a home-grown solo
album by Albert - no, I really mean a "duo" album by Albert and Deb --
they recorded it in their living room, I believe, and did most of the
instrumentation and production themselves.  Of course, the biggest thing
to remember when approaching this (or any) tBS release is that tBS does
not equal BOC - they shared the same drummer, and that's about it.  If
you are familiar with the BOC fanclub newsletter, "Morning Final" -
which among other things discusses the songs that various members
brought to the various recording sessions - you know that Al wrote
albums worth of material that BOC never recorded.

Personally, I really enjoy female vocalists, so the fact that Al doesn't
sing all tBS stuff doesn't bother me - some people like Deb's vocals,
some don't.  I don't think it's the case of her being a "bad" singer
(far from it), but her delivery may not be for all.

As for *Eponymous*, I like a lot of the material on there, but
*Trepanation* is by far my favorite tBS album, followed by *Box of
Hammers* - these 2 albums have a very heavy guitar sound, and sound much
more like a "band" produced them (because, in fact, tBS became a real
"band" after *Eponymous*, when they added Hilfiger, Bohovesky, and
Hirschberg to the live sets).  *Trepanation* is particularly heavy,
while BoH has a bit more refined feel.

*Malpractise* is sort of a mixed bag - all good, but it is a collection
of various things - from the 3-track "Career of Christmas" tape that the
band did a few years prior, to the the Hawkwind covers and the tunes
from their "Pull the Plug" acoustic tape.

*Piece of Work*, is their most recent, slickest, and most varied CD.  A
little something for everyone, and very well-done -- the "layers" of
instrumentation are many, and the sound is great.

You can check out my complete reviews on the various CDs at "The
Post-Op" -
http://members.aol.com/tbspostop


> > > >Sorry to say, I didn't care for HF much at all.
> With the
> > > exception of 1
> > > >song, I find the lyrics hackneyed, awkward and
> cliche` and
> > > the music, ...
> > >
> > > Likewise.  I'm not a fan of Mr. Shirley's lyrics,
> either.
> > > (So what's the exception?)  Harvest Moon is the one
> that I
> > > play the most...
> > >

Uh, guess what?  Jon Shirley didn't write the lyrics to "Harvest Moon".
I guess that supports your arguments.

>
> I think a lot of BOC fans -- myself included here --
> are in denial about how inadequate HF is as a Blue
> Oyster Cult album.  But we can hardly be blamed for
> wanting to like it!!!

Maybe - especially if you are expecting "Secret Treaties - Part II".
But it ain't exactly "Club Ninja - Part II" either... ;-)


John