BOC: X-Brothers, Heaven Forbid, Brain Surgeons

[Joseph Brooks]

> > 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?

Are you nuts? Greater in qty. maybe but greater in quality? I've wanted them
back together since they split. Jeez, for me, it'd be like a Beatles
reunion! (with Lennon!) Of course, I would only want it if they could truely
do it right and be succesful, which, frankly, I doubt. You just can't go
back, in most cases. Similar to DL Roth getting back in Van Halen, it may
turn out that the expectations of the fans would be so high that nothing
they could do would be enough.

Still, personal issues among band members aside, I would give much to see
those 5 guys on stage again and have them create some new music.

I have been listening to Imaginos lately. That CD is so good its almost mind
boggling. I'd like to see them do something in that vein... Listen to the
vibe on that album and go from there.

Everytime I listen to Imaginos, I have this fantasy BOC on a stage in my
mind, the hall is similar to the one pictured on the inner sleeve of
OYFOOYK. Its storming outside...

>
> 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...

Its a step in the right direction.. who knows what may result in the
aftermath?

> 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".

Very good point. But one that I find hard to accept.. Living in the past, I
guess.

> 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.

I want the band to grow and evolve but it seemed to me that something was
missing. Where was that quasi mystical wierdness that drew so many of us to
BOC in the early days? Gone with Pearlman, the Bouchards and company, I
guess.

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

Yes and to quote what someone recently wrote to me, I was looking for BOC
Jr.


>
> 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.

No, my dislike is not because of her style, talent or delivery. I just can't
get used to a female voice in my rock n' roll. Like I said, its my own
little hang up.

> 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.

Perhaps I will give one of those a shot.

>
> *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.

Now that made my pointy little ears stand up! The "layered" effect is to me
what makes Imaginos so great.

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

I'm assuming that BD did? Its always been hard for me not to like any BD
song.

>
> >
> > 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... ;-)

I think I've said this to the list before but, you've hit the nail on the
head here. ST was, IMO, the band's best work period. They have never topped
it. Everything that came after had to live up to it (for me anyway) and much
of it failed to do so (most albums did have their moments but not
consistantly enough). Imaginos was (would have been) the first album that
lived up to ST and even surpassed it but then I learn that it wasn't even
BOC (I was happier when I was ignorant of this..) but some mix bag band with
BOC members thrown in for commercial's sake. (Insert Sam Kinneson style
scream here).

I really need to get over this.. I can only hope that BOC's next release
improves upon HF.

JB