Blue Oyster Cult - Agents Of Fortune

I was recently thinking about the first concert I ever went to back in the foggy (now literally) surfing days of 1979. Blue Oyster Cult was the headliner with Gamma opening me and my brother went to the early show which featured lasers, dry ice and all of the band members at the end of the show playing guitars which was part of their finale. I seem to remember we saw them again when they came through the next summer but my fuzzy, somewhat faded memory of the show is that it wasn’t nearly as good. I’ll have to ask my brother what he remembers, if anything, about it the next time I talk to him.

Which brings me to Blue Oyster Cult and their breakthrough album Agents Of Fortune which went platinum on the strength of Don’t Fear The Reaper in 1976. No cowbell jokes, please it really is a great song! They were considered a thinking man’s heavy metal band although only if you believe a group like Led Zeppelin fits that “classification” would you use that term, now Black Sabbath…..that’s some heavy metal of the era! Lyrically they had somewhat of a sci-fi/fantasy bent to some of their songs and they didn’t write about getting laid and partying until the dawn. Which actually might have helped their career sales wise. Album opener This Ain’t The Summer Of Love is a rocking kiss off to the 60’s with a great little riff played above the rhythm section and lots of multi-tracked background vocals. The Revenge Of Vera Gemini was co-written by drummer Albert Bouchard and Patti Smith. Patti does some guest vocals on the song….”your boned like a saint, with the consciousness of a snake”…..now that’s an opening line.

Back in 2001 Sony/Legacy reissued their first four studio albums remastered with extra tracks and liner notes by Lenny Kaye guitarist with the Patti Smith Group and originator of the first Nuggets compilation in the early 70’s. Now if they would just do the same thing for the Fire Of Unkown Origin album I would be happy.

Buy it here.