One of the best ways to understand a band’s importance is to look at its influence on other bands and you don’t need to look very hard to see the outsized influence of BÖC on so many essentially, any band that makes use of occult imagery and lyrics in the context of rock and roll based music owes at least a little something to BÖC. Add to that the mysterious hook-and-cross logo (inspired by the alchemical symbol for lead, i.e., heavy metal), the simple but lasting impact of an umlaut over the O, and an array of album art reflecting arcane imagery and strange circumstance, and it’s no wonder BÖCs influence can be found in the music, art, and imagery of bands across a wide variety of musical styles from stoner rock and grunge to prog rock and punk, and throughout an astounding array of hard rock and heavy metal bands spanning virtually all the subgenres. Much of that air emanated from Pearlman’s enigmatic Soft Doctrines of Imaginos, a collection of poems that spawned the lyrical concepts of some of BÖCs most enduring work. The Blue Öyster Cult concept from pretty early on was steeped in mystery and the occult. Pearlman’s imprint can be found throughout BÖC’s career in the imagery, lyrics, and concepts, and the involvement of other artists and authors in the development of lyrical ideas and songwriting, including Patti Smith (many times) and Michael Moorcock.Īnd it’s not just the music. But what might appear to have been luck really all comes down to one Sandy Pearlman, the band’s manager, producer, and promoter from the outset and the guy who called so many of the right shots on everything from the band’s name to its first record deals and even its original (classic and most commercially successful) lineup. The rise and durability of BÖC certainly owes much to the hard work of the band members, especially a touring ethic second to none and that continues to this day. Point is, despite never having reached the heights of true superstardom, the cryptic image Blue Öyster Cult inscribed on the American psyche has spanned generations, genres, and media, and endured for more than five decades.Ī lot of rock and roll stories are of the Cinderella type, characterized by a lot of hard work, sure, but also by as much dumb luck. And even if, like several others on the Last Rites crew, you were born too late, you’ve still heard those songs in movie soundtracks and TV commercials and a dang SNL skit, for Pete’s sake. If you grew up then, you’re sure to have sung with radio broadcasts of any number of hit singles of the time. BÖC’s true origin dates back to 1967, and they’ve never really stopped since, but there was a relatively narrow window from 1975 to 1981 during which the esoteric hard rock generated by this Long Island quintet was just about everywhere. Maybe you have too, in which case you’re lucky to have been kicking around when the sounds and images of Blue Öyster Cult seemed to fill the air. Let’s just say that a few of us here at Last Rites have acquired… a nice patina. Look, there’s no need to call anybody old.
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