50th Anniversary Live - First Night (live album) by Blue Öyster Cult

From spigelwii 12/16/2023 19:13

What Blue Oyster Cult lacks in their 50th year (vocal quality, mostly, as their chops are still remarkably--ASTOUNDINGLY--honed), they make up for here with a virtually immaculate reading of their first album, better than their attempt in 2017. Following this: A career-spanning set of highlights that could easily play as a set of Greatest Hits all the way through (including a fistful of tunes off the fantastic 2020 record, The Symbol Remains), even if the only songs you actually know, casual listener, are Burnin' for You, Reaper, and 'Zilla.

Treats abound: Albert Bouchard is back for the three-night run, mostly on guitar...but he gets to lead the band in a rousing, sloppy Cities on Flame...as he should! Danny Miranda's jazzy-ass bass is finally captured on record properly here; longtime BOC fans will find that this ALONE is well worth the price of admission, but how about the production duties fully handed over to longtime Cult member Richie Castellano? It took 50 years, but we finally got a live record from the Oyster Boys that doesn't sound gritty and raw (at best) or totally assy (at worst). And this was just night one!