I didn’t hear the S/T until I had bought Secret Treaties back in 1975. My intro to the band. The production does sound a bit lifeless, it I think the songs’ arrangements save the day. BOC really didn’t sound like any other. They really keep my attention in that regard. The guitar work also keeps this album as one I revisit.
Excellent movie and soundtrack! Highway Star, Don't Fear The Reaper, Burning For You, Rock Candy, Bang A Gong (Get It On), Paranoid, Disco Inferno, Slow Ride, Driving Wheel, Also Sprach Zarathustra...
Just relistened to the S/T again. I think I like it more with each listen with renewed interest. Screams has come up in my regard. Leads so smoothly into She’s as Beautiful as a Foot.
On to the second album. Hopefully we get a few more members aboard. Tyranny and Mutation Studio album by Blue Öyster Cult Released 11 February 1973 Recorded 1972 From wiki; Tyranny and Mutation (stylized on the cover as THE BLVE ÖYSTER CVLT: TYRANNY AND MVTATION) is the second studio album by American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on February 11, 1973 by Columbia Records. It was produced by Murray Krugmanand Sandy Pearlman. On May 12, 1973, the album peaked at No. 122 on the Billboard 200chart. "Baby Ice Dog" features lyrics by poet Patti Smith, who would make several more lyrical contributions to the band's repertoire over its career. The song "The Red and the Black," with lyrics referencing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is a re-titled, re-recorded version of "I'm on the Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep" from the band's eponymous debut album. The song was later covered by the Minutemen and Band of Susans. AllMusic critic Hal Horowitz called it "one of the best and most propulsive rockers in the BÖC catalog." Tyranny and Mutation received mixed reviews from contemporary critics. Gordon Fletcher of Rolling Stone wrote a raving review for the album and called Blue Öyster Cult "one of the best bands America's got." Robert Christgau, writing for The Village Voice, praised the band's disregard for "the entire heavy ethos", but wondered if the "parody-surreal refraction of the abysmal 'poetry' of heavy" in the lyrics could be a start for a return to conformism. The Rolling Stone Album Guide described the album as "one molten hook after another" and praised the four-song "opening suite" comprising the first side of the album. On the contrary, Mike Saunders of Phonograph Records judged Tyranny and Mutation "a real disappointment", definitely inferior to BÖC debut album and lacking "the sort of brashness that almost defines hard rock or metal music." Ian MacDonald of the British New Musical Express was very critical of the Pearlman/Meltzer "crass Satan-speed-and-sad-ism" lyrics and of the band's music which "tend to leave the listener aurally shaken, but emotionally unstirred." Modern reviews are generally positive. Thom Jurek of AllMusic noted how BÖC "brightened their sound and deepened their mystique" on this album and described the music as "screaming, methamphetamine-fueled rock & roll that was all about attitude, mystery, and a sense of nihilistic humor that was deep in the cuff", judging Tyranny and Mutation a "classic album" as much as its follow-up Secret Treaties. Martin Popoff in his Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal acknowledged the progress shown in production values from their debut, but found the sound "still mired in an oddly appealing maze of cobwebs", despite Blue Öyster Cult parading a slew of classic songs and "quickly becoming something very imposing. Tyranny and Mutation - YouTube From Allmusic; On Tyranny and Mutation, Blue Öyster Cult achieved the seemingly impossible: they brightened their sound and deepened their mystique. The band picked up their tempos considerably on this sophomore effort, and producers Sandy Pearlman and Murray Krugman added a lightning bolt of high-end sonics to their frequency range. Add to this the starling lyrical contributions of Pearlman, rock critic Richard Meltzer, and poet-cum-rocker Patti Smith (who was keyboardist Allen Lanier's girlfriend at the time), the split imagery of Side One's thematic, "The Red" and Side Two's "The Black," and the flip-to-wig-city, dark conspiracy of Gawlik's cover art, and an entire concept was not only born and executed, it was received. The Black side of Tyranny and Mutation is its reliance on speed, punched-up big guitars, and throbbing riffs such as in "The Red and the Black," "O.D'd on Life Itself," "Hot Rails to Hell," and "7 Screaming Diz-Busters," all of which showcased the biker boogie taken to a dizzyingly extreme boundary; one where everything flies by in a dark blur, and the articulations of that worldview are informed as much by atmosphere as idea. This is screaming, methamphetamine-fueled rock & roll that was all about attitude, mystery, and a sense of nihilistic humor that was deep in the cuff. Here was the crossroads: the middle of rock's Bermuda triangle where BÖC marked the black cross of the intersection between New York's other reigning kings of mystery theater and absurd excess: the Velvet Underground and Kiss -- two years before their first album -- and the " 'it's all F#$&%* so who gives a rat's ass" attitude that embodied the City's punk chic half-a-decade later. On the Red Side, beginning with the syncopated striations of "Baby Ice Dog," in which Allen Lanier's piano was as important as Buck Dharma's guitar throb, elements of ambiguity and bluesy swagger enter into the mix. Eric Bloomwas the perfect frontman: he twirled the words around in his mouth before spitting them out with requisite piss-and-vinegar, and a sense of decadent dandy that underscored the music's elegance, as well as its power. He was at ease whether the topic was necromancy, S&M, apocalyptic warfare, or cultural dissolution. By the LP's end, on "Mistress of the Salmon Salt," Bloom was being covered over by a kind of aggressively architected psychedelia that kept the '60s at bay while embracing the more aggressive, tenser nature of the times. While BÖC's Secret Treaties is widely recognized as the Cult's classic album, one would do well to consider Tyranny and Mutation in the same light.
From Ultimate Classic Rock: The second month of 1973 was a month of dire deeds and dark omens, ranging from the unanimous congressional vote establishing the Watergate Investigation Committee to the second musical tome crafted by the enigmatic Blue Oyster Cult, an album prophesying Tyranny and Mutation. Few bands in rock 'n' roll history have so willingly wrapped themselves in mystery and misdirection like Blue Oyster Cult did, to the extent that their music frequently took a backseat to their perplexing words of intrigue. Whether these were totally imagined or truly rescued from some arcane repository of planetary secrets, one can only guess. But whatever the answer, in retrospect, this approach ensured that the band's discography possessed the qualities of conspiracy theories, only propagated in musical form, naturally. Having said all that, from a structural standpoint, many songs found on Tyranny and Mutation were still essentially rooted in all-too-obvious blues-rock fundamentals, which Blue Oyster Cult proceeded to invigorate either with manic intensity ("The Red and the Black," "Hot Rails to Hell") or minor-key shadings powered by roaring guitars and malicious melodies ("O.D.'ed on Life Itself"). As had been the case with the previous year’s debut, band manager and de facto propaganda director Sandy Pearlman was deeply involved with the songwriting process. BOC also looked elsewhere for collaborators, however, working with Pearlman's fellow Crawdaddy! magazine contributor Richard Meltzer on "Teen Archer," and emerging punk poetess Patti Smith on "Baby Ice Dog." Both of these showcased broader dynamic experiments leading to utmost melodic fruition on the revealing "Wings Wetted Down" – a glimpse of things to come. As for Blue Oyster Cult's famously abstruse lyrics, it could be argued that the band was never more cryptic than on Tyranny and Mutation. To this day no one seems to know for sure what "7 Screaming Diz-busters" is all about (though the song's harrowing references to Lucifer suggest a minor caste of demons), and we frankly don't want to know what "Mistress of the Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl)" is referring to, unless its some sorta harmless chemistry experiment. In sum: all of these musical ingredients helped further establish Blue Oyster Cult as the ultimate thinking man's metal band. And over the course of their ensuing "career of evil," the Long Island natives would keep fans and detractors alike thinking … thinking … and thinking – often in a vain attempt to decipher these ambiguous messages, surely as intended by the group. Songs / Tracks Listing - The Black: 1. The Red And The Black (4:24) 2. O.D.'d On Life Itself (4:47) 3. Hot Rails To Hell (5:11) 4. 7 Screaming Diz-Busters (7:01) - The Red: 5. Baby Ice Dog (3:28) 6. Wings Wetted Down (4:12) 7. Teen Archer (3:57) 8. Mistress Of The Samon Salt (Quicklime Girl) (5:08) Total time 38:08
I own the original Canadian issue on LP, early Japanese CD on Sony, and the MFSL 2fer. Wow is all I have to say. Side one, it’s like a scorched earth policy-take no prisoners baby! But side two is the side that surprised me after listening to the album tonight. I forgot how really good these songs are. Wings Wetted Down has a feel and tone that the early Alice Cooper (1971) produced on some songs. Teen Archer, Mistress, such atmosphere. And the band; tight as ever!
For some reason T&M never did much for me despite having some songs I love in the live experience (Red & Black, Dizbusters, Hot Rails). O.D'd was the only song I really dug hearing on the studio album itself, & side one was the side of the LP that I played if I wanted to somewhat enjoy this album. The first one was my fave BOC album for many many years (sorry but this laptop kbd has no numeric pad for me to use to enter the ASCII code for the umlaut!) but this one not so much and not one I listen to very often.
As I picked myself up off the floor at the opening crescendo of The Red and The Black, I was immediately mesmerized and felled under its spell! By the time 7 Screaming Diz-Busters were counted I just looked at my cousin in amazement. What did I just witness there? This was 1974. My cousin would come to visit a few times a year and always brought a stack of records for me to check out. This day he had 2 BOC albums Tyranny and Mutation and the ST. That opening side was just jaw dropping for me. I became and instant fan. Unfortunately I didn’t get to hear the entire album and only a few from the ST. Even more unfortunate was I had a difficult time finding a BOC album near me. I did finally find a store and got both. I was stunned, numbed, and bobbed blissfully in the sonic tsunami that was Tyranny and Mutation. Man could these guys rock! As Joe Bouchard noted in Hot Rails To Hell.. “the heat from below can burn you eyes out!” The entire album just pins you to the wall and sucks the breath from your lungs out your ears. I would say not since Black Sabbath have I had a band that sucked me in as fast as BOC. Be Bop Deluxe also could be included too. Tyranny and Mutation is still my favorite BOC album. I consider their first 3 the best of the best. I always cranked this to 11 and my mother was tolerating some of the time. I usually waited until I knew she would be shopping so I could play it at a concert volume levels. I wore it out. Literally. I recall sending away to get a copy of the lyrics at one time as the lyrics were bizarre and hard for this kid to decipher. I love the cover art. Everything about this album exuded a mystery and dotted with secret codes, like a hidden language. I still play it a few times a year. Never tired of it. One of the best hard rock albums of all time! I could probably write a book about my relationship to this album. It was a constant companion through the seventies and I was glad to introduce it to many others.
I like that movie. Not perfect but some pretty good stuff in it. I like the whole bit about Joe acting weird ever since the BOC concert. Not in the same league as "Dazed + Confused" but still enjoyable.
I'm not able to come to the forum as much as I like, so I missed the chance for the first album...which I do love, I remember just reading the song titles in the record store got me all excited ("Then Came The Last Days Of May," "She's As Beautiful As A Foot," "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll")...turns out, they were darn-good songs as well! My only knock on it, especially compared to the two subsequent masterpieces, is that it kind of limps to the finish...while I greatly enjoy the lyrics to "Workshop Of The Telescopes," the music is rather mundane...another song title that sounded so amazing, and the lyrics are cryptically wonderful ("By Silverfish Imperetrix whose incorrupted eye wees through the charms of doctors and their wives; By Salamander Drake and the power that was undine, rise to claim Saturn, ring and sky"), and then finishing with the mildly amusing but even weaker-music "Redeemed" is such a fizzle-out. That said, the first eight songs are fantastic, and, after seeing them dozens of times since 1985, I was absolutely thrilled when I saw them a few months ago and heard them play "Screams" > "She's As Beautiful As A Foot" for the first time, I was in heaven. And they opened the show with Transmaniacon (fitting, as we were seeing them just a few miles from Altamont!)...and of course played "COF" and "LDOM," making it a nice five of 10 from the first album!
For my money, side one (the Black), of the original album was their strongest album side ever. Really, how cool can 4 songs be? Each would be regularly played live for years to come. The Red side has its moments too; I like “Wings Wetted Down” and “Teen Archer” best –much poppier, but still rocking and melodic. The bonus songs on the remaster are strong too. You get 2 live songs from the unreleased promo Live in the West album (Diz-busters and O.D’d on Life) and they are both scorching versions (probably my favorite version of Diz-busters). Cities on Flame is from the live promo EP they recorded in 1972. The studio version of Buck’s Boogie is real nice too, though I am so use to the version “On your Knees” that this will always be the alternate to my go to version. The production and recording is a step up from their debut, but they still have a ways to go before their albums sound great.
Excellent album imo in a long line of great albums Blue Öyster Cult - Tyranny And Mutation I like the red label on side one and the black label on side two, The Red & The Black
I'm a bit late but at least I'm in context with my top favorite BOC album, Tyranny and Mutation! I have the St. Cecelia recordings and love "Curse of the Hidden Mirrors", "Bonamo's Turkish Taffy", the title cut and really dig the long version of "A Fact About Sneakers". Back then, the band had a psychedelic flavor as well as hints of the Byrds and a slight Grateful Dead likeness too. I'm amazed that Albert and Richard Meltzer were 90 percent responsible for the material offered on it, which certainly yielded Albert's importance to the groups' development over time. By the time of the debut, Sandy Pearlman's influence was fully realized in terms of creative input and production and of course, Al's brother Joe had replaced original bassist Andrew Winters, cementing a stable lineup for the next 9 years. The first album is a strong debut with classic material such as Transmaniacon MC, Stairway to the Stars, Workshop of the Telescopes, Cities on Flame and my personal favorite, Then Came the Last Days of May and the material reflects the band's dynamics as a group and would further hear them honing in on their hard rock sound for the next several years. Tyranny and Mutation was one of the first albums I owned of BOC and from the opening crash of The Red and the Black to the sinister/stony close of Quicklime Girl, everything in between from Baby Ice Dog to Seven Screaming Diz-Busters to Teen Archer and even Wings Wetted Down culminates in a solid and classic release that surpasses the debut. In some ways, I wished they would've included Buck's Boogie originally on the album as I've always loved that instrumental, but, it DID show up on "On Your Feet or On Your Knees" in '75, so that's a minor qualm. It's a pleasure to be able to post on this thread, Love BOC!
Tyranny And Mutation is my favorite B.O.C. album. Oddly, when I first started getting into the band I wasn't crazy about the group's early sound via the first three albums. I much preferred their approach via Spectres through Fire Of Unknown Origin. But eventually, I went back to those first three and got the full gist of what they were bringing at that time. These days it is Tyranny And Mutation that gets the most plays, and it just edges out its followup in my personal B.O.C. discography ranking. The album cover is also excellent in that it captures the essence of the music. If only the sound production were of a similar quality level. The red and the black: is there a better color combination?
The Canadian Columbia issues didn't seem to have these cooler labels. When I bought OYFONYK back in 75, it had standard red Columbia labels as well. Go figure.
For me personally it’s hard to say which of the first 2 studio albums I like better. They’re both excellent but not quite as good as the following album which is my favorite studio album of theirs. S/T is kind of raw. Tyranny’s first side is blistering but the 2nd side is more polished. One thing is for sure, no 2 of their original line up recordings sound the same. Does anyone know why they are called “The Blue Öyster Cult” on Tyranny? Might have read it somewhere but can’t remember.
Just saw this thread. The first album was my fave of theirs for years; it might still be. Sh##ty production, but great songs. There may be more great BOC cuts on this LP than any other. Anyone read Martin Popoff's book? As far as I know it's the only one on the band. Well worth your time. The second record is also great, but slightly less so in my estimation. It does feature a flawless first side though - as good as any LP side in their catalog. I do enjoy Mobile Fidelity's gold disc of these two titles, and the Complete Columbia Albums box is essential.
