Blue Oyster Cult - (Don’t Fear) The Reaper (REACTION)

[@Duct_Tape.]

The 70s was a glorious time for rock music

[@alldayadventures5418]

Hottest Ticket in the late 70's was the Black + Blue Tour. Black Sabbath, and Blue Oyster Cult. I think they toured together for 2 - 3 years...

[@Duct_Tape.]

@@alldayadventures5418 Well, unfortunately I was a bit too young to have such discerning taste at that time. in '79 my uncle took me to see KISS, which I thought was pretty incredible. Of course I was six... lol.

[@johnleeshute]

​@@Duct_Tape.I saw KISS in 1979, too. At the Houston Summit. I was twice your age, heh

[@alphajava761]

The best is 65' to 70'. The 70s did a good job of refashioned what came before 71'.

[@obiwanbenobi4943]

@@johnleeshute youngsters these days! :)

[@mattsabath]

This song never gets old. It would be a hit if it came out today. Perfect.

[@Torrentialdownpurr]

It really would be. And with all the music out we'd still be mystified by it. This is coming from a 20 some year old.

[@hubertsumlin9697]

Buck Dharma - one of the greatest stage names EVER

[@z-man2343]

That guitar solo is an absolute Buck Dharma gut punch. Gets me every time.

[@spongo]

Those who know know

[@dancarter482]

Edited out in the crappy radio version.

[@michaelfried3123]

More cowbell!

[@mark-be9mq]

Someone has to say it!

[@rlwetz4317]

I got a fever, and the only prescription is ....

[@michaelfried3123]

@@rlwetz4317 best SNL skit ever...

[@jenniferandrews1917]

Lol

[@rlwetz4317]

@@michaelfried3123 That skit had a lot going for it, but give Wardrobe its due: Will Ferrell in a two-sizes-too-small velour shirt was more than the other cast members could handle. 😂

[@DM-hk4cw]

This is a goosebump type of song and hasn't lost its edge for these many years. 1976 was a great year for music. BOC are fine musicians and lyricists.

[@ratowey]

Great reaction, Another great Blue Oyster Cult song is Burnin`for you

[@michaelyork4554]

The Guitar Work by Buck on "Godzilla" is so Good, and So Infectious.

[@tjmasson1013]

Playing in background in Halloween. When Michael Myers’s is driving the stolen car stalking her lol

[@melk.6024]

Great song! This was always a good song for hauling ass down the road...many a speeding tickets were to be had....lol❤

[@JimFlickinger]

Bought the album because the cover intrigued me. Great impulse buy and was never disappointed!

[@quietwoodworking]

When BOC first released this song, even the critics were blown away and immediately called it a masterpiece.

[@mwfmtnman]

Interesting trivia about these guys. They collaborated with Michael Moorcock, an old school fantasy? writer. He wrote one of the original anti-heros. Elric

[@bluesrock1]

This song was all over FM radio. The album came out in 76, my Freshman year of HS.

[@thewilythylacine]

It was used in the opening to The Stand. One of the best movie intros ever.

[@bobburroughs6241]

Classic track from a favourite album of theirs.

[@costeris35]

One of the best songs ever.

[@pluckinmageetar]

I get where you're going when describing the BOC sound. It was unusual and some would surmise "ahead of their time" when it was released in 1976, and it remains a 70s Rock classic to this day because of it's ease of flowing smoothly within a 70s, 80s or 90s playlist. These 70s players obviously were influenced by the vocal harmonizing of the 60s as well and its evident here. Nice y'all!

[@jaimeanaya3385]

One of my favorite guitar solo!

[@isotopia7681]

Such a classic song. We’ll all feel the reaper one day

[@tonydelapa1911]

My high school friends and I had some good times listening to this album. The SNL skit probably did more for this song than radio ever did - just in time for my kids to enjoy it in their high school years. Great commentary, gents. Thank you. Funny thing about fusing 60s, 70, and 90s - the 90s were still 15 years away when they recorded this. Think about that!

[@Chamomileable]

So glad you guys are checking out BOC. The band themselves are all super talented and have covered a few genres in their time, but what they're most known for among fans is the storylines that run through their albums. They have songs sometimes decades apart that are pieced together lyrically into a big cosmic horror story written by Sandy Perlman their manager. This is one of their few mainstream hits but their discography is full of fantastic rock. This track actually had some controversy because outlets mistakenly interpreted the lyrics as glorifying suicide. Fun fact: they even worked with Randy Jackson (yes, of American Idol fame) on a few tracks on their album The Revolution By Night.

[@dannycasson1551]

When that lead comes in...chilling! The words are not to be missed...

[@Jude_196]

One of my FAV BOC TUNES!!! SO LOVE THIS SONG!!! Hugs, Guys!!

[@jaquestraw1]

This is truly one of the great classic rock songs

[@garyalu5636]

"Burnin for you", another good one to react from BOC...

[@shanepurcell8116]

This song ALWAYS gives me goosebumps.

[@TheDivayenta]

Yes the vocals sound like The Byrds- another iconic group from the ‘60’s.

[@dwoehrma]

They hit the radio a few times, but mostly these guys were about playing live and having fun with music. So many odd songs that make you think.

[@rexkimberley9537]

Blue Oyster Cult was the first concert me and my wife went to together in 1978. Been together 43 years now. They will always be special in my memory of good times of my life. Thank You two for what you do.

[@mikefixx7177]

This song was on the radio all the time in the 70s. This is a classic,thanks for playing this.

[@keefmack]

This band is one of my all-time favorites. All members of the band were songwriters and 4 of the 5 took turns singing lead and the 5th would sing lead once in a while. Several of them were good on multiple instruments. Most of their best material, outside of this one, were never played on the radio. They did have good songs that charted but they were more of an album and live in concert band.

[@scottsnyder2726]

“I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!.” Great song. Another that my generation knows all the words.

[@MaddyN999]

I was watching for this comment 😂

[@DorothyFarias]

Will forever be associated with this awesome song LMAO.

[@SteveMenardDesignDXM]

The song came out in 1976, but yeah, the vocals sound a lot like the Byrds from 1965-66 (check out Turn, Turn, Turn). The lead vocalist in this track (Buck Dharma) has a softer voice than their lead vocalist (Eric Bloom) who sings about 80% of their songs.

[@joyous-b8j]

GREAT BAND TO SEE LIVE AND I DID A BUNCH OF TIMES!! GREAT LIGHT AND SMOKE SHOW!!🔥🎸❤️😍

[@raulcastro925]

Over 20 years ago my younger brother deleted himself (you cant use the real word on this platform) and he referenced this song in his last written note to us, his family. When I hear this song, it is impossible for me not to be taken back to the day my heart was broken beyond repair, I used to truly love it, now it only brings me sorrow.

[@johnbasham2798]

This came out in 1976. Iconic rock anthem.

[@wentibbetts7833]

Bicentennial year, 76!! Fusion, mixing, Idk, its all magic to my ears!! 😂 You both just get it!! 🥳

[@erolbulut2584]

This blew up our radios all summer

[@Grandmastergav86]

Great band, this song is a timeless masterpiece.

[@bensonchannel8676]

A truly timeless song

[@bugvswindshield]

Agents of Fortune is one of the BEST ALBUMS. Front to back of the 70's rock era. !!!!! Truely underrated. All the songs are great!

[@tonywasylycia967]

Uriah Heep is another group that has great harmonizing!!

[@suesebree8670]

Yes please do uriah heep!!!!

[@cesarmiller5972]

The lyrics are awesome

[@SG-js2qn]

I love waiting in anticipation of that guitar solo, the way it strikes in. It's so beautiful.

[@anthonybalistreri5226]

Just found this in Wikipedia: "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" was written and sung by lead guitarist Buck Dharma and produced by David Lucas, Murray Krugman, and Sandy Pearlman.[10] The song's distinctive guitar riff is built on the "I-bVII-bVI" chord progression, in an A minor scale.[11] The riff was recorded with Krugman's Gibson ES-175 guitar, which was run through a Music Man 410 combo amplifier, and Dharma's vocals were captured with a Telefunken U47 tube microphone. The guitar solo and guitar rhythm sections were recorded in one take, while a four-track tape machine amplified them on the recording. Sound engineer Shelly Yakus remembers piecing together the separate vocals, guitar and rhythm section into a master track, with the overdubbing occurring in that order.[12]

[@cousmaster]

WHAT HE SAID

[@normankennith7919]

somebody had a mad, genius moment when they wrote this fantastic song!! is it about suicide or jehovah witnesses or the supernatural!! who knows? who cares? this song will still be played in a hundred years time!!!

[@DavidTrippi-fp9yg]

Fun fact this song was featured on a SNL skit about getting more cowbell that's where that reference comes from I believe it was Christopher Walken

[@jpmnewyork]

This is one of the best produced tracks ever.

[@dannymoore6886]

Once while working on Federal Death Row I was walking Timothy McVeigh down the tier to the shower. He was singing, "It's so easy to fall in love." quietly. I said MC VEIGH! He stopped and asked, What Sir. I told him, this is a penitentiary. Real men don't sing love songs on the way to the shower. He said, Your right, Sir. He started singing, Seasons don't fear the reaper. Nor do the wind and the Summer rain. Every time I hear this song I remember that day.

[@Xcris_crosX]

Don't Fear the Reaper "deals with the inevitability of death and the belief that we should not fear it. When Dharma wrote it, he was thinking about what would happen if he died at a young age"

[@allengray5748]

Kinda. Sounds like a lovesick man talks his girlfriend into a Romeo and Juliet suicide WE CAN BE LIKE THEY ARE, BABY I'M YOUR MAN and he chickens out and she takes the REAPERS hand and SHE BECAME LIKE THEY ARE. Kind of betrayal also. Peace 🕊️☮️

[@Xcris_crosX]

@@allengray5748 Many of us thought that, myself included but… "I felt that I had just achieved some kind of resonance with the psychology of people when I came up with that, I was actually kind of appalled when I first realized that some people were seeing it as an advertisement for suicide or something that was not my intention at all. It is, like, not to be afraid of [death] (as opposed to actively bring it about). It's basically a love song where the love transcends the actual physical existence of the partners." - Buck Dharma, lead singer

[@allengray5748]

@@Xcris_crosX ALL my friends will tell you that I LITERALLY take things LITERALLY!!! 😜 Peace 🕊️

[@allengray5748]

@@Xcris_crosX Ok now I'm going to watch a lyric video to see if I miss stuff. I have A D D though LoL 😂

[@richardnraikaraika5507]

I been blasting this tune for over 35 years. ❤

[@stillstanding8286]

I saw them live two years ago, they were great!!!

[@TooSkinnyKenny]

sounds EXACTLY like The Byrds, specifically "Eight Miles High"

[@hudahekizzy8402]

The subtle low harmonies make this for me. Sometimes it's the little details.

[@dalehammers4425]

You can rest assured Blue Oyster Cult knew EXACTLY what they were doing. Many of their songs have radically different sounds. They 100% loved to experiment.

[@GTLyons]

Not all popular artists cared about whether they had hit (Pop) songs... Most rock bands back then, were just artists... it was the producers who were constantly looking for formulas for successes (Hits) there is a difference. Thumbs up for trying to figure it out... sometimes it's easier to just sit back and enjoy! 👍

[@saxworthmusic]

Great observation about the '60's vocal vibe...To my ears some the '60's sound is due to the heavy reverb on the vocals,. It's kind of like California Dreamin' bu the Mamas and the Papas.

[@Noelle0026]

The n the best song to start a show about a deadly flu!

[@chriscornelius2518]

That 5:00 mark of the song is absolutely one of the best parts of any song of any genre. The way it blends or fuses. The song is amazing.

[@johnmitterer5672]

Great song and reaction! Hearing this reminds me of a morning in 1976, on my way into work, listening to the radio when a young lady called in to request, " could you please play that new song, that new song don't spill the refer". There was dead air for a second then the caller starts to sing it. I almost drove off the rode laughing. Still makes me smile.

[@fatovamingus]

It wasn't until KZbin that they got called out on the topic of the song I remember growing up hearing it and never once thinking about the S word. But what I love most about this song is that lick. It nearly plays through the whole song

[@Hector-yl1kh]

The song isn't about suicide. Its about mortality. Don Roeser, the bands guitarists was diagnosed with a heart condition and felt particularly vulnerable but reflected on his life and his family and realized it was nothing to be afraid about. Its going to happen to all of us so don't sweat it. Just enjoy life..

[@fatovamingus]

@@Hector-yl1kh you could be right but I've read in several places that it was something that the singer and his wife had discussed. I don't think either of us really care enough to go digging any deeper than this but it was nice talking

[@susanrombak7959]

The harmonizing does sound 60’s inspired! I learn so much listening to your reactions. Thanks for lending an ear to another great rock classic, brings me back to my high school years. Peace ✌🏽🤘🏿

[@johnprice6066]

BÖC is one of my favorite bands from the '70s and early '80s. I won tickets to see them and Pat Travers back in 1981, thanks to this song... A couple of my personal favorites are "I Love the Night", "Burning for You", "Astronomy", "E.T.I. (Extraterrestrial Intelligence)", and "Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll".

[@georgedolen1486]

The first concert I went to was BOC in 1976. This song live was amazing.

[@Pait728]

Dude it was mine too! The openers were Foghat and Brownsville Station.

[@georgedolen1486]

@@Pait728 My openers were Styx and Starz.

[@kentmains7763]

Exceptional band.

[@Pait728]

An all time rock classic! For the hundreds of times I've heard this I never picked up on those 60's style of harmonies but you are on point. Great observation.

[@LesSmith45]

When you mention classic rock this song always comes to mind! One of the greatest songs of the 70’s!

[@JamesJohnson-ig6of]

BROS, I knew a guy here in our little community that liked speed, racing around squealing tires, drawing the attention of the cop. After a couple accidents, Jimmy met his final one, car upside down, with his tape player stuck on this song, repeating over and over, "Don't Fear the Reaper".

[@morganmcintosh7859]

I love watching you guys react to the soundtrack of my life. I lived in Columbus Georgia grew up there and these guys came every year for years. You hit the timeline perfect the 70s for the glorious time like the other guy said... A lot of music in the late sixties and early seventies are like operas... The arrangements are like different movements of great vocals and also chord changes, the various harmonies and words that mean so much... the lyrics are awesome from this time frame and genre. The fact you guys are appreciating this makes me appreciate you I'm a long time subscriber and daily watcher!!!!! 💕

[@astroteech]

I got to see them perform this live in the late 70's. Epic! You guys so get it. Wonderful!

[@julietate7806]

We all had this record in '76. "Don't Fear the Reaper" caught everybody's attention on the radio. Check out "Godzilla"... anything but subtle.

[@toddmichelfelder3417]

One of the loudest concerts I ever attended, Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult!!

[@vicprovost2561]

I saw the Black and Blue tour twice, once inside in Hartford at the Civic Center and once that summer outside at Lebanon Valley Speedway at a large outdoor show where they put their 2 PA systems together to blast us into the next county. LOL! Great bands, they were perfect together.

[@toddmichelfelder3417]

@@Rock_Snob yes it was!

[@joeykopack]

This is definitely one of my favorite bands, some people will say they are a Prog band and you really can’t argue with that, you’ll hear every genre of music if you listen to their albums and yes they did it on purpose, but you really can’t help but to do it on purpose because their influences back in the 50s and 60s we’re so strong

[@darrenmaxwell1085]

I know I keep writing that’s “they’re one of my favs” but BOC is one I still listen too all the time. Buck Dharma is one of my all time favorite guitarists. He plays such creative guitar solos . They were/are so cool! Great reaction guys! Love listening to this with you!

[@captainh3831]

This song was the first top 40 hit for Blue Oyster Cult. Their first album came out in 72.

[@kecurroj]

Saw them at an outdoor concert at Stateline, Idaho in the mid-70s. It was amazing concert as there were several other bands over the whole weekend.

[@tedsmith7814]

This was an FM radio staple for over a decade. Big hit. Good times. Keep the great reactions coming. You guys are killing it!

[@tedsmith7814]

You guys are both right. They wore the influence of their predecessors right out in front in terms of the vocal harmonies. The Byrds type vocals, for sure.

[@rubicon-oh9km]

There's not multi-singer harmony in this song, it's just the lead singer, Buck Dharma multi-tracking his vocals and layering them. Either way, still incredible.

[@garyking6519]

My very first concert, March 12, 1983. Mind blowing!

[@cherylwoodward]

Another incredible song brought to you by the 70s!

[@deaniegarcia5694]

I LOVE Blue Oyster Cult! They were my mainstay concert all throughout the 70’s…my youngest daughter, age 26, saw them in Atlanta in 2021..all she said was “those guys can still shred”…and she bought me a Secret Treaties T-shirt to boot. These fellas were metal rock when the genre had yet to be developed. Great reaction guys, you always give me things to ponder..thank you! Cheers!

[@mikecappadocia5959]

The guy on the cover looks like his hand is caught in a bunch of mouse traps

[@owenhershey13]

This is one of my alltime favorite rock n' roll songs. Just always sounds good. Great one fellas

[@wendyt7958]

Saw them live in 1981 on Cape Cod...just incredible! Thanks guys for your reaction. You hit it on the nose!

[@brianmasinelli9694]

" I love the night," and " Revenge of Vera Gemini " are 2 more top notch boc tracks that are worth putting your ears to

[@jalkabre5904]

"I love the night" one of my favorite songs. So good.

[@sourisvoleur4854]

1976 was such an awesome year for rock. What a great time to be alive in high school with great friends and time to just lay around and listen to great music.

[@targetshootr]

All time great song. They came to town not long after it came out.

[@steveullrich7737]

Everything about this song screams banger from the iconic riff, the chorus and instrumentation.

[@michaelbarnes4403]

this came out in 1975, love this band, have seen them... a few times, was even at Arizona Jam 80 when they got rained out, great video, thanks

[@williamjones6031]

I had the pleasure of seeing them live twice. My favorite BOC song and always will be. The beginning of Stephen King's "The Stand" (1994 and best version) features this at the beginning. Some folks back when this was on the radio every day thought it was encouraging suicide but deep down it's a love song. The love of two is one.😍😍 Another band with this kind of vibe and depth you need to check out if you haven't already is Kansas. Fun fact: Before they were Blue Oyster Cult, they were The Great White Underbelly.

[@chrisbaldwin5676]

The first time I saw BOC was back in the early 90s in a shitkicker bar in Albuquerque. The stage was barely big enough for them and we were sitting at a table pushed up against the stage. One of the best night's of music in my life.

[@tobinharris8107]

Buck Dharma is one of those guitarists whose style is so unique and distinctive, that soaring, chiming sound. I actually never tire of hearing this one. And I would never have picked up it sounding 60s or 90s, but you have keen, fresh ears. Thanks. Can’t beat BOC…the thinking man’s heavy metal band. Still touring too ! 👍🎸

[@samson9535]

"Agents Of Fortune" is a great album.

[@timothykarnes7945]

Guys thanks for your input..I got to see this in concert way back..I still have the album..the light show was incredible...blue oyster cult in the day was incredible... fantastic laser show...

[@darrenmaxwell1085]

BOC fused rock, hard rock, blues, prog, a little punk, pop and mixed it together and created music I love!

[@stevefrancis8510]

Killer!! This was their biggest commercial hit. They would cut the big solo in the middle for am radio!!..the harmony was killer!!

[@texasoldenglishsheepdogres4976]

What a great decade for rock music. Saw them in concert in the 70's and they were the first to use lasers and wow it was great.

[@catserver8577]

Wow, just absolute wow. I have loved this song since I was a kid and never did I realize what it was that made it stand out so much and seem ageless. Your guys's take on the fusion of the decades was brilliant, I actually drew in a breath in surprise. You hit it right on the nose. whether it was on purpose or not...well, some would say even if it's not directly done that way, it's still in the subconscious as the artists make the music. Who knows which comes first? This song was pretty popular in the early eighties and has been in pop culture pretty much since it was released in the 70's. It's never gotten old for me. Great analysis!!!

[@perijetton9275]

I’m so happy that I grew up with this music that is still so awesome decades later! 🎶❤️ This is the song of the opening of Stephen King’s “The Stand”. It fits perfectly.

[@CuriousGeorge1111]

This record was a huge hit. It was eerie , with a striking, original sound. The lyrics are eerie as well, urging people to commit lovers' suicide. Yes, this song is a distinctive masterpiece, and has stood the test of time well.

[@usertr13phinsup]

The drums thats the FIRE In this song.

[@jimmymcintyre7944]

When this came out in '76, it was all over the radio and played at every party. This and Frampton Comes Alive was everywhere.