The History of Blue Oyster Cult!

Join host Pete Pardo for a look at the music & career of New York's masters of psychedelic hard rock, Blue Oyster Cult

[@russellgentile4719]

My favorite all time band. Why? Because each album sounded different from the next and always remained intelligent and thought provoking. Their themes were unique and quirky too. What's not to love?

[@stevenwilkinson1265]

Exactly .... + great musicians as well ....

[@kiawaisifirehorse8427]

The granddaddies of metal!⚡❤⚡

[@LCRLive687]

You must like Ghost a lot too. I find they are heavily influenced by BOC in many ways. Check out Deezer Ghost session if you can!

[@Mr.Truxton]

@@LCRLive687 Nope

[@thanksfernuthin]

Me too. Favorite band. I loved their urge to tell stories in their songs and make you think for hours on end.

[@richardlamb1642]

B.O.C one of the most under rated bands of all time.

[@bluedream9668]

very few bummer albums. saw them many times in 70's and early 80's then later as now.

[@charlesstokes3826]

Oh, I rate them very high.

[@SpotWorksLNC]

And Buck Dharma is a very unrated guitarist. And could say the same for the band as a whole, very well played progressive stuff on many of their tracks.

[@gogoyubari366]

What makes you believe they're underrated? Did you travel the globe taking a survey from every citizen of the world? Please explain.

[@omarmithqal5890]

@@bluedream9668🎉❤😊😮🎉❤😢😊😢😂😮❤😊🎉❤❤😅❤😊😅😊❤😊😮😂😮😊😅🎉❤😅😅😅😊😅😅😊😊😅😅😅😅😅😅😊😊😊😊😅😊😊😅😅😮😊😅😅😮😅😮😅😢🎉❤😊😢😂😊😅😅😅😊😮😊😢❤😊😢🎉😂😢😂😊😊😅😊😅😊❤❤😊😮😢❤😮❤🎉❤😂😊😢😂😮😂😂😊❤😊🎉❤😊🎉😢❤😢❤

[@antimurphy8212]

BOC is an awesome band!! They belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!!

[@iancunningham5576]

When my family first moved to America. Secret Treaties was the first album my older brother bought. It became a constant in our shared room. Absolutely essential listening for almost 50 years of my 58 years. Awesome.

[@carlosbond5062]

I always thought that was BOC’s best album! In my opinion their early music was their best. I didn’t like Godzilla and stopped following them after that.

[@vvarun8023]

This band is so criminally underrated.Along with Rush,King Crimson,Sabbath and Judas Priest they are one of my favorite bands ever.These guys rock and it is so sad to see them being overlooked or passed on by todays generation of music fans.The Golden Age of Leather and Astronomy are some of my favorite songs of all time.Also Buck Dharma is a fucking legend.His live solo performance of Veteran Of the Psychic Wars is hands down one of the best live solos I have ever witnessed in my life. My favorite albums by these guys are Spectres,Fire of Unknown Origin and Secret Treaties in that order.Also love your channel and as a huge fan of hard rock and prog from the 70s and 80s it is great to hear someone talking at length about it and bringing it to people's awareness.

[@drainmonkeys385]

“Fire of unknown origin”. Was definitely my favorite album... it’s awesome

[@user-wf4fv4oc1h]

Fire is great. Heaven Forbid is also good if you like Fire. New one is good.

[@neil1390]

It's a travesty that BOC and Steppenwolf are not in the rock hall of fame

[@tarasbulba3190]

Rock & Roll HOF is beneath both of them.

[@nrwlkguy]

I agree Neil, it’s ridiculous they’re not in the Hall.

[@kelf114]

BOC is too good for the music politics of that place.

[@scraiga66]

It points up the fact that the Rock and Roll hall of fame is a joke

[@trevormachado]

And the Guess Who

[@yathatsright5958]

Just saw them last night in Plymouth, Ma. 6/06/19.......TREMENDOUS show and they still sound great!!!

[@paulpiazza3748]

Agents of Fortune is simply perfect. Every song is killer. The Patti Smith intro on Vera Gemini is classic. One of the best albums ever made.

[@chanewinthrop1089]

BOC is the greatest american rock band of all time. Period.

[@jamesian-allen8725]

i'm inclined to believe that...the stooges/the dolls/the ramones and cheap trick are in there as my top 5.

[@normanwhaley1384]

The Eagles were pretty good :-)

[@stevenwilkinson1265]

Correct ....

[@markrago7217]

@@normanwhaley1384 Seriously?

[@coltsfan4life638]

Boc the eagles CCR

[@jayrowe6473]

Blue Oyster Cult was a band that you could buy an album and every song on both sides was great!

[@tonym994]

I remember years after the one time I saw them opening for Alice Cooper, I decided to buy their 'Spectres' LP .I had the white/black ,the one w/ 'the Red and the Black' on it. the hardest thing on 'Spectres' is GODZILLA, which I put up there w/ 'Iron Man'. but I would always be able to hang for the whole record. even now. the songs and musicianship make them listenable. I also seem to remember Pete, when they did 'Godzilla' on TV , I swear the drummer was wearing a Godzilla head.

[@Zyworski]

I am so saddened to hear of losing Alan Lanier, I had often wondered why he was missing from the line up.

[@eddiep2899]

Allen...

[@Wintersteel747]

Great band history of one of my all time favorites BOC. Been jamming to these guys since On Your Feet Or On Your Knees. Hard Rock Excellence of the Highest caliber!!!

[@HBSuccess]

Secret Treaties is BOCs magnum opus IMO. Well-produced, cohesive dark snarkiness throughout 😂 . 45+ yrs later I still listen to it end-to-end once a month or so. The final solo in “Dominance and Submission” is Buck’s best, period.

[@justinmathewson3692]

My personal favorite Buck solo is Flaming Telepaths. So emotional and beautiful.

[@user-wf4fv4oc1h]

Agreed. The first three are killer and consistent. Agents sucked, and then they got more produced etc. Mirrors, Cultasaurus, Fire of Unknown and Heaven Forbid are good. The new one is heavy Worth it.

[@tproxytproxy6207]

I swear to you I am not exaggerating-I never heard Secret Treaties until about 3 months ago, but I have now heard it at least 200 times… I am obsessed, and can’t stop listening to it. Some days I would play it five, six, seven times. It’s one of the coolest albums ever made, in my humble opinion.

[@tproxytproxy6207]

And yes, the solo at the end of “Dominance and Submission” is the high point of the album for me. One of my favorite guitar solos ever,in any song, from any band.

[@gordonlandreth9550]

@@tproxytproxy6207 We were all over it when it came out in 74 , I was a senior in high school . They didn't come to the SF Bay until November of that year , but when they did they rocked .

[@stevemccart9109]

"Mistress of the salmon salt. quicklime girl!!"

[@Spacejunk63]

Cultasuarus Erectus, favorite BOC album, loved the artwork.

[@Buckeye_4_Life_]

I love quite a few of B.O.C.'s album covers..

[@samuelkuehl6881]

Cultösaurus has to be one of the most amazing album covers of all time

[@eugeniomarins2936]

Forgot: as a collector of Heavy Metal magazine (at the time the best collection of european graphic novels (comics, bande dessinées, quadrinhos), i wento to see the Heavy Metal movie, featuring the Veteran of Psychic War (great) song.

[@PROV-g2g]

On Your Feet or on Your Knees...here they are, the amazing Blue Oyster Cult.

[@bishlap]

maxanne sartori, if I remember correctly... she was a late night DJ here in nyc, she did the intro on the album (w/ the greatest centerfold in rock album history).

[@dantierney5563]

You,sir, are obviously a man of considerable substance. Rock on B.O.C.!

[@jamesian-allen8725]

@@bishlap i've read it was patti smith...she was involved with the keyboardist...i believe they were married for a minute.

[@PROV-g2g]

@@dantierney5563 Thank's...from Brazil.

[@bishlap]

@@jamesian-allen8725 nope, definitely not Patti Smith. Yes, she was the gf of Allen Lanier.

[@jimg6570]

Saw BOC in Annapolis Maryland on 10/6/19. At 70+, Eric and Buck rocked it. Excellent set at an intimate, 700-seat hall. Highlight was a 10-minute rendition of "Last Days of May" that accelerated mid-song and featured a 5-min guitar break by Richie Castellano and Buck. They're still worth every penny.

[@darlatidwell6255]

I've loved this band since early on. Early on for me was 1974/1975. I had little knowledge of their history before then. Saw them live twice and they didn't disappoint. But I do know alot more now, TY Pete! My first album Secret Treaties is what got me started as a forever fan of BOC! 💙🖤 ✌️🤟

[@jackaction7077]

I'm not just a lifelong fan but I also see the deep essoteric meaning in the lyrics, symbols,and album covers..They weren't just a regular rock band but somehow they or people working with them behind the scenes had alot of profound essoteric knowledge and knew things that the average person wouldn't know.

[@antenanashi]

That was all marketing. If you look actually closer, there's nothing behind those lyrics, except maybe poetry. Read the inteviews, very disappointing. You can make whatever interpretation you want of the lyrics because they don't really have deep meanings.

[@ShiroiTengu]

Right you are, Sandy Pearlman was a student of the hermetic sciences!

[@gordonlandreth9550]

@@antenanashi Right , but when you have Buck Dharma on lead guitar the lyrics don't matter that much .

[@SmokeRingHalo]

Imaginos is a highly underrated album yet one of my favorites along with Cultosaurus Erectus. Fantastic material.

[@kenamay]

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this! I got to open for BOC in Detroit in 1998 in a weird twist of fate only because Rob Halford's tour got cancelled, which got rescheduled as opener for them, lso with the progrock band TILES from my area of Detroit ROCK City. haha

[@EclectricDreams]

Nice potted history of a very interesting band, until recently I'd only heard one album and a handful or other songs, but found a few of my subs love BOC, so reacted to a couple of songs, and I am falling in love with this amazing band. This adds some real background to my new growing obsession, thanks.

[@scottgun]

Trivia: Back in the '80s there were Chu-Bops. It was a miniature album cover with a piece of bubble gum in the shape of a record and song lyrics from one of the songs. Cultusaurus Erectus was one of the albums.

[@scottgun]

@@bryanlopez3661 You can get them for $15 on eBay.

[@MarceloRomero360]

I had that one and Get The Knack. The gum was great, too.

[@wadeharten6600]

The "Cities on Flame with R&R" riff can proudly stand beside anything Page, Iommi or Blackmore ever created.

[@awickedtribe]

One day I went to work and there in the shop was a bunch of crates. We opened them up and there was all this crazy looking gear and several disco balls, the mirrored ones. My boss had us uncrate everything and then we played with it. It was Blue Oyster Cult's hand laser rig and we set it up at the concert the night before. It was the first time, that tour, it had ever been used... Oh, and the British Lions opened the show and was followed by UFO.... 'Mirrors' is one of my favorite BOC albums, after Treaties and Cultasaurus and Heaven Forbid. "See You in Black', a song about domestic violence is one of my favorite all time BOC songs.

[@markpr73]

I saw that same lineup (no doubt the same tour) at an outdoor show in Carson City, Nevada, at a place called T-Car Speedway. They didn't have the mirror ball to use so Bloom just shot the wrist laser into the sky, which still looked pretty cool. During UFO's set, they lost power to the stage and the band stood around for awhile chatting with people at the front of the stage until they got the juice on again. i don't recall much about British Lion's set except that I was glad I finally got to see some Mott members in concert.

[@martin_lane]

Thanks so much for this video! BOC is one of those great bands that had mainstream hits and a whole lot of depth beyond that, and that many of us missed, until now! “Greatest unsung rock bands” indeed!

[@elfman5176]

So well done. Thanks My all time favorite rock n roll band

[@ChicagoBeaver]

My #1 guitar influence-- Buck Dhsrma. I've seen BOC 9 times in concert. I'm sure I'll see them again bcz they're on tour forever!

[@donnaschimming]

I'm up to 13 times. and had the amazing fortune to meet them post Bouchard bros; with Bobby Rondinelli and Danny. I was able to meet the Bros Bouchard on tour with Blue Coupe however. And as a bonus Dennis Dunaway.

[@jaysantos536]

@@donnaschimming WOW. Dudes I met by chance include Sammy Hagar (walked into the record store I worked at in Fort Worth 1979) and Alice Cooper (walking into a Holiday Inn in Fort Worth 1978).

[@johnhallman3896]

BOC has always been underrated. Saw them twice in 1981 and 1983. So good live. Unique. Thanks for the history lesson.

[@jaysantos536]

"Good" live is the key. NEVER great because Bloom was a very weak front man and Buck was a pretty good but not great guitarist. And they relied a lot on lasers and crap like that. BOC cannot even compare with the likes of Diamond David Lee Roth and EVH of Van Halen, Coverdale/Hughes or Gillan and Blackmore of Deep Purple and NO BAND compares with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who.

[@johnhallman3896]

@@jaysantos536 Way to miss the point. My post: "underrated", "so good live", and "unique." You: "Lasers and crap like that." They did have a large mechanical Godzilla which remained covered until they played the song. No lasers. Thinking of Pink Floyd? Ironically, you compare BOC to VH with David Lee Roth, the most overrated, unoriginal, tool in rock. He couldn't sing/write/play a lick. His most famous live performance came when he forgot the lyrics to the songs at the Us Festival. He staggered around the stage drunk. Very pro. As for Deep Purple, The Reaper ranks #405 on the Rolling Stone Top 500 list, Smoke on the Water 434. Scoreboard. Finally, The Who. Signature move? Smashing the instruments! Brilliant comparison. Book The Who if you want to be trampled in a general admission stampede (Cincinnati, 1979.)

[@jaysantos536]

@@johnhallman3896 How old are you about 30? And who gives a sh#t how high or low Rolling Stone mag rates ANYTHING? It's a few guy's opinions. And as far as comparing bands "Live" let's look at ticker sales where folks offer their "oponions" backed up with hundreds odollars of their money. How many shows did BOc headline sold over 50,000 tickets? You tell me because I have no idea. But I do have an idea how many shows The Who played to over 100,000 and that was at least 20. And Van Halen was likely close to that same range and BTW when they opened in 1978 for Black Sabbath, OZZY even commented that VH blew Sabbath off the stage EVERY night and in 1980 in Orlando Tangerine Bowl VH opened for The Stones and BLEW those guys off the stage. And deep Purple was the biggest live band in 74-75 and regularly sold out 50,000 arenas throughout the world. Remind me what year BOC was even in the Top 20 live acts? CASE CLOSED mo-ron.

[@jaysantos536]

@@johnhallman3896 You are a real piece of sh#t sir. "Book The Who if you want to be trampled in a general admission stampede (Cincinnati, 1979.)" I know all about that show and to bring that up to somehow denegrate the band is simply wrong and shows your lack of character. Pete and Roger ahve both admitted how much that tragedy has been on their minds ever since and Daltrey visited the high school where 3 of the kids that dieg attended and talked with some folks that were at the show, It was very moving but you wouldnt understand. F#ck you and I'm done with you.

[@raymondkizer1216]

My absolute top pick for induction into the R&R HOF!

[@stevenwilkinson1265]

They should beg BOC to enter but they are just not smart enough to know it yet !!!

[@bishlap]

@Dr. Bombay my feelings exactly - R&R Hall of shit. Is taylor swift in yet?

[@zoyzandr7021]

My #2 snub right now....my #1 is Judas Priest. Both should be in the RnR HoF.

[@drumdad54sdl47]

@Dr. Bombay Don't forget Run DMC & Tupac..

[@garymor5429]

Yeah, same her. Priest, Thin Lizzy, UFO, BOC all should be in before Madonna, tupac, run dmc. RRHF is a joke.

[@axelheyst2397]

Excellent Video which brought back some memories of my favorite rock band of all time. Been a Cult fan since '73. Looking forward to the new record.

[@ezioauditore7427]

Greatest band of all time. Their songs are very unique and atmospheric.

[@showmetimefelix7500]

This is my all time favorite Band that i was led to in 1974 and was drawn in with the lyrics and the hidden meanings. Blown away by seeing them live in 1976! This is the band that was ahead of their time. Twin lead guitars was on the albums and FIVE guitars live on stage was never seen before . Blue Oyster Cult is not like any other band in the world. Copied by new groups like Ghost but never equaled.

[@ozuidema]

Nice, Pete. They released some great material, although most people sadly only remember The Reaper. A little anecdote: the thriller writer Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling!!) has written a novel Career of Evil; each chapter is introduced by a quote from a BOC song. Fantastic novel, too. PS: do you think you can do a history of Camel one day?

[@ericjohnson2137]

I have seen BOC at least 30 times since 1981 (with Foghat and same year with Joe Perry Project) my favorite band Tyranny & Mutation is my favorite with secret treaties a close second!

[@TheeInjun]

And this from the man who played Cliffs of Dover and Trademark! I appreciate you.

[@chrispeterson73]

Thank you so much for doing this feature on BOC! I absolutely love this band. ❤🙂 (Cultosaurus Erectus!!)

[@kenm.3512]

I enjoyed this clip very much. Thanks Pete!

[@johnshirley5222]

Pete Pardo - the Blue Oyster Cult is working on the new studio album. THey've been doing it intermittently around touring dates. But Don Roeser told me he is doing a "full court press" this winter and the plan is for a new album this spring. I have the impression that they do have a label deal or have an offer for one, waiting, probably, on a full slate of demos... Don told me he has three of the songs I worked on for said new album (I wrote the lyrics of these three, just as I wrote the majority of the lyrics in their prior two albums), ready, "in the can". He's developing other songs too. By the way I've also been working with Blue COupe (the Bouchard brothers from BOC and Dennis Dunaway from Alice Cooper) and they've got a bunch of demos completed for a new album. Both Eric and Don are writing songs for the new BOC album ...

[@bobprivate8575]

Hey John, thanks for the info! The BOC website makes mention of the new recording session as well, but not your name. Currently it says the estimated release is Fall 2019. Sorry the above review was so nonplussed about the songwriting on 'Heaven Forbid'. Going from memory, and that seems to get more sketchy every year, you wrote the lyrics for three songs on there that I rate highly: 'See You in Black', 'Damaged' and 'Power Underneath Despair'.

[@Damaged262]

@@bobprivate8575 The latest word is early 2020 to mid 2020. This is from Eric's last press release. If you choose to follow Richie Castellano, you'll get fresher updates. He keeps us filled in regularly. Hell of a nice guy, just like every member of the band I've met since the late 70's. I even got to spend a Christmas Eve with Eric back in '92. After 4 hours, he almost answered every question I could have had for him at that time. What rock star would bother to invite a fan to a family gathering, causing him to miss a Nicks game just to be a good guy to a true fan. Could you imagine Joe Walsh or Joe Perry doing that? I kinda doubt it.

[@billhobbs7077]

blue coupe??? I'm waiting with anxious ears

[@andyshelton4889]

John Shirley I enjoy your short stories.😀

[@dmgerbino]

The new album was released in October 2020 and it's awesome. It's called The Symbol Remains - KZbin Music link: music.kzbin.info/aero/OLAK5uy_nAgaNeeTVZu3x9uBmmso2L5l3IHsOr7eM

[@briancichra4498]

I still have the lyrics printed on green bar computer paper. I saw BOC in small theaters, large arenas, dive bars, rib cook-offs, a ski area they always kicked ass. Their fans seem to have a special connection with the band and with each other. You can see by the comments here. Not everyone loves the same songs or albums or eras. But there isn't the usual venom you typically see in comments in KZbin videos.

[@gordonlandreth9550]

Great story Brian - I had seen them during their climb to the top in 1974 and 75 . Big arenas , great shows . Then fast forward to 2009 where they were playing at the Santa Cruz County Fair . After the show was over and I was watching the roadies tear down the stage , Eric Bloom shows up at the side fence and we chatted for a few minutes like old buddies . He was so nice and easy to be with I walked away shaking my head , was that Eric Bloom ? It certainly was .

[@COOOTER3]

One of my top 3 favorite bands . Saw them live 7 times. Met Buck when he jammed with a local band in Tampa. And earlier at their motel in Shreveport, La.

[@beandipcartography]

Excellent summary of the band's amazing history. Thank you !

[@adamwoodworth5758]

Thanks for a very detailed retrospective of BOC I'm going to sit back and go through the whole catalog in order. Have to agree with your top picks for albums 👌. Found the band late but have really enjoy so many albums.

[@jcoman321]

I caught BOC last month at a small venue in Virginia. Great show, intimate setting - a show well worth seeing. You mentioned covering MSG...oddly enough, I saw BOC open for RUSH in 85 and then MSG open for RUSH in 87

[@stevecowder4774]

One of my favorite American bands ever and a cool story behind them. So many great songs that never got any airplay. “ Cities on Flame “, the E.T. song, “ The Golden Age of Leather “ and many other notables.

[@bretts1058]

Of the many, many things that make BOC great is the diversity of their music. I go to many shows and love discussing our favorite tunes and albums. Where we all share a deep love for BOC, we rarely agree on our top songs or albums. Which is simply fantastic as no one is wrong. But just a great band that deserves significantly more recognition. Although if they did, I wouldn’t be able to have front row seats to 3-5 shows a year.

[@tracysnow349]

Thanks Dude. That was amazing info. Lots I have learned but this was amazing. Appreciate it.

[@jcmclovin77388]

I always think the Black & White period and albums are their best. Maybe because of my age. I listen to them as one massive piece of work.

[@manugrandest1683]

I do prefer Mirrors, Cultausaurus or Fire of unknown Origin, Songs better

[@ozarkprepper1718]

Always loved them.Great band and great live shows.Awesome songs.

[@mattyboywalker9094]

Wonderful love this band too will be seeing them in Glasgow next year a truly underratrd band too so many classic songs and albums and always great live

[@stevemccart9109]

Thanks for the proper spelling of too

[@dahoag]

Thanks Pete. Lots of good info on one of my favorite bands. I have to agree with you that Secret Treaties is their best album. Only a few of my friends appreciate BOC like I do, so I guess that is their loss.

[@eroc4686]

This was a really insightful retrospect of the band. Learned a few things along the way and now throwing on the Cultasaurus Erectus album. What an interesting cover. They had some cool designs on the albums for sure.

[@stewarttiley9683]

Imaginos along with Cultosaurus Erectus and Agents of Fortune are my favorites! I saw the Imaginos tour and it was obvious that it wasn't a BOC album, but they did play In the Presence of another world. I just think the material on Imaginos is superb, even though the story line is all out of sync (which adds to its mystique of the whole project imo). And the Siege and Investiture... is fantastic to play if you are a guitarist!

[@stuartfeigley]

Love your videos. BOC was one of my favs back in the day. Another band to add to your History Of list...Cheap Trick.

[@russellcraft7269]

First band I ever saw. Secret Treaties tour, opening for REO (Lost in a Dream your). BOC blew REO off the stage.

[@MarceloRomero360]

Love the track Lost In A Dream!

[@brianpeterson5783]

First time here. Enjoying this. Love listening to ppl who can take deep dives into music based on the fact that they obviously love it. Black Blade is still one of my most epic tunes..still great every time. Also..I never knew BOC opened for Mahavishnu Orchestra..who I listened to A Lot back in HS..thx! 🤘👽

[@bobthebear1246]

Like the video, about to sub, but I have to correct you big-time on a song title: It's "Mistress Of The Salmon *Salt* (*Quicklime* Girl)" which is actually one of their best songs ever. Even though I do agree that Side Red is better than Side Black, this song is, to me, one of the all-time greatest album closers. Just that initial guitar riff followed by Eric Bloom's spirited, "Alright," gets my blood pumpin' and my head bangin' every time. LOVE IT!! Thanks for your show!! 🤘

[@landlinesandpercolators8822]

Good job! We understand, we understand....

[@jacordagoitia]

Saw them many times since 1977... and at Lake Tahoe in '17.. just Eric & Buck... Two Oyster Cult in acoustic.. so awesome...

[@eddiep2899]

TWO Öyster Cult - nice!

[@redwave3520]

Saw them a couple of times. Always outstanding!!

[@benrogers3386]

Great band, and another great video :)

[@scottmcgregor3317]

Fantastic history Pete. My history with BOC goes back to the black and white albums because my oldest brother had gone to see them several times in their early days in Cleveland. I really started to really get blown away when the On Your Feet or On Your Knees album came. That was the kind of energy that I knew I had to go see and experience. I couple of years later when I got my driver's license I was privileged to see them on the Spectres tour. For my teenage mind it was mind blowing. The lazers were amazing, especially on the performance of Then Came The Last Days Of May. Buck Dharma did an extended lead that gave me chills. I saw them again on the Mirrors tour it was a strong concert but not as memorable as the first one. I have watched some amazing BOC concerts on KZbin from France. I want to say 1972, maybe 1973. Regardless, they are definitely worth checking out. Cheers.

[@markbyers1651]

saw them at Akron Civic Theater in 75 . on your feet tour . high on white blotter .forever burned into my brain . the french shows you mentioned are from 75 also by the way

[@scottmcgregor3317]

@@markbyers1651 oh ok I'll take your word for it.

[@markbyers1651]

@@scottmcgregor3317 well , look it up my friend .live in Paris 75

[@scottmcgregor3317]

@@markbyers1651 I did ,I was also listening to the '72 boot as well. My old feeble mind is easily confused these days.

[@JohnHoulgate]

Thanks for the history lesson. Your favorite albums seem to match up with mine. I am, however, a little torn between T&M and Secret Treaties as my all time favorites. I've also discovered a deep appreciation for Spectres in recent times. A little tidbit about what made Agents of Fortune such a departure from there Black & White period was that the members of the band invested their earnings into 4-track recorders. That enabled them to write and try out their own songs without needing to collaborate with anyone else. This was talked about in some of Buck Dharma's interviews you can find on KZbin. That time period also coincided with the rise of disco music, which of course, most heavy rock fans hated with a passion. However, the 4-track technology made it easier and more affordable for amateurs and unknowns to record more music on their own. All the BOC guys were already versed in a variety of instruments, so they could record demos for the other band members and producers. Another coincidence, that time period (late 70s) also sparked the rise of Punk and New Wave RnR. No wonder pop music went in so many directions during those years. Anyway, can you or have you done any histories on some of the San Francisco Bands. I'm thinking Jefferson Airplane/Starship and Quicksilver Messenger Service. That'd be really cool.

[@brianpyles3995]

Great job Pete, very enjoyable! . B.O.C remains on my turntable weekly. Now I'll have to check out Uriah Heep!

[@MrWaldbums]

Great, great video of the career of the most underrated band of all time, BOC is more than Don't Fear the Reaper, Burning For You, Godzilla.....I've seen BOC many times over the years, not in their hey day, I'm not that old, they still put on a solid show to this very day, after hearing this years R N R hall of fame inductees, a very weak line up I may add, BOC has them all beat by a country mile, BOC for the R N R hall of fame...

[@paulbecher9159]

Thank you very much, Pete, for a very detailed and interesting history of one of my favourite bands. Not sure what you have there in terms of props/prompts but I like your style in terms of how you present each album. I pretty much agree with your analysis of all of the BOC albums you review (which always helps!) and some of your comments have forced me to go back and listen and reappraise tracks/albums which I have either previously dismissed or never really listened to much in the first place. Keep doing what you do ... I will definitely tune in to you again for further appraisals of bands whose whole catalogue I'm not wholly familiar with.

[@TannerandMelanie]

Awesome. Really great video, just getting back into boc. Great job. Also would have loved to see them with Sabbath.

[@scottconnors8419]

grew up seeing them as bar gigs to msg shows,capital theatre,passaic NJ..great shows n times..bucks still ripping it up.. Eric too great to see....thnx for posting this...

[@MoonwalkerWorshiper]

Very fitting to watch this as I am currently just going through the discography of BOC.

[@BigWade57]

I was a kid growing up in Albany, NY in the early 80s (born 1970). I used to hear on the radio that Soft White Underbelly would be playing a club show in Albany, every now and then. Only years later did I learn that this was BOC doing one-off club shows for fun, when not on tour. I was too young to go to those clubs anyway, but I'm sure the older rockers in Albany looked forward to those shows.

[@robmyers1213]

Thanks for sharing! My first live show was in Summer of '81. I have the Stalk Forrest Group CD. It's a fun CD to spin every so often!

[@bigdogpete43]

One of the top 5 live bands I ever saw. Fantastic musicians.

[@kevinmyles6369]

BOC definitely got its place in pantheum in rockstardom! Only got into due their live album An Enchanted Evening which blew me away by far. Very impressive performance and energy! Then I dove into their catalogue and got all the goodies out. Great top notch video, Pete. Striking, fascinating band, BOC! 👍👍

[@rocketrod1444]

Great vid Pete , as an obsessive B.O.C fan for over 40 years i think the part of there mysticism and cult status ( no pun intended ) is the fact that they still probably are an underground band. As a kid at college i would never divulge who was playing that song on my trusty tape deck when asked by the uninitiated and dont forget you're as beautiful as a foot. Cheers from Downunder.

[@robphilpott43]

HUGH JARSENBALLS BÖC are cool as hell! I love bands that have a bit of mystique about them: BÖC, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and one of the most underrated bands of all time, The Church. Probably my fave BÖC album is Tyranny And Mutation. Cheers!

[@MBonfire1]

Can't believe I watched this whole thing with my limited attention span. Love the Cult. First saw them in '77 at the Cape Cod Colosseum with Starz and REO Shitwagon.

[@jamesian-allen8725]

starz rocked.

[@treffbennett6534]

Yes Jim-Starz is a treasured band amongst those in the know! Especially the debut and Violation, which were chock full of melodic, rifftastic, catchy as hell, well written gems!Liked Attention Shoppers as well and am currently looking to obtain Coliseum Rock on disc. Nice shout out for totally unsung band! Peace, Treff@@jamesian-allen8725

[@eric_in_florida]

REO was badass back then!

[@brianleblanc7893]

@@eric_in_florida Golden Country

[@devonlewis8989]

Great history! Love BOC! Great job!

[@tenbroeck1958]

This was awesome. I'm 50, so just a couple years behind you and didn't actually know much about BOC. They've always been a but mysterious to me. They arrange their instrumental parts like a cross between Sabbath and Boston at times.

[@zwichdrummer1]

Bravo !! Great job !!!

[@MsKalachakra]

Great history, glad you talked about Ghost, kind of the BOC revival last few years. When I heard Ghost for the first time I went and bought all those old Blue Oyster vinyl, of course I had some albums but after hearing Ghost I completed my collection very cheap, so I guess that was a good thing. I still don't have Imaginos cause that album is kind of expensive, that drives me nuts. My favorite album has always been Fire of Unknown and the one with dinosaurs. Their third one is very good too and I also like Spectres.

[@eugeniomarins2936]

FoUO is one of the most consistent records i know of. All the tracks are good!

[@zex7689]

Just saw them live last night and they sounded great. Very tight even the vocals sounded great.

[@geoffwaller8571]

Saw BOC and sabbath with dio at the Oregon jam at the fairgrounds in Salem. July 1980. Molly hatchet opened,.

[@tarasbulba3190]

Saw the "Black and Blue" tour 1980, Rochester NY. Purple microdot. 🤟🥴

[@b.g.5869]

They called that the Black and Blue tour, yes?

[@jaysantos536]

Sounds pretty boring since BOC was the only decent band there. Hatchet was a third rate Southern fried act gravy training Allman Bros and Skynyrd, Sabbath was always horrible live and Dio was only good when he fronted Rainbow.

[@hisoverlorduponhigh90]

I am absolutely addicted to “Death Valley Nights”, right now.

[@stagbeetle195]

Thank you for this chronology, I've been a fan for many years, didn't know a lot of this information though. Remember my friend Corey's older brother had "fire of unknown origin" when I was just a wee tyke. I always thought that album cover was so compelling. Listened to Cult-o-saurus recently, that one is a banger! Thanks & cheers.

[@EliphasDesni]

My top 3, too. Nice done.

[@charliemac64]

Very well done. Love me some BOC. I've seen them maybe twenty times thru the years. The first was Black & Blue (or as it says on the t-shirt I still have, "Summer Jam '80") in Seattle. Also on that bill were Riot opening with Molly Hatchet following them. Sabbath headlined that night. Saw them again at an all-day show in the Kingdome in '82, sandwiched between openers Brian Adams and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and headliners Loverboy (!) and Foreigner. Third time was New Year's Eve '83-'84, the middle act of the evening with Aldo Nova opening and Sammy Hagar headlining. From there, it's a string of bars in the Bay Area in the late '80's for several shows. Then more bars back in the Seattle area from the '90's until 2004, the last time I saw them. I've owned everything they ever released until about the same time. Yeah, I didn't pick up anything new from your video, but it was still entertaining, and thanks for posting it! BOC ON TOUR FOREVER!

[@OG6six6]

2021, and I'm still searching as much as I can about this band, really good video, B.O.C was ahead of it's time, in my opinion, it's a shame that just a few people know them, specially here in Mexico

[@evaristomasson4175]

Congratulations. I'm a BOC fan from Brazil.

[@eloc169]

Hey Pete, I love all of you history of videos and I don't know if you've done it yet, but would love to see the History of the Scorpions

[@danweingarten7236]

I also missed the Black & Blue tour when it came to our small Michigan town and always regretted it. I was a high School junior and it was the night before the SAT test. My parents said it was my choice, "but this test is pretty important to your future" ... as a sci-fi/fantasy/hard rock nerd, it was a tough call. I did well on the test but had to listen to my friends talk about the frickin' lasers all summer. Got to see them live in Ann Arbor a couple years later. An awesome live band. Thanks for the history!

[@russellgentile4719]

Pete please do a top 10! A lot of us have been waiting. I know there will be many honorable mentions too!

[@maynardjohnson3313]

My first concert 1974 Pine Knob Music Theater. I like the first through the fourth live albums best. The lead guitar about 1:30 in on Stairway to the Stars is my favorite. Thanx 4 the video. BOC is one of the few bands that have fairly well kept rockin' over the years.

[@kelf114]

Thank you again for the pick, Buck Dharma!

[@petermorrison5617]

Nicely done !!

[@ericvonha7694]

On the new album.. check out "That Metal Show". Buck mentions that they've been working on an all acoustic album. This was from almost 2 years ago after they returned from touring Australia. Many thx for the BOC history! Just saw them live again this past weekend and it was truly phenomenal. Real musicians, real music and the real deal all the way! Hard to believe that Buck and Eric are both over 70 years old now!

[@Enslaved8]

First heard them when Secret Treaties came out. I just saw them last weekend in Baltimore. Awesome show.

[@briankelley9797]

I saw them last night it was amazing... Got to meet Buck after the show...

[@andrewbell2712]

Great review of this wonderful band!

[@Maguirerichardson]

Excellent history - I like your take on the band. I have seen one of the comments here that hopes that you have heard the Stalk-Forrest Group album.I echo that sentiment and would love to hear from you that you have it in your collection! It deserves a place. I spent many a time at their concerts hoping that they would play Ragamuffin Dumplin' or A Fact about Sneakers etc...The laser shows were pretty cool - especially Eric Bloom firing it out from a device on his fingers.....EH&S folk would have a fit today no doubt.....A huge fave band that I am pleased to say I have been able to take all of my kids to see play live. On tour forever - keep going guys!!

[@garybackstrom183]

Burnin fir you has to be my favorite It got so much radio play in the summer. I have so many memories of being a teen connected to this song

[@bobmaccari1385]

Great one Pete. Always loved BOC always will

[@lb6135]

I've seen them in every type of venue over the years, from my local biker bar to a 60,000 capacity stadium. My favourite show was in 1981 when they played with Robby Krieger of The Doors.