Blue Öyster Cult - Ghost Stories : Album Review (Cretin Classics)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 9 июн 2024
- Join me as I review the 15th (and final?!) studio album by the mighty Blue Öyster Cult! After 53 years of service in rock, will this be their final release in their Career of Evil?! 😈
00:00 Intro & Background
04:18 Track-by-Track Review
16:33 Final Thoughts 
Видеоклипы
I forgot to mention that l am also currently working on an album ranking for Blue Öyster Cult that will air soon. Please subscribe so you can find out when it debuts on the channel. Additionally, after that, l will make another video listing my favorite “Blue Öyster Cuts.” 😉 Perhaps with a special guest, but that’s not written in stone just yet.
I left out the name of BÖC’s previous platter. It’s called The Symbol Remains and it came out in 2020, also on Frontiers Records. It’s definitely worth seeking out and listening to as well. “The Alchemist” is my favorite tune from The Symbol Remains.
Thanks for watching everyone!
Can't wait!
Very interesting and good points throughout
BOC has always been this way for me. I start out not really liking the songs, however after a few listens I start to like it better. Then I really get to loving it after several listens. People need to keep in mind this is unreleased material from later 70s n early 80s. A nod to long time fans. My favorite band since the mid 70s. Thanks for doing this. 🤘
Thanks for commenting! This album is definitely a grower and not as immediate as The Symbol Remains. More BÖC videos coming soon…
In the late 70’s my best friend’s brother introduced us to BOC. I was totally blown away at the time, as I had never encountered such music before. They are my favorite band to this day. Buck is highly underrated in my opinion, he should be revered among the best guitarists of all time. 🫡
What a nice review song by song is this ! A complete "Ghost Stories" album analysis...I mostly agree with you. Many things to cherish here if you are a BÖC fan like me. My two favorite cuts are "So Supernatural" and the GREAT cover of "Kick Out The Jams". This studio cover, even surpasses their "Some Enchanted Evening" live redition. It's full of energy. Having tell that, I am for ever obsessed with Eric's voice, an integral force for the BÖC hard rock sound. Sadly, his singing in this album is rather random and that's what I'm missing more on "Ghost Stories". By the other hand, the diversity of all these songs make up for it. As you say, Buck's guitar playing is excellent as always. And hey, I like "Cherry" song too, they obviously have fun here. They have incorporated fun songs many times into their albums (R U Ready to Rock for example). Now, the sweet "If I Fell" is no surprise for me. Buck is responsible for it. He likes returning to some roots from time to time mostly placed in the end of an album... Just remember the "Be my baby" demo from "Spectres" or "Come Softly To Me" from his "Flat Out" solo album. Or even the soft and low key remake on their own "In Thee" which closes "Heaven Forbid"... and I guess that's the whole real point for "Ghost Stories" too : an album which find them returning to their roots and a low key release just to end their career (of evil). As such, I don't place it as high as the rest of their albums but it has its own charms and it will find merit for every true BÖC fan. A 6/10 for me if you will.
...just waiting for your BÖC albums ranking !
Thanks for commenting and watching, Rocker! Currently I’m rocking out to “Lips in the Hills” and “Unknown Tongue” - as l prepare for my album ranking - before I head out to my day job. Glad you like the diversity of Ghost Stories, too. Appreciate the positive feedback, cheers!
Love the track-by-track take and how you find quality in each song. Also worth mentioning: Album cover art is by Stan W. Decker.
Thanks for your support! Mr. Decker did a fine job on the cover. Cheers!
IMO Ghost Stories has curiosity value for hardcore fans but no lost classic tracks here with the two lead singles being probably the best songs. Still, great to see the Bouchards involved again. I last saw BOC in London supporting purple in 22 and they were great. Greetings from the UK!
I’m a big fan of cut number three. Thanks for watching and cheers from “Noo Yawk, ova heyah!” 😉
Cult Classic was recorded for copyright purposes. Buck spiced up more than a few guitar parts along the way.
BOC ♥
Enjoyed it, great for demo’s!
Glad you liked it!
My man! Mr Cheapos! What a pleasant surprise 🙌🏼
You know it! Stay tuned for more BÖC content in the very near future…
Very thorough and excellent review. Excellent spot re the Death Valley Nights/ Only Thing similarity too
Thanks for the positive feedback, it’s appreciated. More Blue Öyster Cult content coming soon…
👍👍👍
Thanks, Mr. Scot. I appreciate your support. Have a stellar weekend!
Studio albums are almost always the best versions, but BOC, when heard in a Theatre with good sound quality often surpasses their studio sound.
It’s older material from the vaults but I always dug the ‘78-‘83 era. You can almost tell the year and album they were working on with each track. Maybe BÔC will do one more studio album.
Let’s HOPE they do another studio record. Thanks for commenting, cheers!
Ironically two of the covers are also found on Some Enchanted Evening. I hope they didn’t cut out some original content in favor of these covers.
I doubt they did, but who really knows? I thought the band put out all the stuff from the vaults on their remastered albums, the ones with four bonus tracks apiece. And then in the Columbia Years boxed set, so who really knows for sure? Perhaps, 🤔 Desdinova? Maybe Miss Carrie Nurse? Or even Susie Dear?!
Thanks for watching!
I went into this album not sure what to expect but upon listening I just kept thinking this sounds like an album of leftovers. Which I found out was the case after reading into it.
Any relation to Cregy Cretins? hehe
🎵”But it’s so lonely in the state of Maine!”🎵
It’s a dual reference, to the Ramones AND Blue Öyster Cultas well.
🎵”Oooo, Cagey!”🎵
Sadly, it's obvious why these songs didn't make the cut the first time. Nothing here is better than middling at best and the covers are pointless. I guess it's better than nothing, but going out with a whimper rather than a bang. Still better than the awful Imaginos stuff Albert put out these past few years.
Eric Bloom has already explained this. The reasons some songs don't make it is that with a band there is always a producer. And when the recorded songs happen to be too many to cover the length of a 40 minute lp format (as they were in 78-83), the songs the producer for his x reasons doesn't like are the ones that won't make the album.
After the success of "The Symbol Remains", Frontiers demanded more new songs from BÖC, but they hadn't any. So they decided to scratch the barrel and re-recorded all that dusted stuff just to please their company and their hardcore fans who were with them all the way through. That's the reason all the old members gathered together once again and also why "Ghost Stories" was promoted as a new album from the group and not just a collection of some older demos and outtakes. And it's possibly, their last.
From what I have heard its not very good
Everyone hears music differently. While it’s absolutely not a top tier BÖC album, there’s still some really great stuff to be found here. “So Supernatural” is a highlight for me and I like the studio versions of their classic live tracks, too. Track one is good, “Gun” and more.
Plus, it’s excellent to hear the classic lineup back together again. If you enjoyed some of the bonus cuts on the first six Sony Blue Öyster Cult remastered CDs - like “Boorman the Chauffeur” and “Mommy” - you should enjoy some aspects of Ghost Stories as well.
Give it a try on their RUclips page, Spotify, or streaming service of your choice. Cheers!