Blue Oyster Cult Secret Treaties on 180g Import LP from Speakers Corner

Back in the days of hard rock and surrounded by fierce competitors with such great names as the Doors, Black Sabbath and the Rolling Stones, a band had to attract attention with far more than histrionic pathos, biker boogie, an adept lead guitarist and a sharp-tongued singer. The band Blue Öyster Cult, founded on Long Island in 1971, possessed all this and much more, relating short scenarios in their lyrics, which conjured up people’s imagination. 

It was with their third studio album Secret Treaties (1974), that this all came to fruition and BÖC reached the pinnacle of their musical evolution with such memorable songs as "Career Of Evil," "Subhuman" and "Astronomy." The lyrics have literary value but are certainly not intended for sensitive souls – the phrases are direct and intentionally dryly articulated. 

The music is as blatant and extroverted as the lyrics: the guitar sound is steely and straightforward, occasionally padded out with a see-sawing Hammond groove, and topped again and again by wonderfully rough string solos that speak the language of hard, merciless and full-bodied rock.

Rolling Stone enthused that it was "like listenin’ to Hitchcock and Kubrick swap stories about their wet dreams," and that the group "mix aesthetics and ass-kicking rock to such good advantage," while Kerrang hailed that, "Every song leads neatly to the next and each side builds in drama and complexity of a palpable release, which only the very best of records can deliver."  

1. Career of Evil

2. Subhuman

3. Dominance and Submission

4. ME 262

5. Cagey Cretins

6. Harvester of Eyes

7. Flaming Telepaths

8. Astronomy