Blue …yster Cult remasters (1 Viewer)

[LarryDavenport]

I bought the remasters for the first 4 Blue …yster Cult and all I have to say is Wow! Great sound, great bonus tracks and packaging. They fixed teh problem with Cagey Cretins on Secret Treaties and they included the lyrics. Can't wait for the rest of them (whenever that may be).
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These chicks know how to party! - MoJo JoJo

 

[Jeff_A]

Larry,
I am going to have to trust you on this one. BOC was one of the worst recorded bands (for that era) that I can recall. I loved most of their music, but somehow that muffled-flat production always got in my way...
"Cities On Flame" is a great rock song, but it deserved far better sound than it ever received.
Regardless, I'll take your recommendation (and hope).
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The Dark Tower

 

[Ben Motley]

You mean these are out now??? Oh yes, they will be mine.

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M. Hyde

 

[Ben Motley]

Well, I picked these up at Fry's (for 9.99 a piece

). I've only listened to the first one so far, and while it does sound great, I have no way to compare quality as I've never heard the old cds. I was always tempted to get the cheap three-pack, but just had an itchy feeling that they'd just be remastered after I bought 'em. Looks like I was right. Anyway...
To be honest, I've never even listened to the original albums. I know, I know... So, you may ask why I'm interested at all then? Well, growing up, my brother was all over BOC, but I never actively gave 'em a shot for myself - that is until Extraterestrial Live came out. I have no idea how I ended up with that album - maybe my brother gave it to me for x-mas or something, or maybe I just finally decided to try 'em out of my own accord, maybe after listening to the Heavy Metal movie soundtrack so often and being haunted by BOCs' Veteran of a Thousand Psychic Wars - but it fast became my favorite album in my collection. I played that damned record at least a million times through high school. I still have that same copy, sitting in my closet with the rest of my retired vinyl.
Now, even as much as I loved ETI, I still never went back to the studio albums. I had already been very aware of the KISS live vs. studio "sound", where the studio works just don't live up to the frenzy, energy and power of their live performance counterparts, and just figured that the BOC experience would be the same. I have certainly enjoyed listening to the first album finally, but I feel my age old assumption has only been proven. By no means bad at all, the album is not the powerhouse that ETI is. It does showcase a psychodelic influence that I hadn't really picked up on with ETI, and without the thunderous undercurrent of bass so prevalent in ETI, the blues really shines here. I find the album not "less" than ETI, just on a different level.
So Larry, my question is basically the same as Jeff's. Just how do the new cds stack up against the old ones, and do they do the original albums justice? Anybody else who may have some insight, feel free to chime in.
I can't wait to go through the next three cds, and follow the progression of the bands sound. However, I'm trying to pace myself; to give myself time to fully saturate my audio sensory memory banks one cd at a time. Hey, old school BOC fans had to wait a year between releases, I think I should at least give each one a few days.

P.S., now I REALLY have to order that Rhino Handmade release of The Stalk-Forest Group. If you don't know about it, go here...http://www.rhinohandmade.com/RHIP/7716/index.html
Peace

 

[LarryDavenport]

The new remasters are a definite improvement over the original CDs which always sounded muddy. (As far as I can tell the new remasters of the first two albums and Agents of Fortune sound identical to the MFSL remasters).
"Cagey Cretins" on the original CD of "Secret Treaties" was messed up as the first couple cymbal crashes were cut off and it sounded like someone leaned on a tape real during the guitar solo.
Of the first three albums, Tyranny and Mutation rocks the hardest, but Secret Treaties is my favorite. B…C is a hard rockin live band but they were equally great in the studio. I suggest cranking up the volume or at least wear headphones.
My favorite songs from the first three albums are Stairway to The Stars, Last Days of May, OD'd On Life Itself, Wings Wetted Down, Quicklime Girl, Dominance & Submission and Harvester of Eyes.
Agents of Fortune is a classic album but they were starting to soften their sound for radio airplay. I think my favorite song from Agents is Tenderloin.
If you like Extraterestial Live you should buy On Your Feet Or On Your Knees, which I think is B…C's best live album.
Personally, I think Blue …yster Cult is like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Powerpuff Girls of Rock. You have to put prejudices aside and give them a chance. They'll win you over in the end.
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These chicks know how to party! - MoJo JoJo

 

[Greg O' Connel]

Okay, I'm curious. Why is there a "..." where the "O" should be?
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Link Removed "Columbia House - we were built to irritate America - one person at a time!" Link Removed

 

[LarryDavenport]

Your browser must not support umlauts (the 2 little dots over the O).
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These chicks know how to party! - MoJo JoJo

 

[Kirk Gunn]

I caught an SNL re-run with BOC. They were spoofing a recording session of "Don't Fear the Reaper".
Christopher Walken was the "recording engineer" and kept yelling "We need more COWBELL" !!!! The SNL regular who was playing the cowbell was a riot, dancing around with that d-mn thing... (Guess you had to be there).
I've never been able to listen to that song without breaking into tears.
Back when that song was popular I was in my adolescent phase with CB radios. My handle was "the Reaper", soon to be renamed "the Reefer" as I "matured". I may have to pick up a copy of these cd's for old times sake.

 

[Matt Birchall]

That skit is one of the better ones from the last couple of years. Will Ferrell was the guy with the cowbell.
"I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!"
-mwb-
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"Don't worry, baby/It'll be alright/You got the right shoes to get you through the night" -Bono

 

[Ben Motley]

Personally, I think Blue …yster Cult is like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Powerpuff Girls of Rock. You have to put prejudices aside and give them a chance. They'll win you over in the end.

A comparison of BOC to Powerpuff Girls?? Well, what can I say? I too, do love the PPGs! And although Buffy's kind of a bitch these days, I'll take Willow any day!

Oh I'm certainly giving them a chance Larry. I've been listening to BOC (the debut) since Saturday, at least once a day, and haven't even cracked any of the others open yet. I'm definitely getting into the groove, to the point where the songs are getting stuck in my head. That's a good thing! Stairway to the Stars is great, as are Transmaniacon, Redcap and, of course, Cities on Flame. The demo tracks are great too. Bear in mind, I never said it was bad, just that it was different than what I'd heard before. I just needed some time for that light to click on. It's kinda like going, "yeah, okay, now I got it!"
Conclusion; B.O.C. is a kick-ass album!
P.S., don't forget, B.O.C. will be on Rockline tonight.

 

[Ben Motley]

It has been seven months to the day since I last posted, and I am now frothing at the mouth for more B.O.C.! All of these first four albums are great, with real doozies of classic tracks on each one, and the sound quality is great, but it's just not enough! I go to Virgin or Best Buy and see the old cds of both On Your Feet or On Your Knees and Extraterrestrial Live and go into convulsions trying to resist buying them. Why, oh why has the second wave of these come out yet???

Does anybody have any info on upcoming remastered releases? Please help before "they" catch on and put me in a straight-jacket.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

It's about time! BOC always had thin production, but I've heard some awesome remasters of stuff that had previously been pretty poor on CD (like using the old LP masters with the RIAA curve intact). I'm a bit apprehensive about these bonus tracks though. Does anyone else feel they should just leave albums alone and not include more tracks that don't belong on it?

I'll be looking out for these CDs.Still need to pick up the early Priest. Now where is the Styx - Equinox remaster?

 

[Ben Motley]

I'm a bit apprehensive about these bonus tracks though. Does anyone else feel they should just leave albums alone and not include more tracks that don't belong on it?

I don't know Jeff... I like them. But then again, I never heard these back in the day, yet I can understand how when you think a cd should end when you're used to it ending, and it doesn't, it can rub you wrong. Thing is, I've always hated the fact that when putting original albums on cd, there was always so much wasted space. Why not use that space? I always like double release cds (two albums on one cd) but not all albums are so short that that can be done, nor are studios very adamant about providing such a bargain to their customers in the first place.

As for the extra tracks on the BOC remasters, I like them a lot. The studio tracks are catchy, and the live ones show off their love of blues guitar with the extended, improvised riffs and solos. Good stuff.

I've also enjoyed the extra tracks on the Ramones and Motorhead remasters a lot. You know what really ticks me off though? When I buy all of the KISS remasters, as they were originally released, and then they come out with a special cd set with selected album tracks and rarities. Now, after buying the extrasless cds, to get the rarities, I have to buy a "best of and then some" set to get the rarities. Bastards. Those rarities should have been included on the original cd remasters. Ah well.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Why not use that space?

For the same reason they shouldn't just add extra bits back into movies - that was not the original intent. Album tracks used to be carefully chosen to create just the right collection of songs. Albums had a flow to them.Adding a bunch of extra stuff - songs that never made the cut in the first place - ruins the original composition. I would loath it if they were to slap some extra tracks on Dark Side of the Moon or something.

I'm glad the Kiss albums were left as original, but I do agree that sticking them on a greatest hits album bites. A CD of outtakes suits me fine, but I do wish they'd leave the originals alone.

I assume these BOC remasters are on Sony (or Epic)? They haven't shown up in Canada yet.

 

[LarryDavenport]

I thought the bonus tracks on Secret Treaties were particularly good.

Sony/Legacy seems to abandon reissue programs faster than they start them. As far as I know, they have only remastered the first 3 Cheap Trick and Santana albums (though they were quick to get out all the Judas Priest remasters).

I periodically email Legacy asking them to remaster the rest of BOC but get no reply. The official BOC web page doesn't know when they are coming out either.