Blue Öyster Cult is an American rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967. The band has sold 25 million records worldwide, including 7 million in the United States. The band's fusion of hard rock with psychedelia, and penchant for occult, fantastical and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, had a major influence on heavy metal music. They developed a cult following and, while achieving mainstream hits like "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (1976) and "Burnin' for You" (1981), their commercial success was limited. Both songs, and others such as "Godzilla" (1977), remain classic rock radio staples. The band were early adopters of the music video format, and their videos received heavy rotation on MTV in its early period.
Agents of Fortune is the fourth studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on May 21, 1976 by Columbia Records.
Spectres is the fifth studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released in November 1977 by Columbia Records. The album features one of the band's biggest hits, concert staple "Godzilla," and was certified gold by the RIAA on January 19, 1978.
Secret Treaties is the third studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on April 5, 1974 by Columbia. It features the same band members and production team as their previous album.
Blue Öyster Cult is the debut studio album by the American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released in January 1972 by Columbia Records. The album featured songs such as "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll", "Stairway to the Stars", and "Then Came the Last Days of May", all of which the band still plays regularly during its concerts. Despite positive reviews, the album failed to chart for some time before finally cracking the Billboard 200 chart on May 20, 1972, peaking at No. 172. Blue Öyster Cult toured with artists such as The Byrds, Alice Cooper and the Mahavishnu Orchestra to support the album.
Tyranny and Mutation, the second studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, was released in February 1973 by Columbia Records. It was produced by Murray Krugman and Sandy Pearlman. On May 12, 1973, the album peaked at No. 122 on the Billboard 200 chart.
"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is a song by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult from the band's 1976 album Agents of Fortune. The song, written and sung by lead guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, deals with eternal love and the inevitability of death. Dharma wrote the song while picturing an early death for himself.
Fire of Unknown Origin is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on June 22, 1981. It was produced by Martin Birch.
Cultösaurus Erectus is the seventh studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released in June 1980. Following an experiment with a more commercial sound on the album Mirrors, this recording marked a return to the band's earlier, heavier sound. It also represents the band's first collaboration with British producer Martin Birch, who would also produce the band's following album Fire of Unknown Origin a year later.
On Your Feet or on Your Knees is the first live album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on February 27, 1975 by Columbia Records. The album features three songs from each of the band's first three studio albums, two covers, and one original instrumental that remains a staple of the band's live shows to this day. The 12 songs include performances at the Academy of Music in New York City, the Paramount Theatre in Portland, the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, the Show Palace in Phoenix, the Long Beach Arena, the P.N.E. Coliseum in Vancouver and the Capitol Theatre in New Jersey, although it is not clear which songs came from which venues and on what dates. The cover lettering designed by Gerard Huerta, also used on the 2012 boxed set, was one of the first "Heavy Metal" logo designs.
Some Enchanted Evening is the second live album by the American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on September 13, 1978. It is Blue Öyster Cult's best-selling album, having sold two million copies, including over a million in the United States. The album's seven tracks were recorded at various locations in the United States and England.
Mirrors is the sixth studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on June 19, 1979. It was the first BÖC album not produced by long-time producer and manager Sandy Pearlman, instead being produced by Tom Werman.
Extraterrestrial Live is the third live album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released in 1982 by Columbia Records. It primarily documents the band's 1981 tour in support of Fire of Unknown Origin, but also includes two tracks recorded in 1980 during the Mirrors Tour and the North American leg of Black Sabbath's Heaven & Hell Tour. Midway through the 1981 Fire of Unknown Origin tour, the band fired drummer and founding member Albert Bouchard, replacing him with roadie Rick Downey.
The Revölution by Night is the ninth studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on November 8, 1983. The album was intended to capitalize on the success of Fire of Unknown Origin two years prior, hence the blend of straight-ahead rock and pop elements. This was the first BÖC album not to feature all of the band's classic members, drummer Albert Bouchard having been fired during the previous tour and replaced by roadie Rick Downey.
Club Ninja is the tenth studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on December 10, 1985, in the United Kingdom and on February 11, 1986, in the United States. The album was intended as a comeback for the band, whose previous album The Revölution by Night failed to attain Gold status following the success of 1981's Fire of Unknown Origin and 1982's Extraterrestrial Live. Club Ninja sold more than 175,000 copies, falling well short of gold status again, and because of its high cost, Columbia Records executives deemed it a commercial failure. The album was re-issued on compact disc on March 10, 2009, by Sony-owned reissue label American Beat Records, which had also reissued the band's 1988 album, Imaginos.
Heaven Forbid is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on March 24, 1998. It was the band's first studio album with new material in a decade. American science fiction and horror writer John Shirley wrote lyrics to most of the songs on the album. While he is primarily known as an author for his cyberpunk stories, many of the lyrics on this album revolve around early science fiction and mystery motifs. The album's working title was 'Ezekiel's Wheel,' after the Biblical story that some take to reference an early visitation by UFOs.
Curse of the Hidden Mirror is the thirteenth studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on June 5, 2001. The only single from the record was the poorly received "Pocket". Lackluster sales and poor relations led to the band being dropped by their label, Sanctuary Records; as a result, BÖC did not release another studio album for nearly 20 years, until the release of The Symbol Remains in 2020.
Contraband was a short-lived supergroup/side project that included members of several famous rock bands from the 1980s, such as Shark Island, McAuley Schenker Group, Ratt, L.A. Guns, and Vixen.
Sigh No More is the second studio album released by German power metal band, Gamma Ray in 1991 by Noise Records. Beginning a trend that would continue until their fifth studio release, the band's lineup changed from the previous album, with Uli Kusch replacing Mathias Burchardt on drums and Dirk Schlächter officially joining the band on guitars.
The Symbol Remains is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on October 9, 2020.
