Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser - guitar; Albert Bouchard - drums; Joe Bouchard - bass; Allen Lanier - keyboards; Eric Bloom - vocals, guitar
Long Island's Blue Oyster Cult was in their rock 'n' roll prime when this concert was taped at Boston's Music Hall in October 1976. A DVD of this tour would later be released but as far as audio recordings, this is one of the best BOC live shows captured in that era.
This recording, although only containing five songs, is a good cross section of the band's musical landscape. Featuring older classics like "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll" from their first album; newer tracks "Morning Final" and "This Ain't The Summer of Love," (forthcoming hits from the band's fourth LP, Agents of Fortune); and their biggest Top 40 hit, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," which had been released earlier in the year as the single from Agents Of Fortune. There is even a remake of the Steppenwolf classic "Born To Be Wild," which BOC did in their live show for years.
"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" showed a mellower side to the New York Boogie Beast, as the band had come to be known, but it was also the breakthrough single that made Blue Oyster Cult a household name. Originally signed to Elektra Records in 1970 as the Soft White Underbelly, the band was dropped from that label before their debut album could be released. They re-emerged a year later under the watchful eye of manager and producer Sandy Pearlman as Blue Oyster Cult. Columbia Records snatched them up after hearing a demo of "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll."
Although they had a secure home in FM radio stations after the release of their first album, the group was together for nearly ten years before their first real commercial breakthrough with "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." That song was propelled to international hit status after it was featured in the John Carpenter horror film, Halloween.