The final instalment of Blue Öyster Cult’s September 2022 three night stand at Sony Hall in New York City has arrived, featuring the third album from the band’s long career, Secret Treaties. This is the album that found the band refining their musical palette, including their proggiest song to that point, Astronomy. The hard and heavy elements became more sophisticated, the vocals more melodic, and the songs more finely constructed. All of these aspects are on display in the live context, but with a sense of looseness and abandon that makes the music even more visceral.
As with the previous two instalments, the band comes out, guns blazing, to perform Secret Treaties in its original running order. Career Of Evil is still a barn-burning opening track, putting on display all the things we love about BÖC and erasing any notion that fifty years passing would diminish the band in any meaningful manner. Subhuman shows how the band can still sound sinister despite a slower and mellower approach. On the other hand, Dominance And Submission is raw aggression, power chords augmented with beautifully subtle changes that contrast with the audience’s strangled cries of “Dominance!” throughout. The band jams out on ME 262, doubling its studio time. Bassist Danny Miranda shares the spotlight with the triple guitar attack of Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, Eric Bloom and Richie Castellano, and it is heavenly. The bookending piano boogie only makes the heart of the song that much more incendiary.
The band uses alternating measures of six and eight beats to lend an off-kilter feel to Cagey Cretins, while Harvester Of Eyes pummels the listener into submission with its relentless 4/4 riffing. Flaming Telepaths uses tight harmonies, interesting arrangements and an insistent piano figure to underline the creepiness of the lyrical content, perfectly setting up the album’s crowning achievement, Astronomy. In a live setting, the mystery and nuance of the studio version takes a back seat to a more guitar-centric reading. Eric Bloom’s lead vocals are much wearier and more ragged, giving the tune both a different feel and a deeper sense of having lived through something difficult, of having stood in a “light that never warms”. The first disc concludes with a reprise of Stairway To The Stars from the first night/album, the crowd singing along with the choral introduction of Golden Age Of Leather, and Tainted Blood from the last proper studio album, The Symbol Remains.
The second disc features some of my personal favourite Cult tunes. Shooting Shark is notable for its pop/funk bass line and Roeser’s beautiful chord progression. Black Blade was one of the highlights of Cultosaurus Erectus and here stands proudly as a highlight of the second set. Always a welcome work-out from the early days of the band, Buck’s Boogie lets the band stretch out and show off, especially the titular guitarist. The hits are suitably represented by sturdy readings of Burnin’ For You, Godzilla, and the ubiquitous (Don’t Fear) The Reaper. Deeper cuts, such as the latter day Train True (Lenny’s Song) and The Alchemist (one of the finer tunes from The Symbol Remains) as well as a couple from breakthrough album Agents Of Fortune (Sinful Love and Tenderloin), slot easily alongside the more familiar tunes. A lively piano piece introduces Joan Crawford, another stellar mid-period tune. But it’s I Love The Night off Spectres which reels me in. Shorn of the studio production tricks, the beauty of the underlying tune reveals itself, Roeser’s lead guitar swooping and soaring in an extended coda. One of my favourite Cult tunes ever! The show ends with the classic, Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll, a veritable wildfire of angular riffs and manic drums.
If Blue Öyster Cult’s 50th Anniversary Live – Third Night suffers from anything, it is the repetition of several songs over the three nights. Still, there are enough subtle (and not so subtle) differences from one night to the next to reward close listening. Even fifty years on, Blue Öyster Cult are a band firing on all cylinders. Still classic after all these years.
TRACK LISTING
Disc One
01. Career Of Evil (4:16)
02. Subhuman (5:02)
03. Dominance And Submission (5:16)
04. ME 262 (8:36)
05. Cagey Cretins (3:31)
06. Harvester Of Eyes (4:17)
07. Flaming Telepaths (6:24)
08. Astronomy (8:31)
09. Stairway To The Stars (3:55)
10. Golden Age Of Leather (6:14)
11. Tainted Blood (4:22)
Time – 60:24
Disc Two
01. Burnin’ For You (4:53)
02. Shooting Shark (8:49)
03. Black Blade (6:09)
04. Train True (Lenny’s Song) (3:49)
05. Buck’s Boogie (8:36)
06. Godzilla (4:25)
07. Tenderloin (3:51)
08. Sinful Love (3:29)
09. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper (7:02)
10. The Alchemist (6:39)
11. I Love The Night (6:23)
12. Joan Crawford (5:01)
13. Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll (6:38)
Time – 75:44
Total Time 136:08
MUSICIANS
Eric Bloom – Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser – Guitar, Vocals
Richie Castellano – Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Danny Miranda – Bass, Vocals
Jules Radino – Drums
~ With
Albert Bouchard – Guitar, Drums, Percussion, Vocals
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Frontiers Music Srl
Country of Origin: USA
Date of Release: 13th December 2024
