Blue Öyster Cult (Bonus Track Version) / Blue Oyster Cult (Bonus Track Version)

The 1960s were over. Flower power had given way to grimmer realities and a new generation of hard rock bands was ready to party in its shadow. Long Island’s Blue Oyster Cult embraced the weirdness and deliberate mysticism of the era with obscure imagery, obtuse lyrics and chord patterns that swirled around minor key epiphanies. The band had previously kicked around in various incarnations, recording but never releasing several debut albums for a variety of labels, but in 1971 their day had come and Blue Oyster Cult exploded with concepts that have now become a natural part of the rock vernacular. “Cites on Flame with Rock n’ Roll” is the obvious stage anthem, but it’s the otherworldly effects of “Transmaniacon MC,” “I’m On The Lamb But I Ain’t No Sheep” and “Workshop of the Telescopes” that made this band an unusual curiosity for its time. The near country-rock of “Redeemed” is a bizarre musical step, whereas “She’s as Beautiful as a Foot” displays the band’s absurd side. The expanded edition includes four demos that further show the band’s casual approach with “A Fact About Sneakers” and a reckless cover of Bobby Freeman’s “Betty Lou’s Got a New Pair of Shoes.”