Spectres

Their previous album, Agents of Fortune, and its haunting, memorable hit “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” broke Blue Oyster Cult into the mainstream and the band looked to extend their winning streak with an album that would please both old fans and new arrivals. So capturing the balance between the band’s deliberately obscure and mysterious side and their knack for catchy, sprite anthems became the band’s creative cause. “Godzilla” is much punchier and upbeat than its title suggests, while “I Love the Night” is much darker than it appears on the surface. As usual for this band of Long Island misfits, the songs veer down detours and do unexpected things. “Golden Age of Leather” is a biker anthem gone awry with sentimentality smudging its mirrors. The piano ballad “Death Valley Nights” offers “What I need is a kiss from you babe, before it’s hangover time” with an arrangement stolen from the Eagles.  “R.U. Ready 2 Rock” and the Eric Bloom – Ian Hunter composition “Goin’ Through the Motions” oddly recall Toto with slick, studio processed harmonies and reverb.  The expanded edition includes four previously unreleased demos, including a cover of the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby.”