Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Blue Öyster Cult scored big with Agents of Fortune and its now-classic rock hit, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." It took the album into the stratosphere and the band's profile with it; it put them in the visible pop space they'd tried for years to get to. But upon arrival, they found that kind of success difficult to respond to. Not only did the Cult want to respond, they wanted to cement their place. Spectres is not the masterpiece that Agents of Fortune is, but it didn't need to be. However, upon hearing Spectres again, the album offers proof that the commercial and creative bent of Agents of Fortune was still in place at certain moments, and the band laid out a major single in the opening cut, "Godzilla," a tune -- however silly it may be -- that is every bit as memorable as "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." It's not the only big number here either: "Goin' Through the Motions" and the truly spooky "I Love the Night" by Buck Dharma also scored. The former track is a wonderful blend of Tommy James & the Shondells, Boston, and Mott the Hoople's roots rock glam attack. Written by Eric Bloom and Ian Hunter, it's a stunning single. It sounds less like the Cult than anything they'd recorded, but as a classic rock & roll single it succeeds in spades. And "I Love the Night" (with its guitar part resembling "Reaper" for a moment) is one of rock & roll's truly strange and seductive love songs. There is more spook and darkness here, of course, in the album's closer, "Nosferatu." As a closer, "I Love the Night" may have been a better choice, but this track has all those layered harmonies, a reverbed piano, Dharma's power chords, and lyric fills that never lose their sense of menace and once more, a story. BOC were the only band in their league, walking the line between AOR rock and metal, and offering such detailed narratives. Spectres also contains tunes that were ready-made for touring, which is what the Cult did immediately after, resulting in the wildly successful live album Some Enchanted Evening. In sum, the only reason Spectres is not regarded as a classic is because it followed Agents of Fortune. Other than the false funk of "Searchin' for Celine," it's flawless as a finely tuned tome that begins with sci-fi humor and ends with gothic horror -- all of which can be hummed to.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $10.83/month
Blue Oyster Cult, Associated Performer, Main Artist - Murray Krugman, Producer - Eric Bloom, Guitar - D. Roeser, Composer, Lyricist - Sandy Pearlman, Producer - Joe Bouchard, Bass, Guitar - Donald Roeser, Guitar - David Lucas, Producer - Albert Bouchard, Drums, Harmonica - Allen Lanier, Guitar, Keyboards
(P) 1977 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Blue Oyster Cult, Associated Performer, Main Artist - Murray Krugman, Producer - Eric Bloom, Guitar - B. Abbott, Composer, Lyricist - Sandy Pearlman, Producer - Joe Bouchard, Bass, Guitar - D. Roeser, Composer, Lyricist - David Lucas, Producer - Donald Roeser, Guitar - Albert Bouchard, Drums, Harmonica - Allen Lanier, Guitar, Keyboards
(P) 1977 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Blue Oyster Cult, Associated Performer, Main Artist - Murray Krugman, Producer - Eric Bloom, Guitar - R. Meltzer, Composer, Lyricist - Sandy Pearlman, Producer - Joe Bouchard, Bass, Guitar - A. Bouchard, Composer, Lyricist - David Lucas, Producer - Donald Roeser, Guitar - Albert Bouchard, Drums, Harmonica - Allen Lanier, Guitar, Keyboards
(P) 1977 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Blue Oyster Cult, Associated Performer, Main Artist - Murray Krugman, Producer - Eric Bloom, Guitar - A. Lanier, Composer, Lyricist - Sandy Pearlman, Producer - Joe Bouchard, Bass, Guitar - David Lucas, Producer - Donald Roeser, Guitar - Albert Bouchard, Drums, Harmonica - Allen Lanier, Guitar, Keyboards
(P) 1977 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Blue Oyster Cult, Associated Performer, Main Artist - Murray Krugman, Producer - Eric Bloom, Guitar - A. Bouchard, Composer, Lyricist - Sandy Pearlman, Producer - Joe Bouchard, Bass, Guitar - David Lucas, Producer - Donald Roeser, Guitar - Albert Bouchard, Drums, Harmonica - Allen Lanier, Guitar, Keyboards
(P) 1977 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Blue Oyster Cult, Associated Performer, Main Artist - S. Pearlman, Composer, Lyricist - Murray Krugman, Producer - Eric Bloom, Guitar - A. Bouchard, Composer, Lyricist - Sandy Pearlman, Producer - Joe Bouchard, Bass, Guitar - David Lucas, Producer - Donald Roeser, Guitar - Albert Bouchard, Drums, Harmonica - Allen Lanier, Guitar, Keyboards
(P) 1977 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Blue Oyster Cult, Associated Performer, Main Artist - Murray Krugman, Producer - Eric Bloom, Guitar - H. Wheels, Composer, Lyricist - Sandy Pearlman, Producer - Joe Bouchard, Bass, Guitar - J. Bouchard, Composer, Lyricist - David Lucas, Producer - Donald Roeser, Guitar - Albert Bouchard, Drums, Harmonica - Allen Lanier, Guitar, Keyboards
(P) 1977 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Blue Oyster Cult, Associated Performer, Main Artist - Murray Krugman, Producer - Eric Bloom, Composer, Guitar, Lyricist - Ian Hunter, Composer, Lyricist - Sandy Pearlman, Producer - Joe Bouchard, Bass, Guitar - David Lucas, Producer - Donald Roeser, Guitar - Albert Bouchard, Drums, Harmonica - Allen Lanier, Guitar, Keyboards
(P) 1977 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Blue Oyster Cult, Associated Performer, Main Artist - D. Roeser, Composer, Lyricist - Murray Krugman, Producer - Eric Bloom, Guitar - Sandy Pearlman, Producer - Joe Bouchard, Bass, Guitar - Donald Roeser, Guitar - David Lucas, Producer - Albert Bouchard, Drums, Harmonica - Allen Lanier, Guitar, Keyboards
(P) 1977 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Blue Oyster Cult, Associated Performer, Main Artist - Murray Krugman, Producer - Eric Bloom, Guitar - H. Wheels, Composer, Lyricist - Sandy Pearlman, Producer - Joe Bouchard, Bass, Guitar - J. Bouchard, Composer, Lyricist - David Lucas, Producer - Donald Roeser, Guitar - Albert Bouchard, Drums, Harmonica - Allen Lanier, Guitar, Keyboards
(P) 1977 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Album review
Blue Öyster Cult scored big with Agents of Fortune and its now-classic rock hit, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." It took the album into the stratosphere and the band's profile with it; it put them in the visible pop space they'd tried for years to get to. But upon arrival, they found that kind of success difficult to respond to. Not only did the Cult want to respond, they wanted to cement their place. Spectres is not the masterpiece that Agents of Fortune is, but it didn't need to be. However, upon hearing Spectres again, the album offers proof that the commercial and creative bent of Agents of Fortune was still in place at certain moments, and the band laid out a major single in the opening cut, "Godzilla," a tune -- however silly it may be -- that is every bit as memorable as "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." It's not the only big number here either: "Goin' Through the Motions" and the truly spooky "I Love the Night" by Buck Dharma also scored. The former track is a wonderful blend of Tommy James & the Shondells, Boston, and Mott the Hoople's roots rock glam attack. Written by Eric Bloom and Ian Hunter, it's a stunning single. It sounds less like the Cult than anything they'd recorded, but as a classic rock & roll single it succeeds in spades. And "I Love the Night" (with its guitar part resembling "Reaper" for a moment) is one of rock & roll's truly strange and seductive love songs. There is more spook and darkness here, of course, in the album's closer, "Nosferatu." As a closer, "I Love the Night" may have been a better choice, but this track has all those layered harmonies, a reverbed piano, Dharma's power chords, and lyric fills that never lose their sense of menace and once more, a story. BOC were the only band in their league, walking the line between AOR rock and metal, and offering such detailed narratives. Spectres also contains tunes that were ready-made for touring, which is what the Cult did immediately after, resulting in the wildly successful live album Some Enchanted Evening. In sum, the only reason Spectres is not regarded as a classic is because it followed Agents of Fortune. Other than the false funk of "Searchin' for Celine," it's flawless as a finely tuned tome that begins with sci-fi humor and ends with gothic horror -- all of which can be hummed to.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 00:40:36
- Main artists: Blue Öyster Cult
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: SMCMG
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
(P) 1977 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.