Fire of Unknown Origin

by Blue Oeyster Cult

Overview

Who would have thought that in 1981, after a pair of limp, unfocused studio offerings, and two mixed -- at best -- live outings, that the once mighty Blue Oeyster Cult would come back with such a fierce, creative, and uncompromising effort as Fire of Unknown Origin. Here was their finest moment since Agents of Fortune five years earlier, and one of their finest ever. Bringing back into the fold the faithful team who helped articulate their earlier vision, producer Sandy Pearlman, Richard Meltzer, and Patti Smith all helped in the lyric department, as did science-fiction and dark-fantasy writer Michael Moorcock. The band's sound was augmented by a plethora of keyboards courtesy of Allen Lanier, but nonetheless retained a modicum of its heaviness, and the sheer songwriting craft that had helped separate the band form its peers early on was everywhere evident here -- especially the gloriously noir-ish Top 40 single "Burning for You," written by Meltzer and guitarist Buck Dharma. Other standouts on the set include the plodding, ueber-riff pyrotechnics of "Heavy Metal: The Black and the Silver," and the Mott the Hoople- and Queen-influenced glammed up roots rock of "Joan Crawford." The terrifying images of desecration and apocalyptic war in "Veteran of Psychic Wars," with words by Moorcock, feature huge synth lines, dual leads by Dharma and Eric Bloom -- as well as a tom-tom orgy from Albert Bouchard -- offered a new pathway through the eternal night of the Cult's best work. Fire of Unknown Origin has aged well, and deserves to be remastered in the 21st century. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	02/01/2008
Label:	Sbme Special Mkts.
UPC:	0886972372020

Tracks

1. Fire of Unknown Origin
2. Burnin' for You
3. Veteran of the Psychic Wars
4. Sole Survivor
5. Heavy Metal: The Black and Silver
6. Vengeance
7. After Dark
8. Joan Crawford
9. Don't Turn Your Back

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Blue Oeyster Cult   Primary Artist
Allen Lanier   Vocals,Keyboards,Bass,Guitar
Ellen Foley   Vocals
Karla DeVito   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Albert Bouchard   Drums,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica,Synthesizer
Buck Dharma   Percussion,Sound Effects
Joe Bouchard   Bass,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Bass (Vocal)
Donald Roeser   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Percussion,Synthesizer,Sound Effects
Sandy Jean   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Tony Cedrone   Percussion
Bill Civitella   Percussion
Eric Bloom   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards

Technical Credits

Greg Scott   Cover Design
Allen Lanier   Composer
Paul Stubblebine   Mastering
Blue Oeyster Cult   Arranger,Composer
Jesse Levy   Arranger,String Arrangements
Louis Myers   Composer
Sandy Pearlman   Composer
Martin Birch   Engineer,Producer
Michael Moorcock   Composer
Jack Rigg   Composer
Albert Bouchard   Composer
Patti Smith   Composer
Joe Bouchard   Composer
Richard Meltzer   Composer
Donald Roeser   Effects,Composer,Engineer
David Roter   Composer
Paula Scher   Cover Design
John Trivers   Composer
Liz Myers   Composer
Clay Hutchinson   Engineer
Eric Bloom   Composer