Blue Oyster Cult – Mirrors
(CBS Records 1979 86087)
Matrix No’s: A1/B1 – UK Pressing
Sleeve in Excellent+ condition
– some wear to edges/corners
Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
Blue Öyster Cult (often abbreviated BÖC) is an American rock band formed in Long Island, New York in 1967, whose most successful work includes the hard rock and heavy metal songs “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”, “Godzilla” and “Burnin’ for You”. Blue Oyster Cult has sold over 24 million records worldwide, including 7 million records in the United States alone. The band’s music videos, especially “Burnin’ for You”, received heavy rotation on MTV when the music television network premiered in 1981, cementing the band’s contribution to the development and success of the music video in modern pop culture.
Blue Öyster Cult’s longest lasting and most commercially successful lineup included Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser (lead guitar, vocals), Eric Bloom (lead vocals, “stun guitar”), Allen Lanier (keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Joe Bouchard (bass, backing vocals) and Albert Bouchard (drums, percussion, backing vocals). The band’s current lineup includes Roeser and Bloom, as well as Jules Radino (drums, percussion), Richie Castellano (keyboard, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), and Kasim Sulton (bass, backing vocals).
Mirrors is the sixth studio album by Blue Öyster Cult, released in 1979. Mirrors is the first Blue Öyster Cult album not produced by long-time producer and manager Sandy Pearlman. The album is notable for a collaboration with British fantasy/science-fiction author Michael Moorcock who co-wrote a song based on his novel The Fireclown. “The Great Sun Jester” is the first of several Moorcock co-writing credits with the band.
After the success of 1976’s Platinum Agents of Fortune, 1977’s Gold Spectres and 1978’s Platinum live effort Some Enchanted Evening, the fact that Mirrors struggled to reach Gold status was disappointing to band and label alike.According to interviews with the band and the production staff, the intent for this album was to make a high charting and glossy production; however the backlash felt from this attempt was a reason for their future pairing with Martin Birch, and their attempt to return to a darker sound.
“In Thee” was written by Allen Lanier. It went in to the chart at No. 74. A live version is featured on their 1998 album Heaven Forbid, it features two acoustic guitars and was a popular “in concert” moment from this era. The line “Jim says some destinies should not be delivered” references the Jim Carroll Band song “Day and Night.”
Track listing
| Side one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | “Dr. Music” | Joe Bouchard, Donald Roeser, Richard Meltzer | 3:10 |
| 2. | “The Great Sun Jester” | Eric Bloom, Michael Moorcock, John Trivers | 4:48 |
| 3. | “In Thee” | Allen Lanier | 3:48 |
| 4. | “Mirrors” | D. Roeser, Bruce Abbott | 3:44 |
| 5. | “Moon Crazy” | J. Bouchard | 4:06 |
| Side two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 6. | “The Vigil” | D. Roeser, Sandra Roeser | 6:25 |
| 7. | “I Am the Storm” | J. Bouchard, Ronald Binder | 3:42 |
| 8. | “You’re Not the One (I Was Looking For)” | Albert Bouchard, Caryn Bouchard | 3:14 |
| 9. | “Lonely Teardrops” | Lanier | 3:37 |
|
Total length:
|
36:34 | ||
Personnel
- Band members
- Eric Bloom – stun guitar, lead vocals on tracks 1, 2, 7
- Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser – lead guitar, lead vocals on tracks 3, 4, 6, 9
- Allen Lanier – keyboards, guitar
- Joe Bouchard – bass, lead vocals on track 5
- Albert Bouchard – drums, lead vocals on track 8
- Additional musicians
- Mickey Raphael – harmonica on “Dr. Music”
- Jai Winding – strings on “In Thee”
- Ellen Foley, Genya Ravan, Wendy Webb – background vocals
- Production
- Tom Werman – producer
- Gary Ladinsky – engineer, mixing
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