Unknown Soldier

Overview
No sooner had the Blue Oyster Cult polished off their debut album, they were hard at work on their next album the superbly titled Tyranny and Mutation. The basis of this album grew out of the hectic touring schedule that the band were undergoing in support of their eponymous debut album. The debut had ushered in a band, that had worked hard on their pseudo-satanic and science fiction themes, that were all crafted by the hands of the band along with some help from their producer Sandy Pearlman, rock critic Richard Meltzer and a certain Patti Smith! The band also were certainly not content with dishing out more of the same either and when the listener really submerges themselves into the depths of Tyranny and Mutation, they will find that the band had made an even bigger conscious effort, to record something even more complex and diverse than the debut album in almost every aspect! The debut album had shown that the Blue Oyster Cult were already something of a ‘thinking man’s metal band’ but it was on Tyranny and Mutation, that they further enhanced their reputation for the mystique and yet again gave us another in-depth taste of their very own unique brand of intelligent proto-heavy metal. The Blue Oyster Cult were incorrectly labelled from the beginning, as some kind of American Black Sabbath and if the truth be told they were putting out a much more complex sound than Black Sabbath ever attained, whilst avoiding the progressive rock tag, not an easy thing to do! The Blue Oyster Cult unlike Black Sabbath were not always the most receptive band as far as the listener went, their murky sound infused with dark psychedelia and a dash of boogie blues from their early touring days, gave them a sound that no other band quite had and they had some outstanding individuals on board to execute that sound. Again this album stands as a superb accomplishment for Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma, Allen Lainier and the Bouchard brothers. On a footnote, the psychedelic roots of the band can be seen on the striking album cover design!

Eric Bloom- Guitar/Vocals
Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser- Guitar/Vocals
Allen Lainier- Rhythm/Keyboards
Joe Bouchard- Bass
Albert Bouchard- Drums

Production- Sandy Pearlman and Murray Krugman

THE BLACK: The Red and the Black- Starts off with a striking intro section, before shifting into a faster section and has Eric Bloom singing about ‘Canadian Mounties’ amongst other things, all to a throbbing boogie beat and a perfect exercise of just how tight this band were. O.D.’d On Life Itself- The song oozes a kind of vibe that so many glam rock bands at the time tried to master. but couldn’t and at times Eric Bloom sounds distinctly like a certain Iggy Pop here! Hot Rails to Hell- An intro that any future punk band would’ve been proud to have called their own and this song sounds like a song that a number of future acts seemed to have ripped off, it’s also the only individual vocal offering of Joe Bouchard on the album. 7 Screaming Diz Busters- One of the slower in theory boogie blues numbers on the album and has an addictive vibe throughout the playing of the song, before finishing up with some number counting to finish the first side. THE RED: Baby Ice Dog- The perfect intro to the red side of the album, with its melodic overtures and the band demonstrate just how great they are with this sound. Wings Wetted Down- Starts off with a howling werewolf and leads us into a soft and haunting main section and is co-sung between Joe Bouchard and Eric Bloom, and the song drifts along for a great 4 minutes. Teen Archer- Great percussion intro and we’re quickly into Buck Dharma’s infectious voice, which carries the beat of the song through a serious of impressive passages, stylistic changes and it tempts us to reach out and grab it. Mistress of the Salmon Salt(Quicklime Girl)- A swagger of a song with a catchy ‘quicklime girl’ chorus and a great album closer. It’s a pity that this album never had another coloured side to treat us with!

Verdict
On the first listen of this album, the sophomore set comes across as a simple follow up to the debut album and in fact a lot of the songs could’ve been on that album, but on further listens Tyranny and Mutation reveals itself as a far deeper and more complex affair than the debut album in almost every aspect. The band worked harder on song structure and their darker references also give way to a much lighter tone at times, showing how the band were equally adept at both lighter and darker lyrical content, hence the black and red sides to this album. The black side the rocking darker side of the album, treats us to the throbbing boogie beat of songs like “The Red and the Black” the swagger of “O.D.’d On Life Itself” which is punctuated by an almost Marc Bolan T-Rex pulsating throb at times! The guitar riff that pulsates throughout “Hot Rails to Hell” is pure Buck Dharma and “7 Screaming Dizzbusters” may well be the best offering on the black side of the album with its crunching guitar, heavy bass and percussion segments showing just how tight this group are. Now the red side of the album, the lighter side with its more melodic elements, is an even better offering than the superb black side! As here the band show their mastery of lighter tones based around melody, pop flourishes and the stunning piano/keyboards of Allan Lainier which really come into their own here and not once does the band sacrifice their trademark murky sound! There is the uniqueness of “Baby Ice Dog” the haunting “Wings Wetted Down” which at times seems to look back on their early psychedelic roots. Whereas “Teen Archer” is simply one of those songs with an amazing chorus section, but the band keep us frustrated by keeping everything on a leash, the song is then broken up with some snappy guitar and keyboards, a great song and one of the very best on the album and finally there is “Mistress of the Salmon Salt” with its chirpy ‘quicklime girl’ section. Eric Bloom’s vocals on this album have a certain audacity and swagger about them as well, something not easily mastered and Eric Bloom may never have sounded this perfect again! This album has two stunning sides and in my opinion it’s on the lighter red side where this album is really at and these melodic tunes would be something the band would go onto to release throughout the rest of the decade, whilst not forgetting their heavy credentials. I often regard Secret Treaties as the jewel in the Blue Oyster Cult crown, but Tyranny and Mutation is the hidden gem of their discography that often gets overlooked in favour of that album. This is an album that is worth a listen, or two, or even maybe three times before it sinks into the depths of your mind, this is the album that made Secret Treaties possible!

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