Agents Of Fortune [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Extra tracks]

 

 

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The fourth studio album from Blue Oyster Cult which was remastered and reissued and which Sony put out on the Columbia/Legacy label. As with the other three reissues there are lyrics, photos, and liner notes (by Lenny Kaye). In addition, on this release there are four bonus tracks, none of which were previously released.

"Agents of Fortune" was recorded in 1975 and 1976, and released in May of 1976. Murray Krugman and Sandy Pearlman were joined by David Lucas as producers of this album. This remastered CD was released on July 3rd of 2001, and it was produced by Bruce Dickinson.

"Agents of Fortune" was the start of a new period for the group. The first three albums are often called their "black-and-white" period, and the live album "On Your Feet or On Your Knees" marked the end of that period. This album has a number of memorable songs, such as "This Ain't The Summer of Love", "E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)", "The Revenge of Vera Gemini", and the too often overlooked "Morning Final". Of course it is best known for "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" which is one of the greatest Rock songs of all time.

The four bonus tracks consist of songs considered for the album. "Fire of Unknown Origin" was an outtake which would appear on the album of the same name five years later, although it is a significantly different version of the song. "Sally" was demoed for the album, but not used. It later was used by Albert Bouchard on "Trepanation", which was the 1995 release from his band "The Brain Surgeons". The third piece is the original demo for "(Don't Fear) The Reaper". The last piece is another demo called "Dance the Night Away" which was used by Jim Carroll (who co-wrote the song with Allen Lanier) on his "I Write Your Name" album.

The band credits for this album are: Eric Bloom (vocals, guitar, percussion), Albert Bouchard (drums, vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion, and harmonica), Joe Bouchard (bass, vocals, piano), Allen Lanier (keyboards, vocals, guitar and bass), and Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (guitar, vocals, synthesizer, percussion). Guest artists on this album include Patti Smith (vocal on "The Revenge of Vera Gemini", and Michael and Randy Brecker (horns).

It is unfortunate that as of yet there are no additional remastered releases of the Blue Oyster Cult catalog available. It would be wonderful to see what other hidden gems could be added to such albums as "Spectres", "Fire of Unknown Origin", or even their live albums. Until that happens, we will just have to be satisfied with the remastered versions of their first four albums.

In my opinion, this is the best record put out by Blue Oyster Cult- I had not heard of Blue Oyster Cult, I heard this record and I was hooked!! I think that Blue Oyster Cult is one of the most underrated bands of the 70's......

Agents of Fortune is probably B.O.C.'s peak album, a high-point in a strong body of work. Anchored by the mega-hit "Don't Fear The Reaper", Agents Of Fortune has lots of great guitar, and typically "dark" Blue Oyster Cult topics. The production is smoother than the previous albums, with a very polished sound. But the guitar licks are still prominent.

"Don't Fear The Reaper" is, of course, a masterpiece. But the whole record is good, especially "ETI", "Sinful Love", "Revenge of Vera Gemini" and "Morning Final" (which has a wonderful piano "hook"). "True Confessions" and "Debbie Denise" are comparative low points, but are still good songs. An interesting side-note: "Vera Gemini" and "Debbie Denise" were co-authored by punk priestess Patti Smith, who also adds her vocal talents to "Vera Gemini". Agents of Fortune is one of the best hard-rock / AOR albums of the mid seventies, and is "must-have" disc.

The bonus material on this CD is a nice addition, unlike all too many records. There's a demo version of "Fire Of Unknown Origin" which is dramatically different from the eventual release (5 years later). Same lyrics, but that's about it. It's fascinating to hear the genesis of this song. The demo version of "Reaper" is equally interesting. Recorded on 4-track, it is dramatically more sparse that the final version. But it sounds great, and you get to hear the early guitar work. The demos of discarded songs "Sally" and "Dance The Night Away" give good examples of "almost made it" songs.

5 stars, solidly.

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5.0 out of 5 stars "Broken clock is right twice a day"
This band, B.O.C., never did anything that I would rate above one or two stars.
Agents of fortune is the exception.
Every song is well written. Read more

Published on May 28 2004 by M.A.C.

5.0 out of 5 stars Reaping the Agents!
This LP shows all the colors that make BOC one of the most original American hard rock bands. Every band member has their moment on this one--the Bouchard brothers pepper the... Read more

Published on May 20 2004 by Thaddeus B. Rosemyer

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the one....
If you buy only one BOC (Blue Öyster Cult) album in your entire life, make it THIS one.

(Don't Fear) The Reaper is clearly the band's *magnum opus* in the almost 40 years... Read more

Published on April 23 2004 by Gregkar

3.0 out of 5 stars BOC HIT BROADWAY
Imagine my surprise when my wife announced that we were going to New York to see the latest Broadway smash "AGENTS OF FORTUNE"! Read more

Published on Mar 18 2004 by robodisco

5.0 out of 5 stars One Of BOC's Best Studio Albums
AGENTS OF FORTUNE, along with SPECTRES, BLUE OYSTER CULT, FIRE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN, and TYRANNY AND MUTATION, is one of Blue Oyster Cult's best studio albums. Read more

Published on Jan 15 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Epic 70's AOR!!!
For the life of me I cannot understand why some people are rating this superb 70's rock album only 1 star. Read more

Published on Dec 25 2003 by Danny Rizzi

5.0 out of 5 stars couldn't think of one
i have never heard any of these songs but my friend says it's great so I'm taking his word for and saying:THIS CD IS THE BEST

Published on Dec 18 2003 by Komichiwa

4.0 out of 5 stars Best BOC melding of popular success and critical adoration
After AGENTS OF FORTUNE, BOC began to producer more "radio-friendly" work than ever before... Read more

Published on Nov 23 2003 by RMurray847

4.0 out of 5 stars AGENTS OF SONGWRITING FORTUNE
AGENTS OF FORTUNE IS ARGUABLY ONE OF THE BEST METAL ALBUMS AND PROBABLY A PERSONAL FAVORITE FOR MANY BOC HARDCORE FANS. Read more

Published on Nov 18 2003 by Steven B. Mccrary

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cult Breaks Wide
This album remains, unquestionably, a landmark in seventies rock. Blue Oyster Cult ditched the bare bones demonic sound of the original three albums and polished their metal to a... Read more

Published on Oct 12 2003 by Tim Brough

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