Spanning three decades, Blue Öyster Cult has a long and storied history. The band got its start in the late '60s on Long Island, New York, as the Soft White Underbelly, but each member had been involved in bands previously in high school and college, before ending up in the “right place at the right time” to create the beginnings of Blue Öyster Cult.
The threads that eventually wove together to create Blue Öyster Cult got their start in upstate New York.

Long Island native Donald Roeser and Albert Bouchard (of Watertown, New York) met at Clarkson College, in Potsdam, NY. The two were introduced by a mutual friend, Bruce Abbott (who later co-authored “Golden Age of Leather” with Donald). With Abbott and two other friends, they formed “The Disciples” and played college parties and local beer halls. The next year, the band reformed and played the same circuits as “Travesty” (named after the Blues Project album). Through all this, their studies fell by the wayside, and both Albert and Donald decided to quit college to concentrate on playing music full-time.

Eventually “Travesty” broke up, Donald and Albert took seperate paths for a while. Donald went back to Long Island, and Albert took a musical opportunity in Chicago. After moving there, though, the band fizzled, and Albert returned to NY and joined Donald. In the meantime, Donald had been jamming with local musicians, and had met a person that would become very influential in their future: Sandy Pearlman.

Sandy Pearlman became interested in rock music around the time of the British Invasion, and was a pioneering voice of rock criticism, opening a new field for creative writers like Lester Bangs. Both Pearlman and his friend Richard Meltzer were contributors for seminal magazine “Crawdaddy!,” the first magazine that dedicated itself to analysis of rock music and its culture.

Allen Lanier came into the fold by way of guitarist John Wiesenthal. Allen had accepted employment at a film company at which Wiesenthal was also an employee. After becoming acquainted, Wiesenthal invited Allen out to Long Island to meet and jam with the loose group of musicians he played with, and Allen began to regularly jam with them.

An old house near Stony Brook College became ground zero for the formative band, and casual jams with whomever happened to be hanging around began to turn into rehearsals with a core band, which included Wiesenthal, Donald, Albert, Allen and Andrew Winters, a school friend of Donald. It was 1967.

Pearlman (along with Meltzer and Wiesenthal) had been a student at Stony Brook, and was becoming increasingly involved in the music scene. When he heard the formative combo, he instantly recognized the talent at work. He had an idea for a band, and thought that this group of musicians had the chops to put that idea into play. The musicians saw that Pearlman's contacts and stature in the local (and increasingly national) scene could help them spawn a career as well, and an alliance was formed.

Pearlman named the combo “Soft White Underbelly” and began finding them gigs around New York. The music was mostly improvised jamming, with singing provided by Albert and Donald. Through Pearlman's contacts, they started getting “real” gigs, opening shows for people like Muddy Waters and the Grateful Dead. Playing these gigs made the band realize that they needed a lead singer. The vacant position was soon to be filled.

Les Braunstein had been active in bands during his college days at Hobart College, playing in a popular jug band, and thanks to his friendship with Andy Yarrow (brother of Peter, Paul & Mary's Peter Yarrow) Braunstein landed one of his songs on a Peter, Paul & Mary album, and that guaranteed him a steady income. With that lucky stroke, he hit the road in search of interesting experiences, and ended up on Long Island — more specifically, Stony Brook.

Braunstein eventually crossed paths with the future Mrs. Sandy Pearlman, and she introduced Braunstein to the formative band. He began to hang out at the band house, and eventually joined in, singing his lyrics to their music, or just improvising free form to the music. Braunstein was very dramatic and outgoing - a definite persona - and that was something the band was in need of.

Soft White Underbelly began to perform around New York, and began to get a “buzz.” In the autumn of 1968, the president of Elektra Records, Jac Holzman, turned up at one of their gigs, and recognizing the potential of the group, signed the band on the spot.

When the advance check arrived from Elektra, the band happily spent some of the money on upgrading their equipment. That is where Eric Bloom came into the picture.

A Long Island native, Eric had spent his college days (like Braunstein, at Hobart. The two were acquainted with each other, but weren't close friends) playing in several successful bands, including “Lost and Found” with John Trivers (who later would co-write several songs with Eric). Eric also promoted gigs in the area, so he was the owner of a large van and a PA, which made him a popular guy.

After college, Eric returned to Long Island, and accepted a job selling gear at Sam Ash Music, while working on getting involved in the music scene there. One day, the Underbelly walked in to buy their new gear, and spotted a picture of Lost and Found on the wall, and they struck up a conversation with Eric. It turns out that Les had worked with the Lost and Found musicians, too, and had spoken of Eric to the band.

As fate would have it, SWU had a gig at which was discovered a less-than-adequate PA. Braunstein called Eric and asked him to come down with his PA, and he ended up doing sound for them that night. They discovered they had a lot in common, and a friendship was formed. Soon after, Eric moved in to the band house, and became the band's sound man.

In early 1969, SWU went into the studio to begin working on their debut LP for Elektra. It was there that it became clear that Braunstein wasn't working out. The band was moving in one direction, and Braunstein was moving in a different one. There was a rift opening between the band and Braunstein, and the band wasn't happy with his performance on the recording. Things came to a head, and Braunstein decided to leave SWU, and the album went unfinished.

When Braunstein abruptly quit, it caused a major crisis with the band. They had come so far, had a record mostly finished, and all that was now in jeopardy. As they desperately searched for a new singer, Allen recalled that he'd heard a tape of Eric singing with Lost and Found. He thought that Eric's voice would be a great asset to the band, and suggested he take over as singer. In April of '69, Eric was asked to join SWU.

A new singer, though, didn't fix the problem with Elektra. The record company had signed SWU on the belief that Braunstein was the East Coast answer to Jim Morrison, and his voice and presence would be the selling point of the band. Convincing the record execs that the band was still saleable without Braunstein's persona up front was not easy, but after an additional “audition” with Eric in front, the company relented, and took a chance on another record.

With Eric's influence, the band began to go down a slightly different musical path--leaving behind the more psychedelic/San Francisco sound, and gravitating toward a more rock & roll approach. This, along with the fact that the SWU name had “been around” and had received bad press after a particularly disasterous and embarrassing gig, it was decided that the band needed a new name. They were dubbed the “Stalk-Forrest Group,” and in February of 1970, headed out to California to record their new record at Elektra's studios in Los Angeles. It was for the Stalk-Forrest Group that Pearlman created stage names for each band member, which were immediately rejected, with one notable exception: “Buck Dharma.”

Upon completion of the sessions, the band returned to New York, but a series of missteps caused Elektra to become frustrated with the band, and they decided to cut their losses and terminated their contract.

During this time, it had become apparant that Andy Winters wasn't serious about the band, and he was fired. That's when Joe Bouchard got the call from his brother, asking him to join the band. Joe had been studying music at Ithaca College, and had often travelled down to the city to watch his brother play with the boys. He also on occasion brought his trumpet and sat in with the band on gigs. Joe agreed, and the final lineup was set.

A turning point for the band came when they were asked to play a private party at a closed summer camp. At that show, the band impressed an attendee, David Lucas, who approached the band and offered them the use of his 8-track jingle studio to record demos. They recorded two sets of demos. The first yielded nothing, but the second got them in the door. Pearlman's acquaintance Murray Krugman worked for Columbia, and the two of them managed to get the band an audition with Columbia president, Clive Davis. The band played in a small conference room at the CBS building in New York. Davis was suitably impressed, and awarded a contract to the band.

It was at this time that the band was named, by Sandy Pearlman, “Blue Oyster Cult.” (The umlaut being added later by Allen Lanier). Initially, the band was not happy with the name, but settled for it, and went to work preparing to record their first release at David Lucas' studio.

The record hit the streets in January of 1972. With a media blitz drummed up by Meltzer and Pearlman, and thanks to a friend of Eric, a lucky break getting “Cities on Flame” (most assuredly not 1972-style top-40 material) played on a New York top 40 radio station, the album sold fairly well, and started the growth of a country-wide fan base.

Its striking cover, by artist Bill Gawlick, yielded the band another treasure: The famed hook-and-cross “Kronos” Logo. Believed to be styled after the astronomical symbol for Saturn, Gawlick gave the symbol a prominent position on the artwork for the album cover. Its metaphysical, alchemical and mythological connotations, combined with its similarity to some religious symbols gave it a flair of decadence and mystery - perfect for rock and roll, and perfect for the kind of music that Blue Öyster Cult was creating. It was adopted as the band's logo immediately upon seeing the artwork, and legions of fans have paid tribute to it and the band it represents by inking it on everything from walls and rocks to wet concrete and their own bodies.

Soon after the record came out, the band had to go support it with the first of many long, exhaustive tours. The band would tour almost constantly for the next two years, sometimes opening for bands that seem rather incompatible with BÖC's style, such as the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The first thing the band discovered is that they didn't have the showmanship needed to develop into a concert attraction. They were at a new level, and had to quickly learn how to grab an audience. A later tour with Alice Cooper taught the band a lot about staging, and working a crowd.

Because of the hectic touring schedule, the band had to complete most of the second record's songwriting on the road. The first record still reflected the band's origins, and echoes of SWU and SFG can be heard throughout the record, but the second record took on a much heavier and ominous tone, there would be no “Redeemed” to lighten “Tyranny And Mutation”'s load. BÖC put an effort into sounding “heavy” and succeeded in a most icy, spine-tingling way, definitely fulfilling Columbia's wish to have a stateside Black Sabbath.

By 1973, the days of the communal band house were over, and each member lived in his own place, which led to less collaborative songwriting. They still retained a “band house” for rehearsals, but rather than working out songs as a group, they began to come to rehearsal with songs more or less together, and only the details to be hashed out with the group. The band aimed to make an album with more emotional impact for their third outing. When “Secret Treaties” hit the streets in 1974, it garnered great critical acclaim, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavy records of the '70s, and is probably the most popular record with fans.

The next record was a double live LP, “On Your Feet Or On Your Knees,” and although the band remembers that the actual concerts that were recorded were plagued with technical and sound problems, fans embraced the album, enjoying the very real and raw renditions of the songs. As the band didn't do any post-show overdubs on the tapes, the recording captures not only the sound but the energy of BÖC in concert. This record added to the band's already good buzz, and began to draw even more rock fans out to the shows. At this point, the band embarked on their first European tour, as well as continuing their heavy schedule of shows at home.

By now, with several studio albums under their collective belts, the band's comfort level in the studio invited more experimentation with production and studio techniques. That, coupled with each band member's acquisition of a new 4-track TEAC recording deck began a new round of creativity in the BÖC camp. The results of this new creativity is evidenced in the marked departure that “Agents Of Fortune” is in comparison to the previous three studio efforts.

Most importantly, “Agents Of Fortune” contained the Buck Dharma-penned hit single “Don't Fear The Reaper.” Buck recalls that when he finished the demo for “Reaper” he felt he really “had something,” and have something he did. “Don't Fear The Reaper” reached #12 on the Billboard charts, and “Agents Of Fortune” became the band's first of many gold records.

This single changed everything for Blue Öyster Cult. Suddenly BÖC went from a best-kept secret among the faithful to widespread name recognition. They found themselves splashed across the pages of the many rock fan magazines such as Hit Parader, Creem and Rock Scene. The crowds at the concerts grew, and shortly the band found themselves headlining coliseums.

For the tour that promoted “Agents,” the band decided to compliment its stage show with a new cutting-edge entertainment technology: Lasers. This relatively new (for entertainment) technology offered the ability to enhance the songs with twirling, twisting shapes made from different colored light, a high-tech version of the old psychedelic oil and pigment projections done in the sixties.

One of the first bands to ever bring lasers along on a tour, the band found that their pitfalls far outstripped their hefty capital outlay and maintenance expense. Not only did the band have to buy hundreds of thousands of dollars of delicate equipment, they also had to lease an additional tractor-trailer to haul it and a staff including an engineer to run the thing. To top things off, at many shows the laser rig refused to function, and many fans feeling unsatisfied when the advertised “massive laser show” either failed to materialize or consisted of only one working laser.

To add insult to injury, government agency OSHA, responding to reports of temporary blindness caused by lasers striking concert goers in the eye, sent out investigators to follow the band on tour and take measurements, enforce projection rules and generally stick their noses in everything.

Although the laser show brought BÖC a lot of recognition and noteriety--many people still heavily associate “Blue Öyster Cult” with “Laser Show”--the band finally decided that the expense and troubles associated with hauling the staff and equipment around the country just wasn't worth it, and they happily sold off the laser equipment and its accompanying hassles to someone else.

The success of “Agents” had the band on the road for extended periods of time, and the follow-up, “Spectres” took over a year to complete. Bolstered by the success of “Don't Fear The Reaper,” the band worked very hard to try to come up with an even better record in “Spectres.” For a lot of hardcore fans, “Agents” was too “soft” and “Spectres” was even softer, with lush production and a very polished sound. Others, however, found the diversity of songwriting on “Spectres” a pleasant experience, as each band member contributed at least one song, and everyone except Allen Lanier contributing at least one lead vocal. Although “Spectres” sold very well, and generated a minor cult hit in “Godzilla,” its sales and its promotion by Columbia were ultimately disappointing for the band.

Live, the band was a rock and roll powerhouse. They'd been together for so long, and played so many shows that as a live act, they were tough to beat. At this time they chose to record another live album. “Some Enchanted Evening,” featuring what is to many the “definitive version” of BÖC opus “Astronomy” and a great version of “Reaper” went Platinum in short order, and it also gave the band some time inwhich to work on material for a new studio release.

For the next album, the band decided to get some “new blood” in the studio, and chose not to work with Sandy Pearlman and Murray Krugman, who had worked with the band on every previous album. This time they chose Tom Werman, whose work included Cheap Trick and Ted Nugent. Unfortunately the pairing of Werman and BÖC was not condusive, and the resultant record was not only a disappointment to the band, but also to the fans, the majority of which felt the record was far to pop and commercial. Although the record does have some great songs, including “The Vigil” and “The Great Sun Jester,” sales were bleak. It was apparant that the band was trying very very hard to write another hit, and both critics and fans took the band to task for it. Needless to say, Tom Werman would not be hired again, and the band realized they had to step back and reevaluate their next move in order to recover from the “Mirrors” debacle.

During this time, Sandy Pearlman had become Black Sabbath's manager, and that association led to the hiring of “Heaven and Hell” producer Martin Birch, being hired for the next BÖC record.That, coupled with BÖC's decision to get back to “being BÖC” rather than trying to write with the commercial hit machine in mind, brought 1980's critically acclaimed “Cultösaurus Erectus.” This album brought home the fact that Blue Öyster Cult, always a little off the beaten path, were best to follow their own path rather than imitate someone else's.

Birch brought out the best in the band, with clean, polished production that didn't obscure the harder edges of the band's sound. The band enjoyed working with Birch, and he with them. The critics and fans loved it, and although sales were rather disappointing in the U.S., the record was a hit in the U.K., reaching #14 on the charts there. The great reaction of the press and fans bolstered the band's faith that they were indeed again on the right track.

Since Pearlman was managing both BÖC and Black Sabbath, it seemed a natural to pair the two in concert, and the tour supporting “Cultösaurus Erectus” was dubbed the “Black and Blue” tour, with each band alternating headlining each night. This tour was filmed for a theatrical release, also called “Black and Blue,” with each band alternating 3 songs each. Birch was again in the driver's seat for the next record, “Fire Of Unknown Origin.” BÖC had also been asked to contribute songs for a new animated movie based on the “Heavy Metal” magazine. BÖC wrote several songs based on the vignettes in the movie, but in an odd twist of Hollywood decisionmaking, they chose to use “Veteran of the Psychic Wars,” which was not at all based on any of the plots in the movie. Although the songs weren't used in the movie, the inspiration of possibility caused a flurry of songwriting, and those songs ended up being the basis for the “Fire” album.

Also on the “Fire” album was “Burnin' For You,” a song Buck had written with a R. Meltzer lyric and was intended for inclusion on his solo album, which he'd been wanting to do as an outlet for the music he'd written that didn't fit as a Blue Öyster Cult song. Although the “Burnin'” demo is the song that secured the deal for him to make his solo record, Pearlman convinced him to put the song on the “Fire” album, and it subsequently became the band's next hit single. The song reached the top 40, and propelled BÖC once more into the public's stream of conciousness. However, big changes were in store for the band. During the supporting tour for this record, founding member and creative wunderkind Albert Bouchard was dismissed. There had been a lot of problems at the time, and Albert's indulgences and outlandish behaviour was beginning to affect his work. Ultimately on the U.K. leg of the tour, after Albert turned up late at two consecutive shows (and forcing the band to go on with lighting designer Rick Downey filling in) the band decided that it would be better for all involved to send Albert home, and complete the remaining dates with a different drummer. Downey filled in for the remainder of the tour, and Albert went back to New York. When the band returned home, they decided to make the split permanent. The band felt they could no longer work with him, although Albert's creativity, his skill at arranging and composition, his boundless energy and prolific songwriting would be sorely missed.

With Buck working on his solo album, and Albert's prolific pen absent, and an album contracturally due Columbia, the band recorded yet another live record, the double-LP “Extra Terrestrial Live.” Only 4 years after their last live outing, and with many of the songs appearing on the two previously released live records, it appeared that the band was merely buying time while it went through its growing pains.

Albert, in the meantime, devoted himself to writing and recording Sandy Pearlman's late '60s song cycle, “Imaginos.” Gathering his long list of New York musical friends and associates, he spent the next 5-plus years working on what he hoped would be his debut solo album.

Also at this time, Buck's solo album, “Flat Out,” was released on Portrait records. Although the album garnered, in general, good reviews, little was done to promote it. Some fans were taken aback by the pop bent of the album, expecting something heavier from the lead guitarist of BÖC. Sales were disappointing, although the record really showcases the overall scope of Buck's talents. Buck did not do any solo performances to support the record, although BÖC incorporated two of the songs in its live show for a very few East Coast performances.

BÖC was soon back in the studio to record their next record, and this time Bruce Fairbairn was brought on board as producer. In 1984 “Revölution by Night” was released. Although the band was satisfied with the work, it wasn't as successful as “Fire Of Unknown Origin,” and the single, “Shooting Shark” only reached #83 on the charts.

The mid '80s were a very unstable time for the band. After the Revölution tour, Rick Downey decided to leave the band, and in 1985 the band found themselves with dates to play but no drummer. As it happened, they called upon Albert, who rejoined the band for a two week tour of California. Things did not go well, the old differences came back, and the reunion of original members was over when the tour was.

Shortly after this, Allen Lanier quit the band as well, although his leaving turned out to be a temporary sabbatical. In the meantime, with both the drum and keyboard positions vacant, and a new album in the future, the remaining members hired Jimmy Wilcox and Tommy Zvonchek and with them finished the “Club Ninja” album. “Club Ninja”'s main flaw was the use of outside songwriters for almost 50% the album. The unstable times contributed to the lack of material from the band, although the songs that the band did have, for the most part, were very good. “Perfect Water,” with a lyric by Jim Carroll is a standout, but songs by Bob Halligan, Jr., a formula songwriter with songs placed on a plethora of generic “heavy” bands of the time were an earsore. “Club Ninja” is one of the least favored BÖC records, by both the band and fans.

After the German leg of the tour behind Club Ninja, Joe Bouchard decided to leave the band. BÖC now only had two original members: Eric Bloom and Buck Dharma. Jon Rogers was hastily hired to replace the departed Joe, and this band finished out the 1986-87 tour.

Shortly afterward, the band, for all practical purposes broke up. This split was very short-lived, however, as they received an offer they couldn't refuse to play in Greece. This was the impetus for Allen Lanier's rejoining the band. He'd been planning a trip to Greece, and had also been “rather bored” during his time away from BÖC. With those gigs, he returned to the BÖC fold, and the band was officially un-broke up.

In the meantime, Albert had gotten a long way with his “Imaginos” project, but to his disdain found that the record company wasn't behind it. However, they would be willing to release it if it was under the Blue Öyster Cult moniker. The decision was made to turn the tapes over to Pearlman and Blue Öyster Cult. New lead vocals and overdubs were added at Pearlman's San Francisco studio, and in 1988 “Imaginos” was released. The album was barely promoted, and both critics and fans polarized over it. The album is a brilliant piece, but sadly even with currently respected musicians like Metallica singing the album's praises, “Imaginos,” for all practical purposes, tanked. And shortly thereafter, Columbia records terminated its almost 20 year relationship with the Blue Öyster Cult.

Thus began a long period in which BÖC was “On Tour Forever” but had no record deal. Aside from a couple songs that appeared on the “Bad Channels” soundtrack, the band went 10 years before releasing another album. However, Columbia released, and continues to release, a steady stream of BÖC repackages and greatest hits discs.

During these years, BÖC took to the clubs, hiring Ron Riddle for the drum position, and retaining Jon Rogers on bass. In 1991 Riddle quit the band, and over the years the drum position has been held by Chuck Bürgi (Meatloaf), John Miceli (Rainbow), John O'Reilly (Ritchie Blackmore), and since 1997, Bobby Rondinelli (Black Sabbath). In 1995 Jon Rogers quit the band, and was briefly replaced by Greg Smith (Alice Cooper). Long Island bassman Danny Miranda was hired in 1995, and has been with the band ever since.

In the late '90s, BÖC secured a contract with CMC records, and in 1998 released “Heaven Forbid,” their first record in 10 years. “Heaven Forbid” was well received by both critics and fans, and brought the band back into the music aficionado's conciousness. A good portion of the lyrics for the album were provided by sci-fi writer and (BÖC fan) John Shirley.

For the last 30 plus years, Blue Öyster Cult has been following their own unique path, and as of this writing are in the studio again to record their (-teenth) studio album. Their motto “On Tour Forever” still holds, as the band plays over 100 dates per year. Most fans feel the band sounds better than ever--that the musical maturity and skill combined with over three decades of playing together has made BÖC a prime example of rock and roll at its best.

Official biography