Great Rock/Metal Albums of 1981: Blue Oyster Cult- Fire of Unknown Origin

Of the four artists who made the transition from hard or glam rock in the 1970s to heavy metal in the 1980s, at least in the minds of non-believers, Blue Oyster Cult's album "Fire of Unknown Origin" is the one album that didn't pass me by unnoticed. Once again, I have the marines to thank for that, pulling barracks security watch on the graveyard shift on a Saturday night. I also have to thank the radio station WXQR in Jacksonville, North Carolina for their Saturday Night Six Pack show where six albums were played in their entirety starting at midnight on Saturday nights. Old age, I said all this when I visited the Danny Joe Brown Band, but yes, it was here where I got to first listen to this great album, (and I do mean great) from Blue Oyster Cult.

First, I can now certainly reassure my fellow blogger Heavy Metal Overload that the track "Veteran of 1000 Psychic Wars" is the same on this album as it is on the soundtrack to "Heavy Metal" and a good track it is. "Burning For You" is the single from the track and I mention this because it appears on a compilation album I bought five and a half years ago and I was glad that it was any other B.O.C. song than "Don't Fear the Reaper." I think I have that song on at least three compilation discs. It's still a good jam nonetheless.

If someone was to listen to just the opening and closing tracks on "Fire of Unknown Origin," they may be tempted to think that Blue Oyster Cult had gone a bit progressive rock. The keyboard intro on the title track may give that feel and "Don't Turn Your Back" almost sounds like a lounge act track, that is until it unleashes what is in my mind, the best guitar solo on the album. However, in between them is some great hard rock tunes like the two I've already mentioned, "Sole Survivor" and "Heavy Metal, The Black and the Silver." That is taking nothing away from the tracks "After Dark" and "Vengeance, the Pact."

Some of you are screaming inside about the one track I haven't mentioned yet and that is because I'm saving the best for last, at least I think so. Blue Oyster Cult has a reputation for writing quirky songs and none can be quirkier than "Joan Crawford." First, I love that piano intro, it gives me goosebumps every time I hear it and the lyrics: "Policemen hide behind the skirts of little girls" and the first line of the second verse, "Catholic school girls throw away their mascara." Pure genius. Saying that, I still prefer the live version of this song but you will have to wait till I visit that live album in 1982 to find out why.

Track Listing:

1. Fire Of Unknown Origin

2. Burning For You

3. Veteran of 1000 Psychic Wars

4. Sole Survivor

5. Heavy Metal, The Black and the Silver

6. Vengeance, The Pact

7. After Dark

8. Joan Crawford

9. Don't Turn Your Back

[caption id="attachment_1443" align="aligncenter" width="248"] Blue Oyster Cult[/caption]

Eric Bloom- lead vocals

Donald Buck Dharma Roeser- lead guitar, lead vocals

Alan Lanier- keyboards

Joe Bouchard- bass

Albert Bouchard- drums, percussion

I have always considered "Fire of Unknown Origin" one of the best Blue Oyster Cult albums. For me, it marked a genuine attempt to return to the glory days of albums like "Agents of Fortune." I leave you all to debate if it how well it does but for me, it came pretty close. Besides, it did get me through that graveyard shift that Saturday night.

Next post: Kiss- Music From, "The Elder"

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Great Rock/Metal Albums of 1981: Alice Cooper- Special Forces

Like the Thin Lizzy album in my previous post, this was another album by an established superstar of 70's rock that passed me by back in 1981. I vaguely remember that Alice Cooper had an album out at the time and I even more vaguely remember that it was called "Special Forces" but that's all I can remember. I never listened to it until now and if wasn't for my fellow blogger mikledano, I wouldn't have even done that. So, thank you Mike for enlightening me about this album.

Perhaps I can use a similar excuse to Alice for not experiencing this album back in 1981. He doesn't remember writing or recording "Special Forces" or his next two albums due to being drunk all the time. Okay, I wasn't drunk all the time even though the military bullshit was taking its toll on me at the time and I briefly became what is known in the military as a shitbird. But now that I have listened to it, (I got to thank youtube for that) I realise that I missed a rather good album. If Alice Cooper was drunk at the time, it might have been a good thing because "Special Forces" has some amusing songs played in well established hard rock fashion. "Vicious Rumours," "The Prettiest Cop on the Block" and "Don't Talk Old to Me" are all catchy, enjoyable songs. "You're a Movie" and "Skeletons in the Closet" are just as amusing but more new wave in their sound. Still, they're both decent songs and the one that stands out for me is "Seven and Seven Is." For me, that song reminds me of the Alice Cooper that I came to love in the 70's.

Track Listing:

1. Who Do You Think We Are

2. Seven and Seven Is

3. Prettiest Cop on the Block

4. Don't Talk Old to Me

5. Generation Landslide 81(Live)

6. Skeletons in the Closet

7. You Want It, You Got It

8. You Look Good in Rags

9. You're a Movie

10. Vicious Rumours

[caption id="attachment_812" align="aligncenter" width="128"] Alice Cooper[/caption]

Alice Cooper- lead vocals

Duane Hitchings- guitar, keyboards

Mike Pinera- guitar

Erik Scott- bass

Danny Johnson- guitar

Craig Krampf- drums

"Special Forces" proves that you can put out a decent album while you're drunk and have no recollection that you did. Now, I  could write the cliched "Imagine what he could have done if he was sober" line but I don't think it really applies here. "Special Forces" was one of those surprise albums that make me ask myself, "Why didn't I listen to this sooner?"

Next post: Blue Oyster Cult- Fire of Unknown Origin

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Great Rock/Metal Albums of 1981: Thin Lizzy- Renegade

There were several artists in the 1970's and early 80's that were hard rock bands but as the latter decade progressed, some people considered them to be heavy metal acts. The next four posts will be dedicated principal artists who fell into this category and some of them accepted being called metal better than others but they all put out albums in 1981. First of these, only because I listed them first, was Thin Lizzy. It's hard to say how they would have reacted to being labeled heavy metal since they broke up in 1983. However, I know a lot of metalheads, especially in the UK, who were heavily into them.

One critic called the 1981 "Renegade" album Thin Lizzy's worst album. Well after listening to it, I have drawn the conclusion that if this is their worst album, I have to hear what he calls their best. I find nothing to dislike about "Renegade." True, I thought the first two tracks, "Angel of Death" and "Renegade" started off a little proggy but the first of those quickly reverted to the more traditional Thin Lizzy sound. The rest of the album carries on sounding like the Thin Lizzy I have grown to love. "The Pressure Will Blow" and "Hollywood (Down On Your Luck)" both carry the trademark sound and in between them is the slightly more bluesier "Leave This Town." Another point this critic made was that there were elements of NWOBHM on the album. I can definitely hear that on the song "No One Told Him" but I say there's nothing wrong with that. With the likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Saxon around at the time, it should come as no surprise that that sound should find it's way into Thin Lizzy's music. I think it sounds good. One song that is noticeably different to the rest is "Fats" which has a pop/lounge act sound reminiscent of the Little River Band. What is prominent on the song is the keyboard skills of Darren Wharton who had been fully included into the band on this album. Still, "Fats" isn't enough to make me agree with the critic's assertion that Thin Lizzy were trying to sound pop. The critic might have said the same thing about "Mexican Blood" although that has a harder sound than "Fats" and that leads to the rocking closer "It's Getting Dangerous." Maybe this critic thought so little of the album because of the drug problems the band members were experiencing at the time and there are occurrences in Lynott's voice that suggest this but at the end of the day, there is nothing I dislike about "Renegade."

Track Listing:

1. Angel of Death

2. Renegade

3. The Pressure Will Blow

4. Leave This Town

5. Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)

6. No One Told Him

7. Fats

8. Mexican Blood

9. It's Getting Dangerous

[caption id="attachment_2326" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Thin Lizzy[/caption]

Phil Lynott- bass, lead vocals

Scott Goram- guitar, backing vocals

Snowy White- guitar, backing vocals

Darren Wharton- keyboards, backing vocals

Brian Downey- drums, percussion

Some people considered Thin Lizzy to be on their way out with this album due to the drug problems and I have to admit, I never listened to "Renegade" until recently because I believed the same. But even with all that, I found that I nearly missed a great album by one of the major bands to influence metal.

Next post: Alice Cooper- Special Forces

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