The esoteric themes of Blue Öyster Cult

One of my favourite things about Blue Öyster Cult is how the group's central "band concept" revolves around his insanely ambitious surrealist cosmic horror mythology that Sandy Pearlman cooked up with some help from Patti Smith and others, drawing upon a wide cultural frame of reference from mediaeval hermetic alchemy over the behind-the-scenes causes of both World Wars to the pulp literature in the H. P. Lovecraft tradition. Figuring out exactly what some of their songs mean, as a result, is a constantly ongoing process that requires learning new information and piecing together some grand terrifying cosmic puzzle.

Well, thanks to a mystically-minded Canadian I befriended on Facebook through a process I'm not yet completely cogisant of, I've come into this blog titled VISUP about the overlap between esoteric politics/religion and popular culture... and it turns out they have done quite a bit of legwork in exegesis regarding BÖC's "black-and-white" trilogy. (their first three studio LPs)

Looks like the rabbit hole goes even deeper than I thought, down through Wicca, the JFK assassination, the Manson Family and the notoriously bizarre Gnostic religious movement known as the Process Church of the Final Judgement. Not terribly surprising to find out that there's a high likelihood Robert Anton Wilson might have been a BÖC fan!

I love BÖC. They definitely have an edge in the lyrics dept. over a great many other bands. Pearlman's concept is an expansive one and I read up a lot on it years ago, but it's probably time for a refresher course!

Is that the album with the Messerschmitt 262 on the cover? I think I have that on vinyl! Not listened to any BOC for twenty years!!!

An overlooked/underrated BÖC album is 1978's Mirrors. (Okay, not really, not if you're a fan!) It boasts "The Great Sun Jester" and "The Vigil" (lyrics by M. Moorcock), Allen Lanier's "In Thee," and a truly wonderful album closer called "Lonely Teardrops."

One of my favorite tracks by the boys.....full of ufo, occult references , religious name, and even a book reference.

ExittheLemming wrote: I'm puzzled by a band like BOC (whose music  I heartily loathe) I can never square what I hear as crassly populist stadium macho grunt swagger/pomp with the sort of lyrical depth and substance alluded to in threads such as this. It's my loss but I do know that a cloak ain't an undergarment...

Edited by dr wu23 - April 22 2014 at 16:15

dr wu23 wrote: ExittheLemming wrote: I'm puzzled by a band like BOC (whose music  I heartily loathe) I can never square what I hear as crassly populist stadium macho grunt swagger/pomp with the sort of lyrical depth and substance alluded to in threads such as this. It's my loss but I do know that a cloak ain't an undergarment...   Heartily loathe...?  Puzzled..?  I kind of feel that way 'bout most of the 'prog (and or hair) metal' bands ("crassly populist stadium macho grunt swagger/pomp)  people here often say they like .....Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, AC/DC, even some Sabbath. But imho BOC is a whole different thing and has always left me smiling after listening to their music....but then ,as is often mentioned here, everyone's taste is different.

Fair comment. I perhaps owe it myself to give BOC another listen.

Through musician friends and family ....it was claimed that Eric Bloom protested on all accounts and stated that the band had no real personal interest in the occult and from the very start. He has spoken freely with confidence that the record company assigned the band to research the occult and further supplying books on the subject for the sole purpose of marketing their music. I have been informed that he rolls his eyes when asked the question....which has been an on going repeated question by fans for decades. 

Edited by TODDLER - April 23 2014 at 18:11

BOC was always one of those bands that I just stayed away from.  Queen was another, lol

Iain, while many BOC songs do stick to the cookie cutter metal approach, they can also produce some inspired, poignant moments.  Especially their guitarist Donald Roeser.  To be very honest, their alleged lyrical complexity doesn't really interest me because it doesn't touch my soul.  But what does is some of Roeser's aching licks. 





Roeser was one of the great rock guitarists; he could keep things simple and still produce very memorable and haunting solos.  And he kept doing this even as rock moved to the Van Halen approach of shredding all over for the guitar solo.