Search - Blue Oyster Cult :: Best of

Budget Blue

Robert Huggins | Suburban Philadelphia, PA United States | 05/21/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For a budget CD, this 2006 release from Direct Source Special Products isn't bad. There have been several previous budget collections from the Blue Oyster Cult like On Flame with Rock and Roll, Super Hits, and Don't Fear the Reaper, all of which were issued by Sony/Columbia's budget line. While all of those releases contain original studio recordings made during the band's heyday, these licensed recordings are from a later day lineup of the band when they were recording for CMC International, part of the Sanctuary Records Group. The first half dozen tracks are all performed live and I must say that the band sounds as spirited as ever playing in front of a receptive Chicago audience. Where the CD falters a bit is some of the newer material which, for the most part, doesn't hold up as well as the classic material. To be fair, though, "Stone of Love" has a retro BOC sound and is arguably the best of the four modern era tracks included on this collection.



If you own the BOC releases issued by CMC International, you can pass on this CD. However, if you only know BOC from their classic Columbia recordings of the 70s and wonder what they sound like now, this CD represents a good, inexpensive sampler of the band's more recent output. My rating is closer to *** & 1/2 for "Best of Blue Oyster Cult.""