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Home , Albert Bouchard, Allen Lanier, Andy Shernoff, Charles Giordano, David Johansen, David Was

Morning Final No. 3 HOT AIR THE WORLD OF BY MELNE

Well, surprise material contained G’day mates! It’s the MF Back-to-School issue, so included surprise...When on COE:TMY... here is our obligatory essay, What I Did On My Summer Vacation: we were since only half of Our two week excursion to the East Coast is detailed in the feature told it live mate- article this issue. Our very special thanks go this time to our guest that rial. Come to artist Zeke Roeser, who provided his summer vacation activities for the EE CBS find out now EE cover. Also thanks to Rob Reich and Rick “C.C. Voodoo” Carroll for was releasing CBS is plan- their contributions and Laser Ray for Career Of ning to his photographic skill. TT TT Evil:TMY instead release ETL You’ll note the different, more con- of a CD release of after all, and sistent look in this issue, as we finally LL Extra Terrestrial you can look LL became computerized! What a God- Live, we were left for it to be send! Things should really start shap- wondering about released sometime ing up now: Keeping track of mem- the choice of around November. bership, tapes and videos, and every- thing else will be a lot easier now. (Now I can hardly believe the way I used to assemble this magazine!) The usual plethora of frivolous in- formation is contained here—in case you’re ever invited to a BÖC-version of Trivial Pursuit you’ll have a wealth Hey Joe! Whadaya of information from which to Hey Joe! Whadaya draw....So, get to it and turn the page! Know?Know? Looking for love in all the wrong places Bolle at the Öyster Bar in

The Cult Brothers are, as I write this, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina playing a six-night-stand at a place on the beach called Rock Burger—sink your teeth into that one! They plan to work hard on a lot of new songs, playing new ones every night so that when they return they can go into the studio and start recording a Cult Bros. al- bum! After hearing their demo tape I can hardly wait to hear this col- lection of new songs they have up their sleeves. Motions/ Searchin’ singles For Celine (CBS- 5889), in 1978 Godzilla/Nosferatu bar by Bolle (CBS-6278), in late 1978 We Gotta Get CBS records in Europe differs from other record companies there. Out OF This CBS Sverige (that’s Sweden to you utländers), bought the factory that Place/Kick Out The manufactures records, and positioned it in Holland. From there they Jams (CBS-6760). It could distribute/sell their products at a cheaper price to the Scandi- then took seven years navian market, i.e. Sverige, Danmark and Norge (Norway) and to some before the final CBS release of Dancin’ In The mid-European markets such as Holland itself, Belgium (the French Ruins/Shadow Warrior (CBS A-6962) was re- speaking part, however, got their distribution from France), Österreich leased in December of 1985. Yes I’m dis- (Austria), Helvetia (Switzerland), and Luxemburg. All eight countries all mayed by CBS totally ignoring BÖC during sold the same pressings which read Made In Holland on their sleeves. the releases of Mirrors, Cultösaurus Erectus, Germany kept their own independent pressing plants. Thanks to this we , ETL and Revölution did get a slight but almost indistinguishable difference in look between By Night and finally . Nothing at all the German and Holland issues. The only distinctively different sleeve on the 7” format....can you believe that they is the Goin’ Through the Motions single, on which the picture has a failed to put out Burnin’ For You?!?! One fuller image for the German issue. curious question, How did CBS expect BÖC Pictures show the five different Holland issues and the one German to have any hits when they didn’t put out any singles? Boy am I glad Motions variety. I still think they’re all great about our Cult finally being rid of these ZEROS. sleeves, which keeps me from understand- ing the void of BÖC releases on 45. One thing that bothers me is the lack of promotion on the European scene. During my record collecting life, CBS has put out an enormous amount of singles on their art- ists. For BÖC, there seems to have been a major exception. Overlooking the output, I’m outraged by finding the total over all the years to be only a handful of releases. In 1976, Don’t Fear The Reaper/Tattoo Vampire (CBS- 4483), in 1977 Goin’ Through The JOE'S GARAGE.. ..JOE'S GARAGE The Cult Bros. recorded an excellent demo tape last year in Love’s A Killer, another / song September which includes a selection of original songs and an old was written around the same time Smith and Dunaway were in Billion BÖC tune. Co-produced by Joe and Paul Orofino, whose credits Dollar Babies in 1975-76. Joe re-wrote the for the song in include work with Saraceno, and Jack Bruce, the 1982. This song appears on the Deadringer and it is also tape was recorded at Millbrook Sound Studios in . included here in a much better version by the Cult Bros. This is a very Their tape starts off with Wild Ones, a Dennis Dunaway/ Neal strong song, a ballad, with a great melody hook in the chorus...one of Smith/ composition. This song was originally submitted those songs that stays with you after you’ve heard it only once. The to and demoed by for the Raise Your Fist And Yell vocals are impassioned as is the playing...The guitarworks are flow- album. Unfortunately the song was not chosen for the album, and now ing—the choice of notes played is right on the mark. This song has got to be my favorite, although it does have stiff competition from Wild Ones or the next song, which is: Hot Time In Hell is a helluva lot of fun! A quirky keyboard melody begins the song along with a devilish laugh from Joe. This is a light hearted lyric and a buoyant, untroubled mood (considering the grave situation of the lyrics). In this song Joe’s sounds so much like brother Albert’s it’s amazing! This song shows the humorous side of the band...so to Frank Zappa’s question “Does Humor Belong In Music?” I reply a resounding YES! Jody Gray, a New Haven song- writer (, Ray Charles) and producer (EZO), sent a tape of this song to Joe who liked it immediately and worked up an excellent version of it with the Cult Bros. Gray has completed another collab- oration with Joe called “Deadman Walking” which we’ll hopefully get to hear in the near future! Tattoo Vampire is the last song of their demo, and is the tough- est to judge because of its facing such heavy competition from the best and most powerful version contained on the Agents of Fortune album. Bolle and Joe with their New Kids on the Block bootleg tape collection! Although ’s vocal is unsurpassable, Joe’s delivery gives a new face to the song: that quiet beautiful-but-haunting quality that Alice has found Desmond Child and therefore doesn’t need our guys earmarks songs like Nosferatu and Light Years Of Love. Tattoo stands any more. Wild Ones is an galloping song with freight train rhythm— as one of the heaviest moments for Blue Öyster Cult and the Cult Bros. a real exciting beginning for the tape or for a live show. It conjures up give us a second look to the song—like two suit jackets of the same images of wild west cowboys both musically and vocally. Where was styling—one made of velvet the other of leather. this song in the Young Guns movie? The only problem with this tape is that it ends too soon. The Run To The Sun’s lyric is penned by our favorite man-of- quality of songwriting here is top-notch. Joe has always had a special strange-words R. Meltzer. This lyric was submitted to BÖC at about touch with his compositions, and his band are able to coax a lot of the same time as Burnin’ For You. Once titled Hot Desert Sand, this passion and feeling out of the songs showing a real sincerity lacking was demoed by Joe in 1981 with different music and now finally gets so severely in the music world today. I would like to hear a lot more its chance with a subtle treatment from the Cult Bros. from Joe and the Cult Bros. I THINK I SLEPT WITH JACKIE KENNEDY LAST NIGHT! Imaginos band when the project was still Albert’s solo album. …life with the roaches and the David Roter Method… Appearing on Bambo are Albert (credited as S.W. Underbelly) on drums and vocals; Rigg on ; the Del-Lord’s Manny Caiati on Described by Creem Magazine as an eccentric genius, David bass; Charles Giordano (Buster Poindexter, ), keyboards; Roter is in fact a New York street life comedian-turned-rock’n’roller. Tommy Zvonchek (PiL, BÖC), keyboards; Bruce Brody (ex- As a friend of , David was introduced in the late six- Group), keyboards, Ritchie Flieger (John Cale), and bass; and ties to the Soft White Underbelly. He used them as his back-up band (, Derringer), bass. for a Stony Brook talent show in which he stirred controversy singing Bambo was released in 1987 and was followed by the second lyrics that had potential for starting fistfights and endangering the album, Beauty of the Island in 1989, both on David’s own Unknown well-being of the people on stage. He sat in with SWU a couple of Tongue label. The island to which the title is referring is , times as singer, stealing the job from Les Braunstein, but due to his out- and to fit the concept three songs recur on this LP that were original- rageous material, the boys thought the better of having him on board ly on Bambo. Inspired by the streets of , There is lots full-time. of fun stuff on this record. The masterpiece is the fantastic song by Over time, through his friendship with the Öysters (especially Albert and David called 666 (The Devil’s Got Your Mother). The orig- Albert), he began contributing some of his witty and obscure lyrics to inal version of this song was very Metallic-oid, but unfortunately Blue Öyster Cult, which inspired Albert to compose some theatrical David didn’t care for that so the version contained on Beauty is not which became Joan Crawford and Unknown Tongue. nearly as good as the original Albert version, but it’s still a great song. BÖC recorded three songs from this collaboration, all for In addition to having Albert on drums, this album also has Joe 1980’s Cultösaurus Erectus album—the aforementioned, as well as Bouchard on Keys on a track called I Shot Dr. Krugman (Murray?) one called Il Duce. This third song didn’t make the LP, so although which is a collaboration between David and Andy (Adny) Shernoff, there is no BÖC version available, it is available on LP just the same— once of , now of Manitoba’s Wild Kingdom. From the on an album called Bambo by the David Roter Method. On this LP previous album Rigg, Caiati, Giordano, Zvonchek return, and Tommy you’ll get to hear all three songs and more! Mandel (Dire Straits) is added on keyboards. Bambo was produced by and Jack Rigg David’s first-ever release was the 1979 7” single I Think I Slept (whose credits include a stint with , the Helen Wheels With Jackie Kennedy Last Night/He’s A Rabbi. This is a real rarity, and Band and playing 90% of the guitars on Imaginos). David’s quirky in the Cult trivia department, the bass player on this single (although voice makes the songs sound very humourous, perhaps when even not uncredited) is none other than Andy Winters, original SWU and SFG intended, but after all David’s target audience is dental hygienists and bassist, who played with David until 1980, when the job was taken guidance counselors. over by . Other works from David are two unreleased The songs are very clever throughout. Most of the songs were collaborations with the Del-Lords, Learn to Let Go and Good Foot. written by Rigg and Roter, and Adopt Me, a three way collaboration of Albert and Jack continue to work together, and are both ap- Albert Bouchard, David Roter and R. Meltzer is a real winning com- pearing live with David Roter Method. Sometimes Joe joins them too, bination. Bambo of the title song, is the Rambo of the forest—A a real treat for us undernourished BÖC fans. If you live in the NYC sweet-looking deer with a sneer, an AK-47 and a taste for blood. With metro area, you should make it a point to attend a David Roter the motto “this time the animals are going to win”, Bambo terrorizes Method show, and if you don’t and therefore can’t, you can still enjoy the hunters in the forest, avenging the deaths of all the animals vic- his music by writing directly to David Roter for info on how to acquire timized by the hunter’s sport. his records at the following address: David Roter P.O. Box 20225 Most of the musicians on Bambo are also seen on the credits of Columbus Circle Station New York, NY 10023. the Imaginos album. These are the guys originally slated to be the What I Did on my Summer Vacation

Since Blue Öyster Cult failed to tour the West Coast this year...We decid- to view a videotape of the performance, and that will have to do for now. ed we might as well tour the East Coast and see THEM! Later there was shopping downtown and an outdoor barbeque with the Our journey began with an exceedingly long flight to John F. Kennedy air- whole family, chef Dharma doing the braising duties. port in New York (the world’s most poorly designed airport). There we had Later in the evening, Ron Riddle and his gal, Andrea (no relation to the a surprise (for him) meeting with George Geranios who was just returning song) came to visit and home from Japan with the band Riot. We spent the night at his fabulous loft we caught up on what in , where we met his wife, Joelene and went for some of the best had been happening Chinese food we’ve ever had. since we’d last seen him The next day we set a year ago. out in our hideously The next day we had ugly rent-a-car to the to leave early and head wilds of upstate New back to the city in order York—destination: to catch up with Joe Dharmaville! Bouchard and the Cult Nestled in one of the Bros. With our luggage most picturesque in tow we rode the bus cities we’ve ever had then the subway in 90% the pleasure of being humidity at 85° and ex- in, a happy Buck perienced the true mean- Bolle and Buckaroo Dharma at his home studio greeted and escorted ing of Hot Rails To us to his forest-sur- Hell...We were ‘ridin’ the underground, and swimming in sweat!’ After the Your editors Bolle, left, and Melne, right, with BÖC’s rounded home up in journey to Connecticut we were treated to dinner with Joe and the band, and master of aural manipulation, George Geranios the hills (beyond the their performance. The show was great (see review), and rather than spend chasm). There we the night in Connecticut, we drove back at 4 am to New York in order to enjoyed the hospitality of his wife, Sandra and their two best kids in the avoid their notorious rush hour. world, Danielle, 14 and Zeke, 11. Back to Brooklyn, we set up residence at the loft and were treated to hours A tour of the town and surroundings was in the plan for the evening and more of Blue Öyster Cult history both live and in the studio. This went on for from a scenic overlook we could see the whole valley. We had a nice din- two days until George cried ‘Uncle!’, and we knew then we were family! ner out and were up most the night having a great time with Buck and Sandy, Speaking of Uncles, Uncle Albert gave us a call and invited us to his place which left the next day for delving into some heavy duty BÖC history, and a in the heights of Manhattan. There we had the pleasure of meeting his wife barbecue style! Deborah Frost and their newest addition, “Ace” (16 months old!). Albert has We abducted the star guitarist and forced him to play through boxes of been a busy guy and played us his latest production effort for a band called cassettes that he had stored in his home studio, things Buck hadn’t heard for Heads Up, a /thrash band on Road Runner Records. They sound a lot years, and we had never heard. All those rumoured songs that never made like a Metallic-oid Chili Peppers. This disc should be available by the time the now became a reality, as well as hearing some recent things Buck you read this, and is quite good. had been working on. Unfortunately for us it was the weekend before we Albert has also been writing and recording songs of his own with Deborah arrived that The Red and The Black played a show nearby, but we were able over the past few years, and there is a full catalog of at least twenty excellent To visit the East Coast branch of the Museum of Cult we ventured to the MCA Records building in Midtown Manhattan to the office of Steven L. Schenck, where he proceeded to give us all his unwanted BÖC paperworks, rather than throw them away and add to the world environmental crisis. We riffled through BÖC works old and new, discovering things like ’s hand-written lyric to Black Blade, and unused Meltzer lyrics, old press kits and pictures of the group. We made Steve open up boxes he’d not seen the contents of for years, exposing him to the risk of mold and mildew. We also acquired some information like tour itineraries and gig guides, old backstage laminates and other stickers and Ace was very helpful in selecting tapes for Albert and Bolle fun things fans like us find a lot of enjoyment in, and guys like Steve ones still left to be heard by the rest of the world. One of these songs find taking up space. We man- escaped Albert’s computer and fell into the hands of Joe. So, When You’re Cult Central with Steven L. Schenck aged to keep Steve from accom- In You’re In surfaced on the Deadringer album. Albert is a fantastic story- plishing anything for the rest of teller and historian on BÖC matters and he the afternoon, and even made him stay late so we could covertly xerox his clarified the majority of our puzzles on the paperworks on the MCA house xerox machine. band and their musics. After a great after- We met up with Joe again right before he and the Cult Bros. left for Ken- noon, the Bouchards gave us a ride back to tucky for a short tour. After breakfasting with Joe we helped the guys load Brooklyn and we had a fantastic meal with up their van and saw them off, but not before raiding guitarist Billy Hilfiger’s Joelene overlooking the Brooklyn and maga- Manhattan Bridges and the Wall Street dis- and trict. forcing We also had a day in town visiting with him to Eric Bloom, who introduced us to WOW! a give us new product for rock and rollers or anyone some who needs an energy boost, which he tapes. endorses along with a vitamin supplement. Ending Lunch with Eric informed us of his possible our trip involvement with the next Dragoncon con- out of vention (see last issue), and his continuing Brooklyn, songwriting efforts. We also learned that he we spent had recorded three commercials for radio, our last including a Catch That Pepsi Spirit commer- L-R are Andy Hilfiger, Bolle, Jimmy Cacala and Joe Bouchard readying day with Bloom-san and Melne see cial. Columbus Circle to rock on tour fan club CDs On Flame?

Like the ebbing flames of the cover art, On Flame With Rock And Roll (CBS Special Products A21566), is anything but. It seems the flames have died quite a bit since release of A Career of Evil: The Metal Years earlier this year. Will the cover of CBS’ next after-the- fact BÖC release have a picture of a pile of spent embers in the shape of the logo? The cover is only the beginning...in fact it’s a cheapo release not unlike the cassettes you pick up at 7-11, so what are they trying to sell us this time? Ten songs at almost a buck apiece. This CD offers the four Joe, Melne and Billy Hilfiger in NYC biggest hits (Don’t Fear The Reaper, Godzilla, Burnin’ For You, and Cities On Flame) plus a somewhat confusing selection of other songs member and MF contributor Rick “C.C. Voodoo” Carroll in Roselle Park, that must be somebody’s personal choice, because this guy has about New Jersey, playing pinball and drinking beer (Bolle only), and recounting our tales. as much on the ball as did his predecessor who put together only guy we failed to meet up with was Mr. Lanier and his wife Dory, insipid Career Of Evil:TMY. At least on this release they managed to who we couldn’t reach until the day before they were to leave on tour, leav- include the title song, and in fact even offer the missing title song, ing no time for visiting. Next Time, La Verne..... Career of Evil, from the last CD they put together. Transmaniacon M C is a great choice here but what does Death Valley Nights have to offer the looks of this cover art or the title? isn’t the best choice from Some Enchanted Evening, and it’s a distracting addition being the only live track on the disc. If there had to be a live cut from SEE, its version of R. U. Ready to Rock is the superior version of that song, and could have been chosen instead of the version from Spectres. Rotten eggs and tomatoes go to Ely Besalel for the incompe- tence in design and neglecting to install the umlaut, ignoring the dif- ference between Blue Oyster Cult and Blue Öyster Cult— an unfor- givable blasphemy. Next time CBS puts out anything on BÖC in this manner, it would be nice if they would at least consult someone who knows and And there was cares about the band instead of giving it to somebody as homework. NO SIGN of ALLEN If people are supposed to learn from their mistakes, then what’s the LANIER ANYWHERE! matter with the bozos at CBS? COVERTCOVERT COVERTCOVERT

CULTCULT by Bolle CULTCULT “We made two albums for Elektra Records before becom- Ragamuffin holds a forceful uptempo beat with a middle-eight ing BÖC, but Jac Holzman, president of Elektra, hated the results, so instrumental section in the same vein as The Subhuman, with loosely they never came out.” That is the story of the two legendary unreleased LPs our boys knitted guitar licks from Buck, ending the tune in a Beatlesque way. recorded in the late sixties. After this we’re treated to vocals by Buck singing Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy. Another This is the issue of the missing albums of the Soft White Underbelly and The Stalk- Meltzer penned song...music by Prince Omega. A song about lying on your bed and Forrest Group. Almost every interview or article had questions about these albums, but dreaming away about whatever... Musically, it is a galloping feel just like Before The never did you get any details about them. I’m going to put an end to this mystery, first Kiss, but it’s interrupted by the break of your typical flower power music treated in its dealing with St. Cecilia, the Stalk-Forrest Group LP of 1970. best by the ever fluent Buck. The band always refer to this as their “California album”, recorded February through Arthur Comics, easily the best known song of this whole album was released as a May 1970 in California. Their enjoyment of the different winter climate contributed to single, and is available on a couple of Elektra compilation albums (The four-LP the result on record, and the album, had it come out, would have been considered a Elektrock for one). It even had some airplay and BÖC played it in 1980 at a couple milestone of progressive psychedelic acid rock. It holds all the right ingredients for shows during the tour on nights when didn’t show up. being one of the best American albums of 1970. This song was originally recorded by Soft White Underbelly, with Les Braunstein Production credits went to a guy named Jay Lee, but Sandy Pearlman really pro- singing it, but, hey Buck’s presentation blows him away by miles. A boogie tune shuffle duced the album, in fact, Jay Lee wasn’t even at most of the sessions anyway. The with excellent band performance. The Meltzer lyric are as always weird, about some album was recorded at Elektra Sound West Studios in Los Angeles. comics that don’t exist and tell of the Mustard Disaster: spilling it over the paper and it In the early days, the most prolific of the was Albert Bouchard, he wrote creates a truer vision of Archie Bell. 90% of all their music. The remainder of the album’s proposed tracks were written by Curse of the Hidden Mirrors a song that rumor has BÖC tried to re-record for inclu- . 80% of the lyrics were written by and Sandy Pearlman sion on , well, true or not, the song is yet another sample of was responsible for the rest. Had the album been pressed, the credits would have read Meltzer/Bouchard stuff with a fast beat and a neat melody line. Jessie sings about the as follows: Buck Dharma-Lead Guitar and Vocals; Jesse Python-Lead Vocals and Guitar; mirror that confuses its viewer by delivering a mental riddle about the possibilities of La Verne-Keyboards and Guitar; Prince Omega-Drums; and Andy Winters-Bass (Sandy what could be seen in mirrors. Save them for the dust and rust and bugs in some crum- did never come up with a name that Andy liked). my old carpet in the closet. There seems to be no final track listing for how the album was planned, and also What is Quicksand? Indeed a mental thought about life in general from Meltzer. some confusing issues on the amount of tracks to be on vinyl. The following nine songs Allen wrote the score for the song. It was the actual A-side of the promo-only single were recorded around the same time—and some of these songs might not have been that Elektra released in 1970 for 200 radio stations. (Elektra EKM-45693) A mid tempo intended for the album, but no one remembers in detail, so here is a rundown of the song with great vocals from Jesse. Stalk-Forrest Group’s known recordings. Sir Rastus Bear was next, the song about Henry Farcas’ dog, Sir Rastus who was, in I’m On The Lamb, But I Ain’t No Sheep is a 2:52 shorty version without the tag-end- fact, redeemed by a country song after he had thrown into a cell after biting someone ing that later became the Red And The Black riff. For those who wondered where perhaps? This song was recorded after the California sessions and after the album was those extra lyrics “My Cousin Rarin” and “Lovely Bel Punice” were that were included finished. Andy had left by then and Joe had just joined the band. As you know, this in the old computer-lyrics, you’d find them sung here. This track was recorded in New song appeared on the first BÖC album—the exact same track. York at Elektra Studios there almost six months before the rest of these sessions. This Last on the album is the theme song St. Cecilia. Sandy Pearlman wrote about the was the only song recorded at the time because the engineer/producer Dennis Murphy patron saint of music in her native Italia, where she lived in between Rome and Padua, was fired and recording wasn’t resumed until six months later in California. or Roma e Padova for you Italians. Albert and Andy Winters co-wrote the music. It’s Gil Blanco County is the original Country-ish song I wrote about in the Imaginos an epic sounding 7-minute song with lots of free space for psychedelic playing from saga (MF 1), but here we have the full uptempo version and that great ending section Buck. It concluded the album and it’s the only song I know is in its right place here at which was incorporated into the live version of The Reaper. the end of the LP, So these are the seven songs most tape collectors have, sans Sir Ragamuffin Dumpling, a Meltzer/Bouchard piece is a very acidy lyric filled with Rastus Bear and Dennis Murphy’s Lamb. And that is one side of Unheard Cult music. experiences of life and contradictions, and scattered thought patterns. Musically, Next time we’ll look at Soft White Underbelly. CULT CREW CRASHES CON- NECTICUT: Joe's Jovial Jammin' KULT KREW CONTINUED… While on our East Coast tour, I made a special trip to “Someville” gie that really kicks live. in Connecticut outside of New Haven (all the little towns in the East seem Hearing Joe sing his versions of the Cult songs is one of the more to be called something-ville...usually after the town founder’s name—his fun aspects of the band. Most of the tunes are sung by Joe, with both 15 minutes of fame). The purpose of this excursion? To see the Cult Billy and Andy singing back-up vocals. Billy and Andy get their chance Bros. and their sister band, Crystal Ship, (a tribute to the Doors), before to sing as well, with Billy singing lead on Last Days of May, and Andy the first leg of their summer tour. I was the band’s special guest of hon- singing You’re Not The One. They also play ETI, Astronomy (the old our, and it was a fabulous experience to meet these happy chaps and way), Burning for You, Cities on Flame, and Godzilla. Sometimes they watch them play the music I know so well. throw in Love’s a Killer, one of Joe’s Deadringer songs, or covers of songs The two bands often play double bills for this very logical rea- by The Stones or Alice Cooper Group. But this night it was strictly BÖC son: Crystal Ship and The Cult Bros are the same band except Crystal and Cult Brothers tunes. They played about one hour and ten minutes, Ship adds a different vocalist! The Cult Bros. are Joe Bouchard, of encoring with The Reaper to a pleased bunch of people. course, on keyboards, guitar and vocals; ex-King Flux members Billy The only sad aspect is the lack of Joe’s songs from BÖC. I’d love Hilfiger on lead guitar and brother Andy Hilfiger on Bass; and spunky to hear these guys play my favorite Joe compositions: Moon Crazy, Jimmy Cacala on drums. Crystal Ship adds vocalist Joe Tag as their Jim Wings Wetted Down, Screams, Nosferatu, Light Years Of Love, Fallen Morrison. Angel, and most of all Vengeance (The Pact). The way things are, how- I met up with Billy Hilfiger outside his place in NYC, and rode ever, they are almost forced by contract to stick to the regular old Extra with him in his van to the venue. A shabby bar it was indeed, with the Terrestrial Live set. Nevertheless, their show works hard and moves you worst of house crew people. Their sound man was not only drunk and along in a most happy atmosphere. obnoxious, but didn’t have a clue about doing sound. However, the Next time I see this band I hope they get to play a more happen- band is so professional that they can handle this type of treatment from ing place, because they really deserve to. You could look far and wide clubs like these. and not find a happier group of guys in a band than the Cult Bros... Like Not too many people showed up that night, and with a club like Bill and Ted say, Party On Dudes! that I can see why! A couple of hardcore BÖC and Joe fans showed up to get their rocks off...And did they? You Bet! The band opened up with Stairway to the Stars with Jimmy “Joe’s Drummer” Cacala taking charge of the rhythms and quick- ly setting the pace for the rest of the evening’s show, by proving who’s the boss! Although no Buck Dharma, Billy handles his axe in a most relaxed and convincing manner, adding his persona into the music. Andy Hilfiger does a bunch of twisting things on the bass, he doesn’t play like Joe, he plays like Andy because Joe plays like Joe, only on keyboards instead of bass, with all those Ray Manzarek tricks incorporated into his style. They jumped next into one of their originals, Wild Ones, which impressed me a lot. They continued on with R U Ready 2 Rock, followed by Dr. Music. Joe wrote this song, and now he gets to sing it! Hot time in Hell, another of their quality originals is a great shuffle/up-tempo boo- G'day mates! Jimmy Cacala's Undies appear briefly from "down under" Away and the always well-received and per- formed Flaming Telepa- ths and Last Days of May. Burnin‘ came late in the set along with the standard Godzilla and DFTR. The encore left ev- eryone drained with searing versions of ME 262 and The Red And The Black to close the Blue Öyster Cult show. The show ran over 90 minutes with Live 1990! the audience very much Spring Valley, NY into the show. August 9 The band were as by Rick C.C. Voodoo Carroll usual super tight and in photos by Laser Ray contact with one anoth- er, Buck Dharma’s gui- OK, for this one you’ll tar work still as mesmer- have to use your imagination. izing and exact as ever. Picture yourself...not reading Allen’s keyboard play- this review but front of an ing really hit the mark empty stage in a club. The Buck’s secret fetish — Laptop Steel? and the Flaming lights go down and opening Telepaths solo deserves music is pumped through the a high commendation. The bass/drums PA, five silhouettes take their combination packed a punch as the low instruments, the lights come end shook the venue. Eric Bloom’s vocals up and Blue Öyster Cult rips were strong along with his guitar work. He into Stairway to the Stars. was also very in touch with the audience— That is what it looked He teased us with, “What should we play like on this humid summer night. Unfortunately the club was not as next? Screams? (a few notes played) Foot? packed as it should have been and a lot of people missed a great show. It (a few notes played) or how about Teen was pretty much a standard BÖC extravaganza, missing a few songs (but Archer?” Even though none of these were not missed too much) with an added two rare surprises. In this new set played I was not sorry I was there. Alas we find Joan Crawford, Born to Be Wild and Roadhouse Blues have been another great show came to an end. Hey retired and instead we are pummeled with Career of Evil and sliced by when will you guys be back? Black Blade. We still heard ETI, Dominance, Buck’s Boogie, Take Me Eric and son, Jeremy