Blue Öyster Cult - Spectres: Legacy Edition / Some Enchanted Evening: Legacy Edition

US rockers’ sixth studio effort, plus 30-year-old live set

The 30th anniversary version of B�C’s Spectres adds four unissued cuts in the shape of a mainly instrumental Night Flyer (akin to the Doors-like gothic-psych of the haunting Nosferatu), the stabbing organ of M For Murder, the swaggering Please Hold and the hissy doo wop of Be My Baby (with standout Bloom vocal). In truth, while the album has its classics, such as the opening Godzilla and pre-Cult a cappella of Golden Age Of Leather, much of the remainder is middling fare, with piano rocker R U Ready 2 Rock fizzling out in its original guise.

It’s a different prospect in concert, and 1978’s seven-song set is here bolstered by seven additions. Among the mainstays, said R U Ready 2 Rock does rock, ETI (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) has a thumping beat and catchy riffing, and the fleshed-out might of Godzilla is topped only by the ever-fresh Don’t Fear The Reaper. Of the add-ons, a clapalong Harvester Of Eyes leads into a tinny Hot Rails To Hell, before several other cuts wig out into extended jams. No wonder they were kicked out!

3 stars 3 stars 3 stars

SonyBMG | 82796964082 / 82876752042

Reviewed by Tim Jones
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