Posted: 10/7/02

A Long Day's Night is Blue Oyster Cult's first live album since 1982's Extraterrestrial Live, and their third overall. The release of the cd also marks the band's 30th anniversary. The thirteen-track recording was captured live at the Skyline Stage at the Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois on June 21, 2002. The songs are culled from the span of their career, from their 1972 self-titled debut ("Stairway To The Stars"), to their undervalued 1986 album Club Ninja ("Perfect Water"), to their most recent studio recording, Curse Of The Hidden Mirror ("Dance On Stilts"). The classics are here for those that only know "Burnin' For You," "Godzilla," and "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," and the diehards will be pleased to see a rarity like Cultosaurus Erectus' "Lips In The Hills," which dates back to 1980. A more recent treasure is the Buck vocalized "Harvest Moon," from 1998's Heaven Forbid.  A Long Day's Night doesn't come off as heavy as Extraterrestrial Live did because songs like "Dominance And Submission," "Joan Crawford," and "Black Blade" are missing. This, along with the absence of songs from 1981's Fire Of Unknown Origin (aside from "Burnin' For You"), are the only negatives for me.

The Bloody Truth: One of the elements that still makes BOC so interesting and original is their mix of heavy rock with Allen Lanier's keys, something that no new band does today. Original members Donald 'Buck Dharma' Roeser (lead vocals/lead guitar), Eric Bloom (lead vocals/guitar), and Lanier (keyboards/guitar), and more recent members Danny Miranda (bass) and Bobby Rondinelli (drums) are all in fine form, displaying that BOC has as much punch today as they did in their heyday. Few bands are as tight as these guys, and Buck Dharma is certainly one of rock's greatest guitarists. How come we never hear about what a 'Guitar God' this man is? Keep your eye out for a companion DVD/VHS featuring a bunch more tracks that were not included on this cd. Here's to another 30 years of BOC!