There are some perfectly reasonable people who think this is a great album—a great heavy metal album, even. Which proves once and for all that reason is a ruse. Maybe you love Agents of Fortune. Maybe you even think it’s one of the greatest heavy metal albums ever made. But you don’t really think that, you feel it, and feelings are irrational: an accidental association with a fond memory, a certain chord progression that resonates with your internal mechanics, a knee-jerk reaction to good taste. Don’t misunderstand me: I envy you your good fortune in hearing the apocalypse played out in these songs. But heavy metal? Only if you imagine Black Sabbath’s tour bus colliding with Jefferson Starship’s tour bus. Agents of Fortune does contain one of the greatest rock songs of all time, (Don’t Fear) The Reaper. Or should I say the greatest rock song out of time, as it feels like something from the 1960s plucked pristine from a time capsule. The rest of the songs are vaguely sinister: E.T.I. (think Aerosmith after watching too many sci-fi films), Tattoo Vampire (a raver worthy of Queen’s Roger Taylor), and numbers that are often spooky but rarely scary. Most great bands give you something to believe in. BÖC gives you something harder to pin down. They’re committed to being noncommittal: Cthulhu cultists with a soft spot for the Beach Boys, no steady lead singer, a revolving door of guest writers. In serving no master, they serve all masters. Maybe that’s where BÖC’s greatness lies: in the spark of chaos, the delicious uncertainty of what comes next, the strange conviction among their fans that all of this adds up to something. Maybe they’re right. Maybe greatness is simply human beings putting a name on the nameless. I prefer to leave this music nameless, unjudged, its fate forever undecided.
A1. This Ain’t the Summer of Love (Murray Krugman/Albert Bouchard/Don Waller) (2:20)
A2. True Confessions (Allen Lanier) (2:55)
A3. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper (Donald Roeser) (5:05)
A4. E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) (Donald Roeser/Sandy Pearlman) (3:43)
A5. The Revenge of Vera Gemini (Albert Bouchard/Patti Smith) (3:48)
B1. Sinful Love (Albert Bouchard/Helen Robbins) (3:28)
B2. Tattoo Vampire (Albert Bouchard/Helen Robbins) (2:40)
B3. Morning Final (Joe Bouchard) (4:14)
B4. Tenderloin (Allen Lanier) (3:53
B5. Debbie Denise (Albert Bouchard/Patti Smith) (4:12)
Arranged by Cult.
CD reissue bonus tracks
11. Fire of Unknown Origin
12. Sally
13. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper (demo)
14. Dance the Night Away
Original 8-track version
A1. This Ain’t the Summer of Love
A2. True Confessions
A3. E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)
B1. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
B2. The Revenge of Vera Gemini
C1. Tattoo Vampire
C2. Morning Final
C3. Tenderloin (part I)
D1. Tenderloin (conclusion)
D2. Sinful Love
D3. Debbie Denise
Eric Bloom (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion), Albert Bouchard (drums, vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion, harmonica), Joe Bouchard (bass, vocals, piano), Allen Lanier (keyboards, vocals, guitar, bass), Donald (Buck Dharma) Roeser (guitar, vocals, synthesizer, percussion) with Michael Brecker (horns), Randy Brecker (horns), Patti Smith (vocals on A5). Produced by Murray Krugman, Sandy Pearlman and David Lucas; engineered by Andy Abrams, Shelley Yakus.
Cover painting by Lynn Curlee. Album design by John Berg and Andy Engel. Photography by Columbia Records.
Released on elpee and 8-track on May 21, 1976 in the US (Columbia, PC/PCA 34164), the UK and the Netherlands (CBS, S81835), Canada (CBS, KC 34164) and Japan (CBS/Sony, 25AP-109) with gatefold cover. Reached #29 on the US charts (RIAA-certified platinum record) and #26 on the UK charts.