Recent Reviews

April 2024

March 2024

February 2024

January 2024

[ More Music Reviews ]


Blue Oyster Cult: Ghost Stories
Blue Oyster Cult - Ghost Stories Album Art

Blue Oyster Cult: Ghost Stories

Melodic Hard Rock/AOR
4.5/5.0

Website Facebook X
Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 10.04.2024 | Released: 12.04.2024

There are a great many classic hard rock and metal bands that are celebrating 50 years (or more) of music. Journey. KISS. Quiet Riot. Cheap Trick. Deep Purple. Yes. To drop some names. Some are still recording new music and touring to the delight of fans worldwide. Judas Priest just dropped Invincible Shield, then hit the road to support it. Now, we have the return of Blue Oyster Cult and their fifteenth studio album, Ghost Stories.

Blue Oyster Cult - Click For Larger Image

Eric Bloom & Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser

This album, however, is not necessarily a collection of recently written. Rather, as explained by BOC in their press release, it's "a collection of reimagined and newly completed songs ... which were originally recorded between 1978 and 1983, except for one track from 2016, If I Fell. Also included is the only known studio recording of their concert classic Kick Out the Jams (MC5 cover). Some of the material is from sessions workshopping material for an album, some is from performance rehearsals. All were recorded once in the hopes that someday they'd see the light of day." With cooperation from BOC founders Eric Bloom and Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, these songs were de-mixed, re-mixed, and produced by Steve Schenck and Richie Castellano to become Ghost Stories.


Giving this collection a spin and more, the most demanding BOC fan will hear the band's distinct musical style. Notably, versatile melodic hard rock propelled twin guitar harmony, strong song melody, plenty of rock rhythm, expressive guitar solos, and harmonious, lilting, and sometimes haunting vocal arrangements. This formula presents itself with So Supernatural, Don't Come Running To Me, and Cherry. BOC shows their versatility in genres shift with an straight rocker like Late Night Street or the short fusion tune, Soul Jive. Check out Buck Dharma's delicate and spry fret work within. From the beginning, his guitar work has captivated me. While the original material is creative and entertaining, I definitely impressed with the cover songs: The Animals' We Gotta Get Out of This Place, The Beatles' If I Fell, and MC5's Kick Out The Jams. Simply terrific.

All in all, Blue Oyster Cult's Ghost Stories revives and records a collection of their older songs, which came from sessions writing new material as well as rehearsals. The album shows a band in their prime and also constantly and consistently creative. BOC fans should dig it. Recommended.



CraigHartranft.net - New fiction, crime fiction by Craig Hartranft

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.


The Take Away

Blue Oyster Cult's Ghost Stories revives and records a collection of their older songs, which came from sessions writing new material as well as rehearsals. The album shows a band in their prime and also constantly and consistently creative. BOC fans should dig it. Recommended.

Support the artist, click the link below to buy the album in your favorite format.

Purchase Purchase Blue Oyster Cult - Ghost Stories at Amazon
Find A Review

Alphabetical Index

a b c d e f g h i j
k l m n o p q r s t
u v w x y z #
New & Notable
Read the Cruzh: The Jungle Revolution Album Review

Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]

Febraury 2024 Stats
  • Users: 5,129
  • New Users: 4,442
  • Sessions: 10,810
  • Engaged Sessions: 5,917
  • Engagement Rate: 54.74%

    • Source: Google Analytics