SPECTRES

After their commercial breakthrough, Agents of Fortune, BÖC decide to stick with the same formula, leaning away from their heavy metal roots and towards pop. The results are, I suppose, predictable. What we have here is Agents of Fortune part 2, with few significant differences from its predecessor. Once again we have a major radio hit, the (admittedly fantastic) album opener Godzilla. But after that, the album just falls apart. The Golden Age of Leather? Searchin' For Celine? R U Ready 2 Rock? All forgettable nonsense. I Love The Night is rather a nice little tale of morbidity, and Fireworks is kinda cool, but I find it taxing to listen to the whole album at a stretch. Only recommended if you liked Agents of Fortune a lot.

"History shows again and again how nature points up the folly of man!"

2nd quote: "The Golden Age of Leather may well be over, but the Golden Age of the Blue Öyster Cult is just beginning. They're as beautiful as a foot"  - Richard Riegel, Creem

With their fifth studio album to date, Blue Oyster Cult follow the footsteps of their top selling record Agents of Fortunes. Their so called "black and white period" is definitely gone but some sparkling moments are still here, together with the more commercial rock vein upon which all the ten tracks are builded up.

That's obviously the case of the funny opener "Godzilla" (penned by guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser) and for the Lanier's tune "Searchin' for Celine" that reminds me, a little, of "True Confessions" featured in the previous album. On the other hand other songs are particularly interesting even though without the grandeur of their classic repertoire. The mighty "The Golden Age of Leather" and the fantastic "spectral" closer number by Joe Bouchard titled "Nosferatu". Two great tracks in the best Cult tradition. Other highlights are the soft "nocturnal" "I Love the Night" and "Fireworks". Worthy of special mention "Going Through the Motions" co-written by Eric Bloom and ex Mott the Hoople Ian Hunter.

Not enough to make of this album a beauty for prog listeners but a must have for fans like me who generally describe this work as one of their best at all.

Here comes the same old problem with the "prog related" entries. Everybody expects to listen to prog, and a very good rocking album (like this one) ends up being much underrated because it doesn't sound like that. The Blue Oyster Cult are normally protagonist in heavy metal sites and forums, widely considered hard rock heroes. Of course their metaphisical and well-educated experimental hard rock appeals to many prog listeners (and shares more than a point with prog rock), but please, don't forget what B.O.C. really are! "Spectres" is not their masterpiece, yet it's still quite an enjoyable album, in my opinion even superior to "Agents of Fortune", straighter but also harder (take that "monster" riff of Godzilla, or the light-spirited R.U. Ready 2 Rock, a very simple piece, but also more aggressive than the stuff on "Agents..."). "Death Valley Nights" and "Fireworks" wouldn't be out of place in their masterpiece "Secret Treaties", reviving that kind of on-the-road epic and melodic mastery typical of the band. There's also a little room for nostalgy (Goin' through the motions) and the emerging arena rock - A.O.R. scene (the charming "Celestial the Queen"). And finally, I can't help considering "I love the night" and "Nosferatu" two real masterstrokes: wonderful melodies and perfect arrangements for the first one, a real film without images the second one. Come on, let's say this is a pretty good rock album!

BOC was a great band that never truly lived up to its potential. This album is the best example of that.

Growing up, this album seemed to always be on my turntable, but returning to it many years later, I find it to be a mixed bag. Showcasing some of their strengths , 'Spectres' seldom lives up to the potential that they had shown in their "black and white" days. Most of the problem can certainly be attributed to the huge popularity of '(Don't Fear) The Reaper', which catapulted them into megastardom. This album really feels as if they were under the gun to get another commercial release out, and it was clearly written with "hit single" in mind (interestingly, their vision of a hit single is so far of the mark, its laughable. Can anyone imagine 'RU Ready To Rock' or 'Fireworks' making it to a top 40 station).

Looking at its strengths, this album features what is surely one of BOC's best moments, the riff heavy monster homage 'Godzilla.' This song still packs a punch and is great fun to listen to. 'I Love The Night' is both dark and gorgeous, very fitting to their tradition. 'Searcin' for Celine,''Fireworks,' and Goin' Through The Motions' are all good entries, certainly not essential, but very enjoyable. I think the thing that is often overlooked by casual listeners is BOC's wicked sense of humor, and the multi-talented individuals that were involved in the band. Looking at the songwriting credits through the years you see that they all had a hand in shaping the sound, often using different singers on the tracks. You are definetly listening to a full band at work.

However, it is the sheer number of different ideas and sound that send this off the rails. There is no continuity to the album, and the weak tracks are weak. 'Golden Age Of Leather,' often cited as a fan favorite, sounds disjointed and unfinished, meekly coming to a close. 'Death Valley Nights' is a good song wrecked by off key vocals, and 'Nosferatu' is so unmemorable that I listened to it thirty minutes ago and cannot form the tune in my head at all.

For fans only.

After a huge commercial success it's hard to not stay commercial.

While definately not the same caliber of their former work the BOC are still a capable sounding band with this release. However, this is a softer sounding album, definately less heavy and more produced. The result is mixed, leaving some very good material mixed in with some more or less average tracks. In the end it's the slower, more thought out tracks that dominate the record, but others are worth mentioning as well.

The album starts out on a good note, GODZILLA is a good grinding track with a nice heavy riff. Moving on we get to the very well done GOLDEN AGE OF LEATHER, which, in all honesty, would be a better song without that horrendous intro. Anyways, it's a song with good progression and a nice instrumental breakdown. Next on the dockett is one of the album standouts, the haunting DEATH VALLY NIGHTS, which is a great track, a bit on the slow side, but after a few listens you can definately get into it. The next track worth mentioning is the all-too-short FIREWORKS, showcasing some exceptional vocals. Afterwords we come to the definately commercial R. U. READY 2 ROCK, which, besides annoying me by spelling the name like that, is a decent track, with no real high or low points. A couple more tracks pass that sound like the band is simply going through the motions until we reach the next standout, the exceptional I LOVE THE NIGHT. This is easily the best song on the album characterized by everything that made DEATH VALLEY... good, but, well, better.

When it comes right down to it this may have been where the BOC started their decline, but it is still a good album worth listening to, but definately not their best. 3 Stars, good, but not essential.

Well, when you are on a prog-related page and reviewing an album made by a hard rock band in the peak of their commercial success, you ought to know it won't be too proggy. :P So, if you approach this album with reasonable expectations, you will be pleasantly surprised for there is very strong material on here. As paolo noted, this is actually better than Agents of Fortune as here, the transition to a softer and more accessible sound is complete and the band sounds more assured.

The result is THE alltime best Blue Oyster Cult song - I love the night, better than even Astronomy, I say. Yes, it's a very radio-friendly ballad, but I am sure many highly revered prog exponents would love to have written such a simple but haunting creation of music. What's more, it is sandwiched between the other two best tracks of the album - Going through the motions and Nosferatu. Top this off with the radio hit Godzilla and Death Valley Nights, you really have some of the Cult's best material on a platter.

Unfortunately, Spectres is a flawed masterpiece and where it falters is in losing momentum from Searching for Celine through to Celestial the Queen. This clutch of four tracks is merely decent and does nothing to keep you interested. And, the golden rule of mainstream rock, never load all your best material at the front or the back, which is precisely what BOC end up doing here, leaving the middle rather thin and unsatisfying. Another thing I must note is the vocals are frequently weak, even going offkey repeatedly, in this album, which is surprising, considering how strongly I Love the night is rendered.

All in all, if you don't exactly expect Abbey Road to sound like Brain Salad Surgery, this should be just fine...very accessible, very much rock-based, but still very good.

3.70

I feelts i hade to write a rewieve to suport this album that i like very much seeing how low the rating is. This might be my second favorite BÖC album after Agents of fortunes, yes i am well awere of the 3 black and white period albums and they are all great, but i somehow prefere thise 2 albums. Somehow this album have got a reputaion of being weak and soft, and yes maybe its softer then the older albums and they are becoming more radio freindly but i dont realy cear when the song writing is still briliant. In my opinion there not one singel weak track here all of em have strong melody and great singing and playing yust like on Agents almost every band member contributes songs to the album and it adds much to diversity something the black and white period lacked a litle i think becaus yust as the album covers wher all black and white the music allso feelt a bit colorles on thos albums, something that changed with agents, So most of the song here are stright pop/rock song but some like the ending Nosferatu have its progmoments and the openig Godzila rocks yust as hard as anything they did before. So if you like good rock with small tuches of prog this will not dissapoint you and the song writing is excelent. 4.5 stars.

Another rare member of the Spectres fan club here, probably my most played BOC album. I prefer this to their 'black and white' albums which have some great material but suffer from a rather thin and tinny-sounding production. Spectres has more of an AOR sheen than earlier efforts, but is a long way from REO Speedwagon. The are still plenty of offbeat lyrics such as Golden Age of Leather and Godzilla, and Nosferatu should be a progger's delight with mellotrons and a blazing guitar solo. It's pretty consistent all the way through and there isn't a really duff track, though some might find RU Ready To Rock a bit generic. Searchin' for Celine - with more great Buck Dharma guitar work - Fireworks, I Love the Night and Death Valley Nights are all memorable and melodic. Maybe it's the lack of 'heaviness' that a lot of people don't like about this album.

Much in the same vein as its predecessor, "Agents of Fortune", "Spectres" is however a much more consistent album in terms of songwriting. Though most of the compositions here could be superficially classed as AOR, they are solid, well-played tunes which will often stick in your mind for a long time. As other reviewers have already pointed out, the prog quotient is somewhat scarce, while the dictates of radio appeal seem to prevail. On the other hand, the songs possess for the most part a kind of sophistication that makes them interesting, even if not as challenging as, for instance, "7 Screamin' Dizbusters" or "Astronomy".

Though BOC can (and do) rock hard, they can also do melody as well as more celebrated bands. This is a constant of their output - the finely-crafted balance between melody, accessibility and full-on aggression. I find that particularly evident on "Spectres" - with the 'harder' side represented by two very different songs such as the fittingly crushing mid-tempo of opener "Godzilla", or the catchy, fast-paced "R U Ready to Rock?"; and the softer side by wistful, autumnal tracks such as "Fireworks" or "I Love the Night". The more radio-friendly direction taken by the band is instead embodied by pleasant, but ultimately forgettable songs like "Goin' Through the Motions" (co-written with legendary British songwriter Ian Hunter, formerly of Mott the Hoople), or "Death Valley Nights". However, it must also be said that BOC's take on AOR is quite unlike that of other, well-known US bands. Even when their songs are definitely easy on the ear, they always have a certain elegance about them that rescues them from descending into cheesiness.

The album's true highlights are to be found in two rather different compositions. "The Golden Age of Leather", an epic biker tale of heroism and death, boasts a very distinctive structure - a solemn, anthemic, a cappella introduction, followed by a series of time signature shifts culminating in a beautiful, haunting chorus. Album closer "Nosferatu" is instead a slow, dark, nocturnal tune, featuring that old mainstay of progressive rock, the mighty Mellotron.

As I have also stated in my "Agents of Fortune" review, there is little or no connection to prog to be found in this album - which doesn't mean it cannot be enjoyed by prog fans, especially if they keep their minds (and ears) open. Though "Spectres" is no masterpiece, it does have more than its share of good points, and is definitely a more cohesive effort than its predecessor. It is also a very pleasant listen for those days when 20-minute-long epics simply won't do. A solid 3.5 stars.

After the large sales of AOF BOC launches another good album SPECTRES; similar to AOF, but with a darker style, ghostly, mystical, making this album somewhat authentic in the sense of composition in music. Godzilla Become quickly along with the reaper the popular songs in the band, but beyond the song of Godzilla we find compositions that will remain etched in the history of this incredible band. Spectres for me is the best album in the history of BOC, just with songs like - Golden age of leather (an epic song from the start, brilliant in all the senses, and some incredible melodic solos - I love the night (in where the style is evident dark, mystical and special, a song that makes travel between the passion and sadness) - Nosferatu (starting obscurely, with an incredible Melotron, some piano macabre, speaking of the devil itself, doing a song really interesting and deep, with excellent rhythm and guitar solo.

Specters For me is the essence of BOC over the years, where their sound captivate every part of my Body, where harmony and musical elements are all partakers of almost a masterpiece. another piece to Descat is Searching for celine and Death Valley nigths. (great chorus).

4.5 stars

Little by little, the quality of the BÖC albums is decreasing: from a peak with ''Secret Treaties'', the drop was obvious with ''Agent Of Fortune'' but not in terms of sales which probably led the band to some sort of willingness to re-create a copy of their previous album.

The overall mood is at times AOR-ish and can't move me at all (''Godzilla''). Fortunately, some very good hard-rocking tunes are also available: my fave from this work is by no doubt ''Golden Age Of Leather''. Although it holds all the archetypes and clichés of the genres, it is a very pleasant upbeat rock song with some fine vocals and a strong rhythmic all the way through.

The band is much more pop oriented and quieter now which sounds as an heresy in ''77 (''Fireworks', ''Goin' Through The Motions'' the poorest track from this offering IMO). They could have gone wilder and crazier instead, but they decided to head for another direction. Too bad.This leads to a rock ballad in the vein of ''Death Valley Nights''. It sounds as an average Alice Cooper tune.

But this is still OK though when compared to the funky ''Searchin' For Celine'' which is not at all my cup of tea. The New York Dolls oriented ''R.U. Ready 2 Rock'' is a funny and good old rocking track, which is fine after such a poor number.

There aren't no real great songs to be found here. Not too many blunders either would you say (although ''Celestial Queen'' does belong to this description as far as I'm concerned). But was this really what was expected from the band: a middle of the road rock album? I guess not. This album is fully radio formatted with most of the songs clocking under four minutes and the syrupy ballad ''I Love The Night'' is not truly thrilling to say the least.

I don't like this album very much to be honest. Too soft, too average to be worth more than two stars in my ranking.

'Spectres' has long been one of my favorite Blue Oyster Cult albums. It's a notch below 'Secret Treaties' in terms of consistent quality and heavy progressiveness... but it's much deeper and more cohesive than it's pale and thin predecessor 'Agents of Fortune'.

The haunting and surreal album cover has intrigued me since i was a child... and the music carries a similar dark esoteric atmosphere.

This albums contains two of my very favorite Cult songs: the mystical ballad 'I Love the Night' and the grandiose epic 'Nosferatu'. Both of these songs are very close to my heart and hold enormous nostalgia. The music may be somewhat lighter than the Cult's first three hard rocking albums, but they make up for it with entrancing nocturnal atmosphere and lithe floating melancholia. Both songs feature amazing guitar leads from the genius Buck Dharma and truly beautiful and captivating vocal harmonies.

'Godzilla' is a classic piece of Heavy Metal with one of the most memorable riffs in Hard Rock history. Unlike some classic over-played rock-radio staples, this song has never lost it's luster or edge for me... i guess it will never grow old.

The rest of the album is hit-or-miss... but Spectres is still a good, above-average album with a handful of indispensable classics.

3.5 stars.

After the mega sales of AOF, BOC did not resist to copy the formula, daring to improve on it slightly. If the previous album had a killer track that sold millions, Spectres duplicates the success with the monstrous (pun intended even if it is too easy) Godzilla, which really stands out as pure pop/rock gem, and is a much more understandable success than reaper was. But it is not all; indeed most of the tracks are simply of a better calibre than the previous effort, even if the whole thing does bear an almost-AOR-ish feel, compared to their earlier albums.

So, outside the opening Godzilla, the album continues with the excellent and complex Leather & Bike anthem of Golden Age, a track that has Judas Priest's Rob Halford drooling all over himself. Not of the same acabit, the hard-rocking Death Valley Nights is the last good song on the first side of Spectres, because after this come two softer songs which give the album its AOR aura: the funky Celine and the Calmer fireworks are just average, limit fillers.

Opening the flipside is one of the cheesiest and shameful attempts at writing a hit: R.U. Ready 2 Rock is not only all too evident and predictable (and a tad effective too), but it came quickly to open most concerts from that moment onwards. It's funny how some tracks should change names, especially when they're the filler-type, the catastrophically-named Going Through The Motions is probably the weaker track of the album. The fact that this song is sandwiched by two average tracks, the unremarkable Celestial Queen and the sleep-inducing Love The Night doesn't help either, but the album ends on a strong, dark, mellotron-filled Nosferatu track

Although most purists would tell you that Spectres is part of the wrong trilogy (the later-70's), I personally have a bit of a weak spot for it, especially when pitted against Agents or the lacklustre (pun intended) and upcoming Mirrors. Four strong songs and a b bunch average tracks, but no duds?. Even if I haven'r heard the bonus tracks of the latest reissue. I like Spectres enough to round it up to the upper star.

Even though this album is very polished and not what you would call a prog masterpiece, I have to agree with a lot of other reviewers that it is one of my favorite BOC albums that in it's highpoints, has really stood the test of time quite well. So, I'm tempted to rate it high since I love this album, but that is because of the personal preference and not as it's contribution to Progressive rock. But I will refrain by keeping my personal feelings in the review and not in the rating. Yes there are some great prog highlights included in the album, so it's not a total wash out if you are looking for some great essential songs, but the album as a whole is more radio friendly, which usually turns me away from an album, but not this one. The prog highlights here are "Golden Age of Leather" and "Nosferatu".

I just want to make it clear that I still do love this album. The opener is the appropriate "Godzilla" which is the single that everyone loves. Next is "Golden Age of Leather", which is a great prog song with changing tempos, time signatures and it doesn't seem as forced as the prog songs they tried to create in the album "Mirrors". "Death Valley Nights" is the next track and is one of my favorite BOC tracks. I can't tell you why I love this song so much, but it always sticks in my head and not in some obnoxious way, its one of those songs that you like having in your head. "Searching for Celine" has a great instrumental break. The next four songs are kind of similar, with a few interesting parts in them, but nothing spectacular to set them apart much. Just enjoyable songs mostly. "I Love the Night" is another favorite of mine and it is a beautiful ballad which I feel would have done great on the radio, but it's probably good that it wasn't a single since it would have been worn out by now from being overplayed. "Nosferatu" is yet another BOC fav of mine, and the very appropriate closer for the album. "Only a woman can break his spell/Pure in heart who will offer herself to Nosferatu". Great song with excellent instrumentals.

Again, great album, just not as progressive as their earlier ones. In reality, I would create another rating just for this album of 3.5 stars with "EXCELLENT addition to any ROCK collection" as the description. Great stuff I must say. I will round that up to 4 stars since there are some great progressive moments worth listening to here.

I have seen some low ratings for this album and I just don't get why. I consider this to be the pinnacle of the career of Blue Oyster Cult. Everything is here- great riffs, solid musicianship, screaming solos, spacey lyrics, vampires, and a big Japenese lizard. What more can you ask for out of a band. BOC is one of the best crossover/prog/heavy metal/whatever bands on the planet and on this album they proved it. The first 3 songs are a "Trilogy of Cult" that shows them at their peak- Godzilla, Golden Age of Leather, and Death Valley Nights are pure BOC classics. Also, the final 2 songs fit into this category, with Nosferatu being my favorite BOC son. In between are solid, good songs, nothing bad. I have seen ratings on this album from 1 on up. I give it a 4 1/2 stars which is the highest for any BOC album I would rate (although they are one of my favorite bands). There was never a perfect album by this band. Every effort always had filler for some reason. Too bad. If the best of this album had been combined with the best of Agents of Fortune it would have been a 5+ star!

When Blue Oyster Cult included a song entitled Going Through The Motions on this album, you could see it as being a bit of a ballsy move. Spectres, if you come to it looking for the sort of esoteric, dark proto-metal that Blue Oyster Cult made their name with in their early days, will come across as an unappealing collection of pop metal nonsense and soft rock schmaltz.

Not that pop metal or soft rock are necessarily a bad thing, mind - and as it turns out, Blue Oyster Cult aren't too bad at it. Essentially doubling down on the poppier aspects of Agents of Fortune, at its dumbest the album is simply goofy fun (Godzilla), but on the other hand as the title implies the band haven't quite abandoned their brains altogether.

Spectres is the richest and most atmospheric album made by Blue Oyster Cult, and my personal favorite by them. I've followed this band for most of my life---I've seen them in concert twenty-one times, including what turned out to be the final reunion of all five original members--and never have all of the singers and songwriters in and connected to this band constructed more fantastical worlds than those found on Spectres.

The LP is not as heavy as their straighter, more obviously heavy metal albums (Fire of Unknown Origin and Cultosaurus Erectus), nor as quirky and off kilter as the first three releases, but I find it to be their grandest, saddest and most rewarding effort. Although some feel it is simply a commercial followup to Agents of Fortune, I find it to be superior in all departments and hugely cinematic.

In terms of progressive songwriting, The Golden Age of Leather is a marvel of instrumentation that drives through various landscapes of twin guitar harmonies, funky bass lines, plaintive leads, and rich the harmony vocals (one of the top strengths of this band). This tune compares structurally to Before the Kiss, A Redcap (from their debut), but has far, far better core ideas and is more haunting. Certainly one of their most adventurous songs ever. Fireworks, Celestial the Queen, and Death Valley Nights are three of the finest examples of harmony vocals in rock--on these tunes Blue Oyster Cult the rock band performs a bit more like BOC the studio consortium, bringing to mind tunes like The Raven by Alan Parsons Project or Dark Side of the Moon. These three BOC cuts are all gorgeous chorus tapestries.

Certainly, one can draw comparisons between the I Love the Night and Don't Fear the Reaper, but I've always preferred I Love the Night, which is more ethereal and haunting musically, if not lyrically, and has more tasty lead guitar by Buck Dharma, my favorite guitarist ever. (See his solo in the live version of Veterans of the Psychic Wars to see why...) And then there's Nosferatu--a haunting and forlorn masterwork that concludes the album with one of the two best songs ever recorded by the band. (The other is Astronomy.)

Unlike Secret Treaties, the debut, and Fire of Unknown Origin, Spectres did not grab me initially, when I first heard it as a kid. But--much like their similarly rich Imaginos album--Spectres reveals itself to those who spend time with it-- it is incredibly colorful tapestry of gothic, lonely, and obscure worlds.

Spectres is one of those albums that commences and ends in such a strong manner, but whoa there's some problems in the middle. Sort of like an undercooked burger, lookin' good and flavorful on the outside, but that pink core that reveals itself once you bite into it can make you sick if the cows weren't in stellar health. With their last album being quite a success, B.O.C. continued to fiddle around with genres while staying true to the rock attitude, but unlike their prior releases which had an average of one or two duds tops, for my ears Spectres drops at least a few butt-burritos.

"Godzilla" and "The Golden Age of Leather" provides a knock-out one-two opening punch. That Godzilla riff man, what a doozy! Catchy and fun as well, combining the monstrous themes and heavy riffing with a partytime chorus, this is what I'd call really killer camp. "The Golden Age of Leather" boasts some epic dynamic and tempo shifts while keeping the BOC biker mystique afloat, bolstered with some fluid guitar melodies over the driving rhythm section.

If the first two songs provide the rock and the leather, the last two tracks bring about the atmosphere and the creepiness with the same level of vigor. "I Love The Night", a love ode to a female vampire back when vampires were considered scary and bad news instead of misunderstood and sparkly, is a gorgeous haunting ballad. It amazes me that Buck wasn't singing more tunes per album at this point since that guy is golden...not the powerhouse of Eric Bloom, but his voice was made for hits, as "...Reaper" and "Burnin' For You" can attest. Anyways, Buck really shines here, and I rank this among the band's most effective songs in their career. Glorious. "Nosferatu" follows, keeping the vampire theme at full-stride with a nice blend of heavy rock and lush ambiance bearing a gothic nature. Another mini-epic, it's a gloomy yet punchy closer featuring some sweet keyboard chops.

Things are going to get dicey now. The production was okay, but lacked some of that Agents-style sharpness and I swear some of the songs sound a bit rushed. "Searching for Celine" is like this funky roller coaster on the verge of crumbling, the band sounding under duress trying to stay in time with each other. Only Bloom's vocal prowess and the unusual 'stalker' lyrics keep this from a total crash and burn. And maybe the guitar solo...Dharma's the man. I'll give "Death Valley Nights" credit as it sounds like the 'hangover song' to end hangover songs, right down to the drunken warbly vocals, but man give that song to Buck and it would have been far better. I first heard "R.U. Ready 2 Rock" on their live album Some Enchanted Evening, and maybe it's because I'm used to that live version, but the studio version here doesn't match up without the crowd noise and added meat to the guitars. "Goin' Through the Motions" is pure silly pop, but I'll give props to Bloom showcasing his sizable vocal range. The other two tracks, "Fireworks" and "Celestial the Queen", are real rough going. They actually bring pain to my chest when I hear them. They aren't openly terrible songs, but I find their attempts at a bigtime chorus yield horribly limp results and I want to bend over and wretch like the narrator of "Death Valley Nights".

The good still outweighs the bad by a fair amount, with the opening two and closing two songs being particularly ace, and rather necessary for anyone interested in exploring B.O.C. regardless of how prog-related or not prog- related they were at this junction known as Spectres. Who really cares anyhow?

Godzilla is a trademark song full of catchy riffs and easily readable note, far from the usual complexity of BOC. Fortunately, not too much is sacrificed to give away this radio-friendly song. Guys have matured significantly with their vocal harmonies and that is one of the highlights. I prefer other songs on this album that have a bit more substance which are still up to BOC standards. "Golden age of leather" has excellent vocal harmonies and good drum fills, a good energetic song. "Death valley nights" reminds us of a harder edge that BOC previously had but "R U Ready 2 Rock" still beats it with simple but effective riffs and elaborate vocals. "Fireworks" has focus on well matching vocals and catchy melody - remotely the chords remind of "Don't fear the reaper". "Goin' through motions" could be attributed to a R&B/Soul artist and BOC did a great job by arranging it in the way. "Nosferatu" is the only song that has hints of prog-rock ambitions due to its guitar/drum complexity and multiple changes in the song. Let's also mention mellotron. All elements brought to the BOC perfection, a track to get addicted to.