A LONG DAY'S NIGHT

Blue Oyster Cult's [BOC] latest offering as of the time of writing this is this very good live offering. A somewhat compilation of the band's career showcased in this, well, show. What's nice about this release is that while it may not have been released at their peak, it does manage to capture all the best material over their last (best described as shaky) studio albums and give them live through a surprisingly vigorous performance. From the start to the finish, that seems to be the notion here. The biggest draw (especially for those who don't need or want all of the band's material) is to hear a large variety of songs, since every album in their collection has at least one song off of it played (only skipping the commercial flops: 1984's Revolution By Night and 1979's Mirrors) and quite well at that. The only minor flaws immediately noticeable are that the drums seem to be a bit muted, sounding almost flat at times. Regardless, this is still a good one to get into.

From the rip roaring riff of Stairway To The Stars we get quite a treat as the band attacks the material as though they'll never play it again. Excellent performances right off the top make for a promising night. The band goes through a number of their best known songs such as Burnin' For You and O.D'd On Life Itself and coming into the end of the concert open up extended versions of their biggest hits Godzilla with Eric having some fun with the crowd and (Don't Fear) The Reaper ends the set with the kind of precision as though they've played the song a million times (which I'm sure they have by now - but they don't seem to be sick of it).

Newer songs turn up to be quite a treat. Well selected, there's very few new songs scattered about, but they're well chosen when they're there. Dance On Stilts offers the best song from their new album with some live life and Harvest Moon provides some good coverage from the otherwise mediocre Heaven Forbid album. Other amazing (if strange) choices present themselves along the way as well. Hardcore fans will notice Perfect Water has made it onto the list while new fans will just be able to listen with shear joy to the excellent track. Lips In The Hills was a strange choice to make from their Cultosaurus Erectus album, but one that the fans will appreciate regardless with it's quick riffing.

Of course, what BOC show would be complete without the blazing live favorite Buck's Boogie? Well, none. And it's back with new life as Buck does strut his stuff for a good 6 and a half minutes with some excellent guitar work. Astronomy also makes its long-awaited appearance in it's 10+ minute blowout incarnation. Amazingly done as the studio version would suggest, this one doesn't let down.

Of course, there will never be a live album in the history of man that fans will find to be perfect. While there's a very good choice of songs here there's still others which would have been such a nice addition. Shooting Shark would have made a great addition to get their '84 album in there, as would have The Vigil from Mirrors. Nitpicking, of course - the songs picked are quite good, and I shouldn't complain because those one might well be on the DVD of which this CD is a pared down version of. There's a nice multimedia bonus on the CD which lets you watch a song from the DVD, which reveals an unfortunately small venue but an ultimately charged band who are still giving it their all.

Not essential, but not only for fans. Probably just as good as most compilations, this is an excellent set which anyone seeking to get into the band should go after. Of course, their previous live albums are likely better put together than this one - they were in their prime then - but this one is still great. Fans are encouraged to see the live versions of their new stuff and relive some old, everyone else is just invited to spend the long day's night. 3 stars! Very good!