Blue Öyster Cult
On Your Feet on or Your Knees

It is often said that live albums are the ultimate test for any respected artist or band, showcasing the true value of the musicians involved in their performance: On your Feet or on your Knees by Blue Oyster Cult confirms these assumptions, emerging as one of the greatest expressions of the New York group's discographic activity and one of the best live albums in rock history for the intensity of the individual tracks' execution, the purity of the sound and recording, and the comparison between the tracks played and their studio versions. If BÖC have rightfully entered rock history, it is also thanks to this live performance. The album is also essential for the group's internal history, marking a kind of watershed between the band's first period ('71-'5), characterized by hard rock with psychedelic, garage, and blues influences, and a second period ('75-'9), in which BÖC sought to "monetize" the excellent reviews received for their early work with a less edgy and more commercially impactful sound, before a forceful return to heavy rock sounds ('80-'81).

Let's move on to the examination of the individual tracks: Subhuman, from Secret Treaties, differs from the studio version by its faster execution, greater impact from guitar and keyboards, and a stronger rock attitude, without losing any poetic quality; Lanier's keyboards also decisively characterize the following Harvester of Eyes, also from ST; Hot Rails to Hell, from Tyranny & MutaRtion, supported by Joe Bouchard's bass, the author of the track, has an exceptional sound impact and explains, more than words can, the reasons why BÖC were a model for the heavy metal bands of the '80s, Metallica first and foremost; The Red & the Black, again from T&M, maintains the tension released from the album's grooves, confirming itself as a hard rock of devastating power, excellent for capturing the typical sound blend of bass/guitar/drums in BÖC's early albums; Seven Screaming Diz Busters, again from T&M, does not make one miss the studio version, always leaving ample space for Bloom's theatrical singing; the subsequent Buck's Boogie, unreleased on record, highlights Donald Roeser's great guitar technique and the group's capacity to create long jams where rock, blues, and psychedelia blend into a high-quality unicum; the same can be said for (Then Came) the Last Days of May, from the first self-titled studio album, where we can rediscover Roeser's guitar lyricism; the trio of tracks composed of Cities on Flame With Rock & Roll (from the first album), ME 262 (from ST) Before the Kiss, a Redcap (also from the first album) should be listened to continuously to appreciate the significant divergences of the three pieces from their, albeit beautiful, studio versions: these are performances characterized by a more granite sound, more aggressive and "rowdy" singing compared to previous recordings, capable of highlighting the exceptional live sound impact of BOC, captivating the audience (and, today, the listener). The album concludes with two successful covers that highlight the group's passion for cars, like Maserati GT (I Ain't Got You) and BOC's inspirations, like Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf: needless to say that the latter is, probably, better than the original.

The rating is extremely high for the intrinsic quality of the work, always keeping in mind the splendid artwork of the album, both on the cover and inside, with a multitude of allusions to the occult and sci-fi dimension of the group's lyrics. To nitpick, one might lament the absence of a live version of Astronomy and Dominance & Submission, but that seems like asking too much. Invaluable.