It's a real shame that talented groups like Blue Öyster Cult are unknown to most; yet the entire metal scene owes a lot to this fantastic band born from the twisted minds of the Bouchard brothers. The lyrics and sounds capable of creating intense and dark atmospheres make the Cult a rare and precious episode in the musical landscape of the '70s.
"Some Enchanted Evening" perfectly captures the spirit and grit that the band transmitted live, serving us a handful of tracks taken from performances in the late '70s. Originally, this album consisted of only 7 tracks, too few for a live album (even though over a million copies were sold in the States). Fortunately, last year a new version of the album was released, containing 7 bonus tracks and accompanied by a bonus DVD with another entire performance (filmed here) by the band.
Inserting the first audio CD, the first track, introduced by the usual announcer, is R U Ready 2 Rock, a hard-hitting song perfect for immediately energizing the audience. Needless to say, this and almost all the other songs are played excellently, almost surpassing the respective studio versions. E.T.I. essentially follows the same concept as the previous track: live, it loses something in terms of atmosphere but certainly gains impact and involvement. Astronomy is a separate episode in the tracklist. It's the only song that doesn't fully convince; to be fair, it's played very well, but without the presence of those piano parts that characterize the studio version, the song loses much of its charm. Then comes the first cover of the platter, Kick Out The Jams by the little-known MC5, a cute and catchy song, nothing more. Godzilla and (Don't Fear) The Reaper most likely need no introduction, being practically the band's signature songs and executed to perfection. Another cover, We Gotta Get Out of This Place by the Animals. You've surely heard it somewhere, in any case, the BOC version is decidedly better than the original.
Here we arrive at the bonus tracks. M2 262, Harvester of Eyes, and Hot Rails To Hell are taken from the band's second and third albums, in the early period, and are performed (I'm just repeating myself at this point) with great skill and precision. (This Ain't The) Summer of Love is a track that, in my opinion, could have been easily omitted; it's not up to the standard of the others. As it should be, the moment of improvisation arrives with 5 Guitars where, indeed, the guitarists (and especially the bassist) show off their technical skills. The third (and last) cover is probably the most famous. Who doesn't know Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf, the song that introduced the very term Heavy Metal? This version is more modern than the original, and Eric Bloom's voice certainly makes it more expressive than the original. For some arcane and unknown reason, to close the CD is another version of We Gotta Get Out Of This Place. Bah.
The DVD containing the filmed performance of BOC is unfortunately of good but not excellent quality; in particular, the direction does a mediocre job, limiting itself to the usual 3-4 shots. In any case, it's an addition that's certainly appreciated.
In conclusion, this live album can easily be considered on par with the others "On Your Feet Or On Your Knees" and "Extraterrestrial Live", which portray the band in the other 2 "periods".
Tracklist and Lyrics
02 E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) (05:16)
I hear the music daylight disc
Three men in black said, "Don’t report this...
Ascension." and that’s all they said
Sickness now the hour of dread
All praise
He’s found the awful truth
Balthazar
He’s found the saucer news
Wait! there’s more…
I’m in fairy rings and tower beds
“Don’t report this" three men said
Books by blameless and by the dead
King in yellow, the Queen in red
All praise
He’s found the awful truth
Balthazar
He’s found the saucer news
Dead leaves always give up motion
I no longer feel emotion
When prophecy fails the falling notion
Don’t report this
Agents of Fortune
All praise
He’s found the awful truth
Balthazar
He’s found the saucer news
03 Astronomy (08:27)
The clock strikes twelve and moondrops burst
Out at you from their hiding place
Like acid and oil on a madman's face
His reason tends to fly away
Like lesser birds on the four winds
Like silver scrapes in May
And now the sand's become a crust
And most of you have gone away
Come Susie dear, let's take a walk
Just out there upon the beach
I know you'll soon be married
And you'll want to know where winds come from
Well it's never said at all
On the map that Carrie reads
Behind the clock back there you know
At the Four Winds Bar
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Four doors at the Four Winds Bar
Two doors locked and windows barred
One door to let to take you in
The other one just mirrors it
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Hellish glare and inference
The other one's a duplicate
The Queenly flux, eternal light
Or the light that never warms
Or the light that never, never warms
Or the light that never
Never warms
Never warms
Never warms
The clock strikes twelve and moondrops burst
Out at you from their hiding place
Miss Carrie nurse and Susie dear
Would find themselves at Four Winds Bar
It's the nexus of the crisis
And the origin of storms
Just the place to hopelessly
Encounter time and then came me
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Call me Desdinova
Eternal light
These gravely digs of mine
Will surely prove a sight
And don't forget my dog
Fixed and consequent
Astronomy...a star (repeats)
04 Kick Out the Jams (03:07)
Kick out the jams motherfuckers!
Yeah! I, I, I, I, I'm gonna
I'm gonna kick 'em out! Yeah!
Well I feel pretty good
And I guess that I could get crazy now baby
Cause we all got in tune
And when the dressing room got hazy now baby
I know how you want it child
Hot, quick and tight
The girls can't stand it
When you're doin'it right
Let me up on the stand
And let me kick out the jam
Yes, kick out the jams
I want to kick'em out!
Yes I'm starting to sweat
You know my shirt's all wet
What a feeling
In the sound that abounds
And resounds and rebounds off the ceiling
You gotta have it baby
You can't do without
When you get that feeling
You gotta sock'em out
Put that mike in my hand
And let me kick out the jam
Yes ! Kick out the jams
I want to kick'em out
( guitar )
So you got to give it up
You know you can't get enough Miss Mackenzie
Cause it gets in your brain
It drives you insane
With the frenzy
The wigglin guitars girl
The crash of the drums
Make you wanna keep-a-rockin'
Till the morning comes
Let me be who i am
And let me kick out the jam
Yes, kick out the jams
I done kicked em out!!!
05 Godzilla (04:08)
With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound
He pulls the spitting high tension wires down
Helpless people on a subway train
Scream for God as he looks in on them
He picks up a bus and he throws it back down
As he wades through the buildings toward the center of town
Oh no, they say he's got to go
Go go Godzilla, yeah
Oh no, there goes Tokyo
Go go Godzilla, yeah
Oh no, they say he's got to go
Go go Godzilla, yeah
Oh no, there goes Tokyo
Go go Godzilla, yeah
Rinji news o moshiagemasu!
Rinji news o moshiagemasu!
Godzilla ga Ginza hoomen e mukatte imasu!
Daishkyu hinan shite kudasai!
Daishkyu hinan shite kudasai!
Oh no, they say he's got to go
Go go Godzilla, yeah
Oh no, there goes Tokyo
Go go Godzilla, yeah
History shows again and again
How nature points out the folly of men
Godzilla!
06 (Don't Fear) The Reaper (06:09)
All our times have come
Here but now they're gone
Seasons don't fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain (We can be like they are)
Come on baby (Don't fear the reaper)
Baby take my hand (Don't fear the reaper)
We'll be able to fly (Don't fear the reaper)
Baby I'm your man
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
Valentine is done
Here but now they're gone
Romeo and Juliet
Are together in eternity (Romeo and Juliet)
40,000 men and women every day (Like Romeo and Juliet)
40,000 men and women every day (Redefine happiness)
Another 40,000 coming every day (We can be like they are)
Come on baby (Don't fear the reaper)
Baby take my hand (Don't fear the reaper)
We'll be able to fly (Don't fear the reaper)
Baby I'm your man
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
Love of two is one
Here but now they're gone
He came last night out of sadness
And it was clear that she couldn't go on
Then the door was open and the wind appeared
The candles blew and then disappeared
The curtains flew and then he appeared (Saying don't be afraid)
Come on baby (And she had no fear)
And she ran to him (Then they started to fly)
They looked backward and said goodbye (She had become like they are)
She had taken his hand (She had become like they are)
Come on baby (Don't fear the reaper)
07 We Gotta Get Out of This Place (04:40)
In this dirty old part of the city,
Where the sun refused to shine.
People tell me there aint no use in lyin'.
My little girl you're so young and pretty,
and one thing I know is true.
You'll be dead before your time is through.
See my daddy in bed,he's dyin'
you know his hair is turning gray.
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away
Chorus:
We gotta work
work
We gotta work
work
work
work
work
We gotta get out of this place.
If it's the last thing we ever do.
We gotta get out of this place.
Girl there's a better life,
for me and you
REPEAT ALL
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