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==History== ===Early years as Soft White Underbelly (1967–1971)=== Blue Öyster Cult was formed in 1967 as Soft White Underbelly (a name the group would occasionally use in the 1970s and 1980s to play small club gigs around the United States and UK)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://theticketmeister.co.uk/soft-white-underbelly-the-venue-1981 |title=Soft White Underbelly, the Venue, 1981 – the Ticket Meister |access-date=September 24, 2017 |archive-date=September 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926214430/http://theticketmeister.co.uk/soft-white-underbelly-the-venue-1981 |url-status=dead }}</ref> in a communal house at Stony Brook University on [[Long Island]] when rock critic Sandy Pearlman overheard a jam session consisting of fellow Stony Brook classmate Donald Roeser and his friends.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Blue Öyster Cult: Burnin' for four decades|url=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/blue-oyster-cult-burnin-for-four-decades-1.9481286|access-date=July 21, 2020|website=Newsday|language=en|archive-date=April 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401020548/http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/blue-oyster-cult-burnin-for-four-decades-1.9481286|url-status=dead}}</ref> Pearlman offered to become the band's manager and creative partner, to which the band agreed.<ref name=":1" /> The band's original lineup consisted of guitarist Roeser, drummer Albert Bouchard, keyboardist Allen Lanier, Les Braunstein and bassist Andrew Winters.<ref name="ecfjhn">{{cite book |last=Berelian |first=Essi |title=The Rough Guide to Heavy Metal |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=1-84353-415-0 |page=41|year=2005 }}</ref> In October 1967, the band made its debut performance as Steve Noonan's backing band at the [[Pritchard Gymnasium|Stony Brook University Gymnasium]], a gig booked by Pearlman.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=July 25, 2015|author=Max Bell|title=The acid-dazed days of the band that became Blue Oyster Cult|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-acid-dazed-days-of-the-band-that-became-blue-oyster-cult|access-date=July 21, 2020|website=Classic Rock Magazine|language=en}}</ref> The band's name came from [[Winston Churchill]]'s description of [[Allied invasion of Italy#Background|Italy]] as "the soft underbelly of the [[Axis powers|Axis]]."<ref name=":2" /> Pearlman was important to the band – he was able to get them [[concert|gigs]] and recording contracts with [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] and [[Columbia Records|Columbia]], and he provided them with his poetry for use as lyrics for many of their songs, including "Astronomy." Writer Richard Meltzer, also a Stony Brook University student, provided the band with lyrics from their early days up through their most recent studio album. In 1968, the band moved in together at their first house in the [[Thomaston, New York|Thomaston]] area of [[Great Neck, New York]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 26, 2012|first=Steve|last=Knopper|title=Blue Oyster Cult's 40th anniversary CD|url=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/blue-oyster-cult-s-40th-anniversary-cd-1.4147975|access-date=January 25, 2020|website=Newsday|archive-date=January 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125050516/https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/blue-oyster-cult-s-40th-anniversary-cd-1.4147975|url-status=dead}}</ref> The band recorded an album's worth of material for Elektra Records in 1968. Braunstein played his final show as Soft White Underbelly's lead singer in the spring of 1969.<ref name=":2" /> His departure led Elektra to shelve the album recorded with him on vocals. Eric Bloom was hired by the band as their [[acoustical engineering|acoustic engineer]]. He eventually replaced Braunstein as lead singer through a series of unlikely coincidences, one being Lanier deciding to join Bloom on a drive to an [[upstate New York|upstate]] gig, where he spent the night with Bloom's old college bandmates and got to hear old tapes of Bloom's talent as lead vocalist.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR1NpyxowP4 "Three Strokes of Fate"], Living Legends Music interview (posted to YouTube on November 4, 2008) where Bloom explains three highly unlikely events that led to his joining the band and becoming their lead singer:<br />1) Being their amp salesperson at Sam Ash,<br />2) Telling one person where he was staying in NYC and getting the soundboard job offer, and<br />3) An upstate roadtrip which Lanier decided to join and got to hear Bloom's old band tapes as lead vocalist.</ref> Because of this, Bloom was offered the job of lead singer for Soft White Underbelly. However, a bad review of a 1969 Fillmore East show caused Pearlman to change the name of the band – first to Oaxaca, then to the Stalk-Forrest Group. Pearlman also gave stage names to each of the band members (Jesse Python for Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma for Donald Roeser, Andy Panda for Andy Winters, Prince Omega for Albert Bouchard, La Verne for Allen Lanier) but only Buck Dharma kept his.<ref>{{cite book|last=Popoff|first=Martin|title=Blue Oyster Cult, Secrets Revealed!|publisher=Metal Blade Records, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0-9752807-0-8|page=9}}</ref> The band recorded yet another album's worth of material for Elektra, but only one single ("What Is Quicksand?" [[b/w]] "Arthur Comics") was released (and only in a promo edition of 300 copies) on Elektra Records (this album was eventually released, with additional outtakes, by Rhino Handmade Records as ''[[St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings]]'' in 2001). The album featured Bloom as their main lead singer, but Roeser also sang lead on a few songs, a pattern of sharing lead vocals that has continued throughout the band's career. With Bloom, Soft White Underbelly/Stalk-Forrest Group became one of Stony Brook University's "house bands," popular on campus.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 25, 2016|title=Alumni Rock Out With Blue Öyster Cult {{!}}|url=https://news.stonybrook.edu/alumni/alumni-rock-out-with-blue-oyster-cult/|access-date=July 21, 2020|website=SBU News|language=en-US}}</ref> After a few more temporary band names, including the Santos Sisters, the band settled on Blue Öyster Cult in 1971 (see [[#Band name and logo|below]] for its origin). New York City producer/composer and jingle writer [[David Lucas (composer)|David Lucas]] saw the band perform and took them into his Warehouse Recording Studio and produced four demos, with which Pearlman was able to get the renamed band another audition with Columbia Records. [[Clive Davis]] liked what he heard, and signed the band to the label. The first album was subsequently produced and recorded by Lucas on eight-track at Lucas' studio.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blueoystercult.com/Studio/SWbios.html#Lucas |title='David Lucas' in band-relations bio page|publisher=Official BÖC website |access-date=March 5, 2011}}</ref> Winters would leave the band and be replaced by Bouchard's brother, Joe Bouchard. ===Black-and-white years (1971–1975)=== [[File:Blue Öyster Cult (1974).png|thumb|upright=1.2|''Billboard'' ad, 1974]] Their debut album ''[[Blue Öyster Cult (album)|Blue Öyster Cult]]'' was released in January 1972, with a black-and-white cover designed by artist Bill Gawlik. The album featured the songs "[[Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll]]", "Stairway to the Stars", and "Then Came the Last Days of May". By this time, the band's sound had become more oriented toward hard rock, but songs like "She's As Beautiful As a Foot" and "Redeemed" also showed a strong element of the band's psychedelic roots. Pearlman wanted the group to be the American answer to [[Black Sabbath]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://classicrock.about.com/od/artistsae1/a/eric_bloom.htm |title=Interview with Eric Bloom of Blue Oyster Cult |publisher=Classicrock.about.com |date=June 11, 2010 |access-date=September 23, 2010 |archive-date=March 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329183204/http://classicrock.about.com/od/artistsae1/a/eric_bloom.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> All of the band members except for Allen Lanier sang lead, a pattern that would continue on many subsequent albums, although lead singer Eric Bloom sang the majority of the songs. The album sold well, and Blue Öyster Cult toured with artists such as [[the Byrds]], [[Mahavishnu Orchestra]] and [[Alice Cooper]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Perry |first=Shawn |url=http://www.vintagerock.com/ebloom_interview.aspx |title=The Eric Bloom Interview |publisher=Vintagerock.com |access-date=September 23, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070720122423/http://www.vintagerock.com/ebloom_interview.aspx |archive-date=July 20, 2007 }}</ref> As the band toured, its sound became heavier and more direct. Their second album ''[[Tyranny and Mutation]]'', released in 1973, was written while the band was on tour for their first album. It contained songs such as "The Red and the Black" (an ode to the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] and a rewrite of "I'm on the Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep" from their debut album, and also a reference to [[The Red and the Black|the novel of the same name by Stendhal]]), "Hot Rails to Hell" and "Baby Ice Dog", the first of the band's many collaborations with [[Patti Smith]]. It featured a harder-rocking approach than before, although the band's songs were also growing more complex. The album outsold its predecessor, a trend that would continue with their next few albums. The band's third album, ''[[Secret Treaties]]'' (1974),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://texasarchive.org/2010_03463|title=Blue Öyster Cult Concert and Interview (1975)|website=Texas Archive of the Moving Image|access-date=December 1, 2019}}</ref> received positive reviews, featuring songs such as "Career of Evil" (co-written by Patti Smith), "Dominance and Submission" and "[[Astronomy (song)|Astronomy]]". As a result of constant touring, the band was now capable of headlining shows. The album continued their upward sales trend, and would eventually go gold.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=blue+oyster+cult+secret+treaties#search_section|title=Gold & Platinum - RIAA|work=RIAA|access-date=March 13, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> As the three albums during this formative period all had black-and-white covers, the period of their career has been dubbed the "black and white years" by fans and critics.<ref name="Brownfield 2022 e597">{{cite web | last=Brownfield | first=Troy | title=50 Years Ago: Blue Öyster Cult Breaks Out | website=The Saturday Evening Post | date=January 17, 2022 | url=https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2022/01/50-years-ago-blue-oyster-cult-breaks-out/ | access-date=April 7, 2024}}</ref> ===Commercial success (1975–1981)=== The band's first live album ''[[On Your Feet or on Your Knees]]'' (1975) achieved greater success and went gold. Its success gave the band more time to work on a follow-up. The band members were able to purchase home recording equipment to record demos for their next album. Their next studio album, ''[[Agents of Fortune]]'' (1976), was their first to go platinum and was again produced by David Lucas. It contained the hit single "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", which reached number 12 on the Billboard charts and has become a classic of the hard rock genre. Other major songs on the album were "(This Ain't) The Summer of Love", "E.T.I. (Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence)" and "The Revenge of Vera Gemini". Having recorded demos of the songs at home before recording the album, the band's songwriting process had become more individual, with none of the songs featuring the collaborative writing between the band members that had been common on their earlier albums. Although the album still featured their trademark hard rock with sinister lyrics, the songs had become more conventional in structure, and the production was more polished. For the first and only time, the album featured lead vocals from all five band members, with Allen Lanier singing lead on the song "True Confessions." With Albert Bouchard singing lead on three songs and Joe Bouchard and Donald Roeser singing lead on one each, Eric Bloom ended up taking the lead on only four of the album's ten songs. For the tour, the band added lasers to their light show, for which they became known. They were among the first acts to use lasers in performance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blueoystercult.com/History/history6.html|publisher=Blue Oyster Cult.com|title=The History of BÖC|access-date=September 14, 2008}}</ref> Their next album, ''[[Spectres (album)|Spectres]]'' (1977), had the FM radio hit "Godzilla," and would become one of the band's better-selling albums, with other well-known songs like "I Love the Night" and "Goin' Through the Motions". However, its sales were not as strong as those for the previous album, going gold but not platinum, becoming their first album to sell less than its predecessor. It featured even more polished production, and continued the trend of the lead vocals extensively shared between members, although Allen Lanier did not sing lead. As with the previous album, Eric Bloom sang lead on fewer than half the songs. The band then released another live album, ''[[Some Enchanted Evening (Blue Öyster Cult album)|Some Enchanted Evening]]'' (1978). Although it was intended as another double-live album in the vein of ''On Your Feet or on Your Knees'', Columbia insisted that it be edited down to single-album length. It was a resounding commercial success, becoming Blue Öyster Cult's most popular album and eventually selling over two million copies. It also revealed that while the band's studio work was becoming increasingly well-produced, they were still very much a hard rock band on stage. [[File:Blue Oyster Cult 1977 publicity photo.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|1977 publicity photo with the 1971–81 lineup, L–R: [[Buck Dharma|Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser]] (bottom); [[Eric Bloom]]; [[Albert Bouchard]]; [[Allen Lanier]]; Joe Bouchard]] It was followed by the studio album ''[[Mirrors (Blue Öyster Cult album)|Mirrors]]'' (1979). For ''Mirrors'', instead of working with previous producers Sandy Pearlman (who instead went on to manage Black Sabbath) and Murray Krugman, Blue Öyster Cult chose [[Tom Werman]], who had worked with acts such as [[Cheap Trick]] and [[Ted Nugent]]. It featured the band's glossiest production to date. It also gave Roeser, the lead vocalist on the band's biggest hits, bigger prominence as a vocalist, singing lead on four of the nine songs. However, the resulting album sales were disappointing.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} Pearlman's association with Black Sabbath led to Sabbath's ''[[Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath album)|Heaven and Hell]]'' producer [[Martin Birch]] being hired for the next Blue Öyster Cult record. The album found the band returning to their hard rock roots, and although both of the Bouchard brothers and guitarist Roeser all got lead vocal turns, Bloom would sing the majority of the tracks. The result was positive, with ''[[Cultösaurus Erectus]]'' (1980) receiving good reviews. The album went to number 12 in the United Kingdom, but did not do as well in the United States. The song "[[Black Blade (song)|Black Blade]]", which was written by Bloom with lyrics by science fiction and fantasy author [[Michael Moorcock]], is a kind of retelling of Moorcock's epic [[Elric of Melniboné]] saga. The band also did a co-headlining tour with Black Sabbath in support of the album, calling the tour "[[Black and Blue (video)|Black and Blue]]". Birch produced the band's next album as well, ''[[Fire of Unknown Origin]]'' (1981), which peaked at number 24 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], becoming the band's highest-charting album. The biggest hit on this album was the Top 40 hit "Burnin' for You," a song Roeser had written with a Richard Meltzer lyric. He had intended to use it on his solo album, ''[[Flat Out (Buck Dharma album)|Flat Out]]'' (1982), but he was convinced to use it on the Blue Öyster Cult album instead. The revival of the band's heavier sound continued, albeit with fairly heavy use of synthesizers and some noticeable [[New wave music|New Wave]] influence on a few tracks. It contained other fan favorites such as "[[Joan Crawford]]" (inspired by the book and film ''[[Mommie Dearest]]'') and "[[Veteran of the Psychic Wars]]", another song co-written by Moorcock. Several of the songs had been written for the animated film ''[[Heavy Metal (film)|Heavy Metal]]'', but only "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" (which had not been written for ''Heavy Metal'') was actually used in the movie. The album marked a strong commercial resurgence for the band and achieved gold status, their first studio album since ''Spectres'' to do so. During the tour for ''Fire of Unknown Origin'', Albert Bouchard had a falling out with the others and left the band, and Rick Downey (formerly the band's lighting designer) replaced him on drums. This marked the end of the band's original and best-known lineup. ===Declining popularity (1982–1989)=== After leaving the band, Albert Bouchard spent five years working on a solo album based on Sandy Pearlman's poem "Imaginos". Blue Öyster Cult also released their third live album, ''[[Extraterrestrial Live]]'', in 1982. The band then went to the studio for the next album, ''[[The Revölution by Night]]'' (1983), with [[Bruce Fairbairn]] as producer. After two albums of a return to a harder rocking sound, the band adopted a more radio-friendly, [[Album-oriented rock|AOR]]-oriented sound with Fairbairn providing a 1980s-style production. This approach met with some success, especially on its highest-charting single, Roeser's "[[Shooting Shark]]", co-written by Patti Smith and featuring [[Randy Jackson]] on bass, which reached number 83 on the charts. Bloom's "[[Take Me Away (Blue Öyster Cult song)|Take Me Away]]" achieved some FM radio play. However, the album didn't match sales of its predecessor, failed to achieve gold status, and marked the beginning of the band's second commercial decline. After touring for ''Revölution'', Rick Downey left, leaving Blue Öyster Cult without a drummer. Blue Öyster Cult re-united with Albert Bouchard for a California tour in February 1985, infamously known as the 'Albert Returns' Tour. This arrangement was only temporary and caused more tensions between the band and Bouchard, since he had thought he would be staying on permanently, which was not the case. The band had intended to use him only as a fill-in until another drummer could come on board, which resulted in Bouchard's leaving after the tour. Allen Lanier also quit the band shortly thereafter, leaving them without a keyboardist and with only three remaining original members. This incarnation of the band would sometimes be referred to as '3ÖC' by fans, which is a pun on the number of original members left. Blue Öyster Cult hired drummer Jimmy Wilcox and keyboardist Tommy Zvoncheck to finish the album ''[[Club Ninja]]'', which was poorly received, with only "[[Dancin' in the Ruins]]," one of several songs on the record written entirely by outside songwriters, enjoying minimal success on radio and [[MTV]]. The best-known original on the album is "Perfect Water" written by Dharma and [[Jim Carroll]] (noted author of ''[[The Basketball Diaries (book)|The Basketball Diaries]]''). While the band members have generally been disparaging about the album in retrospect, Joe Bouchard has stated that "Perfect Water" is "perfect genius".<ref>{{cite book|title=Blue Öyster Cult: Secrets Revealed!|last1=Popoff|first1=Martin|date=March 2009|publisher=Power Chord Press|isbn=978-0-9752807-0-6|edition=2|location=[[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada|page=218|chapter=Club Ninja|author-link1=Martin Popoff}}<!--| access-date = March 17, 2012 --></ref> The band toured in Germany, after which bassist Bouchard left, leaving only two members of the classic lineup: Eric Bloom and Donald Roeser. Some people referred to the band as "Two Öyster Cult" during this period. Jon Rogers was hired to replace Joe and this version of the band finished out the 1986 tour. After it wound up that year, the band took a temporary break from recording and touring. When Blue Öyster Cult received an offer to tour in Greece in the early summer of 1987, the band reformed. Wilcox quit while Zvoncheck was fired for making excessive financial demands. Allen Lanier then was offered to rejoin and agreed, so the new line-up now featured three founding members, along with Jon Rogers returning on bass and Ron Riddle as their newest drummer. Columbia Records was not interested in releasing the ''[[Imaginos]]'' project as an Albert Bouchard solo album so it was arranged for the record to be released in 1988 by Columbia as a Blue Öyster Cult album, with some new lead vocal overdubs from Bloom and Roeser and lead guitar overdubs from Roeser. These replaced most of Albert Bouchard's lead vocals, as well as many lead guitar parts that had been recorded by session musicians. Joe Bouchard and Allen Lanier had earlier contributed some minor keyboard and backing vocal parts to the album, allowing all five original members to be credited. The album did not sell well (despite a positive review in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine) and although the then-current Blue Öyster Cult lineup (minus both Bouchard brothers) toured to promote ''Imaginos'', promotion by the label was virtually non-existent. Most songs from the album have not been performed live by the band since at least 1989.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blue Öyster Cult Tour Statistics |url=https://www.setlist.fm/stats/blue-oyster-cult-3bd6b814.html |website=setlist.fm |access-date=April 20, 2024}}</ref> When Columbia Records' parent company CBS Records was purchased by [[Sony]] and became [[Sony Music Entertainment]], Blue Öyster Cult were dropped from the label. ===First studio hiatus, ''Heaven Forbid'' and ''Curse of the Hidden Mirror'' (1990–2003)=== [[File:Allenlanier.JPG|right|thumb|upright=1.2|Blue Öyster Cult live in 2006]] The band spent most of the 1990s touring without releasing an album of new material, although they did contribute two new songs to the ''[[Bad Channels]]'' movie soundtrack, released in 1992, and also released an album of re-recorded songs from the band's original lineup, called ''[[Cult Classic]]'', in 1994. During these years, while the three original members remained constant, there were several changes in the band's rhythm section. Ron Riddle quit in 1991 and was followed by a series of other drummers including [[Chuck Burgi]] (1991–1992, 1992–1995, 1996–1997), [[John Miceli]] (1992, 1995), John O'Reilly (1995–1996) and [[Bobby Rondinelli]] (1997–2004). As for the bass position, Rogers left in 1995, and was replaced by Danny Miranda. In the late 1990s, Blue Öyster Cult secured a recording contract with CMC Records (later purchased by [[Sanctuary Records]]), and continued to tour frequently. Two studio albums were released, ''[[Heaven Forbid]]'' (1998) and ''[[Curse of the Hidden Mirror]]'' (2001). Both albums featured songs co-written by cyberpunk/horror novelist [[John Shirley]]. The first mostly featured Miranda on bass and Burgi on drums, although a few tracks feature earlier bassist Jon Rogers and one track features Rondinelli on drums, who had joined the band near the end of the recording. ''Curse of the Hidden Mirror'' features Miranda and Rondinelli as the rhythm section, and the pair contributed to the songwriting as well. Neither album sold well. In 2001, Sony/Columbia's reissue arm, [[Legacy Records]] issued expanded versions of the first four Blue Öyster Cult studio albums, including some previously unreleased demos and outtakes from album sessions, live recordings (from the ''Live 72'' EP), and post-''St. Cecilia'' tunes from the Stalk-Forrest Group era. Another live record and DVD ''[[A Long Day's Night]]'' followed in 2002, both drawn from one concert in Chicago. This album also featured the Bloom, Roeser, Lanier, Miranda, Rondinelli lineup. ===Live-only activities (2004–2016)=== [[File:Blue Öyster Cult Sweden Rock 2008.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Blue Öyster Cult performing at the [[Sweden Rock Festival]], 2008]] Although the band's lineup had remained stable from 1997 to 2004, they began to experience personnel changes again in 2004. Rondinelli left in 2004, and was replaced by Jules Radino. Miranda left during the same year to become the bassist for [[Queen + Paul Rodgers]] in place of the retired [[John Deacon]]. He was replaced by Richie Castellano, who would also take occasional turns as a lead vocalist onstage. Allen Lanier retired from live performances in 2007 after not appearing with the band since late 2006. Castellano switched to rhythm guitar and keyboards (Castellano also filled in on lead guitar and vocals for an ailing Buck Dharma in two shows in 2005), and the position of bassist was taken up by [[Rudy Sarzo]] (previously a member of [[Quiet Riot]], [[Whitesnake]], [[Ozzy Osbourne]] and [[Dio (band)|Dio]]), with the band employing Danny Miranda and Jon Rogers as guest bassists to fill in when Sarzo was unavailable. Sarzo then joined as an official member of the band, although Rogers continued to occasionally fill in when Sarzo was busy. In February 2007, the Sony Legacy remaster series continued, releasing expanded versions of studio album ''Spectres'' and live album ''Some Enchanted Evening''. In June 2012, the band announced that bassist Rudy Sarzo was leaving the band and was being replaced by former [[Utopia (American band)|Utopia]] bassist [[Kasim Sulton]]. In August of the same year, it was announced that Sony Legacy would be releasing a 17-disc boxed set entitled ''The Complete Columbia Albums Collection'' on October 30, 2012. The set includes the first round of the remastered series plus the long-awaited remastered versions of ''On Your Feet or on Your Knees'', ''Mirrors'', ''Cultösaurus Erectus'', ''Fire Of Unknown Origin'', ''Extraterrestrial Live'', ''The Revölution by Night'', ''Club Ninja'' and ''Imaginos''. Also exclusive to this set are two discs of rare and unreleased B-sides, demos and radio broadcasts. Also in 2012, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Blue Öyster Cult, the then-current incarnation of the band reunited for the first time in 25 years with other original members Joe and Albert Bouchard and Allen Lanier as guests for a special event in New York.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/original-blue-oyster-cult-lineup-reunites-new-york-city/|title=Original Blue Oyster Cult Lineup Reunites in New York City|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=November 7, 2012 |language=en|access-date=March 13, 2018}}</ref> Founding keyboardist/guitarist Allen Lanier died of [[chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]] on August 14, 2013.<ref>[http://www.noise11.com/news/allen-lanier-of-blue-oyster-cult-dead-at-66-20130815 Allen Lanier of Blue Oyster Cult Dead At 66 | News | Music News]. Noise11 (August 15, 2013). Retrieved on 2013-09-03.</ref> In 2016, Albert Bouchard played again as guest with the then-current line-up of the band, playing at shows in New York, Los Angeles, Dublin and London, where Blue Öyster Cult played the album ''Agents of Fortune'' in its entirety. The shows featured songs from ''Agents of Fortune'' that had either not been played live before ("True Confessions", "The Revenge of Vera Gemini", "Sinful Love", "Tenderloin", "Debbie Denise"), songs that had not been played since the album's debut tour ("Morning Final"), and songs that were no longer/never played frequently ("This Ain't the Summer of Love", "Tattoo Vampire"), as well as the fan favorite "Five Guitars", which had not been played since Albert initially left the band in 1981. Albert played in the following songs at the show: "The Revenge of Vera Gemini" (vocals, guitar), "Sinful Love" (vocals, guitar), "Tattoo Vampire" (guitar), "Morning Final" (guitar), "Tenderloin" (cymbals), "Debbie Denise" (vocals, acoustic guitar), "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" (vocals, drums), and "Five Guitars" (guitar).<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://getreadytorock.me.uk/blog/2016/07/gig-review-blue-oyster-cult-kentish-town-forum-29-july-2016/|title=Gig review: BLUE OYSTER CULT – Kentish Town Forum, London, 29 July 2016|work=Get Ready to ROCK! News {{!}} Reviews {{!}} Interviews {{!}} Radio|access-date=March 13, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> ===''The Symbol Remains'' and ''Ghost Stories'' (2017–present)=== [[File:Blue Öyster Cult 2012 Edmonton 223b.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Blue Öyster Cult performs in [[Edmonton|Edmonton, Alberta]], Canada, 2012]] In a May 2017 appearance on Castellano's "Band Geek" podcast, Bloom confirmed that there were tentative plans to release a new album in 2018 and that the band was currently considering offers from multiple record labels. He also stated that former bassist Danny Miranda would be playing with the band for the remainder of the year due to Sulton's prior touring commitments with [[Todd Rundgren]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://riotcast.com/bandgeek|title=Band Geek|website=riotcast.com|access-date=January 31, 2017|archive-date=February 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207095011/http://www.riotcast.com/bandgeek|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the same year, the band's official website started to list Miranda as an official member, stating that Miranda had "returned to BÖC" in early 2017. Buck Dharma stated in February 2019 that the band would be recording a new album to be released by fall.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.themidlandsrocks.com/blue-oyster-cults-buck-dharma-interview-ahead-of-uk-tour/|title=Blue Oyster Cult's Buck Dharma interview ahead of UK tour|website=Themidlandsrocks.com|access-date=October 17, 2019|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108032044/https://www.themidlandsrocks.com/blue-oyster-cults-buck-dharma-interview-ahead-of-uk-tour/|url-status=dead}}</ref> On July 10, 2019, it was announced that the band had signed to Frontiers Music, and would in fact be releasing the new album in 2020. "It's been a long time since BÖC's last studio album. Recording with Danny, Richie and Jules should be a great experience as we've been touring together for years, and Buck and I look forward to including them in the creative and recording process," said Bloom. "The current band is GREAT and has never been recorded other than live, so we feel now's the time for new songs to be written and recorded. About half of the songs for the new record exist and the rest will be finished during the process," added Buck Dharma. In February 2020, Richie Castellano posted a short video to Facebook featuring himself and Eric Bloom, stating that the band were working on the new Blue Öyster Cult record remotely by using ConnectionOpen online audio collaboration tool.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/richiecastellano.bandgeek/posts/10158774126244041|title=Richie Castellano|website=Facebook.com|access-date=July 15, 2021}}</ref> In August 2020, the band announced on their website that their fifteenth studio album ''[[The Symbol Remains]]'' would be released on October 9, 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blueoystercult.com/bocNews.html|title=Blue Öyster Cult: The Symbol Remains New Album on Schedule for Fall Release|website=Blueoystercult.com|date=June 26, 2020|access-date=June 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Blue Öyster Cult Unveils Details Of First Album In Nearly Two Decades, 'The Symbol Remains'|url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/blue-oyster-cult-unveils-details-of-first-album-in-nearly-two-decades-the-symbol-remains/|website=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=August 16, 2020|date=August 15, 2020}}</ref> The span of nineteen years between ''Curse of the Hidden Mirror'' and ''The Symbol Remains'' marks the longest gap between studio albums in Blue Öyster Cult's career. The album was released to a positive critical reception, with tracks such as "Box In My Head" and "The Alchemist" receiving high praise.<ref name="BlabbermouthReview">{{cite web |last1=Lawson |first1=Dom |title=Blue Öyster Cult: "The Symbol Remains" |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/cdreviews/the-symbol-remains/ |website=Blabbermouth.net |date=October 8, 2020 |access-date=October 9, 2020}}</ref> In October 2022, during their European headlining tour, Blue Öyster Cult supported [[Deep Purple]] at five arena shows in the United Kingdom. On April 12, 2024, Blue Öyster Cult released their sixteenth and final studio album ''Ghost Stories'', which includes both reimagined tracks and "lost gems" from between 1978 and 2016, as well as studio versions of their covers of [[MC5]]'s "[[Kick Out the Jams (song)|Kick Out the Jams]]" and [[The Animals]]' "[[We Gotta Get Out of This Place]].".<ref name="ghoststories" />
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