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Post by Johnkenn on May 31, 2018 20:11:59 GMT -6
Hey donr - here’s a question I’ve always wondered...but have just failed to ask...How did the name come about? |
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Post by Martin John Butler on May 31, 2018 21:18:01 GMT -6
I have no idea, but there's a town on Long Island called Oyster Bay, and they were from L.I.. so maybe a connection there?
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Post by matt on May 31, 2018 22:51:09 GMT -6
Umlauts Rüle.
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Post by donr on May 31, 2018 23:09:09 GMT -6
Blue Oyster Cult was originally a song title, part of a many song cycle called "The Soft Doctrine of Imaginos."
We'd auditioned for Clive Davis in a conference room in the CBS building on 6th Av in NY in 1971 and he agreed to sign us. But we didn't have a name, and couldn't agree on one. So Sandy Pearlman, the band's mentor and chief lyricist, picked one of his song titles.
The BOC was supposed to be a race of amphibious beings inhabiting the shoreline on the Atlantic coast. The song was later recorded under the name "The Subhuman" on the Secret Treaties record. The name allowed us to create a bit of mythology for ourselves.
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 15,940 
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Post by ericn on Jun 1, 2018 6:42:20 GMT -6
Great story Don !
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Jun 1, 2018 7:13:49 GMT -6
It's the greatest name in rock history IMO. I heard y'alls name before I ever heard a note, Don. When I was very young I remember hearing some of the older boys I played ball with talking about BOC one day in the dugout. With no internet back then of coarse I begged mom to take me to Lafayette Records in town. She bought me Agents Of Fortune per the advice of the sales guy. Wish I still that record btw. Just thought I'd share how you influenced an ole country boy from the Kentucky foothills.
Thanks!
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Post by donr on Jun 1, 2018 7:53:20 GMT -6
A note about that audition, we were set up in a rather small conference room in the CBS building known then as 'black rock.' It housed not only the record companies but the TV and radio business as well.
When Clive Davis came in, he'd brought along Harry Nilsson and Bobby Columby, the drummer of Blood Sweat And Tears, to listen to us. After we'd played a couple songs, Harry got up and left the room. We're thinking, ah crap, he doesn't like us. But it turned out he just had to have a cigarette.
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Post by jsteiger on Jun 1, 2018 7:55:26 GMT -6
My introduction to BOC was from my older cousin's boyfriend who later became her ex-husband. Circa 1978. I was maybe 13 and visited their place for the first time after she moved out. She would have been 17 so he was 18 or 19. He had a crazy loud stereo system and put on the Spectres album. The leadoff track is Godzilla. I was never the same. I still get chills when I hear that song. Every bit as classic as Smoke On the Water or Paranoid or War Pigs.
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Post by Johnkenn on Jun 1, 2018 14:47:25 GMT -6
What made me think of this was driving around yesterday with my 11 year old and DFTR was on...and my 11 year old was humming along. I doubt she could hum any of my tunes lol.
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Post by johneppstein on Jun 1, 2018 16:29:25 GMT -6
Oddly enough I regard Reaper as being one of my favorite folk-rock songs - there's something about it that reminds me of "Eight Miles High" for some reason.
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Post by Coil Audio on Jun 1, 2018 21:40:48 GMT -6
A note about that audition, we were set up in a rather small conference room in the CBS building known then as 'black rock.' It housed not only the record companies but the TV and radio business as well. When Clive Davis came in, he'd brought along Harry Nilsson and Bobby Columby, the drummer of Blood Sweat And Tears, to listen to us. After we'd played a couple songs, Harry got up and left the room. We're thinking, ah crap, he doesn't like us. But it turned out he just had to have a cigarette. This is so f#$king cool - can we just make this thread a donr impromptu Q and A? Nilsson!!!!!! |
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Post by Bob Olhsson on Jun 2, 2018 7:09:47 GMT -6
It only just occurred to me after reading this why Davis did those auditions. When you take away all of an artist's external excuses for failure, a fair percentage will freak out and shoot themselves in the foot rather than confront whether or not they'll be successful. Needless to say, this becomes a very expensive problem for a label that has already invested hundreds of thousands in an artist's first advance, recording and promotion. The audition was probably a test of strength under intimidation that had nothing at all to do with music.
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Post by donr on Jun 2, 2018 10:58:49 GMT -6
It only just occurred to me after reading this why Davis did those auditions. When you take away all of an artist's external excuses for failure, a fair percentage will freak out and shoot themselves in the foot rather than confront whether or not they'll be successful. Needless to say, this becomes a very expensive problem for a label that has already invested hundreds of thousands in an artist's first advance, recording and promotion. The audition was probably a test of strength under intimidation that had nothing at all to do with music. It was a confrontation to be sure in that tiny room. I don't think Clive felt he could make the decision by himself. He certainly never boasts about signing Blue Oyster Cult in interviews.  |
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Post by Bob Olhsson on Jun 2, 2018 11:41:55 GMT -6
I suspect the decision had already been made.
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