ALBUM: Agents of Fortune (1976)
MVC Rating: 4.0/$$$
This is heavy but not technically heavy metal. I clearly bought this in high school on the strength of their song (Don’t Fear) The Reaper.
It was their best song and one of the great rock songs. It’s message best I can tell is don’t fear dying because there’s an afterlife. Romeo and Juliet, for example, are together in eternity. Lyrics help me out here.
Valentine is done
Here but now they’re gone
Romeo and Juliet
Are together in eternity (Romeo and Juliet)
40,000 men and women everyday (Like Romeo and Juliet)
40,000 men and women everyday (Redefine happiness)
Another 40,000 coming everyday (We can be like they are)
Some controversy in the 70’s over whether song is about suicide. Band said no. But grim is the reaper, no kidding.
Now listening to the song is somewhat disorienting after Saturday Night Live’s famous ‘More cowbell’ skit, in which Christopher Walken doing his best Christopher Walken implores BOC’s new member (Will Ferrelll) to turn up the cowbell– just a titch.
I admire BOC for allowing Walken and Ferrell to desecrate such a serious minded rock classic. Unless they made a ton of money on that, then my admiration is not so much.
But it is a strong song and album. Rolling Stone wrote in a column called “40 albums boomers loved that millennials don’t know:” Long before metal splintered into a myriad of genres, BÖC came to fame for its ability to appeal to both head-bangers and chin-strokers.”
Call me a chin-stroker, but I really like the above mentioned and about three other songs, including ‘This Ain’t the Summer of Love.’
It’s hard to describe the band but I’ll try in 10 words: Jefferson Airplane* plus Moody Blues sprinkled with Rocky Horror Picture Show.
*I’ve changed this comparison ingredient for the third time now. First it was Aereosmith plus Moody plus Rocky Horror; then it was Grand Funk; Now I’ve settled on Jefferson Airplane because of the female voice. The Reaper song actually sounds like every other Moody Blues opening so I’m good there. And the vampire tattoo and death songs made me think of Rocky Horror.
Counting down my 678 vinyl records before I die of brain disease.