Spectres (album)

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Spectres
Studio album by
Blue Öyster Cult
ReleasedNovember 1977 (1977-11)[1]
RecordedJuly–September 1977
StudioThe Record Plant (New York City)
Genre
Length40:29
LabelColumbia
ProducerMurray Krugman, Sandy Pearlman, David Lucas, Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult chronology
Agents of Fortune
(1976) 		Spectres
(1977) 		Some Enchanted Evening
(1978)
Singles from Spectres
  1. "Goin' Through the Motions"
    Released: December 1977 (US)[2]
  2. "Godzilla"
    Released: February 1978 (US)[3]
  3. "I Love the Night"
    Released: 4 August 1978 (UK)[4]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[6]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal10/10[7]
Q[8]

Spectres is the fifth studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released in November 1977 by Columbia Records. The album features one of the band's biggest hits, concert staple "Godzilla," and was certified gold by the RIAA on January 19, 1978.[9]

Record World called the single "Goin' Through the Motions," which was co-written by Mott the Hoople singer Ian Hunter, a "thumping, hand-clapping pop-rocker"[10]

The cover art features Blue Öyster Cult's use of lasers in their live show at that time. A remastered version was released on February 13, 2007, which included four previously unreleased outtakes from the Spectres sessions as bonus tracks.

Cover versions[edit]

Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler covered Goin’ Through The Motions on her fifth studio album Faster Than The Speed Of Night produced by Jim Steinman.

Track listing[edit]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Godzilla"Donald RoeserRoeser, Eric Bloom3:41
2."Golden Age of Leather"Roeser, Bruce AbbottRoeser, Bloom5:53
3."Death Valley Nights"Albert Bouchard, Richard MeltzerA. Bouchard4:07
4."Searchin' for Celine"Allen LanierBloom3:35
5."Fireworks"A. BouchardA. Bouchard3:14
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."R. U. Ready 2 Rock"A. Bouchard, Sandy PearlmanBloom3:45
2."Celestial the Queen"Joe Bouchard, Helen WheelsJ. Bouchard3:24
3."Goin' Through the Motions"Bloom, Ian HunterBloom3:12
4."I Love the Night"RoeserRoeser4:23
5."Nosferatu"J. Bouchard, WheelsJ. Bouchard5:23
2007 CD reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
11."Night Flyer"RoeserRoeser3:48
12."Dial M for Murder"A. BouchardBloom3:11
13."Please Hold"A. LanierLanier2:47
14."Be My Baby" (The Ronettes cover)Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil SpectorBloom3:01
Total length:53:16

Personnel[edit]

Blue Öyster Cult
Additional musicians
  • Newark Boys Chorus – vocals on "Golden Age of Leather"
Production
  • Murray Krugman, Sandy Pearlman, David Lucas – producers
  • Shelly Yakus – engineer, mixing
  • John Jansen, Corky Stasiak, Thom Panunzio, Andy Abrams – engineers
  • Gray Russell, Dave Thoener, Jay Krugman, Rod O’Brien, Sam Ginsberg – assistant engineers
  • Joe Brescio – mastering
  • Roni Hoffman – design
  • Eric Meola – photos
  • David Infante – laser effects and photo assistance

Charts[edit]

Chart (1977-1978) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11] 58
French Albums (SNEP)[12] 28
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13] 47
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 60
US Billboard 200[15] 43

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[9] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Dave Swanson (November 17, 2013). "How Blue Oyster Cult Searched for Identity on 'Spectres'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved September 26, 2022. Pressured for a follow-up, Blue Oyster Cult then issued the somewhat unbalanced, but still striking, Spectres in November 1977.
  2. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 75. ISBN 9780862415419.
  3. ^ "Blue Oyster Cult singles".
  4. ^ "Blue Oyster Cult singles".
  5. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Blue Öyster Cult - Spectres review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  6. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: B". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  7. ^ Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 978-1894959025.
  8. ^ Mongredien, Phil (April 2007). "Blue Öyster Cult - Spectres". Q. No. 249.
  9. ^ a b "American album certifications – Blue Öyster Cult – Spectres". Recording Industry Association of America.
  10. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. December 17, 1977. p. 1. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5478b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – B". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2012. Select Blue Oyster Cult from the menu, then press OK.
  13. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Blue Öyster Cult – Spectres". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  14. ^ "Blue Oyster Cult | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  15. ^ "Blue Oyster Cult Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
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