Blue Öyster Cult was formed on Long Island in New York all the way back in 1967. Their fourth studio album, Agents Of Fortune, was released in May 1976. It is of course best known for having the band’s biggest song, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” written and sung by guitarist Donald Roeser, a.k.a. Buck Dharma. Roeser has been the only constant member of the band through its many lineup changes, which presumably means fifty years of interviewers asking him about one song. If you’re wondering about his nickname, the band’s manager Sandy Pearlman came up with eccentric stage names for each of the members. Everyone in the band hated the idea except for Roeser, hence “Buck Dharma.”
I could spend most of this time writing about “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” but there isn’t anything new I can say about the song, so let’s set it aside and instead talk about the people who worked on the album.
Firstly, our friend Michael Brecker and his brother Randy played horns on the album. Secondly, some interesting people share writing credits. Drummer Albert Bouchard, who wrote or co-wrote half of the album, wrote and sang “The Revenge Of Vera Gemini” with Patti Smith. Albert also co-wrote the album opener “This Ain’t The Summer Of Love” with music journalist Don Waller. Roeser and guitarist Eric Bloom co-wrote “E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)” with Sandy Pearlman. I hope that means the band trusted him despite most of them hating his stage names.
Agents Of Fortune got very positive reviews upon release, and they were well-deserved. The songs are fun and the album has good pacing. If you haven’t heard Agents Of Fortune in full already, I strongly recommend it.
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