This came out in 2000 — or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
In the interest of journalistic integrity and full disclosure, I confess I still own a complete set of original Blue Öyster Cult albums. (Hey, I’m not the only one who digs them — punk bassist Mike Watt has been playing The Red & The Black for years.)
So I welcomed this new best-of collection, imperfect as it is. Sure, it has all the hits: The heavy-metal stomper Godzilla, the sinister anti-hippie anthem This Ain’t the Summer of Love, the pyromaniac romantic ode Burnin’ For You. And thanks to the remastering, you can finally make out the words. Too bad they didn’t remix these tracks as well; some of these decades-old productions are as insubstantial as the band’s dry ice fog. And where are classics like Fire of Unknown Origin, ETI and Career of Evil? It’s a long way from a definitive set, but until somebody does the complete BÖC box, you can’t do better for the price.
