Agents of Fortune
Encyclopedia
Agents of Fortune is the fourth studio album released by Blue Öyster Cult
, originally released in a gatefold
sleeve in 1976.
The platinum selling album peaked at #29 on Billboards Pop Albums chart, while the single "(Don't Fear) The Reaper
" peaked at #12 on the Pop Singles chart, making it Blue Öyster Cult's biggest hit.
The band also became a larger concert attraction at this time - largely based on not only their stageshow, but aided by the airplay of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper
" which to this day is a staple of FM rock station playlists. Concert venues became larger, the show became more intricate and BOC was reaching its financial peak on the tour circuit.
Side two
2001 CD reissue bonus tracks
Additional musicians
Production
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
, originally released in a gatefold
Gatefold
A gatefold is a type of fold used for advertising around a magazine or section, and for packaging of media such as vinyl records.- LP covers :...
sleeve in 1976.
The platinum selling album peaked at #29 on Billboards Pop Albums chart, while the single "(Don't Fear) The Reaper
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
" The Reaper" is a song by the rock band Blue Öyster Cult from their 1976 album, Agents of Fortune. It was written and sung by the band's lead guitarist, Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser and was produced by David Lucas, Murray Krugman, and Sandy Pearlman. It is built around Dharma's guitar riff that...
" peaked at #12 on the Pop Singles chart, making it Blue Öyster Cult's biggest hit.
The band also became a larger concert attraction at this time - largely based on not only their stageshow, but aided by the airplay of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
" The Reaper" is a song by the rock band Blue Öyster Cult from their 1976 album, Agents of Fortune. It was written and sung by the band's lead guitarist, Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser and was produced by David Lucas, Murray Krugman, and Sandy Pearlman. It is built around Dharma's guitar riff that...
" which to this day is a staple of FM rock station playlists. Concert venues became larger, the show became more intricate and BOC was reaching its financial peak on the tour circuit.
Critical reception
- It was voted tenth best rock album of 1976 in the annual Village Voice Pazz & JopPazz & JopThe Pazz & Jop critics' poll is a poll of music critics run by The Village Voice newspaper. It is compiled every year from the top ten lists of hundreds of music critics...
critics' poll. - Kerrang!Kerrang!Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
placed it on number 62 in its list of 100 greatest heavy metal albums of all time. - In October 2004, Q magazine placed it in its list of greatest classic rock albums ever.
- NMENMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
listed it in its list of 24 best albums of the year 1976 on number 6.
Track listing
Side one- "This Ain't the Summer of LoveThis Ain't the Summer of Love"This Ain't the Summer of Love" is a song by rock band Blue Öyster Cult from the album Agents of Fortune. The song inspired "Swallow My Pride"by pioneering grunge band, Green River.-Notable covers:*Lizzy Borden on their album Deal with the Devil....
" (Albert BouchardAlbert BouchardAlbert Bouchard and grew up in Clayton, New York. He is a drummer, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a founding member of Blue Öyster Cult and a driving force through the band's first decade...
, Murray Krugman, Don Waller) – 2:21 - "True Confessions" (Allen LanierAllen LanierAllen Lanier was an original member of Blue Öyster Cult. Lanier played keyboards and rhythm guitar. He currently resides in Manhattan....
) – 2:57 - "(Don't Fear) The Reaper(Don't Fear) The Reaper" The Reaper" is a song by the rock band Blue Öyster Cult from their 1976 album, Agents of Fortune. It was written and sung by the band's lead guitarist, Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser and was produced by David Lucas, Murray Krugman, and Sandy Pearlman. It is built around Dharma's guitar riff that...
" (Donald RoeserBuck DharmaDonald "Buck Dharma" Roeser is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being a member of Blue Öyster Cult since the group's formation in 1967...
) – 5:08 - "E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)" (Sandy PearlmanSandy PearlmanSandy Pearlman is an American music producer, artist manager, professor, poet, songwriter, and once was a record company executive...
, Roeser) – 3:43 - "The Revenge of Vera Gemini" (A. Bouchard, Patti SmithPatti SmithPatricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
) – 3:52
Side two
- "Sinful Love" (A. Bouchard, Helen Robbins) – 3:29
- "Tattoo Vampire" (A. Bouchard, Helen Robbins) – 2:41
- "Morning Final" (Joe BouchardJoe BouchardJoe Bouchard was the original bassist for Blue Öyster Cult. He grew up in Clayton, New York...
) – 4:30 - "Tenderloin" (Lanier) – 3:40
- "Debbie Denise" (A. Bouchard, Patti Smith) – 4:13
2001 CD reissue bonus tracks
- "Fire of Unknown Origin" (Original Version) (Eric Bloom, A. Bouchard, J. Bouchard, Roeser, Patti Smith) – 3:30
- "Sally" (Demo Version) (A. Bouchard) – 2:40
- "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (Demo Version) (Roeser) – 6:20
- "Dance The Night Away" (Demo Version) (Jim CarrollJim CarrollJames Dennis "Jim" Carroll was an author, poet, autobiographer, and punk musician. Carroll was best known for his 1978 autobiographical work The Basketball Diaries, which was made into the 1995 film of the same name, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Carroll.-Biography:Carroll was born to a...
, Lanier) – 2:37
Personnel
Blue Öyster Cult- Eric BloomEric BloomEric Bloom is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the main vocalist, and "stunt guitar" for the long-running band Blue Öyster Cult, with work on over 20 albums...
– guitar, percussion, lead vocals on "This Ain't the Summer of Love", "E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)", "Tattoo Vampire" and "Tenderloin" - Albert BouchardAlbert BouchardAlbert Bouchard and grew up in Clayton, New York. He is a drummer, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a founding member of Blue Öyster Cult and a driving force through the band's first decade...
– drums, acoustic guitar, percussion, harmonica, lead vocals on "The Revenge of Vera Gemini", "Sinful Love" and "Debbie Denise" - Donald "Buck Dharma" RoeserBuck DharmaDonald "Buck Dharma" Roeser is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being a member of Blue Öyster Cult since the group's formation in 1967...
– guitar, synthesizer, percussion, lead vocals on Fear) The Reaper" - Joe BouchardJoe BouchardJoe Bouchard was the original bassist for Blue Öyster Cult. He grew up in Clayton, New York...
– bass, piano, lead vocals on "Morning Final" - Allen LanierAllen LanierAllen Lanier was an original member of Blue Öyster Cult. Lanier played keyboards and rhythm guitar. He currently resides in Manhattan....
– keyboards, guitar, bass, lead vocals on "True Confessions"
Additional musicians
- Patti SmithPatti SmithPatricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
– vocals on "The Revenge of Vera Gemini" - Randy BreckerRandy BreckerRandal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...
– horns - Michael BreckerMichael BreckerMichael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz...
– horns
Production
- Murray Krugman – producer
- Sandy PearlmanSandy PearlmanSandy Pearlman is an American music producer, artist manager, professor, poet, songwriter, and once was a record company executive...
– producer - David Lucas – producer
- Shelly YakusShelly YakusShelly Yakus is considered as one of the best engineers and mixers in the music industry. Formerly chief engineer and vice president of A&M Records, Yakus' engineering work has help sell in excess of one hundred million records, equaling over one billion dollars in sales...
– engineer - Andy Abrams – engineer
- Tony Stevens – mastering
- John Berg – design
- Andy Engel – design
- Lynn Curlee – paintings