Before I began writing for Desert Local News and Desert Star Weekly, I was a long-time contributing music writer for The Orange County Register in Ora...
On April 12, 2024, Blue Öyster Cult will release Ghost Stories, a new full-length collection of material that brings together both reimagined and newly completed recordings that span from 1978 to 2016 — and is noted in a media release as being “a fitting finale to the recording legacy” of the beloved groundbreaking rock band.
Due out via Frontiers Music SRL., the selections that makes up this album were taken from the band's vaults and given a modern-day makeover in some cases:
These musical treasures, long considered ‘lost gems’ by Blue Öyster Cult enthusiasts, were originally recorded between 1978 and 1983, except for one track from 2016, “If I Fell.” Also included is the only known studio recording of their concert classic “Kick Out the Jams” (an MC5 cover). Some of the material is from sessions workshopping material for an album, some is from performance rehearsals. All were recorded once in the hopes that someday they’d see the light of day.
George Geranios, the band’s original audio engineer and an integral part of the band’s golden years, co-produced the original 1978-83 recordings along with BÖC. All were originally recorded on reel-to-reel analog tape. They were later transferred to digital audio, which is when modern AI and magical musical talents met and the collection of vintage multi-track recordings was de-mixed, re-mixed, and produced by Steve Schenck and Richie Castellano to become ‘Ghost Stories.’
In related news Blue Öyster Cult will perform at Agave Caliente Casino on March 16, 2024. For more information on that show, visit the venue's official website HERE.
To get an early look (and listen) to Ghost Stories, check out “So Supernatural,” which accompanied the announcement with a music video utilizing some cutting-edge A.I. technology:
Robert Kinsler
