Description

OK I'm a BOC nut and I love almost everything they have done so approaching this much maligned opus with a steady head and a clear eye is rather skewed by my worship for all things Cult but this is still a hard album to like. Regarded by both the band and hard core fans as simply THE worst album to bear the Cult name (it's not, that accolade belongs to 'Club Ninja') this 1979 release divides fans like no other. Though the band themselves said 'Mirrors' would find better use as a frisbee this album has a lot to commend it and condemn it in equal measure. Coming after the commercial success of 'more…Agents of Fortune' and 'Spectres' and the superb live offering 'Some Enchanted Evening', 'Mirrors' is a curious mix of all three albums blending a 70's classic pop sound with the Cult's customary hard rocking riffola but not with the kind of consistancy of any of them.

Dr. Music leads off with a swinging bluesy riff and backing girl vocalists and it's a solid rocking opener that stands up well - the live take on `Extraterrestrial Live' is truly fantastic. On the excellent epic prog/metal `The Great Sun Jester' BOC (well specifically Eric Bloom) began a songwriting partnership with sci-fi/fantasy author Michael Moorcock that was the logical extension of the band's prediliction for `space-rock' epics -`Astronomy', `Workshop of the Telescopes' etc... `Jester' is based on the fifth novel of Moorcock's `trilogy' Dancers at the End of Time but you don't have to be a sci-fi fan to appreciate this wonderfully atmospheric slab of Cult majesty featuring a blistering metal riff from Donald `Buck Dharma' Roeser and classical piano from the much underrated Alan Lanier. With its sweeping synths, acoustic guitar breaks and gonzoid soloing it's as fine a song as any in the BOC canon. Likewise, Bloom is back on menacing form for the wonderful `I Am The Storm' another space-rock epic grafted onto a killer riff and incendiary solo from Roeser that is simply hard rock heaven. Similarly the spooky atmospherics are laid on thick with the album's highlight the prog rock riff spectacle of `The Vigil' which begins with an acoustic guitar strum, a piece of controlled guitar wonder from Roeser, then segues into a brain crunching riff, numerous time changes, a blissful melodic chorus before coming to a halt with a superb section of sweeping synths, truly emotive guitar and ghostly voices intoning "come to us"- it's simply spintingling - before returning to that monster riff. It's everything that makes BOC so exceptional in the world of heavy rock, their sheer bravado at pulling off such a complex yet thrilling song - almost prog-rock - is truly outstanding. These three songs make the whole album an essential purchase for Cult fans.
However, that's where the good stuff ends as the commercial radio friendly sheen of `Agents' and `Spectres' reaches its' zenith here - but unfortunately it's one step too far into MOR mediocrity with hardly any of the macabre genius that imbues the likes of Spectres `I Love the Night' or Agents 'Vera Gemini' with such classy brilliance. `In Thee' is a pleasant enough Roeser penned song that recalls Fleetwood Mac, likewise `Moon Crazy' recalls the Doobie Brothers but the almost do-wop mid paced `You're Not The One' is too cheesey for words and frankly all three songs are so below Roeser's usual excellence it's quite hard to take all in one sitting - however listen hard and you'll hear them rescued (barely) by some wonderful (if short) guitar solos.

Only on the title track's girl backing chorus is any semblance of humour raised sufficiently to forgive Roeser and although the synth-funk of `Lonely Teardrops' recalls Stevie Wonder it's one experiment too far and frankly despite yet again some inventive guitar the almost Abba sounding ending is as perplexing as it reads here.

I'd like to like `Mirrors' as much as `Spectres' but unfortunately despite the three exceptional hard rocking epics it is truly difficult to take the nose dive in quality that these mostly Roeser penned songs suffer from - thankfully they redeemed themselves 12 months later with `Cultosaurus'.

If you're a Cult completist then find this at a cheap price and invest. Or if like the reviewer below you fancy BOC meets the Eagles radio pop then go ahead knock yourself out - just don't expect the highs of `Agents' and `Spectres'.

Tracks

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Info:

Category:

Music > Albums

Case Type:

CD

Release Type:

Retail

Comments:

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Cover Info:

Title:

Blue Oyster Cult - Mirrors Retail CD

Part:

Front

Dimensions:

1407 x 1398 px

Size:

944 KB

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Report a Problem Wrong Cover Duplicate Image Bad Quality Wrong Info

14/05/08 by rwhager3

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