Singles Collection

This is useful, and confounding. This is truly a Blue Oyster Cult singles comp, but not in the usual sense. Over 20 tracks, it rounds up BOC singles released all over the world, which keeps it from being just another best-of. For instance, take the final cut: "Astronomy." This is not the original released on Secret Treaties but the redone version issued on Imaginos issued in 1988 and a single distributed only in the U.K. and Holland. And so it goes with this thing. Many of these cuts were issued as singles in the United Kingdom, or in Japan ("Moon Crazy," "Flaming Telepaths") or Europe, marked by the inclusion of tracks like the live read of "We Gotta Get Outta This Place," released in Germany as a single, or "Fallen Angel," released in Spain. There are U.S. 45s here too, such as "Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll," and "Then Came the Last Days of May," "Godzilla," and "Hot Rails to Hell." Given that it is organized chronologically, it's even a more interesting listen given how other countries heard the band's radio strengths. Not essential by any means, but nonetheless curious and problematic in the best possible way, the BOC Singles Collection should keep fans arguing for years. ~ Thom Jurek