Blue Öyster Cult - The Revölution By Night (1983)

"The Revölution By Night" is the ninth studio album by the American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released in 1983. The album was intended to capitalize on the unexpected success of "Fire of Unknown Origin" just two years prior, hence the album's blend of straight-ahead rock and pop elements.

This album is for the imaginative. The creative mind appreciates music that permeates. "Revolution By Night" will take you on a journey through your own mind, and it will clean out the cobwebs. To do the album justice, you have to contemplate it, and not just have it playing in the background. Calling Blue Oyster Cult's songs "haunting" doesn't really describe it, because they are not depressing. A better term might be "probing," because they explore areas you've never been within yourself, and it's a very worthwhile exploration. This was the first album by the band not to feature all of the band's classic members, drummer Albert Bouchard having been fired during the previous tour. "Shooting Shark" became a radio hit, and its accompanying video became one of MTV's most requested clips upon its release. The lyrics to "Shooting Shark" were based on a poem by Patti Smith. The song "Take Me Away," co-written by Eric Bloom with Canadian rock musician Aldo Nova, also received significant airplay on AOR radio. Nonetheless, the album failed to go Gold in the United States.

Track listing

01.  "Take Me Away"  (Eric Bloom, Aldo Nova)  - 4:31

02.  "Eyes on Fire"  (Gregg Winter)  - 3:56

03.  "Shooting Shark"  (Donald Roeser, Patti Smith)  - 7:09

04.  "Veins"  (Roeser, Richard Meltzer)  - 3:59

05.  "Shadow of California"  (Joe Bouchard, Neal Smith, Sandy Pearlman)  - 5:10

06.  "Feel the Thunder"  (Bloom)  - 5:48

07.  "Let Go"  (Bloom, Roeser, Ian Hunter)  - 3:28

08.  "Dragon Lady"  (Roeser, Broadway Blotto)  - 4:08

09.  "Light Years of Love"  (Bouchard, Helen Wheels)  - 4:05

Released:  November 1983

Recorded at:  Boogie Hotel Studios, Port Jefferson, New York, Kingdom Sound Studios, Long Island, New York, The Automatt - Studio C, San Francisco, California

Genre:  Hard Rock

Length:  43:14

Label:  Columbia

Producer:  Bruce Fairbairn

Personnel

Eric Bloom - guitar, lead vocals

Donald 'Buck Dharma' Roeser - lead guitar, keyboards, lead vocals

Allen Lanier - piano, keyboards

Joe Bouchard - bass, electric and acoustic guitars, vocoder, lead vocals

Rick Downey - drums

Larry Fast - synthesizers, programming

Aldo Nova - guitar and synthesizers

Gregg Winter - backing vocals on "Eyes on Fire"

Randy Jackson - bass

Marc Baum - saxophone