Short Reviews [Blue Oyster Cult - 2020 - "Hard Rock Live Cleveland 2014"]

By 2014 there has been some significant changes in the band’s line-up. While Dharma and Bloom were of course still there they had now been joined by Richie Castellano (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Jules Radino (drums) and none other than Kasim Sulton (Utopia) on bass and vocals. Castellano was bassist with the band for three years before taking over Lanier’s role after he retired in 2007, and at the time of recording the band apart from Sulton had been together for ten years. The bands last studio album (and still is at the point of writing) had been released in 2001, so there was no longer any new product to support. This means the band were concentrating on songs from throughout the career, so any fan was bound to come away satiated. I mean, consecutive songs are “Then Came The Last Days Of May”, “Godzilla, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” and “Harvester Of Eyes”, what isn’t there to love? The set is more than 100 minutes long, and while I may moan it is missing ‘R U Ready Rock” and “Seven Screaming Dizbusters” that really is me being picky. This is a wonderful set, with a band who really know what they are about, performing classic song after classic song. The 17-song set has been released in three different versions, namely 2CD+DVD (Digipack), 3LP (180g, gatefold) and Blu-Ray, so choose the one you want. Any fan of hard rock will love this, and I can see this being a permanent addition to my phone playlist alongside ‘On Your Feet Or On Your Knees’ as the two really do complement each other. And for all those who think they only ever did one song, listen to the sustain from Bloom on his stun guitar while Buck plays, and of course he sings the immortal words “All our times have come, Here but now they're gone, Seasons don't fear the reaper, Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain, we can be like they are…”