It’s not often that a band releases a full album recorded 40-plus years earlier. But 11 of the 12 cuts on Blue Öyster Cult’s new Ghost Stories are studio or rehearsal recordings made from 1978 to ’83, and it’s being touted as the band’s last album. Vocalist/lead guitarist Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser told Vintage Guitar how it came to be.
How did the idea for Ghost Stories come about, and why is it the band’s final album?
As far as finality, that’s the official plan. As far as actuality, never say never. Who knows? There may be more, but certainly after (2020’s) The Symbol Remains, which we spent a year and a half doing and was our first studio record in almost two decades, we were looking for another thing to satisfy our Frontiers recording agreement. We came up with the idea of going back to these archival recordings featuring the original members including (bassist) Joe Bouchard and (drummer) Albert Bouchard, and, of course, (keyboardist) Allen Lanier, who passed away (in 2013). George Geranios, our live-sound mixer for decades, retrieved some multi-track recordings that were worked up but never released. We went back and, with modern tools, deconstructed the elements; we were able to update the sonics really well.
Are they songs cut from albums back then due to space limitations on vinyl, or were they just not “good” enough?
We were constrained to 17 minutes to an LP side, and for whatever conceptual reasons, the songs didn’t fit. For Ghost Stories, we made a lot of effort to create an album that fit a coherent plan. I didn’t hear it until it was basically finished, other than chiming in on the elements. But, to my ear, it sounds like a lost Blue Öyster Cult record, and it’s very nostalgic and rewarding to hear the original members playing and singing together.
The reel-to-reel analog tapes were transferred to computer, but hats off to (current BÖC guitarist/keyboardist) Richie Castellano and (manager) Steve Schenck for the job they did remixing and producing, and also to George Geranios because he originally recorded and tracked it. It’s all really good-sounding stuff.
Did you remember that these songs existed?
No, I had to dust off some neurons because for me it’s out of ear, out of mind.
Was there a desire by the band to have these songs released?
I think for a lot of the bands of our era, fans love to hear anything unrevealed from that time. And again, my overarching takeaway is that it’s like a new BÖC record that somehow was undiscovered.
There’s a lot to be said about the chemistry and sound of the five original members together, and with drummer Rick Downey, who plays on two songs from the early ’80s.
Yeah, it’s very much what BÖC was in those years with (vocalist/rhythm guitarist) Eric Bloom and myself and Joe and Albert and Allen. We don’t play with Joe and Albert regularly anymore, so to hear us together and put us back into that time, it’s a great listen. Rick was important on some of this stuff.
Did you record any new vocals or guitar parts?
I didn’t. Everything you hear from me is as it was done then.
Do you remember the guitars you used?
The main guitar was the Giuliano Balestra Vulcan with DiMarzio humbuckers. Its body was a cross between a Flying V and an Explorer – a very odd-looking guitar.
Since this is being promoted as BÖC’s final album, is the band considering retiring from touring?
2022 was our 50th anniversary, and we did something like 75 shows. Last year, we did about 30, and this year we’re looking at between 20 and 30. We’ll see what happens. Offers still keep coming in, but we’re not really looking for work at this point. We’ve all got families and don’t want to be on the road constantly. I’d say if you want to see Blue Öyster Cult, you should see ’em now.
This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
