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Agents of Fortune

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Agents of Fortune
Studio album by
Blue Öyster Cult
ReleasedMay 21, 1976 (1976-05-21)
Recorded1975–1976
StudioThe Record Plant (New York City)
Genre
Length36:35
LabelColumbia
Producer
Blue Öyster Cult chronology
On Your Feet or on Your Knees
(1975) 		Agents of Fortune
(1976) 		Spectres
(1977)
Singles from Agents of Fortune
  1. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"
    Released: July 1976 [2]
  2. "This Ain't the Summer of Love"
    Released: June 1977 (US) [3]

Agents of Fortune is the fourth studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on May 21, 1976 by Columbia Records.[4][5]

The Platinum-selling album peaked at No. 29 on the U.S. Billboard chart,[6] while the cryptic single "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart,[7] making it BÖC's biggest hit. The band became a bigger concert attraction after the release of the album, in part due to extensive airplay of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," to this day a staple of rock-station playlists.

Additionally, this is the only album in the group's discography to have at least one lead vocal performance by each original band member. It was also their only album to not include any songs written by Eric Bloom. However, the 2020 live release 40th Anniversary: Agents of Fortune Live 2016 adds Bloom's name to the authorship credits for "E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)."

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[9]
The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal10/10[10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[12]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[1]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[11]

Rolling Stone wrote that "Agents of Fortune is a startlingly excellent album — startling because one does not expect Blue Öyster Cult to sound like this: loud but calm, manic but confident, melodic but rocking."[13]

Cash Box said of the single "This Ain't the Summer of Love" that "growling guitars churn out this realistic message with brief and pointed expression" ... "a mood of evil created in a humorous fashion."[14]

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."This Ain't the Summer of Love"Albert Bouchard, Murray Krugman, Don WallerEric Bloom2:21
2."True Confessions"Allen LanierLanier2:57
3."(Don't Fear) The Reaper"Donald RoeserRoeser5:08
4."E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)"Bloom, Roeser, Sandy PearlmanBloom3:43
5."The Revenge of Vera Gemini"A. Bouchard, Patti SmithA. Bouchard, Patti Smith3:52
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Sinful Love"A. Bouchard, Helen WheelsA. Bouchard3:29
2."Tattoo Vampire"A. Bouchard, Helen WheelsBloom2:41
3."Morning Final"Joe BouchardJ. Bouchard4:30
4."Tenderloin"LanierBloom3:40
5."Debbie Denise"A. Bouchard, SmithA. Bouchard4:13
2001 CD reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
11."Fire of Unknown Origin" (original version)Bloom, A. Bouchard, J. Bouchard, Roeser, SmithA. Bouchard3:30
12."Sally" (demo version)A. BouchardA. Bouchard2:40
13."(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (demo version)RoeserRoeser6:20
14."Dance the Night Away" (demo version)Lanier, Jim CarrollLanier2:37
Total length:51:42

Personnel

[edit]
Band members
Additional musicians
Production

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1976) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[18] 53
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[19] 28
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[20] 18
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 10
UK Albums (OCC)[22] 26
US Billboard 200[23] 29

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[24] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[25] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Accolades

[edit]
Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
The Village Voice US The 1976 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll[26] 1976 10
NME UK Albums of the Year[27] 1976 6
Dave Marsh & Kevin Stein US The Best of the Album Chartmakers by Year: 1976[28] 1981 12
Kerrang! UK The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time[citation needed] 1989 62
Q UK The Greatest Classic Rock Albums Ever![29] 2004 No order

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 128.
  2. ^ "Blue Oyster Cult singles".
  3. ^ "Blue Oyster Cult singles".
  4. ^ "Blue Oyster Cult | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  5. ^ Buckley, Peter (March 14, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843531050 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "Agents of Fortune Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  7. ^ "Agents of Fortune Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  8. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Blue Öyster Cult - Agents of Fortune review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  9. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: B". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  10. ^ Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 978-1894959025.
  11. ^ The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. pp. 87–88.
  12. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 700.
  13. ^ Tucker, Ken (July 15, 1976). "Album Reviews: Blue Oyster Cult - Agents of Fortune". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 12, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
  14. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 25, 1977. p. 20. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  15. ^ Farhi, Paul (January 29, 2005). "Blue Öyster Cult, Playing Along With 'More Cowbell'". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  16. ^ George, Eli (June 30, 2011). "Blue Oyster Cult cowbell ringer honored". WIVB-TV. Archived from the original on July 2, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  17. ^ Sauro, Tony (September 17, 2009). "Blue Oyster Cult's innovative use of a cowbell will never be forgotten". The Record (Stockton). Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  18. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  19. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5114a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  20. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  21. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Blue Öyster Cult – Agents of Fortune". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  22. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  23. ^ "Blue Öyster Cult Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  24. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Blue Öyster Cult – Agents of Fortune". Music Canada.
  25. ^ "American album certifications – Blue Öyster Cult – Agents of Fortune". Recording Industry Association of America.
  26. ^ "The 1976 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. Robert Christgau. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  27. ^ "NME's best albums and tracks of 1976". NME. October 10, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  28. ^ "The Dave Marsh Lists". Book Of Rock Lists - Albums Of The Year: 1976. Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  29. ^ "Q Lists: Q Special Edition – The Greatest Classic Rock Albums Ever !". Q. Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
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