Like many of you, I discovered Blue
Oyster Cult through FM radio and their big hits “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” and “Godzilla”
as a kid back in the early ‘80s. It wasn’t until I heard “Veteran of the
Psychic Wars” off of the 1981 Heavy Metal
movie soundtrack that I became a fan though. That song made me get what was to
be my favorite BOC album, Fire of Unknown
Origin. I played that tape a lot and now own it in digital format. When it
was first announced that a BOC tribute album was in the works and that the
mighty Ripple Music would be releasing it, I was stoked.
Dominance
and Submission was a project initiated by former Poison Idea
drummer Steve Hanford aka Thee Slayer Hippy joining forces with guitarist Ian
Watts of Ape Machine. Sadly, Hanford died of a heart attack in May of 2020 and
didn’t live to see the finished compilation. Proceeds from the album sales will
go to Hanford's widowed partner, Kitty Diggins.
I won’t do a track by track comparison
of each song with its original counterpart (I’m not familiar with all the songs
anyway), instead I’ll give my thoughts on the songs that are included in this
collection. It’s a selection of hits and deeper cuts, which is always
appreciated. Mondo Machine do a bang-up job covering “ME 262”,
a track from BOC’s most popular record, Secret
Treaties. The compilation’s title track, “Dominance and Submission”, also
from Secret Treaties, gets an
all-star lineup to cover it featuring Steve Hanford, Nick Oliveri, Mark Lanegan,
and Sam Coomes who keep its groovy rock n’ roll origins while injecting new vigor
into it. “Flaming Telepaths” gets a new coat of varnish from Great Electric
Quest. Howling Giant are joined by Bob Balch for an even more ominous rendering
of “Godzilla.”
Tony Reed of Mos Generator fame
is joined by Steve Hanford himself for a superb rendition of “Transmaniacon MC.”
“Wings Wetted Down” gets a female vocalist makeover in one of my favorites of
the record via Andrea Vidal joining the band IT for the occasion. “Tattoo
Vampire” is a lot of fun redone by Mos Generator with Steve Hanford aka Thee
Slayer Hippy, once again. Ape Machine does a fantastic interpretation of my fave
BOC song, “Veteran of the Psychic Wars”, breathing new life and sounding just as
fresh as it did 40 years ago. Could very well be my favorite track on this comp!
ZEKE inject raw energy into the perennial classic “Cities on Flame with Rock and
Roll.”
“Stairway to the Stars” is
another track that gets a female vocalist to give it a unique sound as Janiece
Gonzalez guest-stars with fan favorites War Cloud. Year of the Cobra, a duo I adore,
covers “Fireworks”, a song I wasn’t familiar with, but this version is gorgeous
with a palette of musical nuances. I must admit, I didn’t care for “7 Screaming
Diz-Busters” upon my initial spin, a BOC song I’d never heard before, done by Fetish,
a band I also had never heard of, but it has grown on me on subsequent listens.
We close things off with BOC’s most famous song, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”,
which gets a complete remodeling from Spindrift, infusing it with an
alternative edge and fully making it their own.
Dominance
and Submission is a stellar tribute album in every aspect. From
the selection of songs covered, to the variety of bands covering them in an
assortment of musical genres. It’s clear that Blue Oyster Cult’s influence
continues to inspire bands to this day in the many realms of rock n’ roll. I
don’t think I’ve enjoyed a covers album this much from top to bottom since 1994’s
Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath.
More often than not, tribute albums are so-so with only a handful of songs that
make it worth spending your hard-earned cash on. Not so with this compilation
of 13 BOC classics. I do wish someone would have covered “Astronomy” though,
one of my all-time favorite songs from BOC. All kidding aside, this outstanding
collaboration gets my highest possible recommendation.
Ripple Music’s Dominance and Submission Bandcamp page: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/d-minance-and-submissi-n-a-tribute-to-blue-yster-cult
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