Secret Treaties is the last and best of the so-called “black-and-white” trilogy of albums that kicked off Blue Öyster Cult’s career: a trio of mysterious, monochrome-covered rock albums that peaked with this 1974 release. It’s dark, esoteric and also a bit of a hoot. It’s an album of parodic garage-rock horror reminiscent of Alice Cooper’s Killer, full of psychedelic monster mashes like Career Of Evil, the oddly cute Cagey Cretins and the seismic, psychotic Harvester Of Eyes. And those aren’t even the best tracks. Overdriven boogie rocker ME262 puts you in the pilot’s seat of a Junkers Jumo 004 (“Hitler’s on the phone from Berlin, he’s gonna make you a star”) and Dominance And Submission has a superb, swinging groove, an unforgettable climax (“radios appear”) and some creepy interjections from Charles The Grinning Boy… “it will be time”. But the album truly peaks with its closing tracks, Flaming Telepaths and Astronomy. Both are grand, magnificent masterpieces with affecting muscianship and beautifully cryptic imagery. Astronomy in particular is a complete head-scratcher. I’d love to know what “the nexus of the crisis, the origin of storms” really means but then… I feel like not knowing is kind of the point. And the reason Secret Treaties remains so eternally fascinating and alluring.
HEAVY METAL OVERLOAD 
That is classic. I’m not that familiar with B.O.C.’s material pre- “Agents of Fortune.” This song was pretty good.
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If you like what you’ve heard on other albums this one is a must. Definitely one of their best… The first three are all really good.
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I will look into this ASAP.
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Good call HMO, one of my very favourite discoveries of the last few years, this one. I’m more of a Dominance & Submission kinda dude myself. Plus that LP cover is just so damned brilliant.
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I love every song really. Dominance And Submission is up there. I just love the way thy album climaxes with those last two songs.
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Haha, you said climax!
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I had climaxing on my mind after you said you were a “Dominance and Submission kinda dude”.
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If I was totally honest, I have my mornings where I’m very much a Subhuman dude.
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I was delighted to see ‘umlauts’ among the tags!
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Can’t believe I hadn’t done that before! Gonna have to work back and add it in previous posts…
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I haven’t actually done the ‘best of the first three’ calculation yet myself but I have no reason not to accept your result. There are few better songs by anybody than ME262 and Astronomy. Looks like it is going to be a BÖC night for this rubric scarab.
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It’s a bit of a hair-splitting exercise really. The first three are all great. Think this edges it though… it’s just one of those perfect records.
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I don’t have this one and I can’t remember if I have heard it in its entirety before. I will have to look this one up.
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You should John. Front to back classic this one.
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I got sucked into an internet rabbit hole yesterday and was looking at the best hard rock albums of the ’70s, and this one kept coming up. Also, I read this while listening to Killer. The last track just started. I kid you not.
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I thought this would be one you had already! You definitely need this. Easily one of my 70s faves.
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Nope, I never heard of it until yesterday, lol. I’m adding it to my phone. I’ll give it a spin on my way home.
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Awesome! Have you got any other albums of theirs?
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I do, I found a handful at a thrift store years ago. A self titled one, Mirrors, Agents of Fortune, and Some Enchanted Evening. Honestly, none of them blew me away but I’m hoping this will be my gateway.
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Thays a pretty good selection. Agents Of Fortune is one of their best for sure. Maybe this’ll be the one that makes them click for you.
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It’s probably sad to say this but Metallica’s cover of Astronomy made me check this album out. And I enjoyed everything about it.
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Nothing sad about that! I got into loads of bands that way.
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Lol I know I just felt like wow. This music has been sitting here for ages, waiting to be listened to. Like those toys in toy story looking for a kid to play with. Lol
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Aye, this is a good one. I don’t know an awfy lot of BOC, but I do have that ‘black and white trilogy’. All of them damn good albums.
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Aye they’re all great. They did lots of brilliant stuff after that too.
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I have a few that I’d got from a pal, but I can’t say I’ve really listened to them. They have a lot of terrible looking album covers… and you know me and album art.
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I think most of their covers are pretty awesome actually?
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Well, there ya go… you always have to be difficult!
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Just cause you’re always so wrong about everything! 😂
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😂🤣 very good…
But c’mon, Cultasaurus, Club Ninja, Heaven Forbid… they are truly awful album covers.
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Ach… apart from Cultasaurus they’re all much later. And Cultasaurus looks great on vinyl so nyer nyer away and listen to Lulu.
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Haha! I will go listen to Lulu! So nyer nyer yirself!
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Cultasaurus had got all the weird archaeology pics inside. It’s cool.
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Shut up!
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Pffftthhbbtt
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WHIT IS IT!?!?
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You and your friends are sending me on a BOC quest.
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A worthwhile quest indeed!
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