Some Enchanted Evening [Bonus DVD] - Blue Öyster Cult

According to Lenny Kaye -- a rock hero and historian who gets his facts ruler straight -- Some Enchanted Evening is the mighty beast that is Blue Öyster Cult's best-selling record, with numbers signifying double platinum. Yeah, small potatoes by today's standards, but then the music industry is self-destructing anyway; these totals sum up not only the BÖC faithful, but those who were initially turned onto the band through this wonder of a cut-up live record. And the reason? Because it kicks serious rock & roll ass, that's why. This new deluxe edition from Legacy restores Some Enchanted Evening to its intended double-LP length. The Cult had released its first live record, On Your Feet or on Your Knees in 1975, just three years earlier with only two studio offerings in between. Wondering why? There were two absolute smashes -- Agents of Fortune (1976) and Spectres (1977) -- in between. The grueling touring they took on in support of these albums dictated a rest, and thus Some Enchanted Evening was assembled and released. This restored version contains 14 cuts -- doubling the length of the original -- and includes a full-length, wild and wooly DVD of a BÖC performance of the band playing live in Maryland that same year (some rest -- they toured to support the live record, too). The DVD is worth it because BÖC were as much about giving a show as Kiss; they just didn't need to be corny about it because they were all great musicians. The lasers alone are worth the price of admission here, and to see the interaction of the band with their show's pyrotechnics is anything but studied. It was instinctive and led to a performance captured on film that was actually typical in terms of its intensity, focus, professional '70s work ethic, and sheer rock & roll abandon. The CD bonus tracks include the classic "ME 262," "Hot Rails to Hell" "(This Ain't The) Summer of Love," and the climax of the Some Enchanted Evening show "5 Guitars." Staples in the band's covers stable include "Born to Be Wild" and an alternate of "We Gotta Get Out of This Place." In other words, this new edition, apart from the absolutely glorious DVD, puts back all the early classics that appeared and were left off for marketing reasons -- the biz thinking that folks wouldn't plunk down the cash for another live double with songs that repeated. The Deluxe Edition of Some Enchanted Evening lifts the album's original profile in stellar sound and excellent video production. It can't be recommended highly enough. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide