Cultösaurus Erectus

Cultösaurus Erectus
A dinosaur-like monster with long teeth and 5 eyes stands majestically in front of a mountain landscape.
Cover art by Richard Clifton-Dey
Studio album by
Blue Öyster Cult
ReleasedJune 1980 (1980-06)
Recorded1979–1980
StudioKingdom Sound Studios, Long Island, New York
Genre
Length41:10
LabelColumbia
ProducerMartin Birch
Blue Öyster Cult chronology
Mirrors
(1979) 		Cultösaurus Erectus
(1980) 		Fire of Unknown Origin
(1981)
Singles from Cultösaurus Erectus
  1. "Fallen Angel"
    Released: 18 July 1980 (UK)[1]
  2. "Deadline"
    Released: October 1980 (UK)[2]
  3. "Here's Johnny (The Marshall Plan)"
    Released: November 1980[3]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal10/10[5]

Cultösaurus Erectus is the seventh studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released in June 1980. Following an experiment with a more commercial sound on the album Mirrors (released the previous year), this recording marked a return to the band's earlier, heavier sound. It also represents the band's first collaboration with British producer Martin Birch (Deep Purple, Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden), who would also produce the band's following album Fire of Unknown Origin a year later.

While the album did sell more than its predecessor, it stalled at Gold status. However, during this time, Blue Öyster Cult was still filling large venues. The tour promoting Cultösaurus Erectus found the band co-headlining sports arenas in the United States with Black Sabbath as part of the Black and Blue Tour.

The album cover features the central part of the painting Behemoth's World by British artist Richard Clifton-Dey.

Songs

"Black Blade" features lyrics by fantasy and sci-fi writer Michael Moorcock and is about Stormbringer, a black sword wielded by Elric of Melniboné, the most famous character in Moorcock's mythology.

The title "The Marshall Plan" is a play on words, connecting the post-World War II economic program with the British amplifier manufacturer.[citation needed] The song also includes a cameo by Don Kirshner introducing Johnny, the subject of the song, as an act on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, a syndicated concert program popular in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Black Blade"Eric Bloom, Michael Moorcock, John TriversBloom6:34
2."Monsters"Albert Bouchard, Caryn BouchardBloom5:10
3."Divine Wind"Donald RoeserBloom5:07
4."Deadline"RoeserRoeser4:27
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
5."The Marshall Plan"Bloom, A. Bouchard, Joe Bouchard, Allen Lanier, RoeserBloom5:24
6."Hungry Boys"A. Bouchard, C. BouchardA. Bouchard3:38
7."Fallen Angel"J. Bouchard, Helen WheelsJ. Bouchard3:11
8."Lips in the Hills"Bloom, Roeser, Richard MeltzerBloom4:24
9."Unknown Tongue"A. Bouchard, David RoterBloom3:55

Personnel

Band members
Additional musicians
Production

Charts

Chart (1980) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[6] 77
UK Albums (OCC)[7] 12
US Billboard 200[8] 34

References

  1. ^ "Blue Oyster Cult singles".
  2. ^ "Blue Oyster Cult singles".
  3. ^ "Blue Oyster Cult singles".
  4. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Blue Öyster Cult - Cultosaurus Erectus review". AllMusic. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  5. ^ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 978-1894959315.
  6. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0218b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  7. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  8. ^ "Blue Oyster Cult Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2024.