Blue oyster cult agents of fortune

Q: Who is the man on agents of fortune?

They were formed in the late 60s as Soft White Underbelly by guitarist Donald Buck Dharma Roeser, drummer Albert Bouchard and late keyboardist Allen Lanier. Along the way, they picked up singer/guitarist Eric Bloom and bassist Joe Bouchard (Alberts brother) and signed to Columbia Records.

Q: What are the cards on agents of fortune?

This aint the Summer of Love. The album cover depicts someone holding 4 Tarot cards based on Aleister Crowleys Thoth Tarot: Death, The Empress, The Emperor, and The Sun. Stories say that these cards were part of an actual Tarot card reading done for the band.

Agents of Fortune

Studio album by

Blue Öyster Cult

Índice Show

Critical reception[edit]
Track listing[edit]
Personnel[edit]
Charts[edit]
Album[edit]
Certifications[edit]
Accolades[edit]
References[edit]
Who is the man on agents of fortune?
What is the symbol on agents of fortune?
Who produced agents of fortune?
What are the cards on agents of fortune?

Released

May 21, 1976

Recorded

1975–76

Studio

The Record Plant, New York City

Genre

Hard rock
heavy metal

Length

36:35

Label

Columbia

Producer

Murray Krugman
Sandy Pearlman
David Lucas[1]

Blue Öyster Cult chronology

On Your Feet or on Your Knees
(1975)

Agents of Fortune
(1976)

Spectres
(1977)

Singles from Agents of Fortune

"(Don't Fear) The Reaper"
Released: July 1976 [2]
"This Ain't the Summer of Love"
Released: June 1977 (US) [3]

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

This is also the only album in the band's catalog to have every original member perform lead vocals on at least one song, and the only to not feature any songwriting contributions from Eric Bloom. However, the 2020 live album 40th Anniversary: Agents of Fortune Live 2016 added Bloom's name to the writing credits on "E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)".

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Christgau's Record Guide	B+[9]
The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	10/10[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 Oyster 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" and that "a mood of evil created in a humorous fashion."[14]

Track listing[edit]

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
6.	"Sinful Love"	Albert Bouchard, Helen Wheels	Albert Bouchard	3:29
7.	"Tattoo Vampire"	Albert Bouchard, Helen Wheels	Eric Bloom	2:41
8.	"Morning Final"	Joe Bouchard	Joe Bouchard	4:30
9.	"Tenderloin"	Allen Lanier	Eric Bloom	3:40
10.	"Debbie Denise"	Albert Bouchard, Patti Smith	Albert Bouchard	4:13

2001 CD reissue bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
11.	"Fire of Unknown Origin" (original version)	Eric Bloom, Albert Bouchard, Joe Bouchard, Donald Roeser, Patti Smith	Albert Bouchard	3:30
12.	"Sally" (demo version)	Albert Bouchard	Albert Bouchard	2:40
13.	"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (demo version)	Donald Roeser	Donald Roeser	6:20
14.	"Dance the Night Away" (demo version)	Allen Lanier, Jim Carroll	Allen Lanier	2:37
Total length:	51:42

Personnel[edit]

Band members

Eric Bloom – guitar, vocals, keyboards, percussion
Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser – lead guitar, vocals
Allen Lanier – keyboards, rhythm guitar, bass on "Morning Final", vocals
Joe Bouchard – bass, piano on "Morning Final", vocals
Albert Bouchard – drums, percussion, acoustic guitar, vocals

Additional musicians

Patti Smith – vocals on "The Revenge of Vera Gemini"
Randy Brecker – horns
Michael Brecker – horns
David Lucas – vocals, keyboards, percussion

The cowbell on "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" may have been played by Albert Bouchard,[15] David Lucas,[16] or Eric Bloom.[17]

Production

David Lucas , Murray Krugman, Sandy Pearlman – producers
Shelly Yakus, Andy Abrams – engineers
Tony Stevens – mastering
John Berg, Andy Engel – design
Lynn Curlee – paintings

Charts[edit]

Album[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[25]	Gold	50,000^
United States (RIAA)[26]	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[27]	1976	10
NME	UK	Albums of the Year[28]	1976	6
Dave Marsh & Kevin Stein	US	The Best of the Album Chartmakers by Year: 1976[29]	1981	12
Kerrang!	UK	The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time[28]	1989	62
Q	UK	The Greatest Classic Rock Albums Ever![30]	2004	No order

References[edit]

^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 128.
^ "Blue Oyster Cult singles".
^ "Blue Oyster Cult singles".
^ "Blue Oyster Cult | Biography & History". AllMusic.
^ Buckley, Peter (March 14, 2003). "The Rough Guide to Rock". Rough Guides – via Google Books.
^ "Agents of Fortune Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
^ a b "Agents of Fortune Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
^ Jurek, Thom. "Blue Öyster Cult - Agents of Fortune review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. pp. 87–88.
^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 700.
^ 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.
^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 25, 1977. p. 20. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
^ Farhi, Paul (January 29, 2005). "Blue Öyster Cult, Playing Along With 'More Cowbell'". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
^ 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.
^ Sauro, Tony (September 17, 2009). "Blue Oyster Cult's innovative use of a cowbell will never be forgotten". The Record (Stockton). Retrieved August 7, 2012.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5114a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Blue Öyster Cult – Agents of Fortune". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
^ "Blue Öyster Cult | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
^ "Blue Öyster Cult Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
^ "Top Singles - Volume 26, No. 7, November 13, 1976". Library and Archives Canada. 13 November 1976. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
^ "Blue Oyster Cult Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Blue Öyster Cult – Agents of Fortune". Music Canada.
^ "American album certifications – Blue Öyster Cult – Agents of Fortune". Recording Industry Association of America.
^ "The 1976 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. Robert Christgau. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
^ a b "Blue Öyster Cult - Agents of Fortune". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
^ "The Dave Marsh Lists". Book Of Rock Lists - Albums Of The Year: 1976. Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
^ "Q Lists: Q Special Edition – The Greatest Classic Rock Albums Ever !". Q. Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 30, 2012.

Who is the man on agents of fortune?

They were formed in the late '60s as Soft White Underbelly by guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, drummer Albert Bouchard and late keyboardist Allen Lanier. Along the way, they picked up singer/guitarist Eric Bloom and bassist Joe Bouchard (Albert's brother) and signed to Columbia Records.

What is the symbol on agents of fortune?

The BOC logo was created by Bill Gawlik, the artist who created the band's first and second album covers. It is a stylization of the astronomical symbol for the planet Saturn. In the process of creating the album cover, Gawlick used a washer to separate the symbol into its 5 parts hook, bars and dot.

Who produced agents of fortune?

Agents of Fortune
Genre	Hard rock heavy metal
Length	36:35
Label	Columbia
Producer	Murray Krugman Sandy Pearlman David Lucas

Agents of Fortune - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org › wiki › Agents_of_Fortunenull

What are the cards on agents of fortune?

This ain't the Summer of Love." The album cover depicts someone holding 4 Tarot cards based on Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot: Death, The Empress, The Emperor, and The Sun. Stories say that these cards were part of an actual Tarot card reading done for the band.