US rock band Blue Öyster Cult have drawn heavily on their past to create what they claim is their last studio album.
Known for cult hits such as "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" or "Godzilla," the band never really reached the mainstream, though they recently celebrated their 50th anniversary.
Their latest release is drawn from decades-old tapes from the archive that were thought to have been lost. Now, like the Beatles, they have been dusted off and revamped with a dose of artificial intelligence.
Almost all of the tracks on "Ghost Stories" were originally recorded during the group's golden era between 1978 and 1983. Vocalists and guitarists Eric Bloom and Donald Roeser aka Buck Dharma are the last remaining members of Blue Öyster Cult from this period.
But the new album also features music by some of their former colleagues, namely drummer Albert Bouchard, his brother and multi-instrumentalist Joe Bouchard, plus sounds from the late rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Allen Lanier.
Former BÖC producer and audio engineer George Geranios, who mixed some of their most important albums, unearthed the older tapes that he himself was involved in recording. Some contain several takes of songs never released in the past. Others were badly damaged, while some could no longer be resurrected.
Long-time manager and co-producer Steve Schenck and multi-instrumentalist Richie Castellano, part of the band since 2004, were primarily responsible for "Ghost Stories," digitalizing the old tapes, dissecting the soundtracks and filling in any gaps.
There were some piano parts "where Allen plays some amazing quintessential Allen-Lanier almost rock 'n roll honky-tonk piano," said Castellano in a video on the band's YouTube channel.
"It was half missing, but I could kind of hear what the part was which was coming in and out."
Castellano filled in the missing notes himself on the piano - true to the original, he says. "If he didn't play it, I didn't put it on there." Here and there, Castellano also picked up the strings when the sound quality wasn't good enough. A few drum sounds were also added.
That means songs like "Late Night Street Fight," "Soul Jive," or "The Only Thing" actually sound as if they came from a Blue Öyster Cult album from a bygone era, lending "Ghost Stories" an enjoyably nostalgic sound.
The cover versions of "Kick Out The Jams" (originally by MC5) and "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" (Eric Burdon And The Animals) are also successful. The last track "If I Fell" is a little out of the ordinary in terms of sound, unsurprisingly as it was the only one recorded in 2016.
You may be glad to know that even if "Ghost Stories" is the last studio album, the band says, Blue Öyster Cult is still planning to keep touring and playing concerts in future, if the sounds appeal.
