Search This Blog

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

115. Don't Fear The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult 1976



Definitely a one hit wonder. I bought the album just to get to this song and the rest of their stuff is just rubbish. I was alerted to this song by my mate and original Subway band member Chris Hunter ( not to be confused with Chris Hunter who joined Little Murders). When he played me the song I was totally gobsmacked. Of course he went on about the suicide imagery and the baroque references but I was really just digging the the way the song just moves along with that repeated riff. The single left out the guitar solo which made it even better. It also had great harmonies. It was a big influence on the way I write music and I've used it's characteristics a number of times. Just rolling patterns.
There was a great version of the song in "The Executioner's Song" the story of Gary Gilmore. I've tried to get it for so long I'm now not even sure it exists. I'll have to rent the movie.
Chris joined Subway when I decided to go punk (which sounds a bit a shallow) It didn't matter that he was still learning guitar, so was I. The 3 of us Vic, Chris and I played one gig where the bass player didn't turn up. We cleared the room. Later when Rob Wellington joined the band and we became The Fiction and  had to let him go. We had our first major punk gig playing the Pulp benefit. Rob could carry the guitar parts by himself. We decided to streamline the band. We were kids though and didn't actually tell Chris he was out. He drove past the rehearsal rooms on the first night and heard us playing.  I felt bad about that for a long time.

No comments:

Post a Comment