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)
StudioKingdom Sound (Long Island, New York)
GenreHard rock
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)
  2. "Deadline"
    Released: October 1980 (UK)
  3. "Here's Johnny (The Marshall Plan)"
    Released: November 1980
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStar
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal10/10

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 next 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 Marshall Plan" 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

All lead vocals by Eric Bloom, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Black Blade"Eric Bloom, Michael Moorcock, John Trivers 6:34
2."Monsters"Albert Bouchard, Caryn Bouchard 5:10
3."Divine Wind"Donald Roeser 5:07
4."Deadline"RoeserRoeser4:27
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
5."The Marshall Plan"Bloom, A. Bouchard, Joe Bouchard, Allen Lanier, Roeser 5:24
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 Meltzer 4:24
9."Unknown Tongue"A. Bouchard, David Roter 3:55

Personnel

Band members
Additional musicians
Production

Charts

Chart (1980) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)77
UK Albums (Official Charts)12
US Billboard 20034

References

  1. 1 2 Ruhlmann, William. "Blue Öyster Cult - Cultosaurus Erectus review". AllMusic. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Blue Oyster Cult singles".
  3. ↑ "Blue Oyster Cult singles".
  4. ↑ "Blue Oyster Cult singles".
  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 Albums/CDs. Volume 33, Issue 21 (1980-08-16)". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 13/7/1980 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Blue Oyster Cult Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2024.