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Agents of Fortune is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released by Columbia Records on May 21, 1976.[4][5]

Agents of Fortune
Studio album by
Blue Öyster Cult
ReleasedMay 21, 1976 (1976-05-21)
Recorded1975–1976
StudioThe Record Plant, New York City
Genre
  • Hard rock
  • heavy metal
Length36:35
LabelColumbia
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
  1. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"
    Released: July 1976 [2]
  2. "This Ain't the Summer of Love"
    Released: June 1977 (US) [3]

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


Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[9]
The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal10/10[10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[11]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[1]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[12]

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


Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."This Ain't the Summer of Love"Albert Bouchard, Murray Krugman, Don WallerEric Bloom2:21
2."True Confessions"Allen LanierAllen Lanier2:57
3."(Don't Fear) The Reaper"Donald RoeserDonald Roeser5:08
4."E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)"Donald Roeser, Sandy PearlmanEric Bloom3:43
5."The Revenge of Vera Gemini"Albert Bouchard, Patti SmithAlbert Bouchard3:52
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Sinful Love"Albert Bouchard, Helen WheelsAlbert Bouchard3:29
2."Tattoo Vampire"Albert Bouchard, Helen WheelsEric Bloom2:41
3."Morning Final"Joe BouchardJoe Bouchard4:30
4."Tenderloin"Allen LanierEric Bloom3:40
5."Debbie Denise"Albert Bouchard, Patti SmithAlbert Bouchard4:13
2001 CD reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
11."Fire of Unknown Origin" (original version)Eric Bloom, Albert Bouchard, Joe Bouchard, Donald Roeser, Patti SmithAlbert Bouchard3:30
12."Sally" (demo version)Albert BouchardAlbert Bouchard2:40
13."(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (demo version)Donald RoeserDonald Roeser6:20
14."Dance the Night Away" (demo version)Allen Lanier, Jim CarrollAllen Lanier2:37
Total length:51:42

Personnel


Band members
Additional musicians
Production

Charts



Certifications


Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[28] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[29] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.


Accolades


Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
The Village Voice US The 1976 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll[30] 1976 10
NME UK Albums of the Year[31] 1976 6
Dave Marsh & Kevin Stein US The Best of the Album Chartmakers by Year: 1976[32] 1981 12
Kerrang! UK The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time[31] 1989 62
Q UK The Greatest Classic Rock Albums Ever![33] 2004 No order

References


  1. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 128.
  2. "Blue Oyster Cult singles".
  3. "Blue Oyster Cult singles".
  4. "Blue Oyster Cult | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  5. Buckley, Peter (March 14, 2003). "The Rough Guide to Rock". Rough Guides – via Google Books.
  6. "Agents of Fortune Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  7. "Agents of Fortune Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  8. Jurek, Thom. "Blue Öyster Cult - Agents of Fortune review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 700.
  12. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. pp. 87–88.
  13. 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.
  14. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 25, 1977. p. 20. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  15. Farhi, Paul (January 29, 2005). "Blue Öyster Cult, Playing Along With 'More Cowbell'". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  19. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5114a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  20. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  21. "Swedishcharts.com – Blue Öyster Cult – Agents of Fortune". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  22. "Blue Oyster Cult | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  23. "Blue Öyster Cult Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  24. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5106." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  25. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Don't Fear) The Reaper". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  26. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  27. "Blue Oyster Cult Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  28. "Canadian album certifications – Blue Öyster Cult – Agents of Fortune". Music Canada.
  29. "American album certifications – Blue Öyster Cult – Agents of Fortune". Recording Industry Association of America.
  30. "The 1976 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. Robert Christgau. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  31. "Blue Öyster Cult - Agents of Fortune". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  32. "The Dave Marsh Lists". Book Of Rock Lists - Albums Of The Year: 1976. Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  33. "Q Lists: Q Special Edition – The Greatest Classic Rock Albums Ever !". Q. Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 30, 2012.

На других языках

[de] Agents of Fortune

Agents of Fortune ist das vierte Studioalbum der amerikanischen Rockband Blue Öyster Cult und erschien am 1. Januar 1976. Zusammen mit dem Livealbum Some Enchanted Evening zählt es zu den kommerziell erfolgreichsten Alben der Band. Es erreichte in den Vereinigten Staaten am 26. Oktober 1976 Gold-Status und am 17. Juli 1978 schließlich Platin-Status.[1]
- [en] Agents of Fortune

[es] Agents Of Fortune

Agents Of Fortune es el cuarto álbum de estudio de la banda de hard rock Blue Öyster Cult, originalmente publicado en 1976 a través de Columbia Records.

[ru] Agents of Fortune

Agents of Fortune — четвёртый студийный альбом американской хард-рок-группы Blue Öyster Cult, выпущенный в 1976 году на лейбле Columbia Records. Альбом стал платиновым и достиг 29 места в Billboard 200, а сингл «(Don’t Fear) The Reaper» поднялся на 12 место в Billboard Hot 100.


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