A few years back, VH1 had one of its myriad "100 Best Of" shows, the 100 best hard rock bands of all time. I watched it twice. I thought some of the choices, and some of the placements were off; I also thought there was far too much screen time given to Henry Rollins (what a pompous, self-absorbed doofus). On the other hand, Bad Brains, Yes, King Crimson, and even Sonic Youth made the list, so I couldn't complain that much (OK, maybe about Sonic Youth . . .).
One band that made the list was Blue Oyster Cult. During the "interview" part, James Hetfield of Metallica made the comment that he had seen BOC at a bar somewhere and expressed surprise that they were still at it, and said he admired the fact that they continued to plug away, not caring that much about fame and fortune, just enjoying playing together. I admire that, even in bad bands - it isn't about being famous, but about the music.
BOC performed a few hard-rock novelty songs, "Godzilla" being the most famous. My favorite was "Joan Crawford (Has Risen From the Grave)" ("Christina. . . Mommy's home"). They usually dealt in sci-fi/fantasy themes, so a whole generation of boys who loved Tolkien, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, and Robert Heinlein had a chance to listen to a rock band that put their dreams and enjoyments to music. This is one my favorite songs they have done, "Veteran of the Psychic Wars":
My favorite version of this song is on Extra-Terrestrial Live, which I have yet to find on CD. Any help in that department would be encouraging.
