• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
  • Archives
  • Contact

Medialoper

We're Not Who You Think We Are

Hot Rails to Hell

Certain Songs #71: Blue Oyster Cult – “Hot Rails to Hell”

January 10, 2015 by Jim Connelly

image

Album: Tyranny and Mutation
Year: 1973.

While I’m probably going to offend hardcore BOC fans, I prefer their more singles-oriented commercial period in the second half of the 70s to their first few mysterioso hard rock albums.  So naturally, my favorite BOC song was never a single, and comes from their second album.

A supersonic demonic train song written and sung by bassist Joe Bouchard, “Hot Rails to Hell” is basically the sound of a million Chuck Berry riffs knocking on Hell’s door.  For me, it’s pretty much the only time that the super-thin but kinda muddy sound Sandy Pearlman imposed on those early record truly and completely works for me.

In the end, when Buck Dharma comes ripping out of the muck with a seemingly infinite drum-powered guitar solo and Bouchard incants “your eyes out!!” again and again, it sounds like Hell has decided to send that train back for more passengers.  All aboard!!

“Hot Rails to Hell”

Filed Under: Certain Songs Tagged With: Blue Oyster Cult, Hot Rails to Hell, Tyranny and Mutation

Primary Sidebar

Lopy

Search

Previously on Medialoper

  • Certain Songs #2542: Sugar – “The Act We Act”
  • Certain Songs #2541: Sufjan Stevens – “Too Much”
  • Certain Songs #2540: Sufjan Stevens – “Djohariah”
  • Certain Songs #2539: Sufjan Stevens – “Heirloom”
  • Certain Songs #2538: Sufjan Stevens – “Casimir Pulaski Day”

Copyright © 2023 · Medialoper