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”