Astronomy (song)

[Ben]

Clock strikes twelve and moondrops burst out at you from their hiding place.
Like acid and oil on a madman’s face, his reason tends to fly away...

This has been my absolute favorite song for many years. Love the little calm at 4:55 before the all-hell-breaks-loose ending.



From Wikipedia:

"Astronomy" is a rock song by Blue Öyster Cult that has appeared on several of the band's albums. It was first published on their 1974 album Secret Treaties. Their second live album, Some Enchanted Evening, included a version with an extended guitar solo and a third version was included on the Imaginos album. Metallica did a cover of the song for their 1998 Garage Inc. album.

The song's lyrics are selected verses from a poem by Sandy Pearlman, the band's producer and mastermind behind their image, called "The Soft Doctrines of Immaginos". In the poem, which was later released under the BÖC moniker as "Imaginos", aliens known as Les Invisibles guide an altered human named Imaginos, also called Desdinova, through history, playing key roles that eventually lead to the outbreak of World War I.

In "Astronomy", the character of Imaginos comes to realize his heritage and his role as the altered human. References are made to celestial objects throughout the song-- "The light that never warms" being the moon, "The Queenly flux" the constellation Cassiopeia, "My dog, fixed and consequent" being Sirius, the dog star. The "Four Winds Bar" may be a reference to the Tropic of Cancer. All in all, it has Imaginos explaining his position as part of Les Invisibles.

>> Official Lyrics

>> Live Performance from 1976 on YouTube

[pepelepew]

Ben i saw BOC play this song live in 74 @ the Old lady on Brady theater in Tulsa, Ok. They are one of my favorite progressive rock bands along with Rush. Really takes me back! Their lyrics are very deep and mysterious for the most part.

[Ben]

Originally Posted by pepelepew

Ben i saw BOC play this song live in 74 @ the Old lady on Brady theater in Tulsa, Ok.

Oooh, lucky. I saw them (or well what's left of them) recently at BB King's in New York, but they didn't play Astronomy! They're one of my top bands too, my favorite albums being Secret Treaties, Fire of Unknown Origin, and Imaginos.

[lefty12357]

Really good song...but of course I love progressive music.

[Plaz]

nice song there Ben... one of my good friends remixed their song don't fear the reaper...

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[puffyrock2]

Great song, great underrated band. They were dubbed the American Black Sabbath for a while, but their career took many twists and turns.

I own the following BOC albums:

- Blue Oyster Cult
- Tyranny & Mutation
- Secret Treaties
- Agents Of Fortune
- Spectres
- Mirrors
- Cultosaurus Erectus
- Fire Of Unknown Origin
- The Revolution By Night
- Imaginos
- Workshop Of The Telescopes

If you haven't heard it, check out Cultosaurus Erectus. Great album that seems to be one of the most obscure they recorded.