Secret Treaties

For the concept, see Secret treaty.

Secret Treaties
Studio album by
Blue Öyster Cult
ReleasedApril 5, 1974 (1974-04-05) [1]
Recorded1974
StudioColumbia 30th Street Studio
(New York City)
Genre
Length38:14
LabelColumbia
Producer
Blue Öyster Cult chronology
Tyranny and Mutation
(1973) 		Secret Treaties
(1974) 		On Your Feet or on Your Knees
(1975)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Christgau's Record GuideB[6]
Classic Rock[7]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal10/10[8]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[9]
Sputnikmusic[10]
Tom HullB[11]

Secret Treaties is the third studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on April 5, 1974 by Columbia.[3] It features the same band members and production team as their previous album.

The album spent 14 weeks in the US album charts, peaking at No. 53.[12] It was certified gold by the RIAA in 1992.[13]

In 1975, a poll of readers of the British magazine Melody Maker voted Secret Treaties the "Top Rock Album of All Time".[3] In 2010, Rhapsody called it one of the all-time best "proto-metal" albums.[14]

It is the only BÖC album that does not feature a track with lead vocals sung by guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser. The band also did not write any of the lyrics to the album, handing that duty to producer Sandy Pearlman, rock critic Richard Meltzer and singer Patti Smith.[15]

  1. ^ "RIAA certifications". Recording Industry Association of America.
  2. ^ Rock, Classic (February 25, 2021). "Blue Oyster Cult: Secret Treaties - Album Of The Week Club review". Loudersound. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c MOJO Magazine (November 1, 2007). The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion (4 ed.). Canongate Books. p. 334. ISBN 978-1-84767-643-6.
  4. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Blue Öyster Cult - Secret Treaties review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  5. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Blue Öyster Cult - Secret Treaties review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Rock, Classic (February 25, 2021). "Blue Oyster Cult: Secret Treaties - Album Of The Week Club review". Loudersound. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  8. ^ Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 53–54. ISBN 978-1894959025.
  9. ^ Miller, Jim (June 20, 1974). "Album Reviews: Blue Oyster Cult - Secret Treaties". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  10. ^ Davis, Robert. "Blue Öyster Cult - Secret Treaties". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  11. ^ Hull, Tom (April 1975). "The Rekord Report: Second Card". Overdose. Retrieved June 26, 2020 – via tomhull.com.
  12. ^ "Secret Treaties Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  13. ^ "RIAA Searchable Database - search for Blue Oyster Cult". RIAA. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  14. ^ Farrar, Justin (June 22, 2010). "Classic Rock Crate Digger: 10 Essential Proto-Metal Albums". Rhapsody. Archived from the original on July 3, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  15. ^ Secret Treaties (CD Booklet). Blue Öyster Cult. New York City: Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings. 2001. pp. 5–11. 502236 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)