BSPH: Blue Oyster Cult "Secret Treaties" (1974) Alternate Tracklist

Sometimes, usually by accident or due to some peculiar circumstances, you happen to experience a work of art in a way it wasn't originally conceived. Often it is extremely detrimental to the perception of the piece. Worst case scenario – it will misrepresent the piece and turn you against it.
But sometimes the wrong way is just another kind of experience that can be on par with the original and simply offer an alternative point of view.

Case in point – the way I was listening to Blue Oyster Cult’s “Secret Treaties” for almost six years.
Why? Because that’s the way it was recorded on a compact disc. You see – Ukraine is not exactly an important market and for the most part – it is really hard to find something officially released, especially something not very recent. However, there are plenty of options in a form of pirate editions of all walks of life. Even now you get various MP3 compilations, makeshift best-of’s, bizarre mixtapes, and so on and so on. That’s how I got my copy of “Secret Treaties”.

Here’s how “Secret Treaties” official tracklist looks like. It is an example of effective sequencing of the songs – they flow into one another:

• Career of evil
• Subhuman
• Dominance and Submission
• ME 262
• Cagey Cretins
• Harvester of Eyes
• Flaming Telepaths
• Astronomy

And here is how it looks on my edition:

• Astronomy
• Cagey Cretins
• Career of evil
• Dominance and Submission
• Flaming Telepaths
• Harvester of Eyes
• ME 262
• Subhuman

As you can see it was merely put in an alphabetic order. It starts off with “Astronomy” which is actually an album closer and moves right into “Cagey Cretins” which segues into “Career of Evil”, albums actual opener which is neatly followed by the mighty “Dominance and Submission”.
The greatest trick this reshuffling of the playlist pulls off is changing places of “Harvester of Eyes” and “Flaming Telepaths”. In this version they are positioned in an opposite order. And there is not even bit of dissonance.

It is absolutely mystifying how this blatant and utterly ignorant reshuffling not only avoid ruining an album but also manages to deliver exquisite alternative listening experience. I guess that is a sign of really good album – when you can shuffle its playlist and it still will be as listenable as original.

“Secret Treaties” is the best Blue Oyster Cult album. There is no need to argue about that – it is obvious. While some of their more iconic songs might be on other albums (Godzilla, The Red and The Black to name a few) – “Secret Treaties” is all-round perfect Blue Oyster Cult album from start to finish. In many ways it is a vertical slice of entire band’s ouvre – from menacing stomper “Career of Evil” to flaming actioner “Cagey Cretins” through the grinder of “Dominance and Submission” to mystical “Astronomy”. “Secret Treaties” manages to create such an intense listening experience that it cannot be affected by any kind of modification.