Rock legends Blue Öyster Cult have announced a new album, Ghost Stories, and shared the single “So Supernatural” ahead of the April 12th release date.
The album is somewhat unconventional, as it is constructed of “lost gems” from the BÖC archives. It also appears to be their final album, as a press release touts it as “a fitting finale to the recording legacy of one of rock’s most iconic fixtures from the past 50 years.”
Original master tapes were exhumed and digitized, then re-imagined using AI enhancement and new studio tracking by Richie Castellano along with remaining original members Eric Bloom and Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, and drummers Albert Bouchard and Rick Downey (plus additional overdubs recorded by Joe Bouchard).
The melodic and mid-tempo groove of “So Supernatural” certainly reflects the band’s classic era — recalling Spectres in particular — but it’s rendered through shiny modern production and extra coats of sonic paint.
The band describes the process behind Ghost Stories as “de-mixed” and “re-mixed,” with Steve Schenck and Castellano handling the production. Digital transfers were done by George Geranios, and the album was mastered by Sam Stauff.
While the core of the 12-song tracklist originates from material recorded between 1978 and 1983, the LP also includes the 2016 studio track “If I Fell” as well as the only known recorded performance of their signature concert cover of MC5’s “Kick Out the Jams.”
You can pre-order Ghost Stories via Frontiers Music. Stream the video for “So Supernatural” and see the album art and tracklist below.
Ghost Stories Artwork:
Ghost Stories Tracklist:
01. Late Night Street Fight
02. Cherry
03. So Supernatural
04. We Gotta Get Out of This Place
05. Soul Jive
06. Gun
07. Shot in the Dark
08. The Only Thing
09. Kick Out the Jams
10. Money Machine
11. Don’t Come Running
12. If I Fell
13. Roadhouse Blues [Japanese Bonus Track]
