First, note that I'm not downgrading the music. I'm downgrading another inadequate and ill-concieved compilation.

The reason that so many people are objecting to this latest compilation is that we've gone from the sublime to the ridiculous. In 1995, Sony released the 2-disk "Workshop of the Telescopes" which was a fine (if flawed) overview. It costs a mere $19.98 on Amazon as of this writing, and unlike these inadequate single-CD collections which come out about every six months or so, you get most of the big hits and mid-charting singles along with most of the great album cuts. Alas, even "Telescopes" had its unforgivable omissions, though: "R.U. Ready To Rock", "Black Blade", and "Joan Crawford" were all mysteriously absent. That plain sucked. But you can remedy these oversights by getting the two outstanding albums, "Fire of Unknown Origin" and "Cultosaurus Erectus" in addition to "Workshop of the Telescopes." I know...that's four disks altogether (one 2-cd set and two 1-cd packages) and you were only wanting one disk. But if you care about your music, you'll do it and thank me for it. The missing tracks really are that good and I'm speaking as a casual fan, not a cult Cult fan.

Obviously, if you're considering a hits package, you want the tunes you know. But you also want a damn good sampling of the best material that you may not know. These are the great songs which anyone who grew up on radio stations like WSHE in Miami or the original 96 Rock in Atlanta knew by heart and which would rarely be left out of a live show.

The problem with each of the single-CD collections (like this one) is that they each are missing way too many great songs. It's inexcusable. For example, on "Essential", you get "E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)" -- which truly is essential -- but then you don't get "Joan Crawford", "Going Through the Motions" or "The Red and the Black", which WERE included on a single-CD compilation released back in 2000, "Don't Fear The Reaper: The Best Of Blue Öyster Cult". However, that compilation of course did not include "E.T.I.", nor several other of their best such as "Stairway to the Stars" -- so unless you just bite the bullet and get "Workshop of the Telescopes", you are going to be missing out on many of their best album cuts and lower-charting singles as well.

Solution: Get "Workshop of the Telescopes", "Fire of Unknown Origin" and "Cultosaurus Erectus." Otherwise, you'll be stuck with just another inadequate compilation, no matter which one you choose. By the way, I am now signing up for therapy to deal with all the confusion created by Sony's multifarious compilations. I'm ready to get out my own "Black Blade" and chop these underperforming compilations into millions of little pieces.

I'm not sure why people are complaining about this Blue Oyster Cult collection. If a band lasts long enough, there are bound to be a few "best of" compilations released. For my tastes, the Essential Blue Oyster Cult works quite well. You get a nice overview of BOC's career, including their biggest hits (Don't Fear) the Reaper and Burnin' for You, digitally remastered sound, and a (sale) price tag that is about half the cost of the average CD.

No matter what songs appear on a "best of" or "greatest hits" package, there's always going to be a track that gets left off that you think is one of the band's better tracks. The Essential BOC does a pretty good job at showcasing the band's best material, and compared to the 30-40 minute 20th Century Masters series, it looks pretty impressive with its 14 tracks clocking in at 70 minutes.

Serious BOC fans will probably have no use for this collection, and that's perfectly OK. This wasn't released with them in mind. It was released for people like me who wanted an affordable way to get a better idea of what BOC has to offer without jumping straight into the band's studio albums. Of course now that I've heard more BOC material than what the classic rock stations typically play, I will most likely be seeking out those studio albums in the near future!

Blue Oyster Cult's sound shifted tremendously over the years, and this set proves that. From their early distorted rock creations, they went on to craft the most amusing progressive songs one could hope to get from a gang of none-too-serious musicians. Later, their sound gives into to the arena rock affectations of the late 70s and early 80s. During this time, they play with the usual Journey/Foreigner/Boston mold by meshing it with abundant acoustics and synths a' plenty.

By the end of these 70 minutes, you really wish you had more music. An essential anthology would've compiled two discs worth of music. As a result, you're better off getting the two-disc compilation that everyone's been raving about. That will give you the same idea as this one, but it'll be presented in a more consistent manner.

But why? Just about all these are on "Don't Fear The Reaper; The Best Of Blue Oyster Cult," (which costs less, I should add) and the double "Workshop Of The Telescopes" fleshes things out even more. But for the price, be aware that you can do much better.

this is my first blue oyster cult non studio cd.it was this one or the best of blue oyster cult so for some reason i chose this cd.i love every song on here and their music is so great and their lyrics so intelligently written.i go to www.blueoystercult.com and check out their lyrics because sometimes i can't understand exactly what they are saying or singing.the lyrics are brillant.