Imaginos
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| Imaginos | |||||
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| Studio album by Blue Öyster Cult | |||||
| Released | July, 1988 | ||||
| Recorded | 1980 - 1988 | ||||
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal | ||||
| Length | 55:31 | ||||
| Label | CBS Records | ||||
| Producer | Sandy Pearlman, Daniel Levitin | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Blue Öyster Cult chronology | |||||
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Imaginos was a 1988 concept album by Blue Öyster Cult.
The "Imaginos" concept was originally begun by producer Sandy Pearlman in 1967, before BÖC was formed. Drummer Albert Bouchard began writing music for it following the release of the band's first album in 1972. Two "Imaginos" songs appeared on the 1974 album, Secret Treaties; "Astronomy" and "Subhuman" (retitled as "Blue Öyster Cult" on Imaginos). The remaining tracks were written over the following years and in 1982, after Albert Bouchard left the band, he set about recording the songs for the project with the arranging help of Tommy Morrongiello. The as-imagined album and the as-released album bore little relation to each other. Comments from Bouchard and other band members suggest that the project was originally intended to span two or more albums. However, CBS would only release the record as a BÖC album, and even then only in an abridged format so it was shelved until 1988 when it was released by the then current line-up of the band, without Bouchard's involvement.
The album entered the Billboard Top 200 on August 19, 1988, peaked at #134 and exited the charts on October 8. It was given a rerelease on Sony's American Beat Records label on January 8, 2008, with corrected credits.
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[edit] Concept
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Imaginos was envisioned as a rock opera, though various circumstances surrounding the album's production and release render the story difficult to decipher - the songs were arranged on the album out of their intended order, certain songs were omitted, and even in the remaining songs the narrative progression is scarce. However, based on sleeve notes issued with the original release and various interview comments by Pearlman, it is possible to reconstruct the story to a great extent.
At the core of the story is a secret history which Pearlman described thus: "an interpretation of history - an explanation for the onset of World War I, or a revelation of the occult origins of it", in a September 1988 interview with Kerrang! magazine. Central to this history are "Les Invisibles", a group of seven beings worshipped by the natives of Mexico and Haiti prior to the arrival of Spanish colonists in the 1500s. The nature of Les Invisibles is left unclear, though it is hinted that they may be extraterrestrials, or beings akin to the Great Old Ones in the works of H. P. Lovecraft. Some fans have identified them with the Loa of the Voodoo religion. The star Sirius is of particular astrological significance to Les Invisibles, and it is during the so-called Dog Days of August, when Sirius is in conjunction with The Sun, that their influence over mankind is at its apex. By subtly influencing the minds of men, the beings are said to be "playing with our history as if it's a game", affecting events in world history over the course of centuries. For the three centuries after European discovery of the New World, this game plays out as the desire for gold is used to transform Spain into the dominant power in Europe, only to be usurped by England and, later, the United States.
The principal story begins in August of 1804, with the birth of a "modified child" called Imaginos, in the state of New Hampshire. Because of the astrological significance of the place and time of his birth, Imaginos comes to be of particular interest to Les Invisibles, who begin investing him with superhuman abilities while he is young. Unaware of his true destiny or nature, the young Imaginos comes to discover that he is able to change his appearance at will and to see the future to an extent. As the child becomes an adult he finds himself affected by wanderlust and, billing himself as an adventurer, sets out to explore Texas and the western frontier, finally arriving in New Orleans in 1829.
It is there that he has a vision imploring him to travel to Mexico, in search of an artifact "lost, last and luminous, scored to sky yet never found". Imaginos joins the crew of a ship travelling to the Yucatan Peninsula, but while passing through the Gulf of Mexico, the ship encounters a freak storm of which his visions failed to warn him. The ship sinks with most of its crew and Imaginos, half dead, washes ashore and is left for dead by the other survivors, who have come to regard him with suspicion.
As he lays dying "on a shore where oyster beds seem plush as down", Imaginos is addressed by a symphony of voices who identify themselves as Les Invisibles. Imaginos' true nature is revealed to him, and he is informed that the circumstances of his entire life have been manipulated to bring him to that specific moment in time. Having explained themselves to him, they offer him a choice - die as a human, or live as their servant. Imaginos accepts their offer, and is resurrected from the dead by the "Blue Öyster Cult", the human servants of Les Invisibles. He is inducted into the cult and given a new name - Desdenova, "Eternal Light".
From this point on, Imaginos becomes an instrument of Les Invisibles' manipulation of human history. For the next 63 years, he inveigles himself into the world of European politics, using his shapeshifting ability to take the place of high-ranking officials and use their offices to bring about Les Invisibles' will. By 1892, Imaginos is living in a mansion in Cornwall and has a nine-year-old granddaughter, though it is not clear whether she is his biological grandchild or merely the grandchild of the mansion's original inhabitant. Having by this time spent several decades studying mysticism and astrology, Imaginos discovers that England's rise as a superpower in the 16th century coincided with John Dee's acquisition of a magic obsidian mirror, said to have been "taken from the jungle by crime". This revelation in mind, Imaginos determines that the time has come to attempt again his aborted mission to Mexico.
On August 1st, 1892, he sets sail aboard a "charmed ship" which, despite "storms on land and storms at sea", delivers him faithfully to Mexico. After spending several months exploring the jungles of Yucatan he finds an undiscovered Mayan pyramid. Following a long passage into the interior of the pyramid he discovers a chamber carved from solid jade, and within the chamber of jade he discovers the "Magna of Illusion", a twin of Dee's magic mirror. Stealing away with the artifact, he returns to Cornwall a year to the day of his departure, which happens to coincide with the tenth birthday of his granddaughter. Imaginos gives it to the girl as a birthday present, and for the following 21 years it sits collecting dust in her attic, silently poisoning the minds of Europe's leaders. Finally, in 1914, "World War I breaks out. A disease with a long incubation."
It should be noted that the chronology of the storyline is indefinite. Controversy about the correct order of the songs, as well as the free-form style of the narrative leave the correct sequence in doubt. The fact that some believe Imaginos can travel through time further complicates matters.
It may be significant that IMAGINOS DESDINOVA, the two names by which the protagonist is called, is an anagram for "I AM A DIVINE GOD'S SON".
[edit] Track listing
- "I Am the One You Warned Me Of" – 5:04
- "Les Invisibles" – 5:33
- "In the Presence of Another World" – 6:26
- "Del Rio's Song" – 5:31
- "The Siege and Investiture of Baron von Frankenstein's Castle at Weisseria" – 6:43
- "Astronomy" – 6:47
- "Magna of Illusion" – 5:53
- "Blue Öyster Cult" – 7:18
- "Imaginos" – 5:46
[edit] Personnel
[edit] Band
- Eric Bloom – Vocals
- Albert Bouchard – Guitar, percussion, vocals
- Joe Bouchard – Keyboards, vocals
- Allen Lanier – Keyboards
- Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser – Guitars, vocals
[edit] Session musicians
- Kenny Aaronson – Bass
- Thommy Price – Drums
- Jack Secret – Additional vocals
- Tommy Morrongiello – Guitars and arrangements... and vocals
- Jack Rigg – Guitars
- Tommy Zvoncheck – Keyboards
- Shocking U – Background vocals on "In The Presence Of Another World"
- Joey Cerisano – Additional lead vocal on "The Siege and Investiture of Baron von Frankenstein's Castle at Weisseria"
- Jon Rogers – Additional lead vocal on "Imaginos"
- Daniel Levitin – Additional background vocals
[edit] Guitar Orchestra of the State of Imaginos
- Marc Biederman
- Kevin Carlson
- Robby Krieger (lead guitar on "Blue Öyster Cult" and "Magna of Illusion")
- Daniel Levitin
- Tommy Morrongiello... forward and reverse guitars
- Aldo Nova
- Jack Rigg
- Joe Satriani (lead guitar on "The Siege and Investiture of Baron von Frankenstein's Castle at Weisseria")
[edit] Miscellanea
- Joe Satriani earned studio time for his earlier albums by cleaning up Blue Öyster Cult guitar tracks in the studio during this time.
- Japanese manga Battle Angel Alita pays tribute to this album by naming one of Alita's cyborg bodies "Imaginos". Another character, Zapan, wears the Blue Oyster Cult logo on his forehead. One of the central characters, mad scientist Desty Nova is named for Desdenova from the song Astronomy.
- Despite Allen being credited as playing keyboards, Tommy Zvoncheck in fact played every note.
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