Blue Öyster Cult’s Mirrors Deserved More Credit

Blue Öyster Cult’s Mirrors arrived in 1979 with a new producer and a noticeably different sound. Tom Werman replaced longtime producer Sandy Pearlman, bringing sharper production, larger backing vocals and a more accessible presentation. Some longtime fans heard the album as an attempt to move away from the band’s darker identity. Dave hears a varied nine-song record that retains Blue Öyster Cult’s guitars, literary imagination, multiple voices and willingness to move between hard rock, pop, fantasy and science fiction. The episode explores “Dr. Music,” “The Great Sun Jester,” “In Thee,” “Mirrors,” “Moon Crazy,” “The Vigil,” “I Am the Storm,” “You’re Not the One (I Was Looking For)” and “Lonely Teardrops.” Today’s Side One Spin: Does Mirrors deserve more credit, and which song makes the strongest case?