one of my fav songs ever! thanks Warren. More cowbell! lol Enter sandman by metallica would be nice as the drum sounds are iconic to me. Or if you could, talk to Flemming Rasmussen or Michael Wagner about Master of Puppets. I'll name my first born after you for that Warren, male or female lol.
Yes that's a clavinet played by Allen Lanier, the B-3 was played by Eric Bloom, and it was recorded and mixed upstairs in Studio C at the Record Plant.
It would be interesting to re-record this song with modern techniques to compare and to contrast (e.g. running to a click track and having musicians record their parts separately). Then again, this would be more of an exercise to prove what we already know; the vitality and energy of the song would wither away, I think.
@@Producelikeapro The song is NOT about suicide btw. Buck wrote the song in his basement in 10 days in isolation because he was worried that he was going to die young of a heart condition. This is his solution, that love is eternal & if he had died young he'd wait decades for his wife to join him (this happens at the end of the song when the deceased male comes back for his dying partner many years later, no suicides) ....
Thanks for sharing@@stevenwilkinson1265! What an incredible songwriting Buck Dharma is, not to mention a truly insanely talented guitarist!! Plus, what an incredible song! Everything about this is truly wonderful! Yes, I looked up Buck's explanation and found a handful of different ones, however I have noticed that the most recent ones have settled on the idea you have listed above. It's a wonderful part of the song writing process that often clarity comes with age! I've read many artists who realised that they really meant something else! Thanks for your marvellous comment!
@@Producelikeapro Albert & Joe Bouchard were filmed a few years ago explaining Buck's motivation about writing (& recording) the song on his own in 76 ... it's fears over illness & not any suicide pact etc ... Joe also explained that the "La's" were originally there because Buck was going to add more lyrics to the song ... Joe said to him "Leave the La;s man" ... he was right !!! A great video from you guys, thanks!! .... the separated tracks of Buck's vocal & guitar parts absolutely melted me away, I didn't think that would be possible after 40 years of loving this song. Also the quality of the Bouchards' work as well when isolated .. the swing & bounce in Albert's drums etc ...
Shelly Yakus is Mr Golden Ears. There was once a console Shelly worked on that he swore there was an issue with one channel. After SSL dug into the console extensively, they found it was missing a certain capacitor on the one module that caused an oscillation at a frequency way above the human threshold. They were certain that no one was able to hear that so they swapped that module to a different channel in the board and asked Shelly to come back in the room. Shelly said the channel was fixed, however this one is doing it now and pointed out the channel they swapped it to! Super nice and humble guy, what a legend.
I believe the frequency was around 50k in fact. I always think about how he could have heard that but the presence of a 50k tone will have an effect on lower frequencies. Of course you'd have to have amazing ears to even hear that effect!
@@Beelzybud I can't speak for Rupert, but I have worked for the SSL tech that was part of this repair for 6 years now, and met Shelly several times at Aftermaster while working on that 8k they are sitting behind, that's how I know the story. I am sure Shelly isnt the only person able to hear these harmonics, and I do sometimes encounter manufacturing mistakes like this, not often, but they are not exceedingly rare. I don't doubt it has happened more than once.
Yes. I was in a cover band for a few years - we played Burnin for You, Reaper, and Cities on Flame, and we tried to play perfect versions (which we never did, but we certainly were dialed in on the nuances of the playing)... the lead parts are just outstanding in every way. Like the guy says - "Do you hear what he's saying?" - his solos are lyrical. They sing. Like no one else, yet you never see him in a TopXX list... in spite of the success of reaper. Having played his music gave me such a massive appreciation of his style. Perfect solos, every time. One of the best ever.
I feel like the song is about what one should feel while they are dying. Instead of feeling guilt, shame and fear, we should feel blessed, happy and one with the eternity.
The best thing about this channel is that it makes you realize the song you love has so much more to it than what you originally thought it did and the best thing about Warren is that he’s equally amazed and in awe of not just the song but everything that’s related to the making of the song. His genuine appreciation is so great to see and sticking to the vide of this video, even feel. I mean I always liked this song, but this breakdown just gives me a whole new appreciation of this masterpiece.
Great insights on a timeless classic. Not only is Buck one of the greats of all time but he is about the nicest dude i think I've ever met. He is friends with a couple guys in my band and liked a couple of our songs he heard and offered to help out while we were tracking the album. Through the magic of the internet and dropbox we sent him our files in which he took and played outstanding solos on a couple of them and also mixed and produced them at his home studio! Super nice guy and a moment in time i will never forget!
I’ve watched the “Don’t Fear The Reaper” episode so many times it’s about time I leave a comment. Outstanding!!! Just like the song. I agree so much about the Buck Dharma bridge being one of the greatest. A very underrated guitarist to begin with. Buck is amazing. Great job Warren Huart and Shelly Yakus! So entertaining.
As a young recording engineer in the late 70's, Shelly was a hero of mine along with Alan Parsons, Donn Landee, Al Schmidt and Tom Scholz. They blazed the trail for an engineer becoming an artist.
"Agents of Fortune" is easily one of only a few albums of all-time where i can not only listen to both A and B sides in thier entirety, but every. single. song. on that album is just... perfect to me. Listening to that album makes me feel so good, the songs each have this feeling of thier own, like an aura... BOC were amazing at that. Such a great group, great musicians... Buck the coolest guitarist of the era. I love his style! Rock on and party on, dudes!
I had the incredible privilege of having the late Sandy Pearlman as a lecturer at the University of Toronto. I cannot emphasize enough his intellectual prowess and if you have the time I highly recommend you check out anything of him speaking on TH-cam, whether it's about Wagner paving the sonic path to distorted guitars with his brass orchestration, disagreeing with Steve Jobs about music in the digital era, or even answering stupid questions about more cowbell. The dude was, and always will be, a legend, and I'm so thankful to have heard him fly in to speak to us every week for a semester.
I've been meaning to look into him more, I know he's contributed a lot of lyrics to BOC, and based his work on things like Astronomy are just pure and beautiful poetry. Taken from us just a bit too soon I think.
GREAT BREAKDOWN OF ONE OF ROCK,s GREAT GUITARIST AND SINGER,s,BASS ,DRUM,s,EVER RECORDED. BLUE OYSTER CULT, WROTE SO MANY GOOD SONGS, MOST PEOPLE HAVEN'T EVEN HEARD THEM. THEY WERE MEANT TO BE AHEAD OF TIME.😎🎸🔊🎶🎼☮️ BOB
Wow what a great breakdown of one of the best classic rock songs that doesn't ever get its due! Hearing the parts in isolation is always mind blowing. BOC always near and dear to me as a fellow alumni of Stony Brook University. I walked the same dorm halls as they, albeit 15 years later...but their presence could still be felt whenever someone played this song or "Burning For You" in Benedict, Langmuir or James halls.
I've heard the song on the radio countless times but having it broken down like this is just awesome. That guitar sound good god, I'm going to have to try that multi mic, heavy limit some and blend technique.
It's my favorite song of all. Imagine what that means. Of all of the fabulous music available, THIS is MY favorite. Not just the music but the lyrics, too.
@Produce Like A Pro - I'd love to have Marilyn Manson do a version of Don't fear the Reaper. As for my other favorites, maybe do a similar video on Nothing else matters by Metallica? Or, Stairway to Heaven? Please.
I love this song more than the first time I heard it. I cannot turn it off once it begins. GREAT breakdown , just great to hear it from an engineers ear.
What a fantastic video. BOC was one of my favorite bands back in my teens. They were more prog rock than anything else. Their song Astronomy was the first BOC song I heard. I went that day and bought the album Secret Treaties. I was hooked. Been a fan ever since. Several years ago I met Buck, Eric Bloom and Rudy Sarzo (bass quiet riot) who was playing bass w/the band at the time. All really nice guys. Very down to Earth. Well, after this wonderful interview I'm going to check out your other interviews w Shelly Yakus. Thanks for a great video. It made my evening!
I had to come back and watch this again 3 weeks later. I love how Yakus goes out of his way to say "Yeah... I did a great job. But the BAND. They were amazing musicians!" It's all any fan wants to hear about their favorite group! And the interviewer is delightfully excited about the craftsmanship of all the parts. This video is pure joy!
Just wow... this is THE song to define all music of our time... Didn't know how I could be more impressed by this masterclass piece and guitar solo, but you both managed the quantum leap...
Oh, And Buck Dharma is an amazing... incredible ... most underrated guitarist.. I am a front row person and yes, I sit right in front of him at all times..Stare at the guitar playing amazement
Produce Like A Pro and he seems like a very humble guy who doesn’t take his “legend” status too seriously ..... “special sauce” line still cracking me up 😄 17:40
Wow, I can never get enough of Shelly. When I was able to meet and listen to his stories I had tears in my eyes. Thank you for that Warren. Listening to the BOC Tracks just give me the chills. Bucks voice in this song has kinda a Mike Love sound to it on the Vox track. Shelly is a True Master.
As a kid it didn't even click that this was a Reaper tune because of the " Com' on baby, take my hand, we'll be able to fly" lines. Irresistible melodies, killer riff, Great mid 8. Thanks again.
I loved this interview but I thought they would also touch on the incredible lyrics. It's one of the only songs I know to deal with death so directly and openly. It blows my mind every time
I've lived with this song for decades as many of us have. At 15:54 I had goose bumps on my arms listening to the guitar, and then at 16:14 you both said something really profound. That's the essence of music, an emotional connection that can't be faked. Thanks for the vid.
I really love your analysis of this song! So cool to hear the engineer that mixed it and another engineer who obviously appreciates it for the master piece it is! Loved hearing all the different tracks isolated! Not something that I've really ever heard before, even though I've heard this song a million times more than the average listener. At one point I'm feeling the hair standing up on my arms and getting goose bumps and at the exact same moment you guys are saying that your arm hair is standing on end too! LOL! I LOVE THIS SONG! Heard it a million times because its in my regular rotation on my soundtrack of life, not just when it comes on the radio. In fact tonight on the 25 minute drive home from work, I listened to just DFTR! 2 different versions back to back to back. Buck Dharma is the most underrated guitar player in classic rock, and so is the whole band. Been a fan of this band since 1973! Seen them over 60 times in concert. After all these years, I still have just BOC playlists that I listen to daily! GREAT VIDEO! THANKS FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER! BOC!!! ON TOUR FOREVER!!!!
The lyrics and that guitar riff is just hypnotizing. One of the all time classic rock songs. Blue Oyster Cult reminds me of creams “Tales of Brave Ulysses”
hearing this song always freaked me out ... like a really good horror movie. "Produce Like A Pro" you did an UNREAL job soloing all the key parts and delving into it with the guy who produced it, thank you!!! really interesting to hear his technique for limiting /compression hard with a few mics for that gives you that detail in the picking of guitar and leaving the room guitar mic and the other close mic on the amp untouched (non compressed / limited)... really learned a lot and intend to try this with my future projects !! Again, thank you so much for this !!!
In my top 10 songs of all time!! Fantastic to hear the different parts and Shelly Yakus' insights! As ever brilliantly interviewed and illustrated Warren!! Keep them coming!!
Mr. Bouchard, thanks for your contributions to this incredible track and all the rest. And though All our times will come eventually, your music will live on.
I heard this when it came out: I was 10 years old. Been one of my favourite songs since. This video is truly fantastic. As a musician myself, I went WTF when I heard that clavinet. All those years and I never knew.
@@Producelikeapro certainly does .. this is where I would like to pull apart a Fleetwood Mac track. They were way a head of their time! Still sounds as fresh as this track!
This is one of my favorite songs of all time! I used to play the guitar part in a band and I always wondered about the echo and reverb on the guitars that gave the timing of the song a really interesting complexity. Listening to the guitar solo by itself was simply fantastic! Thank you for this great video and for introducing Shelly Yakus to many of us. The quality of all your videos are outstanding. But I have to say this one is special.
I love when songs you hear are taken apart so you can hear the Guitars, drums, and the singing. This one the singing with echo, you would never know when the song is played.
This intangible "thing" you're talking about... Since you asked which songs we wanted to learn about... I get that eerie feeling when listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams"...
I've always loved the ambient tonality and mood of this song - Thank you for this interview, and for your informative video series in general! Great work! 😊
Thanks you for this. ‘The Reaper’ is probably the greatest pop song of all time and it was wonderful to see and hear it broken down to it’s elements. God bless Buck Dharma for the coolest guitar solos ever! And Shelley was the perfect engineer for the task. Unfortunately, BOC was and is a greatly underestimated band but they will always hold the class distinction of writing and performing this timeless treasure. Pure gold..... Never get tired of hearing it and it makes me stop what I’m doing to listen. Not many songs have that power but this one does.
One day, probably many many years from now…. People will realize just how musically talented The Amazing Blue Öyster Cult was/is. They are right up there with all the other giants from their era.
Love this so much! One of the if not THE most iconic things here is how the extended feeback note after the solo is the sonic pathway back into the original key of the song!
Thanks man! As producer/mix/master/musician. I really enjoy vids like this. I like to hear from the behind the scenes masters(audiophiles with credentials) from the time before DAWs.
A truly iconic song. I wholeheartedly agree with you that this is a great among greats. It is one of those all-time epics that, when they come on the radio, I have to stop whatever I'm doing and listen to it in its entirety.
Outstanding Warren!!! Shelly is such a goldmine of info and knowledge- these vids are like archiving for the Smithsonian. And your interviewing style is perfect - you ask the right questions and leave space for answers
I said it before when you published the first Shelly vid on You Tube, 'more Shelly, please'. You've done some wonderful interviews with a host of excellent and legendary engineers, but I like this guy and love his focus, recall and input. Here's hoping. Thank you
DUDE - the drums, first get go of the whole mix i could have sworn I've heard some ghostnotes. On their own u hear the massive verb and the kick back of the snare. Totally insane produced track. I guess u couldn't do that today anymore. MARVELOUS as always my friend! :)
Looping and copy pasting has been around as long as recording itself. You'd be astonished the amount of editing work that was also done on records from this era. Boston's first record is a good example of editing at a modern level. Tools don't make music bad, bad musicians make bad music.
@Robert Appel Well said! We will bring that back. The musicians are here watching this stuff and learning about the past, and we will take music back to its roots
one of the greatest guitar riffs of all time , and one of the greatest rock songs of all time , the vocal performance , the bass the drums , the keyboard , and that cow bell , it's inspired , melodic , crunchy yet smooth , it's a pop song within a hard rock anthem , I guess I never realized how the production and the mixing were such a part of it , very interesting video , I better understand and appreciate now how it was created now , thanks guys.
I was sooo into BOC as a teenager. Saw them in 1980 (or 81?) at the PNE Coliseum in Vancouver with Aldo Nova opening the show. Epic concert to say the least. Both acts were in their prime, just an unreal show. My friends did a BOC tribute show a few months back at a theatre and they nailed it. Don’t Fear the Reaper was the last song of the night and people started moshing, that song just slays to this day.
@@jamesparker1063 - cool, I looked it up and apparently they played the PNE Coliseum in August of 82 and again in December of 83, I think it was the August 82 show that I saw. I just watched Albert Bouchard (BOC drummer), get interview by Jason Green (Waste Some a time With Jason Green-TH-cam), great interview.
@@jamesparker1063 - I believe you’re correct, “Fantasy” was a big hit on radio at the time and went over really well, I actually enjoyed the Aldo Nova set.
Which song would YOU love to hear about? We'll see what we can do! ;)
I'm Not In Love by 10cc
one of my fav songs ever! thanks Warren. More cowbell! lol
Enter sandman by metallica would be nice as the drum sounds are iconic to me. Or if you could, talk to Flemming Rasmussen or Michael Wagner about Master of Puppets. I'll name my first born after you for that Warren, male or female lol.
Out on the weekend
How To Save A Life, The Fray!
What? Another song 'inside'? You are too kind sir! I'd request anything by Queen of course!
Yes that's a clavinet played by Allen Lanier, the B-3 was played by Eric Bloom, and it was recorded and mixed upstairs in Studio C at the Record Plant.
Thanks ever so much for letting us know!!
Just wanted to say how amazing it was to see this. I think I could watch a four hour documentary on this song. Thank you, BOC!
Thank you so much for allowing us to see under the hood of this epic tune.
It would be interesting to re-record this song with modern techniques to compare and to contrast (e.g. running to a click track and having musicians record their parts separately). Then again, this would be more of an exercise to prove what we already know; the vitality and energy of the song would wither away, I think.
Check out Cult Classic! They did re-record a lot of their hits. I believe it came out in the late '90s.
Buck Dharma is one of the best guitarists ever... very underrated.
Agreed 100%!! Amazing guitar player!!
@@Producelikeapro The song is NOT about suicide btw. Buck wrote the song in his basement in 10 days in isolation because he was worried that he was going to die young of a heart condition. This is his solution, that love is eternal & if he had died young he'd wait decades for his wife to join him (this happens at the end of the song when the deceased male comes back for his dying partner many years later, no suicides) ....
I agree as well
Thanks for sharing@@stevenwilkinson1265! What an incredible songwriting Buck Dharma is, not to mention a truly insanely talented guitarist!! Plus, what an incredible song! Everything about this is truly wonderful! Yes, I looked up Buck's explanation and found a handful of different ones, however I have noticed that the most recent ones have settled on the idea you have listed above. It's a wonderful part of the song writing process that often clarity comes with age! I've read many artists who realised that they really meant something else! Thanks for your marvellous comment!
@@Producelikeapro Albert & Joe Bouchard were filmed a few years ago explaining Buck's motivation about writing (& recording) the song on his own in 76 ... it's fears over illness & not any suicide pact etc ... Joe also explained that the "La's" were originally there because Buck was going to add more lyrics to the song ... Joe said to him "Leave the La;s man" ... he was right !!!
A great video from you guys, thanks!! .... the separated tracks of Buck's vocal & guitar parts absolutely melted me away, I didn't think that would be possible after 40 years of loving this song. Also the quality of the Bouchards' work as well when isolated .. the swing & bounce in Albert's drums etc ...
Shelly Yakus is Mr Golden Ears. There was once a console Shelly worked on that he swore there was an issue with one channel. After SSL dug into the console extensively, they found it was missing a certain capacitor on the one module that caused an oscillation at a frequency way above the human threshold. They were certain that no one was able to hear that so they swapped that module to a different channel in the board and asked Shelly to come back in the room. Shelly said the channel was fixed, however this one is doing it now and pointed out the channel they swapped it to! Super nice and humble guy, what a legend.
Alfredo that's an awesome story made me think of one of the great innovators Tom Dowd.
I believe the frequency was around 50k in fact. I always think about how he could have heard that but the presence of a 50k tone will have an effect on lower frequencies. Of course you'd have to have amazing ears to even hear that effect!
Rupert Neve told the exact same story about Geoff Emerick. Makes me wonder if one the stories is more legend than fact, and which one.
@@Beelzybud I can't speak for Rupert, but I have worked for the SSL tech that was part of this repair for 6 years now, and met Shelly several times at Aftermaster while working on that 8k they are sitting behind, that's how I know the story. I am sure Shelly isnt the only person able to hear these harmonics, and I do sometimes encounter manufacturing mistakes like this, not often, but they are not exceedingly rare. I don't doubt it has happened more than once.
wow!!! thanks for share!
This song has, for some reason, always been very comforting to me.
It’s an amazing song
And thanks for the shout out. ;-)!
Thank you Joe!! You Rock my friend!!
You guys made a classic that will be discovered by future generations
It's not just Buck Dharma' solo that rates this song in the Top 10 of Classic Rock Tracks. It's the ENTIRE BAND and THE FEEL that makes it Legendary.
Of course! Agreed 100%! I'm friends with Joe Bouchard and I'm a huge fan!!
@@Producelikeaproawesome! one of my fave singer/songwriters of all time.
These historical deconstruction are simply AMAZING!! Thank you so much!
Thanks ever so much Nicola!! I have so much fun doing this!!
Buck is one of the most incredible and sadly overlooked guitarists ever!! His sound, style, chops and feel are massive. LOVE, LOVE BLUE OYSTER CULT!!
Yes. I was in a cover band for a few years - we played Burnin for You, Reaper, and Cities on Flame, and we tried to play perfect versions (which we never did, but we certainly were dialed in on the nuances of the playing)... the lead parts are just outstanding in every way. Like the guy says - "Do you hear what he's saying?" - his solos are lyrical. They sing. Like no one else, yet you never see him in a TopXX list... in spite of the success of reaper. Having played his music gave me such a massive appreciation of his style. Perfect solos, every time. One of the best ever.
Same here! Such a great and unique band..
One of my favorite songs. The whole 'Agents of Fortune' album is a masterpiece of so many different moods and styles.
Morning Final 🥲🥲🥲
I feel like the song is about what one should feel while they are dying. Instead of feeling guilt, shame and fear, we should feel blessed, happy and one with the eternity.
Its about hopeless romanticism, deception, and the consequences of embracing the moment
Roeser’s playing is timeless. Always spot on never a wasted note and that tone!!!
This is one of those all time greats that never become boring , no matter how many times you've heard it
I agree 100% my friend!!
This is a prime example of the jewels available through TH-cam.
Aw shucks thanks ever so much my friend!
and sadly demontized no doubt by the label's copyright police....leeches!!
BOC was a mind expanding band. A real transformative experience for me in my teen years and it still sounds great today.
When Shelly Yakus started talking about reverb at 2:30, my brain went straight to "Don't Fear the Reverb".
The BOC catalog is so deep, criminally underrated and one of the pre eminent bands of the classic rock era.
The best thing about this channel is that it makes you realize the song you love has so much more to it than what you originally thought it did and the best thing about Warren is that he’s equally amazed and in awe of not just the song but everything that’s related to the making of the song. His genuine appreciation is so great to see and sticking to the vide of this video, even feel. I mean I always liked this song, but this breakdown just gives me a whole new appreciation of this masterpiece.
Wow! That’s high praise indeed! Thanks ever so much for your wonderful comment
Shelly is a musical treasure. Take the time to get more from him on stuff he did. He knows so much and time is so short.
Thanks ever so much!!
One day I hope I can interview like Warren can! So relaxed yet getting all the good questions we want. Thanks for your insights :)
That's what I think about your way of explaining and breaking things down when I watch your channel ;-)
Michael, try to interview Ultravoxs drummer Warren Cann, like Warren can😉. Sorry couldn’t help it. You are doing a great job on your one.
You do amazing work Michael!!
@@Producelikeapro haha, now I felt flattered for half a second, before I realized that you are talking to the other Michael.. haha ;-)
Great insights on a timeless classic. Not only is Buck one of the greats of all time but he is about the nicest dude i think I've ever met. He is friends with a couple guys in my band and liked a couple of our songs he heard and offered to help out while we were tracking the album. Through the magic of the internet and dropbox we sent him our files in which he took and played outstanding solos on a couple of them and also mixed and produced them at his home studio! Super nice guy and a moment in time i will never forget!
Wow - that is awesome! He seems like he'd be a pretty cool guy..
rapidsdrummer travis you big lucky! What an experience to be in his greatness. Y’all were blessed...
I’ve watched the “Don’t Fear The Reaper” episode so many times it’s about time I leave a comment. Outstanding!!! Just like the song. I agree so much about the Buck Dharma bridge being one of the greatest. A very underrated guitarist to begin with. Buck is amazing. Great job Warren Huart and Shelly Yakus! So entertaining.
As a young recording engineer in the late 70's, Shelly was a hero of mine along with Alan Parsons, Donn Landee, Al Schmidt and Tom Scholz. They blazed the trail for an engineer becoming an artist.
That’s wonderful to hear
Sounds like Shelly is proud of his contribution on this great song - and he should be!
One of the most underrated bands ever..... and that Buck Dharma guitar sound......
Hi Chris, I know! Buck is such an amazing guitar player!!
@@Producelikeapro Buck really laid down his SG/LP, for an ES-175 for this??
That guitar was one of the biggest reasons why I HAD to learn to play guitar many years ago! Gave me shivers back then and still does today!
"Agents of Fortune" is easily one of only a few albums of all-time where i can not only listen to both A and B sides in thier entirety, but every. single. song. on that album is just... perfect to me. Listening to that album makes me feel so good, the songs each have this feeling of thier own, like an aura... BOC were amazing at that. Such a great group, great musicians... Buck the coolest guitarist of the era. I love his style! Rock on and party on, dudes!
Blue oyster cult was my first 💙 Album and at the time it came out and the second it started playing I couldn't move I was blown away.outstanding
I had the incredible privilege of having the late Sandy Pearlman as a lecturer at the University of Toronto. I cannot emphasize enough his intellectual prowess and if you have the time I highly recommend you check out anything of him speaking on TH-cam, whether it's about Wagner paving the sonic path to distorted guitars with his brass orchestration, disagreeing with Steve Jobs about music in the digital era, or even answering stupid questions about more cowbell. The dude was, and always will be, a legend, and I'm so thankful to have heard him fly in to speak to us every week for a semester.
I've been meaning to look into him more, I know he's contributed a lot of lyrics to BOC, and based his work on things like Astronomy are just pure and beautiful poetry. Taken from us just a bit too soon I think.
the guitar sound is absolutely beautiful
I agree 100%!!
One of my favorite rock songs of all time.
Thanks Jed for sharing! Always good to read your comments!
One of my favorite songs of all time. Timeless music.
GREAT BREAKDOWN OF ONE OF ROCK,s GREAT GUITARIST AND SINGER,s,BASS ,DRUM,s,EVER RECORDED. BLUE OYSTER CULT, WROTE SO MANY GOOD SONGS, MOST PEOPLE HAVEN'T EVEN HEARD THEM. THEY WERE MEANT TO BE AHEAD OF TIME.😎🎸🔊🎶🎼☮️ BOB
Wow what a great breakdown of one of the best classic rock songs that doesn't ever get its due! Hearing the parts in isolation is always mind blowing. BOC always near and dear to me as a fellow alumni of Stony Brook University. I walked the same dorm halls as they, albeit 15 years later...but their presence could still be felt whenever someone played this song or "Burning For You" in Benedict, Langmuir or James halls.
That solo, that tone, shivers all night long.. not to mention, what a legendary, timeless classic ❤
I've heard the song on the radio countless times but having it broken down like this is just awesome. That guitar sound good god, I'm going to have to try that multi mic, heavy limit some and blend technique.
Thanks ever so much Marcus! You Rock my friend!!
Buck Dharmas non-blues-"blues" style is why I love this band soooo much. The entire album has this dark/verby overtone that makes this a great record.
It's my favorite song of all. Imagine what that means. Of all of the fabulous music available, THIS is MY favorite. Not just the music but the lyrics, too.
Thanks ever so much! Glad you enjoyed the video! Great. great song!
@Produce Like A Pro - I'd love to have Marilyn Manson do a version of Don't fear the Reaper. As for my other favorites, maybe do a similar video on Nothing else matters by Metallica? Or, Stairway to Heaven? Please.
Same, and I'm 24 and it's been the case since I'm 15... Love at first sight
The riff soon as it played.. as a kid in the 70s it just draws you in ..one of those few songs i liked on first listen.. still playing it in 2024❤
Oh man...Warren you are so fortunate to be able to speak and meet all these amazing people. That's a vibe that you're not likely hear these days.
Hi Mark, yes, I am blessed my friend to be able to talk to such amazing talents!
I am 65 years old from Singapore, still one of my group
I love this song more than the first time I heard it. I cannot turn it off once it begins. GREAT breakdown , just great to hear it from an engineers ear.
Before you guys said it I literally thought to myself about how I had goosebumps from the guitar! Incredible!
What a fantastic video. BOC was one of my favorite bands back in my teens. They were more prog rock than anything else. Their song Astronomy was the first BOC song I heard. I went that day and bought the album Secret Treaties. I was hooked. Been a fan ever since.
Several years ago I met Buck, Eric Bloom and Rudy Sarzo (bass quiet riot) who was playing bass w/the band at the time. All really nice guys. Very down to Earth.
Well, after this wonderful interview I'm going to check out your other interviews w Shelly Yakus.
Thanks for a great video. It made my evening!
love prog,it’s about all instruments creating a one soind,prog’s forte.
I had to come back and watch this again 3 weeks later. I love how Yakus goes out of his way to say "Yeah... I did a great job. But the BAND. They were amazing musicians!" It's all any fan wants to hear about their favorite group! And the interviewer is delightfully excited about the craftsmanship of all the parts. This video is pure joy!
This is one of my all time favorite songs so thank you sooooo much for giving us a behind the scenes in the shadows look inside this masterpiece.
Thanks ever so much! I really appreciate it!
Shelly is a good friend and I am blessed that he shared so much with us!
Just wow... this is THE song to define all music of our time... Didn't know how I could be more impressed by this masterclass piece and guitar solo, but you both managed the quantum leap...
That lead guitar sound is so clean, pure, and historical rock music, so good!
Oh, And Buck Dharma is an amazing... incredible ... most underrated guitarist.. I am a front row person and yes, I sit right in front of him at all times..Stare at the guitar playing amazement
Yakus is the REAL DEAL. A true living legend
Yes he is 100%!!
Produce Like A Pro and he seems like a very humble guy who doesn’t take his “legend” status too seriously ..... “special sauce” line still cracking me up 😄 17:40
Wow, I can never get enough of Shelly. When I was able to meet and listen to his stories I had tears in my eyes. Thank you for that Warren. Listening to the BOC Tracks just give me the chills. Bucks voice in this song has kinda a Mike Love sound to it on the Vox track. Shelly is a True Master.
As a kid it didn't even click that this was a Reaper tune because of the " Com' on baby, take my hand, we'll be able to fly" lines. Irresistible melodies, killer riff, Great mid 8. Thanks again.
Yes, truly amazing song Peter!
I loved this interview but I thought they would also touch on the incredible lyrics. It's one of the only songs I know to deal with death so directly and openly. It blows my mind every time
Really loving these "inside the song" videos, So much learning. All I have to say is more please.
Paul Lucas aw shucks thanks ever so much my friend!
I've lived with this song for decades as many of us have. At 15:54 I had goose bumps on my arms listening to the guitar, and then at 16:14 you both said something really profound. That's the essence of music, an emotional connection that can't be faked. Thanks for the vid.
this video is legendary, seriously. Thank you warren!!!
Thanks ever so Cameron! That's very kind of you!
The drummer brings a real jazz sensibility to their work and I hear jazz inflections in a lot of their work during the Al Bouchard era.
Yes & Buck's father played in a Jazz & Blues weekend band so he was influenced too by that, very diverse band.
I really love your analysis of this song! So cool to hear the engineer that mixed it and another engineer who obviously appreciates it for the master piece it is! Loved hearing all the different tracks isolated! Not something that I've really ever heard before, even though I've heard this song a million times more than the average listener. At one point I'm feeling the hair standing up on my arms and getting goose bumps and at the exact same moment you guys are saying that your arm hair is standing on end too! LOL! I LOVE THIS SONG! Heard it a million times because its in my regular rotation on my soundtrack of life, not just when it comes on the radio. In fact tonight on the 25 minute drive home from work, I listened to just DFTR! 2 different versions back to back to back. Buck Dharma is the most underrated guitar player in classic rock, and so is the whole band. Been a fan of this band since 1973! Seen them over 60 times in concert. After all these years, I still have just BOC playlists that I listen to daily! GREAT VIDEO! THANKS FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER! BOC!!! ON TOUR FOREVER!!!!
Dominic Zito yanks ever so much! We are so glad to be able to help! Yes, what an amazing band and an amazing song!!
The lyrics and that guitar riff is just hypnotizing. One of the all time classic rock songs. Blue Oyster Cult reminds me of creams “Tales of Brave Ulysses”
Agreed 100%! Thanks ever so much my friend!!
hearing this song always freaked me out ... like a really good horror movie. "Produce Like A Pro" you did an UNREAL job soloing all the key parts and delving into it with the guy who produced it, thank you!!! really interesting to hear his technique for limiting /compression hard with a few mics for that gives you that detail in the picking of guitar and leaving the room guitar mic and the other close mic on the amp untouched (non compressed / limited)... really learned a lot and intend to try this with my future projects !! Again, thank you so much for this !!!
In my top 10 songs of all time!! Fantastic to hear the different parts and Shelly Yakus'
insights! As ever brilliantly interviewed and illustrated Warren!! Keep them coming!!
Thank you for examining this beautiful masterpiece!!
You’re very welcome
Wow, Warren, what an awesome interview! Shelly, you rock! You're bringing back some incredible memories.
Mr. Bouchard, thanks for your contributions to this incredible track and all the rest. And though All our times will come eventually, your music will live on.
Thank YOU Joe!! You Rock my friend!!
Yes, so amazing@@PvtGrips-vh7ti! Joe rules!
One of the few classics that have such a driving rhythm.
I heard this when it came out: I was 10 years old. Been one of my favourite songs since. This video is truly fantastic. As a musician myself, I went WTF when I heard that clavinet. All those years and I never knew.
Hearing the multi-track breakdown on this was truly a treat!! I never realized how reverby all those parts were.
Thanks ever so much Alexander!!
Yeah right! I always thought this track was beautifully dry ish! Opened my ears
Yes@@voxyp! The reverb gets soaked up easily with the density of tracks!
@@Producelikeapro certainly does .. this is where I would like to pull apart a Fleetwood Mac track. They were way a head of their time!
Still sounds as fresh as this track!
Warren.. Wow, this was such a treat. I adore this song. Really enjoyed this chat with Shelly. Best wishes and thanks for another great presentation.
Man, I LOVED this! Amazing breakdown/discussion. I could watch videos like this all day.
Thanks ever so much my friend!!
Among the greatest songs ever recorded ! It's just such a classic.
This is one of my favorite songs of all time! I used to play the guitar part in a band and I always wondered about the echo and reverb on the guitars that gave the timing of the song a really interesting complexity. Listening to the guitar solo by itself was simply fantastic! Thank you for this great video and for introducing Shelly Yakus to many of us. The quality of all your videos are outstanding. But I have to say this one is special.
I love when songs you hear are taken apart so you can hear the Guitars, drums, and the singing. This one the singing with echo, you would never know when the song is played.
This intangible "thing" you're talking about... Since you asked which songs we wanted to learn about... I get that eerie feeling when listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams"...
Tobi Tobsen Thanks ever so much! Yes, that’s a truly amazing song!!
Tobi Tobsen wow I always felt that too , but have never seen some else mention it .
It's an absolute masterpiece of an experience ("song" doesn't do it justice) There's nothing more I can add!
I've always loved the ambient tonality and mood of this song - Thank you for this interview, and for your informative video series in general! Great work! 😊
Thanks you for this. ‘The Reaper’ is probably the greatest pop song of all time and it was wonderful to see and hear it broken down to it’s elements. God bless Buck Dharma for the coolest guitar solos ever! And Shelley was the perfect engineer for the task. Unfortunately, BOC was and is a greatly underestimated band but they will always hold the class distinction of writing and performing this timeless treasure. Pure gold..... Never get tired of hearing it and it makes me stop what I’m doing to listen. Not many songs have that power but this one does.
I love hearing the individual parts.
I was always impressed with the drum and bass mix.
Genius production.
such an unassuming and mild mannered guy Shelly is...you would never know the power in his hands
He's got an ED problem!
One day, probably many many years from now…. People will realize just how musically talented The Amazing Blue Öyster Cult was/is. They are right up there with all the other giants from their era.
Hey Shelly!!!! Hey Warren!! I love the camera angles. Still watching the interview as I type and loving it!
Thanks ever so much Matt!! You Rock!
Really nice of you to make this video. Talk about learning from the pros. BOC are the epitome of cool, haunting, rifftastic... absolute legends.
I was 10 feet from Buck Dharma when I saw them in a small club. What a great live band.
Love this so much! One of the if not THE most iconic things here is how the extended feeback note after the solo is the sonic pathway back into the original key of the song!
Thanks man! As producer/mix/master/musician. I really enjoy vids like this. I like to hear from the behind the scenes masters(audiophiles with credentials) from the time before DAWs.
Thanks Jay! Yes, I can't think of nothing better than to ask the guy who recorded it to talk about the song!!
P.S AND mixed it!
A truly iconic song.
I wholeheartedly agree with you that this is a great among greats.
It is one of those all-time epics that, when they come on the radio, I have to stop whatever I'm doing and listen to it in its entirety.
Outstanding Warren!!! Shelly is such a goldmine of info and knowledge- these vids are like archiving for the Smithsonian. And your interviewing style is perfect - you ask the right questions and leave space for answers
Yes, Shelly is a gold mine of information! A huge talent and a great guy!!
@@Producelikeapro a wonderful fellow he is. Thanks Warren.
Warren, this channel and Rick Beato's are some of the best things to happen to youtube
Wow! That is just amazing.
Thanks ever so much
Outstanding. The song and the review. Thanks.
I said it before when you published the first Shelly vid on You Tube, 'more Shelly, please'. You've done some wonderful interviews with a host of excellent and legendary engineers, but I like this guy and love his focus, recall and input. Here's hoping. Thank you
DUDE - the drums, first get go of the whole mix i could have sworn I've heard some ghostnotes. On their own u hear the massive verb and the kick back of the snare. Totally insane produced track. I guess u couldn't do that today anymore. MARVELOUS as always my friend! :)
Hi Sebastian Dracu Thanks ever so much for your marvellous comment my friend!!
Learned so much on this interview. Also very enjoyable. Thank you Shelly!
great deep dive into a brilliant piece of music
More cow bell please... Awesome break down of the song Warren and Mr. Yakus! Keep them coming! Can't wait for the next one!
Thanks ever so much Joseph!!
The utter consistency in the performance on those tracks is astounding when we're in a world of looping and copy/paste. As it should be!
Looping and copy pasting has been around as long as recording itself. You'd be astonished the amount of editing work that was also done on records from this era. Boston's first record is a good example of editing at a modern level.
Tools don't make music bad, bad musicians make bad music.
I love how you can hear them speeding up and slowing down. It sounds like a HUMAN and not a MACHINE!
I agree 100% Jason!!
@Robert Appel Well said! We will bring that back. The musicians are here watching this stuff and learning about the past, and we will take music back to its roots
one of the greatest guitar riffs of all time , and one of the greatest rock songs of all time , the vocal performance , the bass the drums , the keyboard , and that cow bell , it's inspired , melodic , crunchy yet smooth , it's a pop song within a hard rock anthem , I guess I never realized how the production and the mixing were such a part of it , very interesting video , I better understand and appreciate now how it was created now , thanks guys.
Thanks ever so much! Agreed, masterpiece of a song
I was sooo into BOC as a teenager. Saw them in 1980 (or 81?) at the PNE Coliseum in Vancouver with Aldo Nova opening the show. Epic concert to say the least. Both acts were in their prime, just an unreal show. My friends did a BOC tribute show a few months back at a theatre and they nailed it. Don’t Fear the Reaper was the last song of the night and people started moshing, that song just slays to this day.
I caught them on that tour, in Calgary! But, I think that tour was 83-84.....
@@jamesparker1063 - cool, I looked it up and apparently they played the PNE Coliseum in August of 82 and again in December of 83, I think it was the August 82 show that I saw. I just watched Albert Bouchard (BOC drummer), get interview by Jason Green (Waste Some a time With Jason Green-TH-cam), great interview.
@@regortex3364 that makes sense....Aldo Nova's debut album came out in 1982...Rick Downey was on drums, as I recall....
@@jamesparker1063 - I believe you’re correct, “Fantasy” was a big hit on radio at the time and went over really well, I actually enjoyed the Aldo Nova set.
What an amazing new idea, deconstructing the tracks we, or most of us grew up listening to and the engineers we grew up worshipping! Thanks Warren.
Man, these series are AWESOME!!!
Dream episode: get Martin Birch and do an Iron Maiden track!
Or even get Martin Birch and do one of the songs on *Fire Of Unknown Origin.* 🙂