The keyboardist/guitarist passed away in hospital after a
fight with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung disease
commonly associated with smoking. .
Frontman Eric Bloom broke the news on the band's
Facebook.com page on Wednesday (14Aug13), writing, “My great friend Allen
Lanier has passed. I'll miss the guy even though we hadn't spoken in a while.
He was so talented as a musician and a thinker. He read voraciously, all kinds
of things, especially comparative religion. We drove for years together, shared
rooms in the early days. "We partied, laughed, played. All BOC (sic) fans
and band members will mourn his death. Ultimately smoking finally got to him. He
had been hospitalized (sic) with C.O.P.D. It was Allen who heard some old
college band tapes of mine and suggested I get a shot as the singer in 1968. A
lot of great memories, over 40 years' worth. Maybe he's playing a tune with
(punk writer) Jim Carroll right now."
Lanier, who was the one-time partner of singer Patti Smith,
was with Blue Oyster Cult for almost 20 years from 1967 to 1985 when he left,
only to return two years later (1987). He retired from performing with the band
in 2006 and co-wrote several of the band's hit songs including True Confessions, Tenderloin and Lonely Teardrops."
IN THEE
TRUE CONFESSIONS
Rest in peace, Allen!
My favorite of theirs was Shooting Shark... saw the video a lot during Dad's last illness.
ReplyDeleteCW-
DeleteI am still partial to some of the older tunes (Cities On Flame, Career Of Evil), but also loved the "poppier" years.
I don't recall the video for "Shark" but know the album well....always like the ballad "Eyes On Fire."
LC
That is too young, but smoking will do you in. Last time I saw BOC in concert was about twenty years ago. (It was the third or fourth time I'd seen them.)
ReplyDeleteAlex-
DeleteJim Fixx was the running guru in the seventies, and he died of a heart attack at age 52 in 1984.
While I do not advocate smoking, I guess people need to do what makes them happy, as long as they understand the possible repercussions.
The dying does not bother me as much as the lingering beforehand.
I've not seen BOC since the late 70's, although plan to catch them the next time they are in AZ for one last fix.
LC
"DR. MUSIC" ~
ReplyDeleteI thought you preferred the more melodic stuffs, as I did, such as 'SPECTRES' and 'MIRRORS'.
'In Thee' is a good song - always liked that a lot. 'Lonely Teardrops' is pretty good too. Both from 'Mirrors'.
I saw BOC live in Los Angeles at least twice, back in the 'Laser Years' of the late 1970s, and I still place them pretty high on my list of most entertaining concerts. In the Top 5, I'm sure.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I liked both phases, and maybe since all that ever gets airplay are the melodic tunes, I find myself spinning the earlier albums a lot.
DeletePlus I love those old titles ("I'm On The Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep).
The Agents Of Fortune LP did a good job of bridging the sounds-it had a good mix of the edgy and the melodic.
I, too, saw the 'laser' show, on the Spectres tour.
Rock And Roll is getting old...
Ohh, this is sad news. Love BOC a great deal.
ReplyDeleteMe too, Trisha...the band has been touring since 2006 without Allen, but it's still a bit of a wake up call.
DeleteYou're going to have to sell millions of CD's to fill the void left by these older acts!
Please do not abandon the music world to Justin Bieber!
LC
Yeah, I saw this headline. I wasn't the biggest BOC fan, but I never like hearing about our guys passing on. Thankfully their music will live on.
ReplyDelete-Jimmy
Jimmy-
DeleteEvery time one of the "old guard" passes, it reminds me that I am not that far behind them...
LC