Albert Bouchard

Decades on, the Blue Öyster Cult man releases the solo album that BÖC’s album Imaginos was intended to be.

During Blue Öyster Cult’s heyday back in the 1970s, drummer/vocalist Albert Bouchard was one of the band’s principal songwriters. Since being fired in 1981 he’s had a peripatetic career. Now, Bouchard has released a solo album titled Re Imaginos, his interpretation of BÖC’s 1988 album Imaginos – an album that was originally intended to be a Bouchard solo project, until the band got hold of it. Re Imaginos is a sophisticated, powerful yet convoluted tale of alien conspiracy, and it’s taken Bouchard decades to bring it to fruition.

How close is Re Imaginos to how you originally envisaged Imaginos? It should be pointed out that this is more about the vision of Sandy Pearlman, BÖC’s producer and manager [who died in 2016]. It was his concept in the first place, based on his writings and poetry, so I wanted to stay true to those ideas. I believe I have.

Do you feel that Blue Öyster Cult undermined the vision when they recorded Imaginos? When I was fired by the band in 1981, Sandy said he’d get me a solo deal, and we began work on what was supposed to be my debut solo album, namely Imaginos. There were a lot of delays over the next several years. Then Columbia, BÖC’s label with whom I was working on this solo album, suggested Imaginos should be released under Blue Öyster Cult’s name and not mine. I thought that meant I’d be back in the band, which I was happy about. I was wrong. Did they undermine what I wanted to do? It was confusing, because hardly anyone from the band is actually on that album.

It seems like this album has been hanging over you for decades. Is it a relief to have finally it done? Sandy first talked about his idea for this in 1967, so it’s been a while! People kept asking me over the years when I was gonna do my version of these songs. At least that won’t happen any more.

This is a rock opera. Do you have any plans to perform it on stage? Definitely. The original plan was for three double albums based around the Imaginos mythos. I want to do that, and also to finally play these songs live.

You’re on the new BÖC album The Symbol Remains. What is your current status with the band? I’ve guested live with the band every year since 2012. And I love doing it. The problems we had in the past have all been worked out. I guess I’m back in the family.

What happened in 1981 when BÖC sacked you? Donald [Roeser, guitarist] had real issues with what was happening at the time in my personal life. We fell out very badly. He claimed my personal behaviour was affecting live performances. And he could be right. So he persuaded the rest of the guys to fire me. Thankfully, in 1995, Donald and I worked it all out.

Your use of a cowbell on (Don’t Fear) The Reaper was famously parodied in 2000 on the TV show Saturday Night Live. How did you feel about that? I thought it was brilliant. But how did they hear the cowbell in the mix?! It’s not very audible. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper is not an obvious cowbell song. MD

“Hardly anyone from the band is actually on [BÖC’s

Imaginos].”

Re Imaginos is available now via Rockheart Records/Deko Entertainment.