Cities Made of Song, 1981 - Veteran of the Psychic Wars by Blue Öyster Cult
I'm not going to have to copy the funny O every damn time I name the band in this post, am I?
The 1970s were a flourishing time in the American rock scene, but if I were one to make sweeping and unsubstantiated statements, and let's say I am for the moment, I'd contend that few were as innovative as Blue Öyster Cult.
Affectionately nicknamed BÖC by their fans (and by anyone else disinclined to say or type all of that), this band had their start, like so many of the others that I've touched upon so far, in the thriving club scene of the late 1960s, at first as Soft White Underbelly, before blossoming into a successful psychedelic rock group in the 1970s.
As with any group, there is plenty of room for spirited disagreement over which album actually represents the best of their work. "Cultösaurus Erectus" and "Agents of Fortune" both stand out for me as examples. Still, I'd have to say that "Fire of Unknown Origin" represents the cream of this particular crop.
Being fresh off a long streak of successful albums, "Fire of Unknown Origin" would sadly mark the end of BÖC's heyday in the minds of many, but judged on its own merits, I think it's a superb crossover of hard rock, psych/prog, and metal influences that really sounds like nothing else.
How was I introduced to this particular record, you might ask? Why, none other than a Doctor Who AMV. For those not in the know, this acronym is being slightly misappropriated. It stands for "anime music video", a mashup with music playing, and clips from a show superimposed over it. It started as a trend ages ago in that particular subculture, before spreading via cultural osmosis to include similar mashups of live action shows. This specific video, which sadly no longer exists, coupled the BÖC song Veteran of the Psychic Wars with footage of Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor, and I was immediately intrigued.
The lyrics are beguiling, telling the story of the titular veteran who has fought so many battles and given up so much that he isn't sure how to carry on anymore. It's possible to draw any number of parallels. This song was recorded in the wake of Vietnam and in the midst of an increasing epidemic of drug use, after all. And while these parallels were seemingly intended, I was interested to learn that the song is more directly based on a certain work of fiction, namely Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion series.
It's a pretty massive series, and difficult to explain. Doubly so since I've shamefully never taken the chance to read it. Essentially, it focuses on a cosmic battle between the forces of Law and Chaos across the multiverse. In every instance, there is a different incarnation of the same Champion who is meant to achieve balance between the two. This Champion appears in all different guises, different races, and different genders, but is always one aspect of the same being who is partly conscious of the infinite wars they have fought.
It's a sobering concept, but definitely a somewhat familiar one for a Doctor Who fan. This is very close to the way I've always conceived of the Doctor as a character. The role is especially reminiscent of the Seventh Doctor and his mantle of Time's Champion, and the struggle between Law and Chaos bears an amusing similarity to that between the Black and White Guardians, who we'll be revisiting soon enough.
I've always found something particularly intriguing about immortal, ageless, or reincarnated characters, which I suppose is part of what drew me to Doctor Who in the first place. It's always a treat when this particular trait of the Doctor's is played upon, and as we press on, this song's portrayal of a timeless champion struggling to carry on will be more and more appropriate.
That musical interlude thus checked off, it's finally time for Castrovalva. See you then!
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 14 December 2021.)
