During a recent conversation with AXS TV, Ratt’s lead singer Stephen Pearcy revealed the Blue Öyster Cult record that gave him the chills while discussing his five desert island albums.
After choosing Led Zeppelin’s ‘Physical Graffiti’ and Judas Priest’s ‘Stained Class,’ the vocalist named Blue Öyster Cult’s ‘Secret Treaties’ as his third pick and said:
“It was so creepy and trippy for me, and I was learning to play guitar when that came out. I was still learning, so I would put that on and play through the whole record — put it on, try to learn it, flip it over, turn it. So I had those songs [memorized].”
He then recalled how he would use the Blue Öyster Cult songs in his setlist during his early days:
“And the fact that my band Mickey Ratt, when we’d play, we would mix solo songs with cover songs — otherwise, we wouldn’t get a gig. So, I would pick songs like ‘Dominance and Submission’ or ‘Career of Evil’ and even ‘Career of Evil.’ And nobody knew who it was. They thought it was my band.”
Besides being a fan of Blue Öyster Cult, Pearcy also admires the band’s lead vocalist Eric Bloom, as he disclosed to Goldmine in June 2023 while naming his favorite rock singers:
“Being a professional musician and finding your own unique style that actually works isn’t easy. It takes a lot of work, and a lot of guys can’t do it. But one guy I’ve always been drawn to is Eric Bloom from Blue Öyster Cult. He always had a very unique voice and had a way of phrasing things that were memorable.”
He continued, explaining how he finds Bloom underrated:
“He’s not a guy that a lot of people will often cite, but I think he was just incredible. Eric Bloom doesn’t get nearly enough credit. At least, not nearly as much as he deserves. Go back and listen to those records; you’ll see what I’m talking about. He’s great, man.”
In the rest of his AXS TV interview, Pearcy chose Van Halen’s self-titled album released in 1978 and Black Sabbath’s debut album as his last two picks for his desert island records.
