I delved hard into BOC in about 1989 and they're still one of my favorite rock bands. I didn't realize until recently how much of an influence Joe had on my playing.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Joe Bouchard
- Thread starter Space-Man
- Start date
I've always been a huge BOC fan - saw them live 8 times. They had the best light/laser shows of any concert back then. One of the first songs I learned to play was "Don't fear the Reaper" on guitar. I remember Joe used to do a few bass solo's in concert.
Yeah, the "Cult Brothers" was what would later be known as the "X Brothers" (I think BOC's management sued him because of the name and because some of the concert ads for them implied that it was BOC playing). The band had Joe, Jimmy Cacala on drums, and the brothers Andy (bass) and Billy Hilfiger (guitar) - yes the brothers of the famous clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger. Billy Hilfiger later played with Joe's brother Albert Bouchard (original BOC drummer) in "The Brain Surgeons" - in an ironic, but sad twist of fate, Billy Hilfiger passed away due to brain cancer several years ago.
John
Big influence, jazzy power melodic, did I say power, rock bass. He was using the Acoustic B360 most of the times I saw him. Also he switched from Alembic back to the black Fender P the last time I saw him do the "Shooting Shark" thing live in 84, though I just learned it was Randy Jackson who did the studio version!
And back before they started monitoring DB levels at live concerts, many would agree with me, you never heard a bass shake an arena, or concert hall till you heard Joe rumble the foundations on his bass solos!
Folks talk about Deep Purple and The Who breaking sound barriers etc, but those who saw BOC in the 70's should agree, those were as loud or louder than any concert I ever attended!
And back before they started monitoring DB levels at live concerts, many would agree with me, you never heard a bass shake an arena, or concert hall till you heard Joe rumble the foundations on his bass solos!
Folks talk about Deep Purple and The Who breaking sound barriers etc, but those who saw BOC in the 70's should agree, those were as loud or louder than any concert I ever attended!
Time to revive this 00's thread for the bassist of one of the greatest rock bands of the 70s! @Squittolo liked my 2009 post, and I rediscovered the thread when I checked in to see what it was he liked. I see he's liked about all the posts in the thread, so I did the same, and hoping some of you Bouchard/BOC fans who posted years ago are still around. Squittolo, you're obviously a BOC fan too. Get on here and post some of your memories!
Last edited:
He's also been playing in a band with his brother Albert & original Alice Cooper bassist, Dennis Dunaway, in a band called Blue Coupe.
BOC's 2nd album, "Tyranny and Mutation" just turned 50 years old yesterday. One of the standout tracks is Joe's "Hot Rails to Hell".
While I love the early albums including On Your Feet, To this day I can put Agents on and listen to it front to back without skipping a track. It is such an easy album to listen to and provides many different moods within its grooves (vinyl reference).
I, too, could listen to Agents all the way through, any time.
A few years ago, I took the time to research all the references in "E.T.I." and was amazed. Look at the discussion here: Blue Öyster Cult - E.T.I. Lyrics | SongMeanings
This is a good BOC Wiki site if you haven't seen it: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
A few years ago, I took the time to research all the references in "E.T.I." and was amazed. Look at the discussion here: Blue Öyster Cult - E.T.I. Lyrics | SongMeanings
This is a good BOC Wiki site if you haven't seen it: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Last edited:
FullumMusic
Commercial User
- Oct 13, 2022
- 2,010
- 5,689
- Disclosures
- Audio/Music software developer, contracted with a company you've heard of and deving my own stuff.
Kinda side-note: A friend of mine that i'd known in some capacity or another since junior high school, Richie, is BOC's bassist these days. Fun little 1 degree of separation game that i never would have expected.
Richie Castellano joined BOC back nearly 20 years ago as the bassist, but migrated to the guitarist/keyboardist role filled by original member Allen Lanier after his passing. Richie is super-talented (some of his YouTube videos have been posted on talkbass before where he does all the instruments/vocals of a song with split-screen video). He is also wrote a lot of the material and did a lot of the production for BOC's last album, 2020's "The Symbol Remains".
Is that Richie Castellano? He switched to guitar and keyboards when Alan Lanier left about 15 years ago. My real introduction to the band must have been one of his early shows after the switch. Danny Miranda was filling in on bass, and I believe he came back again a few years later.
In fact, when I looked at their website the next day, Richie was still listed on bass, with a note that he was temporarily changing roles for that tour. That blew my mind! I couldn't imagine who else they were going to get, and apparently neither could they.
Back to the original subject, though, the Bouchard brothers put the boogie in Buck's Boogie.
