1. TYRANNY & MUTATION: The band's heavy-metal chef-d'oeuvre, with four eye-meltin' "Cult Classics" on the "Red" side: "The Red & the Black," "OD'd on Life Itself," "Hot Rails to Hell," and "7 Screaming Diz-Busters." The "Black" side isn't such a tour-de-force, although "Mistress of the Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl)" is a great (& wry) rendition of the rebirth archetype. This album was a defining moment for metal-heads of the day (yes, me), on par with Sabbath's _Paranoid_ and Zep's _Led_Zep_II_. In sum, _Tyranny_&_Mutation_ signalled the birth of American Metal.

2. SECRET TREATIES: Second to _T&M_ only because it came afterwards--"Dominance & Submission" is notable as a prototype of the driving, tritone metal that Metallica still only dreams of, while the repetitive obbligato riffs of "Harvester of Eyes" are a marvelously apt support for its acid-paranoia lyrics. Finally, "Astronomy" qualifies as BOC's version of the great metal-ballad most people associate with "Stairway to Heaven": but "Astronomy" is less saccharine, more coherent, and, at last, better. (Okay, maybe I just heard "Stairway to Heaven" one too f****in' many times!)

3. BLUE OYSTER CULT: Their eponymous first album staked BOC's claim as a complete original: a witty, sardonic blues-acid-rock synthesis of sound, the sophistication of which blew the minds of those long numbed by the lame, plodding, lyrically-unimaginative hard rock of the times (again, I speak from my own experience). "Transmaniacon MC" and "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" anticipate the more blatant metal of _T&M_; "Stairway to the Stars" and "She's as Beautiful as a Foot" demonstrate their lyrical wit; and "Then Came the Last Days of May" serves notice of lead guitarist Buck Dharma's excellent songwriting/vocal contributions to the band.

4. IMAGINOS: ("Geez, I thought this guy was some old codger who 'died' in the seventies....") Admittedly, I still often live in my adolescence (i.e., the first three albums), but there's no denying that _Imaginos_ is BOC's _Abbey_Road_, a concept album that magnificently ties together many of the band's thematic obsessions in one synchronistic stroke of genius. Right now I listen to this more than any other BOC recording--and my favorite songs still keep changing. At present, I'd single out the haunting "In the Presence of Another World" and the kick-ass, climactic "Imaginos," and add, almost sheepishly, in passing that I like the remake of "Astronomy" more--I mean, ALMOST as much!--as the original.

5. ON YOUR FEET OR ON YOUR KNEES: Fresh from their first three albums, I was initially extremely disappointed by the "sloppiness" of this live album. But I soon came to love the space-y renditions of "The Subhuman" and "Harvester of Eyes," learned to chuckle over Bloom's lyrical additions to "The Red and the Black" and "7 Screaming Diz-Busters," and, above all, came to deem Buck's leads to "ME 262" and--ah!--"Then Came the Last Days of May" as better, even, than the studio versions.

6. FIRE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN: To me, BOC's return to true greatness, after their first three albums. The sci-fi angst of the lyrics to "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" alone is worth the price of admission, and, sure, "Burnin' for You" is pretty pop-ish, but what BOC fan isn't glad that they did it?!

7. MIRRORS: I know that lots of people in the BOC usenet & listserv groups despise this as a pop (attempt-to) sell-out, but I have to include it here because "The Vigil" is one of BOC's most lyrically & musically dazzling songs, because "The Great Sun Jester" is a wonderfully sad incarnation of the trickster archetype, and, and--because I've tried to use "In Thee" and "You're Not the One I Was Looking For" to score babes!

8. EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIVE: "Roadhouse Blues" is a nice touch, and there are nice, dynamic versions of "Black Blade" and "Dominance & Submission," but I suspect that this made my list, in good part, because of its length (double cassette). More technically sophisticated than _On_Your_Feet_, perhaps, but lacking that album's naive infernal energy.

9. AGENTS OF FORTUNE: I bought this album upon its initial release and told my little brother before it happened that "Don't Fear the Reaper" would be their first hit--but I _was_ rather disillusioned by the pop-rock feel of many of the songs. But as with "Burning for You," we must give "The Reaper" its due, and "This Ain't the Summer of Love" and "E.T.I" are also first-rate rockers.

10. CLUB NINJA: Another recording much-maligned in the internet groups, but I love "Perfect Water" and "White Flag" (and even "Dancin' in the Ruins") too much to leave it off the list.