Blue Öyster Cult tried a new producer on
Mirrors, replacing longtime mentor
Sandy Pearlman with
Tom Werman, a CBS staffer who had worked with
Cheap Trick and
Ted Nugent. The result is an album that tries to straddle pop and hard rock just as those acts did, emphasizing choral vocals (plus female backup) and a sharp, trebly sound. But this approach didn't really go over well with longtime metal-oriented fans: "In Thee" became a minor singles-chart entry, but the album broke
BÖC's string of five gold or platinum albums in a row. The real reason simply may have been that the songs weren't distinctive enough. Much of this is hard rock could have been made by any one of a dozen '70s arena bands. ~ William Ruhlmann