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Secret Treaties

Updated: 12/20/2025, 1:55:14 PM Wikipedia source

Secret Treaties is the third studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on April 5, 1974 by Columbia. It features the same band members and production team as their previous album. The album spent 14 weeks in the US album charts, peaking at No. 53. It was certified gold by the RIAA in 1992. In 1975, a poll of readers of the British magazine Melody Maker voted Secret Treaties the "Top Rock Album of All Time". In 2010, Rhapsody called it one of the all-time best "proto-metal" albums. It is the only BÖC album that does not feature a track with lead vocals sung by guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser. The band also did not write any of the lyrics to the album, handing that duty to producer Sandy Pearlman, rock critic Richard Meltzer and singer Patti Smith.

Infobox

Released
April 5, 1974 (1974-04-05)
Recorded
1974
Studio
Columbia 30th Street Studio(New York City)
Genre
Hard rockheavy metalpsychedelic rock
Length
38:14
Label
Columbia
Producer
Murray KrugmanSandy Pearlman

Tables

Professional ratings
Source
Source
Review scores
Source
Review scores
Rating
AllMusic
AllMusic
Review scores
AllMusic
Review scores
Christgau's Record Guide
Christgau's Record Guide
Review scores
Christgau's Record Guide
Review scores
B
Classic Rock
Classic Rock
Review scores
Classic Rock
Review scores
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal
Review scores
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal
Review scores
10/10
Tom Hull
Tom Hull
Review scores
Tom Hull
Review scores
B
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Review scores
Rolling Stone
Review scores
(favorable)
Review scores
Source
Rating
AllMusic
Christgau's Record Guide
B
Classic Rock
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal
10/10
Tom Hull
B
Rolling Stone
(favorable)
· Accolades
NME
NME
Publication
NME
Country
UK
Accolade
Albums of the Year[citation needed]
Year
1974
Rank
13
Dave Marsh & Kevin Stein
Dave Marsh & Kevin Stein
Publication
Dave Marsh & Kevin Stein
Country
U.S.
Accolade
The Best of the Album Chartmakers by Year: 1974
Year
1981
Rank
36
Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Publication
Kerrang!
Country
UK
Accolade
The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time[citation needed]
Year
1989
Rank
22
Mojo
Mojo
Publication
Mojo
Country
UK
Accolade
Mojo 1000 - The Ultimate CD Buyers Guide
Year
2001
Rank
No order
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Publication
Rolling Stone
Country
U.S.
Accolade
The 50 Coolest Records of All Time
Year
2002
Rank
47
Publication
Country
Accolade
Year
Rank
NME
UK
Albums of the Year[citation needed]
1974
13
Dave Marsh & Kevin Stein
U.S.
The Best of the Album Chartmakers by Year: 1974
1981
36
Kerrang!
UK
The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time[citation needed]
1989
22
Mojo
UK
Mojo 1000 - The Ultimate CD Buyers Guide
2001
No order
Rolling Stone
U.S.
The 50 Coolest Records of All Time
2002
47
· Charts
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)
Chart (1974)
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)
Peakposition
54
US Billboard 200
US Billboard 200
Chart (1974)
US Billboard 200
Peakposition
53
Chart (1974)
Peakposition
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)
54
US Billboard 200
53
· Certifications
United States (RIAA)
United States (RIAA)
Region
United States (RIAA)
Certification
Gold
Certified units/sales
500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Region
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Region
Certification
Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)
Gold
500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. Recording Industry Association of America
    https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Blue+oyster+cult&ti=SECRET+TREATIES&lab=&genre=&format=Album&date_option=release&from=&to=&award=&type=&category=&adv=SEARCH#search_section
  2. "Blue Oyster Cult: Secret Treaties - Album Of The Week Club review"
    https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/blue-oyster-cult-secret-treaties-album-of-the-week-club-review
  3. The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion
    https://books.google.com/books?id=AVQbF9lTBwgC&pg=PA334
  4. AllMusic
    http://www.allmusic.com/album/secret-treaties-mw0000197327
  5. AllMusic
    http://www.allmusic.com/album/secret-treaties-mw0000197327
  6. Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies
    https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=B&bk=70
  7. "Blue Oyster Cult: Secret Treaties - Album Of The Week Club review"
    https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/blue-oyster-cult-secret-treaties-album-of-the-week-club-review
  8. The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies
  9. Rolling Stone
    https://web.archive.org/web/20071228005422/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blueoystercult/albums/album/261128/review/6067632/secret_treaties
  10. Overdose
    http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/arch/rekord2.php
  11. Allmusic
    https://web.archive.org/web/20130930023942/http://www.allmusic.com/album/secret-treaties-mw0000197327/awards
  12. "RIAA Searchable Database - search for Blue Oyster Cult"
    https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=blue+oyster+cult#search_section
  13. "Classic Rock Crate Digger: 10 Essential Proto-Metal Albums"
    http://blog.rhapsody.com/2010/06/protometal.html
  14. Secret Treaties
  15. Hypable
    http://www.hypable.com/cormoran-strike-book-3-title/
  16. Book Of Rock Lists - Albums Of The Year: 1976
    https://web.archive.org/web/20060707165819/http://rocklistmusic.co.uk/dmarshal_p2.htm#76
  17. Mojo
    https://web.archive.org/web/20060214175208/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mojo_p4.htm
  18. Rolling Stone
  19. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5036b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
    https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5036b&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5036b.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5036b
  20. "Blue Oyster Cult Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
    https://www.billboard.com/artist/Blue-Oyster-Cult/chart-history/TLP
  21. "American album certifications – Blue Öyster Cult – Secret Treaties"
    https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Blue+%C3%96yster+Cult&ti=Secret+Treaties&format=Album&type=#search_section
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