Agents of Fortune by Blue Oyster Cult

Agents of Fortune, Blue Öyster Cult's fourth album, came out on Columbia in 1976 with manager Sandy Pearlman producing, and it's the record where the Long Island band's occult hard rock found a door into the mainstream. Every original member sings lead at least once, the only time that happens in their catalog, and it's also their only album with no song written by Eric Bloom.

"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is the reason it went platinum: a shimmering guitar figure, soft harmonies and a mood as spooky as a candle in an empty house. The song went to number 12 on the singles chart and turned the band into a much bigger ticket on the road, and rock radio has never let go of it.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.