Blue Öyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" first appeared on the 1976 album "Agents of Fortune." By this point, the band's rather strange public image straddled several barriers in 70s pop: their dark, occult imagery and hard-edged sound appealed to fans of heavy metal. Their cryptic, slyly psychedelic lyrics were appreciated by connoisseurs and critics of avant-garde rock. Also, by "Agents," their fourth album, the band had adopted a slick, arena-rock production sound which was accessible to a far wider public than either of these two sub-genres niches. This anti-phobic anthem on the acceptance of death became the band's single biggest hit. Oddly enough, it was written by guitarist Don Roeser. Roeser, who went by the nickname of "Buck Dharma," qasn't the band's principle songwriter and only rarely got writing credit.