Put together by rock critic/visionary Richard Meltzer (who wrote lyrics for a number of the band's songs) and producer Sandy Pearlman, Blue Oyster Cult adopted all sorts of emblematic gestures to conjure an outlaw image. The band's high-decibel, prog-tinged heavy-rock garnered them elevated status among teens in the 1970s longing for America's answer to Black Sabbath. The band's legacy has lived on well into the 2000s, thanks in part to Will Ferrell's now-legendary "more cowbell" skit on SNL.