The visionary, brainy, dark rock/metal band Blue Öyster Cult has been around for 50 years, which is remarkable considering most folks believed they only released one song in all that time.

Yes, for some, their entire output is the irresistible, mid-tempo, beyond-the-tomb love song written by guitarist/vocalist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser called "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." Even then, while it's inarguably a special tune, what's largely remembered is that Will Ferrell penned a sketch for "Saturday Night Live," starring Christopher Walken, that reduces "Reaper" to little more than a support snippet to a satire about cowbells.

"'Reaper' is still streamed about five million times a month," says Joe Bouchard, the former Blue Öyster Cult bassist/songwriter/singer. Bouchard, referring to the payment algorithms associated with streaming services, says, "Five million streams is a lot of fractions of pennies that we would never have imagined — and not only that but 'Reaper' brought the entire catalog along with it."

Oh, that's right. In addition to "Reaper" and "Agents of Fortune" (the album from whence the song originated), Blue Öyster Cult has released 15 studio and indeed scored several minor hits with songs such as like "Burnin' For You," "Godzilla," "Cities On Flame with Rock 'n' Roll," "Take Me Away," "Astronomy," "ETI" and "Shooting Shark."

Their first three studio albums — the ones released just before "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" — are "Blue Öyster Cult," "Tyranny and Mutation" and the flawless "Secret Treaties," and are considered by hardcore followers as three of the most important hard rock albums ever made. Also highly regarded are post-"Reaper" albums "Fire of Unknown Origin," "Spectres" and the Albert Bouchard-fueled concept album "Imaginos."

"I've been out of the band for 30 years, but it's still in my DNA. It's a great band, we had a lot of fun, and every time my brother Albert and I talk about it, we think, 'Can you BELIEVE we were part of this?!'" Joe asks.

Indeed. Multi-instrumentalist Albert Bouchard was the original BÖC drummer and, like all five seminal members — along with Roeser and the Bouchards, keyboardist Allen Lanier and frontman Eric Bloom — he contributed to the group's songwriting. Their "anything goes" approach to structure and melody didn't quite fit any existing rock or metal blueprint in an exhilarating fashion, and a revolving group of contributing lyricists, including rock critics/producers Sandy Pearlman and Richard Meltzer and ultimately poets/songwriters Patti Smith and Jim Carroll and sci-fi novelist Michael Moorcock, provided an arty, mysterious and occult-flavored aura.

Though the Bouchards are no longer in the band, they remain in fond touch with Roeser and Bloom, who continue to helm BÖC as an active touring and recording act. Lanier passed away in 2013.

Five years ago, Joe and Albert began doing selected dates as the Bouchard Brothers. Theirs is a stipped down, semi-acoustic show that feature BÖC songs from across the catalog — yes, they play "Reaper" — as well as material from their solo careers.

Joe, who was originally a guitarist, has a superb new album called "Strange Legends," with a track list that mirrors the musician's life in its narrative A-Z arc from brash and rocking to mellow and wistful. And Albert continues to work on follow-ups to "Imaginos," a project that he and the late Pearlman envisioned as a trilogy capturing the lyricist's arcane mythology.

The Bouchard Brothers play Saturday at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center. The duo is joined onstage by Joe's partner Joan Levy Hepburn, a superb singer/guitarist who studied for two decades with Dave Van Ronk.

Last week, in separate phone conversations, Joe and Albert Bouchard answered questions and reminisced. Here are excerpts, edited for space and clarity.

On the joys of making music at this point in their lives:

Joe: I'm a septuagenarian now! Music is an exercise in arrested development. I try to put up a youthful front when I perform. (Laughs) And I look over and see this old guy next to me, and it's Albert — but he just radiates youthfulness and energy and enthusiasm. That's what music does for you.

Albert: You know, I like to run — outside, not on a treadmill. Being outside is something I really appreciate more now that I'm older. I'm alive and I'm healthy. Now, if I don't sing for a while, it's hard to get going. I think, "Who is that guy trying to do that?" But it comes around.

Joe and I come from a large family. Five brothers and we're all musical. If we're together, making jokes and telling stories — or being onstage with Joe — that keeps you young.

On their favorite Blue Öyster Cult albums:

Albert: I'd say the first three and then the ones that came immediately after. When we started, we actively tried to sound completely unique. If we tried something and it sounded like anything else, we didn't do it.

Joe: Definitely the first three. I particularly love the first album. I had the best time. Every day in the studio was magical. It was better than Disneyland. It was our first time in the studio and, looking back, while the production could have been better, (their label) Columbia left us alone. The five of us were a great writing team and Sandy and Richard would provide these amazing, odd lyrics, and it was just this incredibly unique and fortunate situation.

On the recording of "Secret Treaties," acknowledged by most hardcore fans to be their finest moment, and an album where the band's best creative impulses and ideas coalesced in transcendent fashion:

Joe: Records are made so differently today. Our first three albums were made with us on the road 300 days a year. We were writing and rehearsing in hotel rooms. We didn't have a vacation for three years, and even two days off in a row was a miracle.

But we ended up in Studio C at Columbia for "Secret Treaties." Stravinsky and Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck all recorded there, and there was so much history and such a tangible vibe in that room. It was real; you could feel it. There were six grand pianos in the studio and one was a Bosendorfer and that's where the piano part on "Astronomy" was recorded. You thought, "Maybe this is the same piano where Dave Brubeck did 'Time Out.'" It was like being in a museum, and just being there made you want to experiment and take it farther.

Albert: That album makes me feel proud because, for many years, I didn't think it was such a great album. The mixes were terrible. But the songs were so good. (Laughs) You know, somewhere on the internet recently, I saw something about I must have ripped off part of the vocal melody on "Flaming Telepaths" from "Bus Stop" by the Hollies. And that had never occurred to me. I love the Hollies and I love "Bust Stop!" So I went back and listened and I thought, "Wait a minute! That DOES sound similar!" (He breaks into song to illustrate the specific sections in each song.) The changes and chords are similar, but I think the dynamics are very different. It never occurred to me at the time.

On the fact that Albert was a longtime schoolteacher in New York:

Albert: I didn't anticipate becoming a teacher, but I like kids, and after I was out of the band, I figured I'd need a job. But I was a little surprised at how well the whole band catalog continues to sell. After a while, I realized I didn't have to teach because the royalties were coming in, but I realized I loved it. Kids are amazing and they want to learn.

Final thoughts:

Joe: You know, looking back, I listen to those early albums and I think, "Wow, you don't need a rocket ship. We took you on a journey." And now, with "Strange Legends," that album is a journey of a different kind. It gets reflective and thoughtful at the end, but that's OK. It still rocks.

Albert: The only dream I had for my life, happened. And somehow, all we did resonated with people. We're lucky, and it's a pleasure to share that.

If you go

Who: The Bouchard Brothers with Joan Levy Hepburn

What: Ex-members of Blue Öyster Cult play retrospective and new material

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook

How much: $45

For more information: thekate.org, (860) 510-0453

Rick Koster's Baker's Dozen Best BOC songs countdown — and none of them are called ("Don't Fear) The Reaper," "Cities On Flame with Rock 'n' Roll" or "Godzilla"

13. "Fire of Unknown Origin"

12. "Hot Rails to Hell"

11. "Shooting Shark"

10. "Mistress of the Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl)"

9. "This Ain't the Summer of Love"

8. "Les Invisibles"

7. "Then Came the Last Days of May"

6. "ME 262"

5. "Stairway to the Stars"

4. "Dominance & Submission"

3. "Teen Archer"

2 and 1: "Flaming Telepaths" into "Astronomy"