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The powerful frame of Blue Cheer sound originated in 1966 by six elements. As time went by, the
sonic storm which ruled rehearsals and early gigs, spotted on just three instruments - guitar,
bass and drums, overshadowing all the rest. By 1967, Blue Cheer decided to become a trio,
classic and powerful, able to armonize sounds and smash the atmosphere: Leigh Stephens on
guitar, master of distortions and fuzz-box secrets; Dickie Peterson on bass and vocals,
formerly with Group B (together with his brother) - who recorded 2 singles and performed at the
Fillmore. This ensemble later evolved into Andrew Staples and The Whistling Shrimp; Paul Whaley
on drums (former Oxford Circle, a band from Sacramento, with Gary Yoder - later with Kak and
Blue Cheer. Oxford Circle were residents at the Avalon Ballroom supporting groups like Grateful
Dead and recording the single "Mind Destruction/Foolish Woman" for World United in 1966, a great
psyche-rock ponderous number. Both tracks have resurfaced on Oxford Circle - Live At The Avalon
1966).
The trio transferred into vinyl the heavy wave of fighting electric blues handled down by Cream
and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, amplified by an unlikely volume. Act one was titled "Vincebus
Eruptum": a controlled load of noisy roar and metal led to press by Philips in 1968 and, probably, one of
the highest examples of powerful rock which ever made it on record. The record also gave the
group their first and greatest hit, "Summertime Blues". The flexible shape of Eddie Cochrane's
Classic (also covered by the Who) worked in by the blacksmith craftmanship of the trio, turned
into a sort of memorable 3'43" of mighty metallic explosive rock noise which straight entered in
the "Most Celebrated Covers" club. For the flip side of the single (one of the highlights on the
album) was chosen "Out of Focus", another aggressive attack of vocals, guitars and percussions
brought, high to the cerebral concerns of the body, by instruments used in the likes of
detonators. The song was penned by Dickie Peterson while hospitalized for just a mild hepatitis.
"Out of Focus","Doctor Please" and "Second Time Around", all originals by Dickie Peterson had
anger and violence enough to sustain the metallic revolt of sound and were conceived to compete
with the wave of "Trios", Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, obviously, which were
prime inspirations too (expecially Hendrix for Stephens) and favourite Cheers groups.
The album also featured a cover of Mose Allison's "Parchment Farm" (Parchman Farm) translated
into such a rebellious and storming way to shock purists and tories.
"Vincebus Eruptum" climbed up to 11th position in U.S. charts (Billboard) and such remained the
highest peak reached by a Blue Cheer album. As a live act, Blue Cheer are still remembered as an
upsetting and scandalous matter. Jeff Dalbhy, fan and editor
of the liner notes to "Louder than God" (the 1986 Rhino compilation) writes - I was turning
deaf, maybe for the rest of my life. Their concert had been the loudest thing I ever had
audienced to and, in terms of volume, nothing could never compare with it since. Just three
tiny long-haired boys and an imposing wall of amplifiers. Amps were piled up so tight that
litterally filled the whole stage. I had never seen something like that and my ears were out of
touch. At moments, I wished I had to get away for good ...-.
Blue Cheer were illegittimate sons of the San Francico scene. Certainly pacifists, left out by
the "System", they never would submit to the "Peace & Love" dream of Flower Power Movement,
synonym, not merely musical of the Bay Area in the late Sixties. Jeff Dalbhy again - The
noisiest group in the planet, the band that played so loud to turn the air into cottage cheese.
Punks before the Punk Movement, Hell's Angels equipped with musical instruments in
spite of chopper-bikes ...- .
Blue Cheer was never loved by critics of its times. Better inclined to flatter, with good
reason for sure, the likes of Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver and Grateful Dead. Most of its
records, except "Vincebus Eruptum", had no review at all and only few had the chance to keep in
touch with its further steps. Boss Bill Graham once cancelled a concert of the group scheduled
to be performed at the Fillmore East and even Jimi Hendrix, the musician who more than any other
had poured his magic influence in Blue Cheer's sound, never expressed a positive opinion on its
style.
Blue Cheer invented the american way to Heavy Metal, that Heavy Metal of the end of the Sixties,
born from the deep structures of the electric blues and driven up to bewildering and exeeding
volumes, slowed down, fastened, grooved by healthy sections of solo guitar ready to cross the
course of the melodic centre of songs. A Hevy Metal which was far from the vulgar valence we
find today under this term; free from those ridiculous "Hairy chested/muscular" characters of a
weight-lifter swelled by anabolyzers, that nowadays so pathetically hang on the public H.M.
image. Peterson's voice went off the sound rails of the songs breaking the armonic tissue, and
lyrics, on live performances, were seldom inteligible. His raw vocals certainly predated
trash-rock.
The second album "Outside Inside" (Philips 1968) was divided in two different sections; the
outer part (Outside) having been recorded close to some warehouses in New York and Sacramento
harbours, while the inner part (Inside) saw the light of day in a regular recording studio with
the same excellent production than in "Vincebus Eruptum" (Abe 'Voco' Kesh). Even with a small
drop, sound pressure held the same wild, crude and primeval resolution not missing that
peculiar 'hammer kick on the forehead' that graced the hardest moments of the first LP as well
as those perfect rock gimmickries so brightly blended by sleecky athmospheres supplied, for
example, by the keyboards of Ralph 'Burns' Kellogg, a skilled musician who came in from Mint
Tattoo, a San Francisco band addicted to a rather mundane way of making the blues. The opener of
"Outside Inside" was "Feathers From Your Tree", a shining gem of psychedelia rich of
athmospheres and airy keyboards, but promptly worn out by the distorted guitar of Leigh Stephens
and trailed on by the deep drumming of Paul Whaley. "Sun Cycle", "Just Little Bit" and "Gypsy
Ball" proceeded towards penetrating amphetaminic electric structures displaying a blues basis,
with lots of homages to Hendrix. The songs breathed the taste of the electric ballad warped by
the weight of distorsors and wah-wah pedals while the closing track "Come and Get In", possibly
was one of the first examples of 'Speed Metal' in rock history; a sort of 'Pre Motorhead' sound,
fast and appealing without being too much excessive. The opening of side two was a psycedelic
version of "Satisfaction" from The Rolling Stones, another seminal band that certainly had deeply
influenced the minds of the Cheers.
Temperature returns high with the next fabulous black-dressed 'soul metal' "The Hunter"
(captured from Booker T.Jones's repertoire) followed up by originals "Magnolia Caboose
Babyfinger" and "Babylon", tracks which are lapped up by astonishing and energetic vocals
molded into music by powerful instrumental jokes which give way to some of the absolutely best
moments even performed by the band.
The dangerous shows which promoted the album are still legendary and ill-omened at one time.
Guitarist Leigh Stepehs recalls: We started a violent and frightening trip. Every single concert
ended up with the total destruction of the instruments that was enthusiastically greeted by the
audience. This was the most dangerous moment too. One time my guitar hit the head of a person,
another time a spectator was injured by one of the cymbals. People were involved with the same
violence... I often stopped playing and tought "Christ, what's goin'on?". Unfortunately the
aggressive surge was also transferred in the reharsals and sessions the group had in recording
studios. Such a perverse escalation to insanity ended up with hardly trying Leigh Stephen's
health.
He later confessed: I was turning mad. All in all, nobody was able to stop that "Chain
Reaction". Everything was totally out of our control. After "Outside Inside" Leigh Stephens
quit Blue Cheer. He recorded two LPs in Britain with Kevin Westlake of
Blossom Toes and other musicians from the british scene. Later he will be present in the line up
of two bands: Silver Metre and Pilot.
Around August 1968 Leigh
Stephens place was taken by formidable Randy Holden, formerly the leader of The Other Half.
The training time displayed the several aspects living together in the character of such a
musician: on one hand he was the maker of splendoured 'inner' horizons that his style put under
a enphasized 'acid' light; on the other, his lonely and unstable temperament was evident. For
such a reason Randy Holden only features on just one half of third Blue Cheer's album, its
'intellectual' masterpiece by the title of "New! Improved!". The entire second side of the
record bears the relevant imprinting of Randy Holden as a musician able to mould neverending
rainbows of sounds and as the composer of all those three truly fascinating titles. His graft,
alonside with Peterson and Whaley, offers one more among the most irresistable moments in the
whole life of the group. "Peace of Mind" and "Fruit & Iceburgs" liberate colourful 'psyche'
molecules interpolated by the deep cut of the electric 'six strings' winnig life to an
introspective and cerebral sound supported by solo passages of translucent electric nature;
lofty and fantastic attitudes that knock the remaining violent valences out. Beautiful modernist
ballads that will leave their sign in the genre (only Cream may boast of something like that).
Side One of "New! Improved!" finds the resigning Randy Holden replaced by Bruce Stephens (no
relationship with Leigh) in early 1969 as well as keyboard-player Ralph 'Burns' Kellogg.
; both of them from Mint Tattoo. The consistence of the record takes a transversal way bound to
classic West Coast. In facts, with no iperboles, the group re-joins a rather usual sound which
blends rock ballads, accents of "Physical" rock treated with a flexible voice and, in "Aces 'n'
Eights", "As Long As I Live" and "I Want My Baby Back" there's an open gleam to "Country Rock"
we will find again in further episodes, always deliberated and supported by unusual guitar solos
(Bruce Staphens reveals an enormous talent without, however, even getting close to futuristic
'geniuses' like Leigh Stephens and Randy Holden). Somewhere else, like in "When It All Gets Old"
and "West Coast Child of Sunshine" (penned by Kellog and Stephens - to definite a different
target), the group elevates the mere rock song inserting exemplary passages of sturdy armonic
solo guitar, but the only cover present within the record, Dylan's "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It
Takes a Train to Cry", seems to foretell different sceneries.
Soon after the release of "New! Improved!", also founder drummer Paul Whaley quits the group
and, presumably music biz at all being replaced by Norman Mayell, a perfect percussionist who
had previously spent a long time with Frisco band Sopwith Camel. With the defection of Leigh
Stephens and later that of Randy Holden, the use of scratching distorsor and that "hendrixous"
wah-wah was forever lost. Dickie Peterson, voice and bass, the last surviving original member,
had smoothed his raw noisy style down to meet more "disposable" soundings. The eretic 1,000,000
watts group had been beaten. At any rate, it will not be a radical steering in the direction of
an implosive style, and Cheer's sound will stand at a good level without too many conservative
nor "Amerikan" compromises. The real test of facts comes with the fourth omonymous album
released by Philips by the end of 1969 and led to success by trailer "Hello L.A., Bye Bye
Birmingham" (a cover of a classic by soul group Delaney & Bonnie). Now "Blue Cheer" presents a
line up eventually settled around Dickie Peterson (bass, vocals), Bruce Stephens (guitar, vocals),
Ralph Kellogg (keyboards) and Norman Mayell (drums). Here and there, in composer's guise, appear
the traces of Gary Yoder, formerly guitarist with KAK.
Packed up to Heaven the heavy electric equipment, including related decibels, the group changes
the old sonic nirvana of primeval obsessive and metallic 'psyche' blues into some harsh and
bright hard-rock that, in those times certainly couldn't be identified as 'main stream'. Dickie
Peterson's voice displays a mature tonal development and the wild rough fury evoked in early
albums seems to be so pretty far in time. The actual sound in the record, opened up by a tasty
"Fool" flows liquid and appealing rich with armonic and convex shapes which can even win the
attention of several West Coast purists. Plenty of the blues appeal comes from "Saturday
Freedom" as well as from the above mentioned "Hello L.A. ..." both pervaded with lightning
guitar zigzags and peculiar armonics that confirm Bruce Stephens being a real eclectic musician,
but "Ain't That the Way", also on side one, brings into a magic hard-rock with fluorescent
keyboards ready to spray the listening with colourful sonic lightshows. The B side of "Blue
Cheer" (an album which comprises 9 original compositions within a total of 10 tracks, duly
credited in turn to each group member) is a real guitars-keyboards festival devoted to supply
the nerve to the vocal parts, leaving on the field some excellent rocksongs like "Rock & Roll
Queens" and "Lovin' You's Easy", sometimes a bit conformist, and the beautiful progressive
surprise titled "Better When We Try" in which Ralph Kellog's organ snatches chords from the
students of Canterbury School.
1970 marked a massive return to concerts. Bruce Stephens had quit the group to form Pilot and
was replaced by Gary Yoder, an experienced musician and composer. From this moment on, all hopes
and future success will mainly depend on him.
Alternating Live Shows (often Cheers performed together with Californian most acclaimed groups)
and work in the studio, the new line up carried on the recording of the fifth album: "BC #5 The
Original Human Being" which many criticists consider as Blue Cheer's best effort, devoted to
that contaminated "Psychedelia" which was receiving utmost praises in Europe (In Britain the
three main branches - psychedelia, progressive and acid blues - were often melted by groups in
the same sonic pot). Others, on the contrary, for the same reasons found the record being too
much a blended affair and devoid of a single speciality. In "The Original Human Being"
(Philips 1970) we first meet the splendid "Good Times Are So Hard To Find", an irresistible
song, among Blue Cheer's masterpieces. It's electric, liquid and very 'psyche' with special
connections to late Yardbyrds. Dickie Peterson's voice is increasingly mature, Gary Yoder is
superb and creative on guitar, Ralph Kellogg's keyboards explode with liquefied imagery and
percussions (but also the sitar in "Babaji") provided by Norman Mayell are able to offer the
exact glares. "Make Me Laugh", "Pilot" and the beautiful "Black Sun" paint the air with
fantastic multicoloured shapes in a crossword puzzle of psyche-progressive sounds merged with a
corrosive blues which makes the album reach the highest positions in my personal favours,
together with the whole "Vincebus Eruptum" and the Randy Holden side in "New! Improved!". Told
that "Babaji" is a mystic raga theme for LSD trips, the record proposes some unuseful numbers
too, fond of a certain 'central rock', as "Love of a Woman" and "Tears By My Bed" but the last
feelings to be left to the listener are intended to be for the suggestive "Rest At Ease" penned
by Greg Yoder, a slow metropolitan night ballad which maybe could still make happy fans of the
"Born to Run" Bruce Springsteen. One curiosity: "The Original Human Being" is the first Blue
Cheer album that does not include any cover of other musicians.
Last chapter, the sixth album entitled "Oh! Pleasant Hope" released by Philips at the end of
1970, probably is the most romantic. A record which avoids any reflux of a revolutionary era
without truly understanding the new underground ferments and just preferring the 'acustic'
aspect, unmindful of past sonic assaults. All in all, "Oh! Pleasant Hope" reprises the most
classical aspects of the previous LP developing a perfect american hippy-sound half way between
Grateful Dead and The Band, in which unforgettable numbers are not lacking. "Oh! Pleasant Hope"
(title track) is a splendid melancoly ballad in the likes of "The Weight" (The Band) containing
evocative armonic vocals, "I'm the Light", "Hiway Man", "Believer" are fantastic 'hippy'
themes to be listened beneath a starry summer sky. "Ecological Blues" is remarkable too, sung in
those 'alcoholic' and hoarse keys which will have make Tom Wait's fortune.
The musicians involved, augmented by the second guitar of Richard Peddicord, are the same as in
"The Original Human Being", but solo parts stand rather within limits. Once again the Charts
horizons remain a missed target and the Cheers decide to split and try different ways. Yoder and
Kellog will set themselves as session-men, Norman Mayell will join the Sopwith Camel 'reunion'
while Dickie Peterson together with his brother will form Peterbildt and reform Blue Cheer in mid
seventies; both these bands were Hell's Angels favourites but, unfortunally, did not leave any
trace on record. Dickie Peterson reformed Blue Cheer at several times. In 1978 with Tony Rainier (guitar) and
Michael Fleck (drums), in 1984, with original
drummer Paul Whaley and Tony Rainier on guitar, even managed to release the album "The Beast is
Back" on Megaforce, a record proposing some revisited classics (Summertime Blues, Out of Focus,
Parchment Farm, Babylon) alongside with brand new titles as "Nightmares", "Ride With Me" and
"Girl Next Door". "The Beast is Back" is a typical voyage through creative hard-rock culture
travelling the paths of that voracious and compressed blues sprung from "Vincebus Eruptum", in
which modern Seventies structures, catching guitar solos ("Ride With me" and "Babylon") as well
as thick metal webs scratched, burned down by a eversive fire still able to arise earthquakes
and dissipate the wind, live together. Listen to Prong and Mudhoney to believe.
The next 'reunion' dates from 1988. The group reformed by
Peterson and Whaley with Andrew 'Duck' MacDonald on guitar moved to Germany, toured Europe
and recorded in Wales, put up by friend Dave Anderson (former bassist with Amon Düül II/Hawkwind).
Here, strenghtened by the relaxing climax provided by the green local nature, Blue Cheer
recorded the "Highlights and Lowlives" album, produced by grunge master Jack Endino.
Seven original 'courses' mostly penned Peterson/MacDonald and just one cover-version, R & B
classic "Hoochie Coochie Man", offer more delights to hard-core fans of Blue Cheer Club, from
the hard rock of "Urban Soldiers", "Flight of Enola Gay" and "Hunter of Love" (laminated by a
terrific guitar solo fugue ...) to heavy blues of "Blue Steel Dine", through the dark
proto-stoner of "Down and Dirty" and the melodious romantic ballad "Girl from London" ...
In 1991 Andrew 'Duck' MacDonald was replaced by Dieter Saller on guitar. The band released
"Dining with the Sharks" in June 1992.
THE SATELLITES
MINT TATTO - Rather mainstream blues-rock power trio, devoid of any progressive formulas,
featuring Bruce Stephens (vocals, guitar), Ralph 'Burns' Kellog (bass, keyboards) and Gregg
Thomas (drums). Mint Tattoo recorded one album for DOT in 1968, from which the
single "I'm Talking About You/Mark of the Beast" was also released in 1969. Stephens and Kellog
will be together again in Blue Cheer on "Blue Cheer" (1969). Gregg Thomas will join Fabulous
Rhinestones and later will play with Jim McGuinn.
KAK - Excellent psych and blues-rock band, caressed by some light lysergic varnish, formed in
Sacramento in 1967. Kak, a quartet consisting of Dehner Patten (guitar, voice), Gary Yoder
(guitar, vocals), Joseph Damrell (bass, sitar, percusions) and Chris Lockheed (drums,
keyboards), surely was among one of the best and most underrated californian bands of its era.
Their sole album "Kak" (Epic 1969) is nowadays one of the most sought-after by collectors. A
fascinating record, rich with 'psichy' visions and mesmerizing electric ballads led by the
shining guitar of Gary Yoder. From the LP was taken the single "I've Got the Time/Disbelievin".
The second track, in particular, is an oniric electric pearl which outstands by its eccentricity
in a lake of acoustic themes. To be remarked are also the long 'suite' "Golgotha/Mirage/Rain", a
splendid mind trip close to some galactic temperatures we can find in Crosby and Kantner,
grooved by a sharp and distorted guitar, "Bryte'n'Clear Day", penetrating like a sword blade and
the catching "Lemonade Kid" which, if graced by appropriate exposure, could have been able to
push the whole album straight up into the U.S. Charts. Gary Yoder will be with Blue Cheer in
"The Original Human Beings" and "Oh! pleasant Hope" while drummer Chris Lokheed will be with
Randy Holden on live performances also contributing to his solo effort "Population II".
THE OTHER HALF - A blues and psychedelia group from San Francisco arisen from the ashes of the Sons
of Adam (a cult garage outfit who recorded three singles for Alamo and Decca Records, one of
which "Feathered Fish" was penned by Arthur Lee of Love and another being a cover of Yardbirds
"You're a Better Man Than I". The band, a quintet led by imaginative guitarist Randy Holden,
recorded four singles between '67 and '68:"Wonderful Day/Flight of the Dragon lady", "No Doubt
About It/I Need You", "Oz Lee Eaves Drops/Morning Fire" all for ACTA and the best known
garage-psychepunk "Mr.Pharmacist" (later covered by Fall) coupled with "I've Come So far" for
GNP Crescendo. Its album "Other Half" (Atca, 1969) is still regarded as one of the masterpieces
of U.S. psychedelia of the Sixties. After the group has disbanded, Randy Holden was involved
with Blue Cheer performing on one side of "New ! Improved !" then recording the most acclaimed
solo "Population II" for Hobbit (later reissued by Line): over thirty minutes of solo guitar
dressed with original passages and homages to Hendrix. An extreem metallic trip into the mind -
superb are "Blue My Mind" and "Keeper of My Flame" - in which some moments of exhaustion are
not absent too. Craig Tarwater, another guitarist from The Other Half, will end up in Daily Flash,
the postumous album of which, including the two original singles together with live stuff, has
been released in Britain by Psycho in early Eighties.
SILVER METRE - A group from the Bay Area formed by Leigh Stephens in 1969, with Jack Reynolds
(vocals), Pete Sears (bass, keyboards) and Mick Waller (drums; ex Jeff Beck Group). Silver Metre
released an interesting album recorded in London: "Silver Metre" (National General, 1969),
belonging on different styles, from traditional rock ballad to american country blues all
treated by very slicky guitars, keyboards and vocals. A quiet and 'athmospheric' record
characterized by not the less than three covers of Elton John's songs ("Ballad of a Well Known
Gun", "Country Comfort" and the beautiful "Sixty Years On") together with original numbers
among which outstand the fascinating blues theme of "Dog End" and "Nightflight" featuring
keyboards and guitars on the fore. Stephens and Waller both joined the Pilot project in 1971.
PILOT - Pilot was an outfit which gathered too many elements. Formed by two Americans,
guitarists - ex Blue Cheer - Bruce Stephens and Leigh Stephens, and three Englishmen, blues
guitarist Martin Quittenton (formerly in Steamhammer), drummer Mick Waller (from Silver Metre)
and rock-jazz bassist Neville Whitehead (just coming from the sessions of 'The End of an Ear'
with Robert Wyatt, later joined Isotope and Suntreader), such a bunch could never find an
original direction, tottering between easy and ragged blues themes and conformist rock-songs.
Pilot recorded two albums: "Pilot" (RCA) in 1971 and "Point of View" (RCA, unreleased) in 1972.
To be mentioned, the solo work by Bruce Stephens: "Bruce Stephens" (World United Records, 1978),
re-released as "Watch That First Step" for the Strawberry label in 1981.
He also made an appearance with The Original Haze (later transformed into Fine Wine / Moby Grape).
LEIGH STEPHENS - The last notes are saved for Blue Cheer's primeval guitarist. Leigh Stephens,
after the Cheers and Silver Metre, had been living in England for many years being in friendly
terms with musicians from the London 'underground' scene. He kept working with
drummer Kevin Westlake (former Blossom Toes) and Nicky Hopkins, in addition to other sessionmen
with the help of whom he recorded his first solo work, the excellent "Red Weather" (Philips,
1969), an album of melodic psychedelia rich with ballads and moments of electric extasy.
Less interesting results shows his second effort "... and Cast of Thousands"
(Charisma, 1971), too much in a redundant 'progressive' mood, overhelmed by a massive
use of too many instrument. The last appearance of Leigh Stephens will be with Foxtrot.
DISCOGRAPHY:
BLUE CHEER
"Vinceus Eruptum" (Philips, 1968)
"Outside Inside" (Philips, 1968)
"New! Improved!" (Philips, 1969)
"Blue Cheer" (Philips, 1969)
"The Original Human Beings" (Philips, 1970)
"Oh! Pleasant Hope" (Philips, 1970)
"The Beast is Back" (Megaforce, 1985)
"Louder Than God" (Rhino, 1986 - anthology)
"Blitzkrieg Over Nuremberg" (Nibelung, 1988)
"Highlights And Lowlives" (Nibelung, 1990)
KAK
"KAK" (Epic, 1969)
OTHER HALF
"Other Half" (Atca, 1968) - reissued as "Mr.Pharmacist" with 5 additional tracks from the
singles, by EVA in 1992
PILOT
"Pilot" (RCA, 1972)
"Point of View" (RCA, 1973) - this record is officially unreleased
MINT TATTOO
"Mint Tattoo" (Dot, 1968)
SILVER METRE
"Silver Metre" (National General, 1969)
RANDY HOLDEN
"Population II" (Hobbit, 1969) - reissued in Germany by Line in 1982
LEIGH STEPHENS
"Red Weather" (Philips, 1969)
"Cast of Thousands" (Charisma, 1971)
BRUCE STEPHENS
"Bruce Stephens2 (World, 1978)
"Watch That First Step" (Strawbwrry, 1981)
Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum
Had "Summertime Blues" not gone Top 15 in the spring of 1968, Blue Cheer might not have had the opportunity to unleash their expression over numerous albums through multiple personnel changes. Vincebus Eruptum sports a serious silver/off-purple cover wrapped around the punk-metal fury. Leigh Stephens is nowhere near Hendrix, Beck, Clapton, or Jimmy Page, the skill of a Yardbirds replaced by a thud of bass/drums/low-end guitar. Vocalist Dickie Peterson takes almost six minutes on Allison's "Parchment Farm" to talk about shooting his arm, shooting his wife, picking cotton, and having sex. Definitely more risqué than Grand Funk Railroad's "T.N.U.C.," Abe "Voco" Kesh's production is almost nonexistent. They certainly influenced the way Grand Funk would take the power trio; you can hear in Peterson's voice that tonal quality Mark Farner had to employ as well to get the lyrics over the morass of sound. It's interesting that the Velvet Underground's classic White Light/White Heat took this attitude up a notch at this exact point in time, going in to the studio and unleashing "Sister Ray," the almost 20-minute scream that was the result of Lou Reed's shock treatment therapy as a teen. Both bands were influenced heavily by drugs, heroin appearing to be the culprit, and while "Second Time Around," which closes this album, came in from the West Coast, the Velvet Underground blasted with even higher intensity from the East. Also interesting that "Doctor Please" on Vincebus Eruptum doesn't have the crunch West/Bruce and Laing would insert into their own "The Doctor" four years later on Why Dontcha. That power trio showed off their chops while Blue Cheer was looking for their chops on this record. Vincebus Eruptum is a dark power trio recording with punk attitude exploring blues through heavy metal. That a later version of the band would go on to produce "I'm the Light," a spacy cosmic anthem as delicate as Grand Funk's "Closer to Home," says a lot about the musical journey initiated by Vincebus Eruptum. The album is an underappreciated classic with "Rock Me Baby" leaning more toward Ten Years After than Steppenwolf, without Alvin Lee's technical expertise. Guitar that quivers and roars with a heavy dependence on rhythm à la the Who, Blue Cheer knows that attitude is as important as musicianship in rock, and they exploit that virtue for all it is worth here. — Joe Viglione
Blue Cheer - Outside Inside
There's a swagger and aggression to Blue Cheer's power blues that can be traced through the decades of heavy metal and the post-metal mutations of hard music. The second of only two Blue Cheer recordings featuring the classic lineup of Leigh Stephens on guitar, Dickie Peterson on bass and lead vocals, and Paul Whaley playing drums, Outsideinside, along with its predecessor, Vincebus Eruptum, ranks among the most underappreciated hard rock collections ever. Blue Cheer's second, more refined offering stands as a testament to the power-for-its-own-sake mentality that helped forge '70s hard rock out of the blues, psychedelia, and energetic rock & roll. Whaley's hyper drumming sounds almost punk during a frantic rework of the Rolling Stone's "Satisfaction" and the instrumental "Magnolia Caboose Babyfinger." This was quite an accomplishment considering that Outsideinside was released a full year before either the Stooges' debut or MC5's Kick Out the Jams. Stephens' fuzzed-out guitar solos shift and weave through each of Outsideinside's nine tracks, but the guitars work best as rhythmic support of Peterson's vocals on the standout tracks "Just a Little Bit" and "Come and Get It." Unfortunately, Blue Cheer simply did not possess the virtuosity to fight through the record's more ambitious moments; when the San Francisco trio tries to cop Hendrix in "Sun Cycle," the music sputters and loses focus. In true metal tradition, critics have generally ignored Blue Cheer's vast musical influence except for the most derivative of bands. Meanwhile, artists like Smashing Pumpkins, Mudhoney, and the Melvins have consistently covered the group both live and in the studio. Anyone interested in the history of hard music will want to familiarize themselves with this exceptional, innovative release. — Vincent Jeffries
Blue Cheer - New ! Improved !
The title is a bit misleading for, although this is certainly "new" Blue Cheer, it is hardly an "improvement." It is important as a document of a band with some influence and certain cult status. Now that the Velvet Underground have achieved true cult superstardom, it is bands like Blue Cheer that continue to get rediscovered by devotees of '60s music. Here, bassist Dick Peterson and drummer Paul Whalley present two distinctly different Blue Cheers. Side two works much better. It is 14 minutes and 43 seconds of three Randy Holden originals, "Peace of Mind," "Fruit & Iceburgs," and the brief "Honey Butter Lover." "Peace of Mind" is great, a lilting hard rock riff, and a refinement of the blistering Blue Cheer sound that launched them into the consciousness of the public. This is the stuff Grand Funk should've listened to — or better still, should have covered. Although both sides of this album were produced by Milan Melvin, Dot recording artists Burns Kellogg on piano and organ, and Bruce Stephens on guitars, sandblocks, and tortoise shell, cannot help Peterson lift the basement tape vibe of side one to a place where it can compete with Holden's contributions on the second side. Even covering Dylan's "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry does not bring the effort anyway near the majesty of "Peace of Mind." Blue Cheer "As Different As Night and Day" would've been a better title for this disc. "Fruit & Icebergs" is heavy psychedelia. Black Sabbath's "Rat Salad" meets San Francisco's Big Brother & the Holding Company without Janis Joplin. The final track, "Honey Butter Lover," is a cute acoustic piece with more spirit than anything on side one, which makes this a real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde album of Blue Cheer in transition. — Joe Viglione
Blue Cheer - Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer, the fourth album, is the perpetual group in transition once again rolling with the punches. A vast improvement over New! Improved! Blue Cheer, the sound here is more contained, consistent, and identifiable. Rather than cover Eddie Cochran, as they did with their hit "Summertime Blues" off Vincebus Eruptum, the outside material is tellingly by Delaney Bramlett and MacDavis, a wonderfully laid-back "Hello L.A., Bye-Bye Birmingham." By this time they were sounding more like the Band than the first disc's monstrous musical onslaught, which resembled a naïve Cream or precursor to Grand Funk. Bruce Stephens decided to exit during this recording, but that didn't hamper things the way some of the New! Improved! Blue Cheer record suffered. Stephens' vocal performances are placed right in the middle of everything, tracks two and four on side A, tracks two and four on side B, he writing or co-writing three of the titles, and doing a fine job singing on keyboard player Ralph Burns Kellogg's "Better When We Try." The trading of vocals between founding member Dickie Peterson, who handles the other six titles, was a plus for this group, and as songwriter Gary Yoder contributed the opening and closing tracks, "Fool" and "The Same Old Story," his presence would make itself more valuable when he became guitarist on B.C.#5: The Original Human Being. Bruce Stephens' "Saturday Freedom" is a delicious slice of psychedelic blues and the more musical direction this aggregation was seeking began to really develop on Blue Cheer, this fourth chapter in their storied career. Positioned to be a major cult phenom, these albums represent a unique vision different from Quicksilver Messenger Service, the Steve Miller Band, the Jefferson Airplane, and other California musicians, though elements of all find their way into the grooves. "Ain't That the Way (Love's Supposed to Be)" is an absolute West Coast rave up, showing Peterson in complete control of his project, no matter how many stones were fired at them. His other two compositions, "Natural Man" and "Rock and Roll Queens," have a groove and are entertaining. While Mott the Hoople was mixing grunge and hard rock with their "Rock & Roll Queen," this band from the other side of the world put a different spin on the same topic, utilizing pretty much the same title. Peterson may have not been the personality that Ian Hunter is, and Blue Cheer never reached the point of performing on Broadway as Mott with Ian did, but Blue Cheer shows creative flashes that puts them in league with other innovators, and makes the band truly worth studying. — Joe Viglione
Blue Cheer - #BC5 The Original Human Being
The Original Human Being opens with the driving "Good Times Are So Hard to Find," a West Coast version of the Spencer Davis Group's "I'm a Man" that generously lifts from that classic Jimmy Miller/Steve Winwood/Spencer Davis composition. Founding member Dickie Petersen is augmented by horns, of all things, on the blues-pop "Love of a Woman." Blue Cheer sounding like Traffic and Tower of Power in two fell swoops is not what the menacing cover photo would indicate. Indeed, you can't tell a book by its cover. Logically, Blue Cheer should have taught Black Sabbath a thing or two, but the band heads more in the direction of Ozzie's Magic Lantern with its singsong hit "Shame Shame" than the grunge of guitarist Tony Iommi. Titles like "Preacher" and "Black Sun" may be better suited for Sabbath, but for fans of this ultra-cult band from the '60s, The Original Human Being is a vast improvement over the band's third outing, New! Improved! Blue Cheer. Keyboard player Ralph Kellogg's "Make Me Laugh" sounds strained in the vocal department, but the band has its act together and the song works. Blue Cheer is so "on" that everything works here, including the instrumental and sole songwriting contribution by drummer/sitar player Norman Mayell. It is the sleeper surprise on this disc. How many listeners wanted to like George Harrison's "The Inner Light"? "Babaji (Twilight Raga)" is the blending of Ravi Shankar with pop that the Beatles sought but never found. Hidden here, the last track on side one of a Blue Cheer disc, is that magic formula. Really creative and fun stuff. "Pilot," the first of guitarist Gary Yoder's five co-writes with G.R. Grelecki, is innovative, cosmic, intellectual — just well-threaded rock & roll. Blue Cheer was not adverse to changing membership on a frequent basis and trying different formats. If the lyrics on "Pilot" are deficient, the music is distinct and original...truly "the original human being." Close to 46 minutes of music is a healthy 20-plus minutes per side, and where side one of New! Improved! Blue Cheer fell flat, just two discs later we find this album full of revelations. Of course, Petersen is the only holdover from the first two albums to appear on The Original Human Being, which says a lot about the experimentation of lineups. Blue Cheer was a musical version of a baseball team with players coming and going. Still, the groove of "Preacher" has sax weaving in and out, pre-Roxy Music and just as entertaining and enlightening. The production by Gary Yoder, Eric Albronda, and Norman Mayell is really fine. "Tears By My Bed" could be the Band, showing a complete shift in Peterson's musical accomplices, crafting a series of albums worthy of study. The Original Human Being and Oh Pleasant Hope are the culmination of serious efforts by Dickie Peterson. The folksy guitar riff coupled with Yoder's harp on "Man on the Run" makes for real '60s period-piece paranoia, perfect for an episode of Route 66 or The Man From U.N.C.L.E. This album is also a good argument for modern rock radio adding classic songs that never got airplay the first time around. "Man on the Run" is everything so-called "modern rock" bands aspire to be. Two more Yoder/Grelecki compositions, the funky/sensual "Sandwich" and "Rest at Ease," conclude this excellent portion of San Francisco rock, "Rest at Ease" with a descending fadeout that shows the band at the peak of its powers. — Joe Viglione
Blue Cheer - Oh ! Pleasant Hope
"Hiway Man," which opens the sixth album by Blue Cheer, is a far cry from their version of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues," which launched this group to worldwide fame. And though they were the original group to put their amps on "11," Oh! Pleasant Hope is a musical album. This first track, resplendent in heavy vocal reverb, sounds like Waylon Jennings fronting Quicksilver Messenger Service. OPH quickly changes pace with "Believer"'s interesting riff and the experimental production by Blue Cheer and Eric Albronda. Albronda assisted on the production of the self-titled fourth album, Blue Cheer, and co-produced BC#5 - The Original Human Being. It is the production that is a significant ingredient that makes this project by a legendary cult band so appealing. "Money Troubles" is written by Dr. Richard Peddicord, who contributes guitar and vocal. This track has that authentic laid-back West Coast sound, a feel much like "Truckin'" by the Grateful Dead — the album having been recorded by Coast Recorders at Mission Street, San Francisco. "Traveling Man" is like a pensive Creedence Clearwater, say John Fogerty in his "Long As I Can See the Light" fashion with a bit more brightness. The title track, "Oh! Pleasant Hope," has a piano and drums opening into sudden guitar, the second title from "Dr. Peddicord," a very precise ballad about drugs. The psychedelic denim pastiche of the album cover comes to life in this very Band-inspired rag. But it is the sixth track on their sixth album that is the finest moment ever for Blue Cheer. The harp, exotic instrumentation, and Pink Floyd overtones make "I'm the Light" an extraordinary piece of music. "I'm the Light" is to Blue Cheer what "Stairway to Heaven" is to Led Zeppelin, what "Closer to Home" is to Mark Farner and Grand Funk — a moment of inspiration and production that stands the test of time and that is hard to match. This is a band famous for hard rock sounds creating a pop masterpiece of psychedelic cosmic consciousness. The song seems almost out of place on this collection, but it is truly one of those songs that demands attention and is worth seeking out. "Lester the Arrester" is paranoia about cops, kinda sorta. It is a band that wasn't known for its musical prowess having fun with sound and styles. "Heart Full of Soul" leans more toward "A Little Bit O'Soul" by the Music Explosion than the song of the same name by the Yardbirds. Oh! Pleasant Hope is a disc for people looking for musical ingenuity that hasn't been beaten into the psyche via classic hits radio. It is a monumental and largely forgotten effort with a lot of depth. — Joe Viglione
Blue Cheer - Blitzkrieg Over Nüremberg
This live recording of an October 10, 1988, Blue Cheer performance at Rührersaal in Nüremberg Germany was originally released the following year. The record was then made more widely available on Thunderbolt records in 1996. The group had enjoyed a bit of a comeback following the release of The Beast Is Back in 1984, but by the time of this concert recording, the only key bandmember left was band figurehead Dickie Peterson (bass, vocals), making the validity of the performance and comeback a little suspect. Joining Peterson on this live release are Andrew MacDonald (guitars) and Dave Salce on drums, neither of whom figure prominently in the history of the group. All involved put in fine performances on Blitzkrieg Over Nüremberg, especially Peterson, who is in generally high spirits and fine voice on standout cuts like "Out of Focus" and "Just a Little Bit." Of course, the group's biggest hit, "Summertime Blues," comes off without a hitch, making this collection a fine listen, if not exactly an important offering from a band (in name at least) that deserves no small amount of credit for the creation and early emergence of heavy metal. — Vincent Jeffries
Blue Cheer - Highlights And Lowlives
With their greatest musical and commercial conquests decades behind them, Blue Cheer manage only brief moments of hard rock glory on this 1990 recording. After a brief European reunion tour, Dickie Peterson (bass/vocals), Andrew MacDonald (guitar), and Paul Whaley (drums) stuck together long enough to forge this disc for Germany's Nibelung Records. Originally a vinyl-only limited release, Highlights And Lowlives, was eventually issued on CD through Magnum Records. Sounding at times like a geriatric Great White, Blue Cheer struggle through the slow to mid-tempo bluesy tracks "Big Trouble in Paradise" and "Blue Steel Dues." Equally shameful '80s rockers like "Down and Dirty" have a dated sound that recalls horrid Kiss records like Asylum and Crazy Nights. Some may disagree, but there were a few big hair American outfits (Bon Jovi, Ratt) that drove the genre with skilled songwriting and decent guitar chops. When old-timers like Blue Cheer try on the affected arena rock swagger though, well, let's just say this is a warning. Peterson does deliver a few surprisingly strong vocal performances, providing the record's only real point of interest. On the disc's best track, "Hoochie Coochie Man," things really click, and listeners are reminded of the soulful near-metal that made this group famous. But Highlights And Lowlives is mired in stale '80s conventions, and should be avoided by everyone except the most extreme Blue Cheer fanatics. — Vincent Jeffries
Blue Cheer - Dining With The Sharks
The on-again-off-again relationship between classic Blue Cheer members Dickie Peterson (bass/vocals) and drummer Paul Whaley was indeed on-again when the pair went into the studio to record Dining With The Sharks. There might be a little residue left over from the old-time magic the band enjoyed in the '60s on this '91 release, but it isn't easy to absorb or appreciate as the two musicians (plus guitarist Dieter Saller) slog their way through mostly forgettable metallic fare. The group branches out stylistically on tracks like "Sweet Child Of The Reeperbahn" but somehow, all the songs still sound alike - due mostly to thin hooks and only average-to-good riffing. The cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" starts out promising enough, but decomposes rather quickly, and like the rest of Dining With The Sharks, falls more than a little flat. Blue Cheer (in its many forms) remained relatively busy making and supporting questionable records like this one through the '80s and well into the '90s. What's strange about this is that they adopted a faceless musical direction during this "revival" period that was somewhat derivative of artists that had (in all likelihood) been influenced by the band. The results are just about as disappointing as one would expect considering these circumstances. — Vincent JeffriesBLUE CHEER: SUPER DRUID ROCK