Blue Cheer was founded around 1967 in San Francisco, California. At the very beginning there were a bunch of different members, but the band (who allegedly took their name from a potent form of LSD that was derived from a laundry detergent) ultimately became a power trio consisting of vocalist/bassist Dickie Peterson, guitarist Leigh Stephens and drummer Paul Whaley. In the latter half of 1967, these young men stepped inside Amigo Studios in North Hollywood, California and with the assistance of producer Abe “Voco” Kesh, they recorded "Vincebus Eruptum" (some say the title is Latin for “controlled chaos” or “conquering explosion” while others say it is a nonexistent term). On their first album from 1968, Blue Cheer radiates extreme decibels of noise as they turn up the volume on their Marshall amplifiers to maximum capacity. Managed by Allan "Gut" Terk (who once had connections with the notorious motorcycle gang known as "Hell's Angels"), Blue Cheer opted to be loud, aggressive and "counterculture", especially at a time when the whole “flower power” thing seemed to be rampant in Rock music (amusingly enough, Dickie once stated that “we were the ugly stepchildren. Everybody in San Francisco scene was all ‘kiss babies and eat flowers’. We were sort of ‘kiss flowers and eat babies’“). I think most individuals already familiar with this power trio would agree that they were indeed one of the hardest and loudest bands to come out of the 1960s (along with the MC5 from Detroit, Michigan). As a matter of fact, Blue Cheer was the first band to ever be listed in the "Guinness Book Of World Records" as the “Loudest Band In The World” (that title would later be taken by Deep Purple). In an interview, Dickie reminisced about all these things and stated some insightful anecdotes:
“People thought we were just making noise. They thought we were a detriment to the scene. I just knew we wanted to be loud. I wanted our music to be physical. I wanted it to be more than just an audio experience. This is what we set out to try and do. We ended up being in a lot of trouble with other musicians of the time. I remember Mike Bloomfield came up to me at the Avalon Ballroom, and he says, ‘You can’t do that’. I said, ‘C’mon, Mike, you can do it, too. All you gotta do is turn this knob up to 10’. He hated me ever since. He was this great accomplished musician and I was this 18 year old smartass. We did have a bit of an arrogance, but it was nurtured by people like that criticising us.“
With "Vincebus Eruptum", this power trio also inadvertently attained a primitive Heavy Metal sound by combining their passion for Blues with hearty portions of Psychedelic Rock, Acid Rock, Hard Rock and Garage Rock (one could even argue that their sound had some type of vague Proto-Punk/Noise Rock flair to it as well). Although Blue Cheer‘s music was still primarily rooted in psychedelic, Blues-y Rock (similar to that of Cream or Jimi Hendrix, only noisier and sloppier) and it wasn't truly definitive Heavy Metal (like Black Sabbath or Judas Priest, for example), it did introduce various of the elements that now characterize this genre/style of music. Despite being innovative for their time, Blue Cheer were not the most “refined” of musicians. The musicianship on "Vincebus Eruptum" tends to be primitive and disheveled at times but Dickie, Leigh and Paul still perform with a lot of spirit and energy (besides, whoever said that pioneers had to be “perfect”?). While the crude, low-fidelity production also takes away some potency from the music (at least on the compact disc reissue), at the same time it also gives it some grit. Anyway, this vintage Psychedelic Rock/Blues/Proto-Metal/whatever-you-want-to-call-it album contains six tracks: Three are covers and the other half are original compositions. Kicking off "Vincebus Eruptum" is a hard-hitting cover of Eddie Cochran‘s “Summertime Blues” (which became the band's only hit despite having better, more electrifying songs. This cover made it to #11 on the Billboard singles charts). Blue Cheer makes “Summertime Blues” their own by implementing abrasive guitar riffs, thick bass and a rumbling avalanche of drums.
The second cover present on this album is the sultry “Rock Me Baby” (which was first recorded by BB King a few years earlier, although there are rumors that he re-worked this song from that of another Blues musician. Who really knows for sure). This Blues-based tune initially rolls around with a much slower tempo, only picking up the pace near its boisterous finale. These guys do well in playing the covers of other musicians, but I think their efforts are best displayed on their very own original material such as “Doctor Please” (supposedly about LSD and drugs), which commences with pounding drums and clashing cymbals courtesy of Paul Whaley (whose style at times reminds me a little of Cream‘s Ginger Baker). The droning guitar heard in the first thirty seconds sounds like some type of old, corroded engine struggling to operate. “Doctor Please” gets even more hyperactive in the middle when the speed accelerates with Paul‘s frantic Proto-Punk-infused drumming. Leigh Stephens' wild, extensive guitar solo here ranks among one of his very best on this album as well. On “Out Of Focus”, Dickie Peterson appears to ponder his mental state of well-being. Compared to the previous jam, this one is a whole lot more mellow and groovy, featuring thumping beats that sound like a jangling tambourine (Led Zeppelin surely must've taken a few pointers from "Out Of Focus").
Originally written in 1940 by Delta Blues musician, Bukka White (and later made popular by Jazz musician Mose Allison), “Parchment Farm” is the third cover this trio take on. This is a catchy tune about the old, notorious Mississippi State Penitentiary. It usually makes me want to move around (or wiggle a little). Things that make this one a blast is the gratuitous dose of cacophonous guitars and heavy bass-lines, not to forget the swift drumming. Out of all the covers present here, I would say that “Parchment Farm” is by far my personal favorite. “Second Time Around” closes "Vincebus Eruptum", and it might just be the cream of the crop of this album. Leigh's guitar performance on here is simply insane (especially considering what year this was). Dickie gives a scalding performance as well, shouting and hollering throughout like a madman, all the while Paul pulverizes the hell out of his drum kit. The raucous finale only further cements Blue Cheer's legacy as being one of the loudest and wildest bands to ever exist in the 1960s. In summary, "Vincebus Eruptum" is a great record, even if it has too many covers (these are still competent enough for my tastes though). Blue Cheer may not have also been the most musically advanced or technically proficient band of their time, but what they lacked in that area they compensated with pure spirit and raw power. Unfortunately, Dickie Peterson and Paul Whaley aren't with us anymore as they both passed away in 2009 and 2019 (due to prostate cancer and heart failure). While it's sad that the classic members of Blue Cheer will all eventually pass away some day (just as everyone else), I am comforted by the thought that their music and history will still be preserved. They will also continue to be fondly remembered by fans for their explosive take on Blues and Rock.
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