Blue Cheer were a psychedelic-era power trio in the mold of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream.  Although they are often credited with pioneering the heavy metal genre, that honor would have to be reserved for Hendrix and Cream.  The band did take decibel levels to unparalleled extremes, however, beating other power trio's such as Grand Funk Railroad and Mountain to the mega-punch by a year or so.  Their reason for cranking up the volume, however, may have been as much to hide the still rather obvious musical limitations of the band members as it was to venture into uncharted seas.  It is much more entertaining, after all, to hear Leslie West or Eric Clapton shred paint from rafters than the Cheer's Leigh Stephens.

While Blue Cheer was the name of a laundry detergent, it was also slang for a particular strain of LSD.  It's about as likely that the band had phosphates rather than acid in mind as it is that 'Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds' wasn't a John Lennon acronym for LSD.  Just look at their hair.  But these boys weren't solid psychedelic rockers.  Their bent was much more in the blues-rock tradition, as evidenced by bassist Dickie Peterson's compositions 'Out of Focus' (which features a tasty bridge as one of the few instrumental zeniths on the disc), 'Doctor Please' (a meandering 7:53 foray into grunge 'n' sludge, a fitting complement to lyrics which basically add up to beggin' for drugs), and 'Second Time Around', about an on-and-off again relationship, which tacks some psychedelic sound effects on the end, seemingly as an afterthought rather than a coherant extension of the piece.

The band exists on a much higher plane when it comes to cover tracks, which claim one-half of the selections offered.  All three of these numbers have been, or would be, covered by other, more competent performers, even when it comes to Blue Cheer's singular claim to fame, their number 14 cover of Eddie Cochran's 1958 scorcher, 'Summertime Blues'.  Despite Cheer's commendable effort, The Who's 1970 version from 'Live At Leeds' blows their version away.  Blowing away anything by Blue Cheer is no small accomplishment, but The Who did it in a big way.  Blue Cheer returned to 1958 to pick up another widely covered rock track, B.B. King's 'Rock Me Baby', partially credited to Joe Josea (although King has claimed sole credit for the composition), and also covered by the likes of Deep Purple, Lee Michaels, Ike and Tina Turner, and Eric Clapton.  It's one of the better tracks on the disc, but it comes up short to what performers like Clapton and even Lee Michaels did with it.  Finally, we have a version of Mose Allison's 'Parchment Farm', about doing time on a prison farm in Mississippi.  It contains the interesting sentiment that "all I did was shoot my wife... she wasn't any good", yet "I didn't do anything wrong".  Not sure who can identify with that...

Blue Cheer is an interesting artifact in 1960's rock, and if you're into loud, distorted guitar music, you probably won't be offended by any of this, and may actually enjoy much of it.  Unfortunately for most of us, better versions of the cover songs offered here are readily available, and Blue Cheer's own compositions are clearly second tier.  Three stars, primarily for bravado.  Worth a listen, but sure to gather a lot of dust on your shelf.
Blue Cheer were a psychedelic-era power trio in the mold of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream. Although they are often credited with pioneering the heavy metal genre, that honor would have to be reserved for Hendrix and Cream. The band did take decibel levels to unparalleled extremes, however, beating other power trio's such as Grand Funk Railroad and Mountain to the mega-punch by a year or so. Their reason for cranking up the volume, however, may have been as much to hide the still rather obvious musical limitations of the band members as it was to venture into uncharted seas. It is much more entertaining, after all, to hear Leslie West or Eric Clapton shred paint from rafters than the Cheer's Leigh Stephens. While Blue Cheer was the name of a laundry detergent, it was also slang for a particular strain of LSD. It's about as likely that the band had phosphates rather than acid in mind as it is that 'Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds' wasn't a John Lennon acronym for LSD. Just look at their hair. But these boys weren't solid psychedelic rockers. Their bent was much more in the blues-rock tradition, as evidenced by bassist Dickie Peterson's compositions 'Out of Focus' (which features a tasty bridge as one of the few instrumental zeniths on the disc), 'Doctor Please' (a meandering 7:53 foray into grunge 'n' sludge, a fitting complement to lyrics which basically add up to beggin' for drugs), and 'Second Time Around', about an on-and-off again relationship, which tacks some psychedelic sound effects on the end, seemingly as an afterthought rather than a coherant extension of the piece. The band exists on a much higher plane when it comes to cover tracks, which claim one-half of the selections offered. All three of these numbers have been, or would be, covered by other, more competent performers, even when it comes to Blue Cheer's singular claim to fame, their number 14 cover of Eddie Cochran's 1958 scorcher, 'Summertime Blues'. Despite Cheer's commendable effort, The Who's 1970 version from 'Live At Leeds' blows their version away. Blowing away anything by Blue Cheer is no small accomplishment, but The Who did it in a big way. Blue Cheer returned to 1958 to pick up another widely covered rock track, B. B. King's 'Rock Me Baby', partially credited to Joe Josea (although King has claimed sole credit for the composition), and also covered by the likes of Deep Purple, Lee Michaels, Ike and Tina Turner, and Eric Clapton. It's one of the better tracks on the disc, but it comes up short to what performers like Clapton and even Lee Michaels did with it. Finally, we have a version of Mose Allison's 'Parchment Farm', about doing time on a prison farm in Mississippi. It contains the interesting sentiment that "all I did was shoot my wife... she wasn't any good", yet "I didn't do anything wrong". Not sure who can identify with that... Blue Cheer is an interesting artifact in 1960's rock, and if you're into loud, distorted guitar music, you probably won't be offended by any of this, and may actually enjoy much of it. Unfortunately for most of us, better versions of the cover songs offered here are readily available, and Blue Cheer's own compositions are clearly second tier. Three stars, primarily for bravado. Worth a listen, but sure to gather a lot of dust on your shelf.