Blue Cheer

Blue Cheer was a San Francisco-based heavy metal group of the late 1960s. Original personnel were singer/bass guitarist Dick Peterson, guitarist Leigh Stevensand drummer Paul Whaley; this incarnation has been cited as a prototypical power trio. The band was named after a variety of LSD promoted by underground chemist and Grateful Dead backer Owsley Stanley; this variety of LSD took its name from a popular laundry detergent.

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Their first hit was a cover version of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" from their debut album Vincebus Eruptum (1968). (The single peaked at #14 on the Billboard pop charts, and the album peaked at #11.)

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The group's sound was hard to categorize, but was definitely blues-based, psychedelic, and very loud. The band has been subsequently acclaimed as an influence on garage rock, punk music, heavy metal, and grunge. Julian Cope has written, "In 1968, nothing but nothing in America and Britain sounded as brutal as Blue Cheer except for the Velvet Underground." http://www.juliancope.com/unsung/features/index.php?id=4

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The group underwent several personnel changes after the 1968 release of Outsideinside, and then through yet more changes during and after 1969's New! Improved! Blue Cheer (different guitarists on side 1 and 2), followed by Blue Cheer. 1970 saw the release of Human Being and then 1971's Oh! Pleasant Hope. After Leigh Stevens was replaced by Randy Holden, formerly of Los Angeles garage rock band The Other Half, in 1969, Blue Cheer's style changed to a more commercial hard rock sound a la Steppenwolf or Iron Butterfly.

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From 1988 to 1993, Blue Cheer mainly toured Europe heavily. In this time they played with classic rock acts as well as the then up-coming founder-fathers of the followoing developments in rock and metal:

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Mountain, Outlaws, Thunder, Groundhogs, Ten Years After, Yardbirds, Danzig, Mucky Pup, Biohazard... to name just a few.

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On the label "Nibelung Records" they released several highly praised albums.

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1989 saw the release of Blue Cheer's first official live album "Blitzkrieg over N?remberg". This album was recorded on Blue Cheer's first European tour in decades. It's raw and crunchy and shows the band as it is best remembered. The drum chair was then taken by A LA ROCK drummer Dave Salce; bass by Dickie Peterson; guitar by Duck McDonald.

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1990 saw the release of the seminal "Highlights & Lowlives" studio album. This album Dickie Peterson considers the best Blue Cheer album ever.

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Heavily blues based hard rock, sometimes reminding of Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones, when they were still a credible rock band, with wonderful ballads. Maybe one of the best classic rock albums of all times.

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Produced by grunge mastermind Jack Endino.

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The line-up was Dickie Peterson on bass and vox, Paul Whaley on drums and Duck McDonald on guitars.

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Blue Cheer followed the phenomenal success of "Highlights" with the much heavier "Dining with the Sharks". Duck McDonald had been replaced by German ex-Monsters guitar player Dieter Saller. Saller brought in a real metal feel. Dickie Peterson was on bass and vox again, Paul Whaley on drums.

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Featured is also a special guest appearance of Groundhogs mastermind and guitarist Tony McPhee.

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The album was produced by their, then, German manager, Roland Hofmann.

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In the early 1990s, original members Dickie Peterson and Paul Whaley re-located to Germany, where they still live. Guitar work has been handled by Andrew "Duck" MacDonald since that time.

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Blue Cheer are active as of 2005. Their last release was Live in Japan, 1999, and their last tour was a club tour of England in 2004.

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Heavy metal: Heavy metal may mean:...

1960: 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar)....

Bass guitar: :For other uses of the term see Bass (disambiguation)....

Blue Cheer related Images and Photos (experimental)

Blue	BLUE	Blue	Blue I
Blue Sun	Blue Boy	Blue III	Blue Cat
Blue Sky	Blue Ice (DVD)	Blue Rose	Blue Curl