Blue Cheer

Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer (1968)
General information
Genre (s)	Blues rock , psychedelic rock , hard rock , acid rock
founding	1966, 1974, 1978, 1984, 1999
resolution	1972, 1975, 1979, 1994, 2009
Website	www.bluecheer.us
Founding members
Vocals , bass	Dickie Peterson (1966–1972, 1974, 1978/79, 1984–1994, 1999– † 2009)
guitar	Leigh Stephens (1966-1968, 2005-2007)
Drums	Eric Albronda (1966)
Last occupation
guitar	Andrew "Duck" MacDonald (1988–1992, 1999–2009)
Vocals, bass	Dickie Peterson († 2009)
Drums	Paul Whaley (1967–1969, 1983–1985, 1990–1993, 1999–2005, 2006–2009)
former members
guitar	Jerre Peterson (1967, 1974/75)
Keyboards	Vale Hamanaka (1967)
Vocals, harmonica	Jerry Whiting (1967)
guitar	Randy Holden (1968/69)
Guitar, vocals	Gary Lee Yoder (1969–1972)
Keyboard	Ralph Burn Kellogg (1969–1972)
Drums	Norman Mayell (1969–1972)
guitar	Ruben de Fuentes (1974/75, 1987/88)
Drums	Terry Rae (1974/75)
bass	Nick St. Nicholas (1975)
guitar	Tony Rainier (1978/79, 1984-1987)
Drums	Mike Fleck (1978/79)
Drums	Bret Heartman (1985-1987)
Drums	Billy Carmassi (1987)
Drums	Eric Davis (1987/88)
Drums	Dave Salce (1988-1990)
Guitar, vocals	Dieter Saller (1990)
Drums	Gary Holland (1993/94)
Drums	Prairie Prince (2005)
Drums	Joe Hasselvander (2005-2006)

Blue Cheer was an American rock band that flourished in San Francisco in the late 1960s.

In 1968 the band had their greatest success with Summertime Blues (No. 14 in the USA), a version of a hit by Eddie Cochran from 1958. There were no other similar successes. Until the death of Dickie Peterson, the head of the band, in 2009, Blue Cheer appeared in different, often changing lineups.

Bands referring to the influence of Blue Cheer come from styles as diverse as heavy metal , punk rock , stoner rock , doom metal and grunge . They were also recognized by Jim Morrison , who once described the band as "the most powerful band he has ever seen".

Band history

Heyday (1966 to 1969)

Blue Cheer met in 1966. Founders were the music lovers Eric Albronda and Jerry Russell, who, as investors and producers, sought a joint connection to the wide-ranging music scene in San Francisco. They went there accompanied by the singer and bassist Dickie Peterson. Peterson came from Davis (California), where he worked in the band Andrew Staples & The Oxford Circle and had already made contacts with the later Blue Cheer members Paul Whaley and Gary Lee Yoder. In the first line-up of the band, Peterson was the front man alongside Albronda on drums and guitarist Leigh Stephens. Albronda was soon replaced by Paul Whaley. Peterson's brother Jerre (guitar), Vale Hamanaka (keyboards) and Jerry Whiting (vocals, harmonica) joined as additional members, while Albronda remained connected to the band as producer and co-producer of five albums.

The manager was a former member of the Hells Angels named Gut. Soon the decision was made to shrink the line-up back to a so-called power trio - allegedly under the impression of Jimi Hendrix's appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival . At first, the band separated from Hamanaka and Whiting, Jerre Peterson then left voluntarily. The remaining trio eventually achieved success with a cover version of Eddie Cochran's Summertime Blues . The single climbed to number 14, the accompanying debut album Vincebus Eruptum to number 11 on the Billboard charts.

The style of the band was difficult to put into an existing drawer. It was clearly blues-rock- based and psychedelic . Another important component was playing at high volume, which was brought about by novel amplifier towers. The single Summertime Blues contained Peterson's own composition Out of Focus as B-side . The album also featured the blues covers Rock Me Baby and Parchment Farm as well as two other original compositions, including a drum solo in the piece Second Time Around .

Blue Cheer on October 25, 1968 in Amstelveen , North Holland.

There were further line-up changes, the first after the release of the second album Outsideinside in 1968. Leigh Stephens left the band, according to various reports, either due to musical differences or due to emerging deafness. A replacement was found at short notice in Randy Holden from the garage rock band The Other Half , who left the band after a year in favor of a solo career. Bruce Stephens then joined as the new guitarist and songwriter. On the third LP New! Improved! Blue Cheer from 1969 can both be heard: Holden on page 1, Stephens on page 2. Another new member was Ralph Burns Kellogg on keyboard. Musically, the band had now turned a little more commercial, towards an early hard rock sound in the style of Steppenwolf and Iron Butterfly . While working on the fourth, self-titled album, Bruce Stephens left the band. The recordings were completed with Gary Lee Yoder as the new guitarist, who from now on also worked as an additional singer and songwriter.

The albums of this first incarnation of the band were released by the British label Philips Records , which at that time predominantly signed pop and soul, but later also increasingly avant-garde artists. The band's rebellious lifestyle, including unbridled drug use and involvement with the Hells Angels, was received with unease by the music industry and the press. According to Peterson, the band was deeply disturbed by the Vietnam War and social conditions in general. Their lifestyle, understood in response, was also in contrast to the ideals of the hippie culture rooted in San Francisco .

Passing the zenith, first attempts at resuscitation (1970 to 1983)

After the band split from Paul Whaley, they found a new drummer in Norman Mayell and recorded two new albums in the line-up of Peterson / Kellogg / Mayell / Yoder, which were released in 1970 and 1971: The Original Human Being and Oh! Pleasant Hope . After the success failed for this, however, and with the latter not even succeeded in entering the sales charts, Blue Cheer broke up in 1972 for the first time.

In the course of the 1970s, there were two short-lived attempts at resuscitation: In a line-up with the Peterson brothers, guitarist Ruben de Fuentes and drummer Terry Rae, a tour was completed in 1974, which in 1975 without Dickie Peterson and instead with the former Steppenwolf Bass player Nick St. Nicholas continued and ended. Another line-up around 1978/79, with Dickie Peterson, Tony Rainier on guitar and Mike Fleck on drums, stayed in the rehearsal room while they were there.

Numerous changes of position, relocation to Germany (1984 to 1998)

After further unsuccessful efforts to Blue Cheer in 1983, Peterson succeeded the following year in a line-up with Paul Whaley and Tony Rainier to record the comeback album The Beast Is Back and to publish it on the metal label Megaforce Records . The following period was again marked by line-up changes: Bret Heartman took up the drums in 1985, followed by Billy Carmassi in 1987. Two more complete line-up changes followed by Peterson - in 1987 again with Ruben de Fuentes on guitar and Eric Davis as drummer, in 1988 with guitarist Andrew "Duck" MacDonald and drummer Dave Salce.

In 1989, Blitzkrieg over Nuremberg was the band's first official live album, which documented a concert on their first European tour in a long time. Extensive tours followed in Europe, often together with Classic Rock , but also with rising rock artists: Mountain , Outlaws , Thunder , Groundhogs , Ten Years After , The Yardbirds , Danzig , Mucky Pup and others.

With the well-known drummer Paul Whaley, Peterson and MacDonald recorded a new studio album in 1990, which was produced by the renowned grunge producer Jack Endino together with the German Roland Hofmann and is stylistically somewhere between blues and heavy metal. For the musically tougher follow-up album Dining with the Sharks , MacDonald was again replaced by the German guitarist Dieter Saller, who was previously active in the band The Monsters . The latter was produced in 1991 by the band and Roland Hofmann. It includes a cover version of Jimi Hendrix ' Foxy Lady and a guest appearance by Groundhogs guitarist Tony McPhee. Whaley was replaced in 1993 by the former Dokken drummer Gary Holland. In 1992, Dickie Peterson moved to Germany. There he recorded his first solo album "child of the darkness" with the Cologne band "The Scrap Yard" in the same year. The album was released five years later - 1997 - in Japan on Captain Trip Records.

Last incarnation (1999 to 2009)

In 1999, Blue Cheer reunited with the line-up of Peterson, Whaley, MacDonald under the name Blue Cheer, which should prove to be relatively stable until Peterson's death in 2009. In 1998 and 1999, Peterson continued to release two solo albums, but they were only available in Japan. At the same time he played in Germany together with Hank Davison in duo performances and as part of the Hank Davison Band . In 2001 and 2002 he continued to appear with his brother Jerre and Tony Rainier as Mother Ocean , without producing any publications in this formation.

Peterson and Leigh Stephens appeared again in 2005 at a memorial concert in San Francisco for the benefit of "Summer of Love" father Chet Helms as Blue Cheer, this line-up was completed by the drummer Prairie Prince ( The Tubes , Journey ). In the winter of 2005, Peterson and MacDonald brought Raven and Pentagram drummer Joe Hasselvander to further studio recordings after Paul Whaley initially wanted to stay in Germany and was in poor health. Later he agreed to further tour appearances. As a result, contributions from Hasselvander and Whaley can be heard on the 2007 album that emerged from the recordings, What Doesn't Kill You .

In the 2000s there were legal disputes over the band name. Randy Holden reportedly had the band's short-term guitarist on three songs on their third album, and with the support of musician Randy Pratt, had the name legally protected. Randy Pratt refers to having adopted the name in 2000 as a fan at a point in time when, to the best of his knowledge, Peterson, the only continuous member of the band, had concluded with Blue Cheer forever. The name dispute does not appear to have been resolved until Peterson's death in 2009. "Vincebus Eruptum" was included in The Wire's legendary wirelist "100 Records That Set The World On Fire (While No One Was Listening)" .

Dickie Peterson, the head of the band, died on October 12, 2009 of prostate cancer in his German place of residence, Erkelenz . After his death, Andrew MacDonald, the band's longtime guitarist, published an obituary and declared the history of Blue Cheer for good out of respect for Peterson.

tribute

In 2000, Blue Explosion - A Tribute to Blue Cheer, a tribute album with contributions from scene bands from the stoner and doom metal environment such as Pentagram , Internal Void , Hogwash and Thumlock .

The documentary Metal - A Headbanger's Journey from 2005 shows scenes from the music video for Summertime Blues as well as an interview excerpt with Geddy Lee ( Rush ), in which the latter refers to the pioneering role of Blue Cheer for heavy metal.

Discography

Studio albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)	Remarks
		US
1968	Vincebus eruption	US11 (27 weeks) US
	Outsideinside	US90 (16 weeks) US
1969	New! Improved! Blue Cheer	US84 (14 weeks) US
1970	The Original Human Being	US188 (5 weeks) US

More studio albums

• 1969: Blue Cheer
• 1971: Oh! Pleasant Hope
• 1984: The Beast Is Back
• 1990: Highlights and Lowlives (Nibelung Records)
• 1991: Dining With the Sharks (Nibelung Records)
• 2007: What Doesn't Kill You ...

Live albums

• 1989: Blitzkrieg Over Nuremberg (Nibelung Records)
• 1996: Live and Unreleased Vol. 1: '68 / '74
• 1998: Live and Unreleased Vol. 2: Live at San Jose Civic Center & More
• 1999: Hello Tokyo, Bye Bye Osaka - Live in Japan 1999
• 2003: Live in Japan
• 2005: Bootleg: Live - Hamburg - London
• 2014: Live at Anti WAA Festival 1989 (Nibelung Records)

Compilations

• 1969: Motive - Blue Cheer
• 1986: Louder than God: The Best of Blue Cheer
• 1990: Good Times are so Hard to Find: The History of Blue Cheer
• 1990: The Best of Yesteryear

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		DE	US
1968	Summertime Blues Vincebus eruption	DE25 (4 weeks) DE	US14 (13 weeks) US
	Just a little bit outside	-	US92 (4 weeks) US

More singles

• 1968: Feathers from Your Tree
• 1969: The Hunter
• 1969: West Coast Child of Sunshine
• 1969: All Night Long
• 1970: Hello LA, Bye-Bye Birmingham
• 1970: Fool
• 1970: pilot

Tribute albums

• 2000: Blue Explosion - A Tribute to Blue Cheer

Video albums

• 2009: Rocks Europe
• 2014: Live at Anti WAA Festival 1989 (Nibelung Records)

Web links

Commons : Blue Cheer  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Blue Cheer at Discogs (English)
• Blue Cheer at Allmusic (English)
• WDR Rockpalast: Blue Cheer live on April 11, 2008

Individual evidence

1. ↑ www.americanartists.net: Blue Cheer . ( Memento of the original from August 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Accessed January 6, 2010.  
2. ↑ Outsideinside , Blue Cheer , The Original Human Being , OH! Pleasant Hope and The Beast Is Back . See profile of Eric Albronda ; www.vickibrennerent.com.
3. ↑ See Portrait of Vale Hamanaka / V. Vale ; www.brautigan.net.
4. ↑ Blue Cheer Biography  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , lyricsfreak.com.  
5. ↑ Credits: Highlights and Lowlives ; www.deaddisc.com.
6. ↑ Credits: Dining With The Sharks ; www.deaddisc.com.
7. ↑ Interview with Joe Hasselvander from Metal Mark, March 2008; "Heavy Metal Time Machine". See also Duck MacDonald Autobiography ( Memento of the original from October 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at www.bluecheer.us. 
8. ↑ Interview with Dickie Peterson ( Memento of the original from May 15, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. by Nightwatcher for the Rock N Roll Universe, February 2008.  
9. ↑ Los Angeles Times on Peterson's death
10. ↑ ^{a b} Chart sources: DE US