Vincebus Eruptum

Another album that stands out because of when it happened more than what it's doing. However, if you released this today and said it was a Jack White side project, no one would doubt you.

Among albums recorded underwater, this one is the best.

I'd heard of Blue Cheer but never heard them... can see why people say they beat Black Sabbath to making the first heavy metal album, but while they might have a similar sound to early sabbath they sure as shit don't have the songwriting. The first two songs are covers and the rest seems to be kinda droney, sludgey jam tracks - a 32min album that felt like it dragged on. My guess is they're all one-take jobbies, probably recorded live. Pretty much everything after the cover songs felt like a "big ending" that just kept going and going. 2/5.

Kind of the missing link between Cream and Black Sabbath. Raw recording, love the imperfections. Favorite tracks: "Summertime Blues", "Rock Me Baby"

As pitchfork says, Blue Cheer are "musicians who... live not to perfect their technique, but to simply rock.". Well, that sounds GREAT to me. The playing is rough as guts and pretty over the top, especially the lead playing. Lots of bends and trills, feedback, barely in tune. The slow, heavy, vaguely blues based playing is a prototype for metal in general and stoner rock in particular. This is the shit. This sounds like they set up in a room, chucked a few mics in randomly and just started jamming it out. It's loud, noisy and obnoxious. And that's what I like!

Oh Lord, I got to raise a fuss, Lord I got to raise a holler About a playin' proto heavy metal just to try to earn a dollar Oh Lord, I tried to destroy my amps, your ears I did abuse Sometimes I wonder what I'm a gonna do Lord, there ain't no cure for the early hard rock heavy ear-splittin' blues

The riffs come about slowly, dreadful and hyper-distorted, built around depraved melodies. One of the Bands that really starts playing Heavy Metal. (7/10) Favourite Tracks: Doctor Please, Summertime Blues, Out of Focus

Electrifying combo of blues, hard rock, and rip-roaring riffs and guitar solos. There's some ultra impressive drum work on here too, which I wasn't expecting.

Solid album, but you can definitely tell this was their first album. Rough around the edges, but some really great ideas in there and some powerful sounds. Favorite Tracks: “Summertime Blues,” “Doctor Please,” and “Parchment Farm”

Found this truly pointless. If this is the birth of Heavy Metal, I guess metal is hammy blues rock covers drenched in muddy guitar pedal effects.

“We have Jimi Hendrix at home”

It's a very nice surprise to discover these pre-heavy metal bands that I did not know about before. An excellent album.

Proto-metal. Heavy Acid Rock. I have a weakness for 60's era fuzzy guitar and I think I just OD'd. They are obviously channeling Cream and trying to take it to the next level. The results are mixed at best. This is a studio album that sounds live. I read someone's comment that said it is the missing link between Cream and Black Sabbath and I kind of agree although its not nearly as accomplished as either. It sounds like the generic scene setting music being played in the background of a house of ne'er do well hippie druggies in a 60's police drama. The album is short but feels long, which is never a good sign. Some tunes, in excessive effort to make them seem epic, go on way too long. Others seem like they are not fleshed out ideas that start and end with no real development. However, for me, they completely hit the mark with their cover of Summertime Blues. Its one of the 1st songs I remember listening to over and over on my own albeit the Eddie Cochran version. Later on I loved The Who's version. But when I heard this around 10 years old, I think my head exploded; I loved it. On the strength of that song, and the inarguable fact that this album is a priceless museum piece, I give it a 3.

This is nice and heavy like Psychadelic proto-Fuzz. Definitely ahead of its time—you see the bridge from Cream to Black Sabbath. The drummer sounds does a great Ginger Baker impression. It’s Jammy, heavily distorted and short. Sometimes the jamminess comes off as repetitive and a little rough/unrehearsed. Pretty good. Would buy on Vinyl. B. 3.

Third song should have been titled “Doctor Please … make this song stop”. I know it was early metal, but man these guys were clearly not good song writers. Summertime Blues cover is a classic though.

Proto whatever your preferred genre of noise mess is. These guys make filthy, sludgy, gloopy rock--and all while looking like Hanson! Now if only they had a little of the blonde brothers' gumminess, this would actually be as crazy as they're trying to sound.

As one half of UK cover band Houmous & Chutney, I know a thing or two about taking a great song and doing a terrible cover and almost ruining it. 3.7

These guys sure do sound like Hendrix and The Who did at that time. Summertime Blues is a dead ringer for The Who's live version. Let me guess, these guys saw Hendrix and The Who at the Monterey Pop festival (down the road from where they live), started to play like them and rushed an album out in time for the new wave of heavy metal? I like late 60s heavy metal. This is where it all started and it was original and exciting back then. I'm just not sure how much of the wave can be attributed to influence from these guys. They deserve a few points for how fleet footed they were jumping on the bandwagon.

J'ai adoré le moment où le chanteur casse sa guitare et l'enflamme sur scène devant un public éberlué.

7/10. this album is pretty heavy n stuff but it doesnt totally click with me. i think just because of the audio quality? idk if its just the mono mix that i got but it sounds even fuzzier and harder to make out than a lot of 60s stuff already does. plus the songs themselves arent amazing imo, tend to go on for a while. by a bit before halfway thru it just felt like a ton of fuzzy psychedelic noise goin in one ear and out the other. might just be bc i have trouble focusing on stuff though.

Vincebus Eruptum is promising but disappointing at the same time, it's late 60s rock moving towards metal and has good ideas but not great execution, and given Hendrix was doing some of this stuff lightyears better before this came along, it doesn't really stand up to being included in a must-listen list. High 2, it's too rough to deserve another listen and not as influential as people think it was/is.

Direct and templated bluesy psychedelic rock from the '60s of which there is much too much on this list. Nothing distinguished here – not the vocals and the jamming is replacement level for the era. Maybe was influential the, but today is merely not bad and sorta boring.

Not for me ... at the time I could see it as breaking new ground, maybe. From the current paradigm, it feels derivative of all influences that are contributing to the sound, its a half-formed thought of what music should be. I imagine I hate people that point to this album as life changing.

Don’t you ever just want to throw caution to the wind, have fun and make some goddamn noise? Apparently not, judging by the reviews here. It’s time to lighten up, kids… Bow down unto the church of acid rock.

This is absolutely rockin

If Black Sabbath's debut is the birth of metal, then this album is it's conception. So how does it sound? Well, it sounds like blues. But not like blues but like... █▄▄ █░░ █░█ █▀▀ █▀ █▄█ █▄▄ █▄█ ██▄ ▄█ Ridiculously heavy and psychedelic, it's not that pleasant as a listen. Not to mention the vocals, which felt like they were mere decorations to the gigantic sound. Yet for some reason, it rocked me hard. And I enjoyed it quite a lot.

Sounded like controlled chaos

This is interesting, it's got some cool moments, proto metal type stuff, and I quite like it - it's got a bit more edge than a lot of stuff that was floating around at the time. That said, there's plenty from that era that did this better, it's too rough and the production is painful in places. Think it deserves a 3, I enjoyed it, but it's a low one.

Interesting artefact, and to hear the roots of metal, but the record itself is heaving going

Oh the days of driving hard rock with angry white-man vocals. This has everything. The requisite culturally appropriated blues track, the near 8-minute guitar riff overloaded love song, and echoes of the Stones and Hendrix (wait, who came first?). Hold my beer and pass the hookah, it is 1968.

Cochran x Hendrix = a heavy blues-rock soup! Nothing stands out until the final track 'Second Time Around' which was cool. Not cool enough for me to ever play this again though!

Cool to listen to some early heavy metal but I can’t see myself coming back to this.

yuck wasnt remastered so it sounds tinny and terrible

Saved Prior: None Saved Off Rip: None Cutting Edge: Rock Me Baby, Out of Focus Overall Notes: Yeah this ain't it chief. Not as god awful as it was as background music the first time listening to it but definitely not my thing.

Felt like it dragged on, even for such a short album. Typically a fan of heavy metal but didn't really enjoy this, only redeemable song was Out of Focus.

Bonus point for making me think about The Walkingseeds track Blue Cheer from their debut album Skulkfuck

Y'know, I spend a lot of time gassing up Black Sabbath's debut album as the start of heavy metal. The legendary record birthed straight from the fires of Hell to deliver crashing drums and crunching riffs unto the world... That sort of thing, y'know. I mean, heck, that record excited me so much, I spent half of my 1.5k review on prose adapating the first song 'coz I felt that was the only way to really get across how I felt about it. Whether or not that was a waste of space is up to you, but you can't say it didn't inspire me. For much as I pile hype on Black Sabbath, though, I think it's also worth taking some time to pay respects to what brought us to it and heavy metal in the first place: proto-metal! The loud-ass music laying down the path metal would soon tread upon. Of course you've got your classics in this field, like "Helter Skelter" and "Communication Breakdown" whatnot, but of course, today we're focusing on one of the progenitors lesser-known to the public at large, Blue Cheer and VINCEBUS ERUPTUM. And let's cut straight to it: this shit fuckin' rules. It's a half-hour straight of some of the loudest and most distortion-filled psych blues you'll hear this side of Jimi Hendrix. Seriously — I can just imagine going to one of their live shows and coming out with hearing damage, because, like, **wow**. There's only six songs on here, but they're beyond electrifying. The drums are blasting away, the guitar's wildin' out, the singer's makin' a racket... It's so raw and simple, and it's so good. It's like, I can understand people's problem with this album, no doubt. It can be a little, y'know, much if you're just not used to this kind of stuff. It's not even the heaviest thing out there, nor is it even really metal... But **by gawd**, it's balls to the wall with its volume and distortion. Not even Sabbath's first album was this aggressively distorted and loud. It's **so fuckin' GOOD**, though! I realize I'm biased 'coz I'm a metal girlie, but it is just flat-out incredible to hear proto-metal that's just so... Off the rails, really. Leaning **so far** into Hendrix's heavy psych freak-outs, without even a "The Wind Cries Mary" sitting around as a pace changer. It's full force and nonstop, and, yeah, I can imagine getting sick of this if I heard it too much. But, hey, you take in too much of anything in one sitting you get sick, right? And on this spin around, absolutely, I have nothing but nice things to say about this album. Really, the only thing I wanna knock it for is some of that classic "60's mixing" nonsense on the last song. I'm sure I woulda enjoyed that "Moby Dick"-style drum assault a bit more if it wasn't confined **entirely** to my right ear, y'know? Give the left one some, too. In the grand scheme of this album, though, it's a minor complaint. And as much as I can understand the 2.8 average this thing has, on the whole, it strikes me a bit like that guy from BACK TO THE FUTURE who says Marty's band is "too darn loud." Me: I say crank it up higher! Make a dog explode if he sits on your shit! It's, jus'— ah, it's beautiful. All of my love, all of my respect. Horns all the way fuckin' way up. In two words: hell yeah.

Mostly recognized for being proto metal, yet kicks ass by itself as a blues record. Solid 5 Stars.

These dudes fucking rock. I don't know how I've never heard of them. That 'Summertime Blues' is heavy AF. Love this psychedelic/metal combination.

Holy power trio Batman.

Almost metal, liked it a lot.

Zajebiste. Dobry klimat początków heavy metalu, nawet jeśli o tym nie wiedzieli. 5/5

Actually loved this. There was something dark about it, enjoyed throughout

I do love a power trio.

What an amazing album, straight out of the gritty demonic psychedelic 60s. The self penned songs are really great and the covers are the hardest takes of said songs at the time. Its not really heavy metal but it's Cream or Jefferson Airplane turned to 11.

Ich kenne "Blue Cheer" gar nicht, aber nach dem ersten Anhören gefällt mir das Bild, die Band ist das Bindeglied vom Blues zu Heavy Metal. Auch dass sie der Funken für Black Sabbath seien. Alles nachvollziehbar. Harter Blues, lange Solis, anspruchsvolle Arrangements, was ist mit da entgangen.

Like early Sabbath. Loved it.

That was awesome - definitely adding it to my collection. I can't believe I've never heard of them! Raw and hard.

I needed this today. "Vincebus Eruptum" is the debut album by American rock band Blue Cheer. Hard rock, pyschedelic rock, acid rock and heavy metal are the assigned genres and they all fit but this album is known as and considered one of the first heavy metal albums. The band was a trio consisting of Dickie Pearson (vocals, bass), Leigh Stephens (guitar) and Paul Whaley (drums). The album did well commercially hitting #11 in the US and was well received by the critics. The album opens with a cover of Eddie Cochran's " Summertime Blues." This is fast and heavy. Rolling drums and bass. The guitar explodes and goes in all directions. The song gets faster. This is chaotic, messy and wonderful. Lead singer Pearson mentioned the result had something to with large amounts of LSD. They do another cover in B.B. King's "Rock Me Baby." It's slower, more bluesy. Two large extended guitar solos by Leigh Stephens. There are four words to describe "Doctor Please:" lo-fi, fuzzy, hazy and heavy. Another chaotic monster guitar jam. It's a song about whether Person should take drugs; no need to think about what direction he took. In "Out of Focus," you really start to see the influence of Jimi Hendrix in Stephens' guitar sound. The song has got a groove and is funky. There's also some high level screaming by Pearson. Pounding drums, a thumping bass and driving guitar begin the closer "Second Time Around." Stephens guitar is oscillating between melodic and random, extended solos. Whaley gives a "Moby Dick-esque" drum solo. There's a long silence which goes into guitar solo and the song ends in two-minutes of total chaos. Amen my friends. This album is just fantastic. The band sounds like a punk-i-fied, more reckless version of Led Zeppelin. The music is energetic, fuzzy, garage, lo-fi, heavy, chaotic and totally rockin.' At times the band goes off in random directions and I don't even know if they know where they're going, what the other musicians are doing or if they even care. Leigh Stephens' guitar playing is just plain awesome taking off in each song...very unique. This is an album that every person that likes hard rock needs to listen to.

Sounds much later than it was. Class heavy blues.

cool

Absolutely fantastic album. Only knew the first track, never heard any of the other songs before. I found nothing about this that would discourage me from listening to more. 5 stars easy peasy.

This felt like early metal, and I loved it.

This is what I'm here for! I had never heard or heard of these guys or this album, and its a great album. Its very "of its time" but its got a lot of future-looking sound in it as well. 5/5

Classic 70s rock

Kicks ass.

Kicks ass. Cant believe I’ve never heard this album.

There are bands today still trying to recreate the sound and intensity of this record. You can hear the DAN of so many hard rock and metal genres forming in the incredibly brief run time of this album. Loved it. Gnarly.

Captures rock of its era

Even the causal metal fan is familiar with this band and the cover of Summer Time Blues, though Parchment Farm is the true gem. Also one of the few proto metal bands that was not from England. The good is of course the music, big loud fuzzy guitars, this is the birth of Doom/Stoner metal for sure. My biggest problem is some of the vocals especially on Doctor Please. It's a 4 star album but I'm given 5 given how influential it is on music that I love so much.

I have heard of Blue Cheer before. I had always read they were "proto" heavy metal. And yeah, that's exactly what this is, similar to Deep Purple. And I love it. It's raw and low production, but that's cool with me. There's quite a bit of jammin' too. I love it.

Zalig hoe je hoort op welke manier deze muziek invloed heeft gehad op latere genres! Weer iets onbekend die me verraste

What a great record! Never heard it but it’s amazing!

Pioneers.

Epic album. Amazing sound by a super talented band

This rules

excellent hidden gem, hadn't heard about them before, but enjoyed the proto-heavy metal sound.

Whoa. Hard to find to listen to but it was worth the hunt - oh the fuzz and the fuzz - the drums pounding throughout and the voices tearing through this 30 min powerhouse of an album. I’m sold on blue cheer - kind of in the world of a more bluesy stooges and a rougher hendrix experience.

Loved it! An early forerunner of lots of stuff I like, and one of the first power trios. Every song was great, but their version of summertime blues was greatest for me. Really intrigued to hear more of their stuff.

It is uncanny how much the White Stripes sound like these guys. Never heard of them before but this album is fire.

Loved the album as a whole. Exactly what it needed to be. Second half of the last track was a little much for me but still giving it a 5.

Nice heavy metal or hard rock

false

Wow, dit vind ik tof. Blues is niet mijn ding maar als j het zo speelt!! ook live gezien op Roadburn, fantastisch toen

I see why this album is important in context, but it is not SUPER interesting now.

In the context of when it was released this is pretty cool. Pretty heavy. Enjoyed especially the first few songs.

Good raw rock. Solid listen.

It was not bad, nice for a sunny day

I really hate this style of album art. I hate it on Jimi's albums. I hate it on Cream's albums. It's just so cliche from that era of Psychedelic Rock. I like this album, it's dope. I hadn't heard of Blue Cheer prior and went into this one not expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised. Yea, it's very typical of the era and style. But there's always something about this genre from the late 60s that just has a swagger to it. Every time I get an album like this, I run home after work, blast it, and jam to it on the bass. Idk if it's the bluesiness of them, Idk if it's just the rhythmic fuzzy guitars. It just tickles my ears.

listened to again pretty good

Never heard of this before. I liked it

3.5/5

One of the many albums on this list that was completely new to me AND helped round out my understanding of more current bands I am already into.

4/5

Raw, Creamy, Sabbathy and rocking! A good album, glad to have found it.

Just a great 60s psychedelic rock record with fantastic guitar riffs. Did feel a little one note at times, but I still really enjoyed this.

Sick

Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum This is the equivalent of Led Zeppelin if they started making metal music in the 70's instead of rock. The fact that Blue Cheer were the ones who pioneered into what heavy metal would eventually become is quite awesome. Has some quite great riffs here and there, really surprises you every time they play the guitar, it catches you off-guard, while they just goofing around making some good music. Overall, this is really good! 1.- Summertime Blues = 10/10 2.- Rock Me Baby = 8/10 3.- Doctor Please = 9/10 4.- Out Of Focus = 7/10 5.- Parchment Farm = 8/10 6.- Second Time Around = 8/10 FINAL SCORE: 8.3/10

For all intents and purposes, this is where “heavy” music starts. Before Helter Skelter and before Black Sabbath, there came Blue Cheer. 3.8/5

Summertime Blues

Good, reminded me of jimi Hendrix

I have never heard of this ban before. They are quite good, very proto metal.

Very fun and I'm so happy to have heard it! :)

Nice and heavy. Not like Sabbath but equally good. I like the riffs and the jam character of most of the songs.

Raw and wriggling rock.

Good shit

Blue Cheer's debut album, *Vincebus Eruptum*, released in 1968, is a landmark of raw, high-volume rock and roll that is often cited as a precursor to heavy metal, grunge, and stoner rock [1]. The album's impact stems from its unique sound, a blend of blues-based rock with intense amplification and distortion, creating a sonic experience that was both groundbreaking and controversial [2, 7]. **Music and Production** *Vincebus Eruptum* is characterized by its heavy, distorted sound, achieved through the use of fuzzboxes and cranked-up Marshall amps [1]. The production, by Abe "Voco" Kesh, aimed to capture the band's live sound, resulting in a raw and abrasive quality [2]. The album's sound is often described as an "orgy of heaviosity" [2], with a focus on energy and power over subtlety or finesse [7]. The band's approach was to play at near maximum volume, and the recording aimed to capture that [2]. The result was a sound that was both groundbreaking and, to some, overwhelming. The album consists of six tracks, split evenly between cover songs and originals [2]. The tracks include: * "Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran cover) * "Rock Me Baby" (B.B. King cover) * "Doctor Please" (original) * "Parchment Farm" (Mose Allison cover, often misspelled "Parchman Farm") * "Out of Focus" (original) * "Second Time Around" (original) The album's most famous track, "Summertime Blues," is a cover of Eddie Cochran's classic, but transformed into a heavy, distorted rocker [1, 6]. The band replaces the call and response of the original with a wall of noise, giving the song a more nightmarish quality that reflected the divisive times [5]. Other covers, like "Rock Me Baby" and "Parchment Farm," are similarly given the Blue Cheer treatment, transforming them into heavy, driving rock songs [1, 3]. The original tracks, such as "Doctor Please," "Out of Focus," and "Second Time Around," showcase the band's heavy sound, with distorted guitar riffs, powerful drumming, and raw vocals [1, 3, 4]. "Doctor Please" is a nearly eight-minute "mind-bending mess of rickety racket" [3], and "Second Time Around" is known for its chaotic energy, including a manic drum solo [3, 4]. **Lyrics and Themes** The lyrical content of *Vincebus Eruptum* is not always the focus, as the band's emphasis was on creating a powerful sonic experience [2]. However, some themes are apparent. "Summertime Blues" deals with teenage angst and frustration, while "Doctor Please" is rumored to be about the singer's first experience with LSD [1]. Other songs touch on themes of defiance and rebellion. **Influence** *Vincebus Eruptum* had a significant impact on the development of heavy rock music [1, 6]. Blue Cheer is often cited as one of the first heavy metal bands, paving the way for groups like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath [1]. The album's influence can also be heard in the grunge and stoner rock movements [1]. Bands such as Rush and many Seattle bands have cited *Vincebus Eruptum* as a major influence [1, 7]. The album's raw, loud, and distorted sound, combined with its blues-based approach, was a departure from the more polished rock music of the time [2, 6]. Blue Cheer's music was "forward-thinking musical destruction," and its impact was felt by those who heard it at the time [4]. **Pros and Cons** **Pros:** * **Groundbreaking sound:** *Vincebus Eruptum* introduced a new level of heaviness and distortion to rock music [2, 7]. * **High-energy performance:** The album captures the band's raw energy and power [2]. * **Unique interpretations:** The band's covers of blues and rock songs are transformed into something new and exciting [1, 6]. * **Historical significance:** The album is a significant milestone in the development of heavy metal and other genres [1, 6]. * **Raw and honest production**: The album was produced in a way that captures the band's live sound, giving it a raw and honest feeling [2]. * **Forward Thinking**: The album was described as "forward-thinking musical destruction", which made it stand out and is a reason it is still regarded as a classic today [4]. **Cons:** * **Lack of subtlety:** The album's focus on power and volume can be overwhelming at times, and it lacks subtlety [7]. * **Repetitive at times**: Some may find the album repetitive in its approach [4]. * **Vocals**: Dickie Peterson's vocals are not always the most technically skilled, which may be a turn off for some listeners [3]. * **Polarizing**: The album's extreme sound can be polarizing, with some listeners finding it abrasive or even off-putting [7]. **Conclusion** *Vincebus Eruptum* is a landmark album that is as important as it is flawed. It is a raw, powerful, and groundbreaking record that influenced many genres of rock music [1]. Its lack of subtlety is both a pro and a con, making the album a unique listening experience [7]. While it may not be for everyone, it is a must-hear for those interested in the history of heavy rock music and its many subgenres. The album's influence is undeniable, and it remains a powerful example of the raw, untamed energy of rock and roll [1, 6].

extremely stupid hole in my knowledge, and the closest thing ive personally heard to a whole record of helter skelter. dont wanna overstate that tho, the similarities are kind of superficial lol and this is actually much more earnestly like a proto-metal venture i think? the slower bluesier passages could deffo find some space on a sabbath record, and theres even some faster flashier stuff that's less typical of a standard 60s guitar master and more recognizably heavy metal. the Soul of metal as an aesthetic exploration clearly beyond rock music prob still originates in full flight on the sabbath debut , but theres a lot more purely musical stuff being prodded at and exposed to the sun here than i expected! definitely a fun record

What is it about the song "Summertime Blues" that's had it covered by everyone from these guys, to The Who, to Alan Jackson, to Joan Jett, to Brian Setzer? This record is what you get when you're not burdened by perfection and instead just make pure unadulterated rock and roll. It's not a pretty album, but it punches you in the gut with primal vocals, howling guitars, bombastic drums and massive bass.

I enjoyed this! It's quite heavy and loud for the time it was released - it certainly doesn't strike me as a 60s record. The mixing is strange - Summertime Blues is a strong start, but why were the vocals so much louder than the instruments? I'm also not a fan of the wide stereo seperation in some cases; I ended up changing my settings so it'd only play in mono. I'm wondering if Spotify has taken tracks from multiple sources, or certain tracks have been remastered. Out Of Focus sounds a lot better than many of the others, for example. Additionally, while this was generally a great album, some of the tracks did end up "dragging on" a little bit, and not everything fully stood out. Some songs here just faded into the background noise a bit, but maybe it's my fault for listening to these while at work. This was a very good album that did impressive things for 1968. I think I'll come back to this one, but I think I'd try and seek it out in mono. Or maybe the stereo version would sound better on bigger home speakers. Favourite: Second Time Around