Reviews (page 4 of 7)
Pretty alright rock
Fascinatingly ahead of its time but still not my thing.
Honorable mention to "Rock me baby"
I dug this, it's a bit raw and gets distracted a few times ("Doctor Please") but overall pretty good record that rocks a ton.
I didn't find anything to cheer about.
Ok, very loud at times
solid musical record!
First time with blue cheer. I can hear why folks consider this early metal, but Black Sabbath is a much closer representation. To my ears, this sounds more like Cream. I liked it.
Nice mix of styles ..is it heavy metal??
I like a heavy blues freak-out as much as the next guy, but this album lacks personality. I also have a low tolerance for white dudes singing about picking cotton.
Grunge before grunge, metal before metal, a sludgefest
Not quite Led Zeppellin and not a lot of cheer.
54/100. Historically significant record, often cited as one of the first heavy metal albums. While its raw energy and influence are undeniable, the overall experience feels rough and unfocused. In my opinion, the distortion-heavy sound and muddled mixing make it a challenging listen by today’s standards.
Well made and well produced, but still cut rate led zeppelin. Blues heavy rock n roll with tinges of psychedelia. Not good enough to be a stand out unless I'm missing somthing. Peter Green's fleetwood mac and the bluesbreakers blow this out of the water.
God rock n roll
Hard rock 70s. The guitar reminds me a lot of Jimmy Hendrix with the whammy bar.
JFC that album is loud. I read that Blue Cheer are proto-Heavy Metal but I don't hear it apart from just being really, really bloody loud. Hear lots of Jimi and contemporaries in that psychedelic rock space which was fun - but loud. Did I mention it was loud?
good conventional rock
Heavy blues/proto-metal. Not exactly my thing, but I know there are plenty of bands that I love that wouldn’t exist without Blue Cheer. What I expect to be playing when I walk into certain independent record stores.
Love the old school, fuzzy distortion of the guitar. Summertime Blues was a great intro song, setting the pace for what is to come. Rock Me Baby ups the intensity and cathartically releases it with the drum solo at the end. Second Time Around puts a nice bow on the album, with a similarly impressive drum solo midway through. Excellent piece of metal history, the influences and similarity to Sabbath is apparent.
I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump down to a 3. It’s definitely got elements of heavy metal, that’s for sure. I just don’t think it’s very polished metal, and while that roughness might appeal to others, I think it just sort of bounced off of me this time. Part of it is 1960s production jank, and hard panning to the left/right channels that sort of messes with the mixing, but a lot of it just boils down to the guitar solos being that unpolished to the point where a harmony between the vocals & drums disappears for a lot of them. I respect this album’s “fuck it, let’s jam” mentality, but in terms of actually listening to it, there’s a lot of times where a super cool vibe and a nice rhythm get totally washed away by the harshness of two guitars clashing against each other like they’re both playing separately in different rooms. With that said, I enjoyed 4 of the 6 tracks here a lot, and I admire the proto-metal elements of this for sounding relatively close to the stuff that would later be polished to a much higher & much more culturally significant degree. This is more of a prelude to what Led Zeppelin would do, at least to my ears, but it’s a pretty nice prelude. There’s really not THAT much to say as far as the quality goes, because it really is a “you like it or you don’t” sort of album. Clearly, based on the average on the site, it seems like a number of people don’t, but I do think this is worth listening to. It’s no worse than a 3, and maybe with time, this could go up to a 4 if some of the more discordant solos click a little nicer. For now, though, I’m fine with the bump down. Wouldn't blame anyone at all for giving this as high as a 5, though.
70s Hendrix-like vibes, was enjoyable but nothing stood out
The singer sounds like a male Janis Joplin, all raspy and shrieky. It’s not bad.
Hm. I guess it's worthwhile to have this album in this collection because of it's early-/proto-/semi-metal heritage, but aside from highlighting how much the blues infuses so much harder-edged rock music (especially in the 60s and 70s), there's not a lot going on here that seems all that notable or particularly distinctive, at least from a 2025 perspective. They have a pretty good cover of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime blues", and "Parchment farm" was also entertaining, but otherwise it's pretty forgettable. I'd say that I was churning out about the same quality music when I was in high school, but I know that's nowhere near true; it just kind of feels that way.
In the spirit of The Hit Man's "all pie is good pie" I'll say that all versions of "Summertime Blues" are good, though this one could've been a little faster. I couldn't help compare this to Deep Purple and MC5, and I'll give Blue Cheer credit for doing more with less and for doing it all a little earlier than those two bands. Still, the energy isn't there for me. Sorry, Blue Cheer.
Another album I never would have come across previously. Lots of imperfections but I can see why it's on the list. Some riffs sound like they were inspired from a Hendrix record but this could also be a White Stripes demo...just a few decades ahead. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.
Okay garage rock. If Janis Joplin was a dude. 3/5
Decent album! Enjoyed it
Not my thing but not bad at all! Guitar reminded me a bit of Hendrix.
I didn't expect to hear this guitar tone over generic surf rock lyrics, so that was a cool way to start. I kinda dig it, interesting historically but I probably won't put it back on
This is an album.
I've never heard of this album or artist before, but if there's any truth to the Black Sabbath comparisons in the user reviews, then I think this album might be a pleasant surprise. Let's rock out! I thought this album was pretty good. I liked the overall sound of this, especially the guitar playing. The guitars were fuzzy and distorted, loud, and hit really hard on each song. The bluesy and hard rock sound of this album was pretty unique, and it was really interesting to listen to something that was really influential, but not as well-known as its contemporaries. “Summertime Blues” and “Second Time Around” were my favorite songs on the album. I really loved the energy that the band brought with their version of “Summertime Blues.” Adding in some hard rock sounds really added some bite and attitude to this version. The disillusionment in the tone of the lyrics due to this change in instrumentation made this song sound like it was from an angry Gen-Xer in the eighties. The guitar playing on “Second Time Around” was some of my favorite on the album, but the star of the show on that song was the drum solo halfway through. I could have listened to that solo for five minutes, but I really loved the guitar playing that was on the other side of it. The rest of the songs ranged from ‘that’s not my cup of tea’ to ‘that was okay.’ Some of these songs meandered along for too long, and while I enjoyed the guitar playing, the songwriting and vocals were pretty subpar. I probably wouldn’t listen to this again, but it was still fine.
Good proto-heavy metal album, could listen again! 3-3.5
Not a bad little acid rock/blues rock/psych album. Loved the Summertime Blues cover. $10 these music dweebs consider this a Metal album 🙄
Surprising energy, pretty fun for a quick and dirty album. Might be back.
Pretty good. A classic rock sound, and the album was short and sweet. More context might have helped here because I had no idea this type of music existed in the 60s, but without the context I’ll stick with 3 stars.
Solid rock album. Love the length.
It was really cool seeing where metal got its start and see how far it has come in the sixty years since. Also so strange that this is incredibly tame music today, but would have been the most out-there thing people listened to a few decades ago. It’s nothing to write home about, and it isn’t bad at all. Short and sweet and its place on the list is undeniable, an easy three.
You are not cream bro
Good 60s/70s blues. Nice covers.
this was a good album. i researched a little bit and multiple articles claim that this band was very loud during their concerts, and their song "summertime blues" really set the heavy metal movement. also, their band name was apparently inspired by their favorite brand of LSD. they performed until 2009, when their lead singer and bassist, dickie peterson, passed away. they played alongside the jimi hendrix experience, chuck berry, and other rock bands on may 18, 1968, at the miami pop festival. and their spotify description says they were referred to as being "louder than god," which i found ironic since i did not think they were that loud when i listened—but of course, it was not a concert. after listening to "second time around" on my headphones, it did this weird thing to my ears where i kind of felt half-deaf in one ear. my favorites were "summertime blues"—which apparently is a cover of a song co-written by eddie cochran and his manager—"rock me baby," "doctor please," and "parchment farm." overall, a+ of an album. i am happy that this website recommends small indie heavy metal bands who thrived during the 60s movement. 🎸💜
Decent late 60s hard rock/proto heavy metal, charmingly shaggy.
Bravo Vince.
Good fun, and I enjoy it a bit, but I understand why someone could be put off by this. Saying that, it's also nothing special. Maybe because it was early, it might be, but nowadays there's not much in it.
How does an album that's barely a half-hour long seem to go on forever?
I hear more Zeppelin than Sabbath. Not bad.
I can see why it is said they are the beginning of Heavy Metal, but keep in mind that doesn’t mean it’s “good”. I liked it, but definitely not a Sabbath or similar album in skill and lyrics.
2.667
The internet tells me that these guys basically invented hard rock. It does rock pretty hard for the time, so credit where it's due. This one is consistently fine, but doesn't do anything particularly spectacular or interesting at any point. Perfectly middle-of-the-road. Favorite song: Summertime Blues Other: Rock Me Baby, Out of Focus 3/12/25
Lots of distortion
LOUD, 70's hard rock. Never heard of them before, they are intense. If you're in the mood, it's a keeper.
I had never heard of Blue Cheer. Awesome rough sound.
The blues tracks give me white stripes vibes, then it goes more proto metal stuff, I didn’t hate it 3/5
First? 3,5 /5 Again? 2,5/5
Psyke rokkia, ilmeisesti heavy metallin juuria. On tässä sillein aika raskas ja matala kitara tone. Tulee myös Black Sabbath niistä ajoittain mieleen. Parhaat: Doctor Please, Out Of Focus, Second Time Around
Good old (original) heavy metal. Cool to hear the bluesy roots. Eventually it all starts to run together, but I think about half an hour is the sweet spot.
Enjoyable, nonsensical stuff, though the best song is the Eddie Cochran cover. It would never have occurred to me to think of this as the birth of metal, though I can kind of see it. Even claimed as the birth of punk, which I cannot.
I wouldn't classify this as heavy metal or proto metal as the wiki says. This is more sludge rock and akin to a forerunner of grunge like Soundgarden.
Anyone: "Black Sabbath started heavy metal." Some pedantic asshole: "Ackshuulllly, Blue Cheer were active in the 60s and Sabbath didn't come out till 1970." To my ears, I don't hear any similarities between the two bands. Sure, there's a gnarly guitar tone on this album. But this guy plays nothing like Tony Iommi. If anything, the guitar work on this sounds more like Hendrix... in which case why not just say Jimi Hendrix started heavy metal if you're going to start naming random bands that chronologically came out before 1970. If you want to say that these guys were an influence on somebody - The break beat bass lines about 2 minutes into "Parchment farm" sound exactly like "Hello, I love you." by the Doors... Oh god, here comes that pedantic asshole again. Yes, I know the Doors didn't have a bass player.
Had to change to mono and it sounds much better. Some of the instrumental bits feel a bit like 60s and early 70s king crimson, which is great. A lot bluesier than anything else like this at the time, (like any black sabbath I've heard). Guitars are very interesting, they use a squarish distortion which almost makes some of the lead parts sound like a synth which is very interesting. Lots of time signature messing but kinda just feels a bit sloppy and dissonant in comparison to say, King Crimson. Favourite song: parchment farm Overall around 5/10
3 - man this was pretty intense, unsure if I wasnt in the mood but it was just really noisy and chaotic
not really much of interest for the 2025 ear. Noisy, I'm sure this ruffled feathers in 1968. 2.8/5
Blue Cheer was obviously shooting in to the same vein as Hendrix. They even have a track about shooting your ol' lady down.(Parcent Farm). It's cool to hear another band who was in that bridge from heavy blues to heavy metal..
Decent
Good but not personally memorable
Didn’t like the cover versions, but the rest had some great vibes.
I do think it’s rather stretching it to say this had a major influence on heavy metal. Yeah they turned their amps up to 11, but it feels way more of a continuation of Cream/Hendrix style heavy blues rock, but just with more and louder unhinged feedback, than any particularly novel style. The song writing is really weak as well (covers aside). Generous 3 as it’s generally my sort of thing and sounds like they’re having a great time.
I think in their bio it says this album is the very first hard rock or heavy metal album ever (which of course is very mellow by todays metal standards.) So of course, I have to give them credit for playing loudly against the carefully constructed class of their time, however Hendrix was also playing before this came out and Blue Cheer’s riffs kinda sound like Walmart Jimi
A pretty good album, but no standouts songs.
Dug it - it’s not bad at all - but many bands did it better
Can hear it's influence especially on Black Sabbath but they took it to the next level
I can definitely see how this gets credit as the first "heavy metal" album. I dug it.
Pretty decent.
This sounds exactly like Jack White.
Weird classic rock album
loud distorted blues? interesting though given its release date.
It's ok.
Starts well with the covers and there is some real promise in some of the bass but self indulgence wins out. Decent, not great
Not great but the brevity of this album saved it from a 2
Well that was unexpected, can't believe I haven't heard of this album before. These guys could easily hold their own with MC5.
This was a welcome addition to my brain. I love tracking music back to its source and seeing the morphing of jazz and blues into heavy metal was fascinating.
Proto metal, it was cool to listen to, but i wouldn’t go back to it really.
Yeah, this is pretty good.
Historically interesting. The songwriting and playing is fairly basic but I still enjoyed enough
I like hippie rock but this doesn't bring anything interesting.
Pre69 violence
I liked this but something about the sound was holding me back from really enjoying it. I think I'd enjoy a remastered version more.
Never heard of this band. Album cover led me to expect something like early Pink Floyd, but was more like early Black Sabbath. With that in mind, and given the time it was produced, this is great stuff. Also, as other reviewers have stated, this could pass as a Jack White album, so still plenty of modern appeal.
Ok, so that’s where that sound came from..
Rock psicodélico. Ni fu ni fa.
Favorite Track: Summertime Blues
You can tell it's the beginnings of an offshoot of a genre. It's not bad, but it's like a photo that hasn't fully developed. That also means that it's kind of the perfect length at a little over 30 minutes. Any longer and it would need to have a lot more variety in sound or style. The end of Second Time Around does end up being some of that needed variety, but it grows out of a song that sounds much like all the others on the album. That all sounds a little harsher than my feelings on the album. Overall, it's pretty good. I don't think it's particularly great though. A contextually and historically important album. Favorite Song(s): Rock Me Baby
A very 'live' sounding overdriven guitar/blues album, lot of parallels with Jimi Hendrix, MC5, etc. I enjoyed it but its very much of its genre, not sure there was anything new to grab me. 2.5.
More like Milk than Cream. Other than Summertime Blues, I didn't really get it. Pseudo-psychedelic rock, but without enough going on. Didn't mind the album, and it was short.
This was kinda like cream but not as good...... Milk? I do like the blues rock sound though, just not sure why if this really blew me away 3.5 is fair
A thunderous, groundbreaking prototype of heavy metal that roars with primitive power, even if it sounds quaint compared to the genre's later sonic sophistication.
Obviously very influential but nothing special these days
So I quite enjoyed listening to this as it was harder and heavier than I expected it to be for the time it came out. But I'm not sure it was anything special. After going on their wiki it seems this was the "first" metal album, which makes sense as to why it was heavy, but it feels like it's on this list because of that rather than the quality of music, I guess it's a 3
I like the heavy blues sound, engineering pretty bad, needs a remaster.
Early metal? Edgier Stones? 60s but make it aggressive? Yeah, I dig it
neutrální, horší kvalita zvuku, po zjištění vice o albu historicky zajímavé, 5/10
Photo metal
Heavy. Blues. Sometimes self-indulgent.
Blues into rock. A nice listen, some what forgettable.
Þetta var rokkplata sem byrjaði vel með coverlagi en restin féll fljótt í gleymskunnar dá. Sem sagt fín tónlist en ekkert sem stendur þannig séð upp úr svo ég mun aldrei muna eftir að setja hana aftur á
Well, I did actually sort of enjoy this. I think. Not the best quality recording, and imagine they would have sounded far better (louder) live. Reminded me of The Doors in places - but not as good. In any way. I had never heard of them, so found it an interesting listen. Could have done with a bit (lot) of editing - the freestyle jams at (nearly all) times seemed pretty pointless and not an enjoyable experience for the listener. But, I suppose that was kind of the point? Anyway, not much fun. Unless you were actually there in the audience.Or Playing. Or on drugs. Or a combination of those things. As I say, an intresting listen, but doubt I have enough time left in my life to listen to those jams again.
Aight
Je comprends pourquoi j’ai jamais entendu parler d’eux; dès que Led Zep sont débarqués, Blue Cheese ont pris le bord
I didn't mind the sloppiness and I can definitely get down with some proto-stoner metal riffage. I am, however, pretty sick of hearing blues standards. I know it was fresh and new on the first day of 1968 when this was released, and I bet the live shows were fun...but I got bored with the twelve bar nature of it pretty quickly.
Some great musical ability on display. But. I think the problem is a vocal performance and lyrics that lack emotion depth. Like a 70s metal band…if you like those you will like this.
Storied band that can hardly be described without "proto-" as a descriptor. In context, significant. More than fifty years removed, it feels like they were progenitors very quickly passed up by their contemporaries.
Not quite sure what this is…
Bridge between genres
Back in the 60s, all you had to do was go "Wait a second, what if we play the guitar like 10% faster" and you've invented a whole new genre and are considered a genius. Now you can build a brand new instrument in your garage using alien scrolls dug up in the swamps of Tenochtitlan and sample the sound of the Big Bang itself, and people will be like "Hmm yes, this sounds like Berlin School Avantgarde with a smidgen of Post-Minimalistic Neoclassical Darkwave. Very formulaic, very generic." What I'm trying to say is that all three guys in this band look like imperfect clones of Pink Floyd members.
For its time, very loud and chaotic. I found it too sloppy at times. Respect the innovation, but likely wouldn’t listen again.
Blues rock jams, a good cover of Summertime Blues and, apparently, the birth of hard rock and the power trio. Who knew.
Really enjoyed this….
A bit dated but still very good
Awesome new album/band I’ve never heard of before. Guitar is great, but the lead singers voice gets a little old fast. Almost a 4.
3.5
Poor man’s Cream.
It's okay
Cool. Truly. Alas, it's not being played from a wall of amps at a volume that makes my shirt flutter so I'm lacking the visceral reaction that could make me appreciate this in more ways than just as a historical artifact anticipating other, later, simply better music.
#321. I've never heard of them before, but I thought it was decent. I can see why it wasn't as popular as other similar stuff, but there's nothing too bad here. 3/5: acceptable.
Ain't no cure for the summertime blues... the supposed beginnings of what would become heavy metal are sprawling and numerous, yet when one hears Blue Cheer's Vincebus Eruptum there appears to be an acceptable enough answer to when and where it began. It might not look like much these days but the six track album does more than what was needed to get its point across. Rock and roll was mutating at a rapid-fire pace and in a way that couldn't have been anticipated more than a decade previous. Music such as Vincebus Eruptum is part of why. Favorites: Summertime Blues, Doctor Please, Parchment Farm, Second Time Around.
Top tip: definitely don't listen to this one sharing a pair of earphones between you! They go hard on the stereo on this and we had a very different experience depending on whether we were left or right. Standard 60s fare. Summertime Blues is a great song but otherwise nothing stood out significantly to us.
Dirty sound. Если бы блюз хуярили с силой
I never heard of them! Surprised. Enjoyed.
Mostly a historical document showing how three acid-rock musicians unwittingly birthed a style later known as heavy metal. With also clear connections to stoner rock, possibly even contributing to the style's name given the huge amount of drugs Blue Cheer reportedly took between takes. The band plays loud, the near-atonal moments are indeed prophetic, and I have to admit that the guitar solo overdubbed by a *second one* during "Out Of Focus" made me laugh, as it perfectly encapsulates the excessive aesthetics of the other bands who would follow Blue Cheer's footsteps later. The musicianship is good, even though the three members of Blue Cheer don't always sound as if they're really listening to each other, which might come off as either pleasantly unhinged or annoying depending on your mileage. And speaking of "sound", the one of this debut is extremely paper-thin, with very barebones production values--which can admittedly have a very "retro" charm as seen from 2024. No track particularly stands out. The cover of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" (miles away from the famous original, or even The Who's version), "Doctor Please", "Parchment Farm" and the noisy, full-blown chaotic conclusion of closer "Second Time Around", all have nice moments to offer... but they're not bangers either, in all honesty. And since we've heard way *way* more loud and violent music since 1968, whatever stuff in that realm was striking for that year sure gets lost in translation today. Blue Cheer also released another very interesting LP right after this debut, by the way. *Outsideinside* is admittedly not as wild and not as "extreme" for the time period as *Vincebus Eruptum*, but it's not watered down either--and it nicely splits the difference between slapping hard rock and the psychedelic influences of the day. That sophomore album has better production, better performances, and better songwriting overall. So maybe you should include that other record in your own list as well. Or none of them. After all, "being there first" doesn't automatically mean you're a genius at what you're doing. Some magmatic eruptions do not start with a bang, but with a short pop. 3/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential" albums 8/10 for more general purposes (5+3) Number of albums left to review: 95 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 390 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 229 (including this one) Albums from the list I certainly won't include in mine: 286
good, not bad
This has “we have Deep Purple at home” vibes. The last half of the last track just sounds like filler to get over the 30 minute mark. I liked it - but it wasn't over the top.
while the ideas presented are pretty nice, i think they get overshadowed due to the album's production style. the stereo version pans the guitar and drums on opposite channels, making it sound uneven. i'm sure the mono version sounds way better. 3.2/5.
Kind of unremarkable. I do dig the audio quality, though - I genuinely think it enhances the songs.
Yet another 3 Star thing. It makes the argument quite strongly that the whole idea of there being 1001 albums that are worth listening to before you die is stupid. This album has little effect on me emotionally, and if you ask me who Blue Cheer are in 6 months, I am very unlikely to remember that they were some kind of seventies band with wailing guitars and drum solos. Hey, future me: Just listen to some Led Zeppelin instead.
A short and enjoyable listen. I'm a bit critical that it's 6 tracks and half of those are covers, so more like a rough & ready EP.
I understand and appreciate the historical significance/influence, but probably wouldn’t listen again.
Wild, uneven garage rock.
2.5
Lyder som meget man har hørt før men solidt
Fed tung blues lyd! Minder _lidt_ om Cream og Black Sabbath
Reminded me of the band cream based on their style. Was ok. No track stood out though
Hmm. I think most fans of heavy metal will be disappointed in this album if they read the Wikipedia page. It’s not very heavy. More bluesy - maybe “heavy blues” instead of heavy metal. I am not a metal head and found this album to be alright to listen to, but nothing earth-shattering. Maybe if I were listening to it in 1968 my mind would have been blown.
So did the who cover them out did they come the who with summer time blues? I'm guessing this was the original. This seems like the beginnings of punk taking shape. Enjoyed, but not sure I'll go find them to relisten. Ok, just read the wiki. I guess summertime blues was Eddie Cochran, and this was the roots of heavy metal. Closer enough for me.
Interesting mix of early heavy metal with some other elements, mostly psychedelic rock and blues. The way they used catchy guitar riffs reminded me of bands that came later, like AC/DC or Black Sabbath. Two tracks stood out to me, the bluesy 'Rock me baby' and the catchy hook in 'Parchment Farm'. Lyrically it wasn't very inspiring, but my ears liked what they heard for the most part... Plus the production was really good, especially considering that this was released in 1968. 3.5 stars
I can see how this album may have influenced the beginnings of heavy metal. The drums especially sound like Bonham at times. Musically interesting for the time it was recorded, but I probably wont be going back to this often.
It did sound a bit "old" to me, not bad, just not fresh, very 1960's. Austin Powers 1960's.
Pretty cool
Great version of “Summertime Blues”. Considered possibly the 1st Heavy Metal Band? Cool. Heavy and Bluesy. I’d even write it was educational.
Meh.
I'm not a big fan of most music from this period. Wasn't a bad album but I didn't much care for it.
New to me, good listen. Doesn't hold as well for me as other similar records from this time. Will I listen to again: 20%.
Great to listen to this. Fits well with the concept of the dope smoking hippies era... Would have been very righteous for the time
sqee
Bra
Can hear the beginnings of metal here. Not as dark as Black Sabbath or has the chops of Deep Purple but it has moments. Production is lacking and there's too many covers. But overall, decent.
You could really make out the guitar
Took the sound of Jimi Hendrix without any of the emotion
The importance and ground breaking of multiple genres of this album cannot be overstated. However as an album it peters off towards the end, and it's most well known song is a cover. The music is enjoyable but more history than greatness.
More interesting than good. Why listen when jimi exists?
Okay 60's blues rock album. After two listens, I didn't really catch the vibe that this pioneered heavy metal. It wasn't bad, but I found the vocals to be a little off-putting. 3/5.
It rocks.
Really good album. Unfortunately I'm hearing it for the first time just now. It suffers from so many bands sounding like this in some way over the past 50+ years
a silly little thing with bouts of silliness sprinkled sparingly throughout. Honestly Enjoyed this more then I thought I would fun little album.
Early guitar distortion, very cool. The vocals are pretty wild and the drumming is also very left-field. This album has moments where it clicks and feels profoundly boundary-pushing for its time but equally has moments of pretty boring noodling. Lyrically, there isn't much here to latch onto and there isn't much cohesion between songs. This is a collection of very high highs and very low lows.
So, this is what proto-heavy metal sounds like. A heavy blues-rock sound that was not so different than what bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin sounded like a bit later on. Not the most interesting or ground breaking sound, but it was impressive this was 1968 and not 1970. Sure a lot of bands were more popular and commercially appealing, but Blue Cheer predated those bands and I would consider them a little underrated. A good solid record where it's the music that matters and not the satanist imagery that Sabbath would associate with the music.
According to Wikipedia: 'Blue Cheer's debut album was recorded in 1967 at Amigo Studios in North Hollywood, California. In an interview, frontman Dickie Peterson explained that "Some songs I wrote have taken 20 years to really complete. And there are other songs like 'Doctor Please' or 'Out of Focus' that I wrote in ten minutes." Six tracks. Three covers. Three originals. So that's 20 years and 20 minutes to write three songs. Not what you'd call prolific. Dirty, gloopy, distorted, must have crashed onto the music scene like Nirvana's Nevermind - here something new - will you like it? Unlike Nirvana, others did it better than Blue Cheer. But pioneering, for sure.
Rock psicodélico. Ni fu ni fa.
I’ve always loved Summertime Blues, but the rest gets a little weird, although it was probably influential during its time.
I had never heard of this band or album. After reading a bit, I can see why they get the credit of being an early metal or the first metal band. I hear Jimi Hendrix on "Summertime Blues", The Doors on "Rock Me Baby" (mostly the vocals) and in general I find it an interesting listen.
I LOVE a great power trio and Blue Cheer is a great example of why. An aesthetic idea stripped to its core with no room for any one member to phone it in. These 3 are up to the task and I've enjoyed them in the past, but I can't help but think I'd probably enjoy them more if I was actually living in the past... as in 1968 when this dropped. Seriously it would blow my mind. They really paved the way for stoner rock, metal, and general hard rock to follow. While they had exceptional energy and applied talent, so did era bands such as Black Sabbath, Cream, Steppenwolf, and dare I add Budgie to that list.. all projects with more interesting compositions and songwriting. Hats off to these boys though.. they were true innovators and for when you want that early stoner rock sound that has one speed: "GO", you could do worse.
its blues i guess
Fun late 60s shred sesh. Good tones and dedication to metal.
I heard some hendrix and black sabbath sounds in this.
I had this written off quite quickly but got into the heaviness as it ticked along. Doesn't sound like 1968
A bit raw for my taste, but one can see the important stepping stone BC provided in the evolution of metal and psychedelic rock. A clear eschewing of traditional song structure with more lyrical depth than expected, including some tongue-in-cheek satire. Listened to: at home, during work. Favorite track: Parchment Farm
I’d put this somewhere between a 3 and a 4. Kinda cool, kinda forgettable, kinda lost in antiquity. All in all, it won’t stand out in this project but I enjoyed it for the time being.
2.9/5. listened 1x catchup on 5/8/24.
Album 397 of 1001 Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum Rating : 3 / 5 Just enough of a mess to be somewhat enjoyable.
Acid rock often reminds me of Peter and Lois when they had their band and thought they were really great, but it was just the drugs.
Solid - quite rolling stonesy
Had not heard of this band, other than Summertime Blues.
Nice psychedelic rock, but not too special
Sounds a lot like Cream. Not sure who came first. Decent listen but nothing to special. Perhaps it has some historic value..
I am so tired of 60s dude voice
New album for me. From 1968. Blues rock. Heavy metal. Stoner Rock. It is all there. Sound is great, but the songs themselves are a little less special. Must have been great to see in concert.
I can appreciate the raw bluesy energy of this record. Title is fake Latin.
Bluesy rock, not bad. I have never heard of them and I'm pretty sure that I have not ever heard their most popular song on the album "Summertime Blues". Some creative riffs. This is an album I would have really liked when I was 18.
It’s like a cross between early heavy metal and blues. Wow! Very interesting.
Another new album for me (and I thought I knew the history of rock!). I greatly respect the lineage but was glad this was 32 minutes in total. Would be a classic 2.5 rating if possible, but I'll round up on a Friday.
Jammy garage. (ntm.)
A very early precursor to the heavy metal that came after it. Vincebus Eruptum by Blue Cheer was probably one of the earliest albums to take the blues/rock and roll to a grittier more hard place than previously, and after just listening to Iron Maiden's debut, it's cool to see how the style evolved in the ensuing 12 years. Best: Summertime Blues Worst: Second Time Around 3.5 Stars
Great guitar tones and feedback, the drums are also pretty good. Everything else is a little lacking, especially the vocals and overall song writing. This album 100% deserves to be on the list and is very influential, but personally I just think it is fine. 3/5
Primordial heavy metal… cool to hear the predecessors to the style, but this album sounds raw and underdeveloped because it is.
Would rather listen to Sabbath or the Stones
give me that noise
This was very solid psychedelic blues. It was perfectly enjoyable for my commute to work
Not bad, but pretty standard psychedelic rock. The guitar at the end of Doctor Please was a bit too much for me, which is saying something.
Need to see when this came out. Heard a lot of Jimi in it.
This is begging for a 21st century remaster. As it stands there’s not enough here to be anything more than loud blues hard panned into each ear.
"I've got to take my problem to the United Nations" hey, I recognize that line! A combination of things I enjoy and things I don't. They sound kinda sludgy, noisy, this I like. But blues is on top of my worst genres for a reason, so I'm surprised it didn't bother me that much
Ok, so they take songs already popular and sing them? What makes them special? Summertime blues has been done so many times I'm sick of it. That's my perspective now, I can't speak for what it was like in 1969 to hear this version.... (it did sound like a bit of a Jimi Hendrix rip off at times too). Rock me baby.... I know the Led Zeppelin version, "You Shook Me" and nothing can come close to that. Doctor Please. Is a Blue Cheer Original. It's fine. No complaints. Same with Out of Focus. Those are the two most uninteresting songs on the album. Parchment Farm. Another oldie, 1940s. Well, they have certainly changed it and made it "modern" for the 1960s. Interesting track. The Album ends with the third Blue Cheer original. I don't know what to say...I don't know what to do now.... Jimi Hendrix probably thought it sounded good. I bust balls because I don't like cover songs too much.... It is a good sound and an interesting album. Not something I'd ever seek out again though. 3.5
Groovy baby.
Decent
River Bottom Nightmare Band!
Just Good
This is loud and fast and just...a lot. Some say Blue Cheer beat Black Sabbath to the punch in being heavy metal, but Sabbath had better songs (and they wrote more of them themselves, too). This is just distorted blues. Still, though, this is an interesting historical document, being as fast and furious as it while having been recorded in 1968. I just don't necessarily need to hear it again.
So short and thick sounding! Nice surprise. Parchment and Summertime were fun
Listened to this awhile ago and still dig it. Like a rougher Cream record
Fits in the middle. Not awful, not great.
It’s ok, noise that sounds like everything else similar from that time.
I can appreciate the legacy here.
These old hard rock albums just have such a soft spot in my heart. The cover of Summertime Blues is delightful. This is 6 tracks of heavy feedback and just a really quality example of the genre. Not crazy special, just a good listen.
I know this band is very influential, but this was kind of boring to me. Not bad, but just didn't hit.
I can appreciate this album for its historical significance as an early example of metal (the earliest?), but listening to it, nothing really grabbed me. 2.5 rounded up.
Swept me up with their psychedelic guitar riffs. It had an almost blues-y jazz quality with its meandering instrumentals. It’s the kind of album you listen to while laying on shag carpet, passing joints with friends. The band your cool crush would recommend. A fun romp, albeit short.
The years have taken a toll on this one but it's still really good. The guitar tones here are especially heavy and an absolute joy, especially on Rock Me Baby. I'd give it a 3.5 if I could
Did the White Stripes just rip these guys off?
Great guitar tone
3.5/5. I guess what makes this record so essential is the fact that its heavily distorted blues sound would eventually lay the foundation for heavy metal.
garage rock meets psychedelic rock with heavy distortion. blue cheer is often credited with being one of the early architects of heavy metal, and you can definitely see it in this album. highlights: “summertime blues”, “doctor please”, “parchment farm”.
Ehh... I didn't really care one way or the other.
Solid proto-metal blue rock, interesting from an academic point of view, but little other reason.
Gee! What a gritty, feisty garage rock on swampy blues ground. Sounds like it must‘ve shifted some borders, then. Now…now I am impressed but also not so interested. Still 2.7
Én vájboltam rá, de eléggé ugyanolyan mint bármely más ilyen album szal idk miért éppen ezt kéne szeretni
Nice proto metal. Something about a lot of the 60s vocals really rubs me the wrong way, this band included.
Bastante normalito, entiendo que porque es de hace bastante tiempo y no impacta tanto como en su momento. Mismo caso que con "Iron Maiden": le salva ser corto.
Good but another album that is more important from an historical standpoint than by the actual music it contains.
Not really my kind of psychedelic rock
This album is like going to the McDonald's fast food of psychedelic/garage rock. It does the job, but please, not everyday.
Ok. Didn't listen to it all, but I didn't really repel me or blow me away. The singing voice sometimes kinda reminded me of Janis Joplin which I wasn't really a big fan of. 6/10
People say this is the first heavy metal album, but it doesn’t sound like heavy metal to me. Decent blues rock sound, kinda like the White Stripes. It may have been innovative for the time, but just okay today
This is such a clearly psychedelic blues album, but it's notable in how you can tell that metal would break off from here, and even how garage punk is in there, and how it presages the alternative scene in the late 80s through the 90s. Heavy fuzz-drenched guitar and bass matching riffs, with hard driving beats, and a lead singer that's practically screaming through the songs. The opening track is a psychedelic-soaked version of Summertime Blues. Rock Me Baby is a bluesy rocker. Doctor Please is an extended jam to see what you can do with fuzz and sustain. Out of Focus is the most interesting one of the lot. Parchment Farm starts with a more heavy, driving beat, has a breakup after a solo, and transforms into a slower jam with a hooky bass line in the middle, then returns to the heavier beat for the end. Probably the most head-bangable one of the album. Second Time Around wraps up the album with an epic double guitar noisefest solo and a drum solo. I can imagine many stereos being unplugged by angry parents on this one. Not really an album I'd reach for, but it's a good listen.
Only complaint - too short at 32 minutes it was over just as I was getting into it
it was fine yknow? good stuff. weird and not good stuff. didn't care for how the album ended
Dirty, swampy, blues. Approved.
Summertime Blues Out of Focus
Visceral, gutsy 60's rock that sounds like an early precursor to punk and metal. Not necessarily an easy listen, but a surprising one for sure.
Particularly cool if you're into heavier rock music. Blue Cheer get mixed credit for the specific legacy of this album (it either is or isn't one of the very first heavy metal albums, depending on the critic you ask), but the groove-heavy, blues-informed (it has a B.B. King cover, after all), fuzz-drenched power trio sound went far. You'll still hear this sound today in bands like Sleep and Queens of the Stone Age. Peterson (vox, bass), Stephens (guitar) and Whaley (what better name for a drummer?) thunder through music descended from the blues and 50s pop, but in a way that predates the relentlessness of punk (this is 1968, after all). Every piece of the band is audible, they have a genuine sense of dynamics and they start stop on a dime. It's psychedelic as hell, mind you: they meander and jam, they take liberties with covers (Summertime Blues opens the record in stellar fashion) and they write very clear drug anthems (Doctor, Please). Is it an utter masterpiece? No, it falls short there - sometimes a little less compelling, sometimes too focused on the guitar noodling and while Dickie Peterson is a capable singer (and genuinely screams to good effect at times), he's a little limited in range and not exactly Paul McCartney with the melodies. It's good. You should check it out. But for most people, it isn't Sgt. Pepper's -- just another important incremental step in the grand history of rock music.
This sounds like Jack White made years before he was even born. I guess I just really like blues rock because I think this is good. Loud, messy, sludgy, and fun, but definitely far from perfect. Should be remastered.
3/5. A year before Black Sabbath’s first album, so I can see how they squeaked by and got the title for “First Heavy Metal Album.” This was an album I enjoyed, but is not nearly the album that Sabbath put out a year later.
When it started I was expecting something completely different then what came, it's more blues then heavy obviously, but I preferred this type of blues over the traditional, the vocals are very present but not taking anything away from the instruments I like short albums, the bands are down to business and are no bullshiters, they get the job done with few songs.
Já gostei da capa que me lembra bandas hippies, que curto muito. Espero que seja. 1. Oloco, música já fez dar aquela balançada na cabeça, da hora. 2. Incrível que quando tu vê que uma música puxa aquele ritmo clássico do rock dos anos 50, tu vai ver o título da música ou algo da letra e ele cita "Rock" HAUUHAUHA As músicas começam com um som massa, da hora de ouvir, bem a distorção hippie. Mas logo se tornam repetitivas. Dá pra ver que é bem a vibe woodstock mesmo, só meter umas notas muito louca pra galera nas dorgas pirar e achar que eles são bons músicos improvisando qualquer coisa. Eu ia dar 2 estrelas, mas como eu realmente curto essa vibe, vou dar 3.
Oxi, álbum com apenas 6 músicas, e velhão também, 1968. Já desde a primeira música, a pegada da banda me lembrou um pouco Deep Purple, e julgando pelas idades e semelhanças, talvez essa banda até tenha sido inspiração pro Deep Purple e pra muitos outros, quem sabe. (Pesquisei aqui e, de fato, aparentemente alguns até consideram essa banda a primeira banda de heavy metal do mundo) E ao longo do álbum de fato vai dando essa percepção de que esse som é familiar, mesmo nunca tendo ouvido essa banda antes. Acho que talvez isso seja uma boa evidência de que esse álbum deve ter sido importante e fundamental para o que temos hoje. Apesar de que ele em sí ainda soa muito bagunçado, como se eles ainda tivessem juntando ideias aleatórias e tentando construir algo novo com aquilo, que provavelmente é exatamente o que está acontecendo. Mais tarde isso possibilitaria músicas épicas, mas por enquanto ainda parece só uma bagunça danada mesmo, bem... cru e primitivo, eu diria. É complicado avaliar álbuns assim.. Apesar de eu não ter curtido as músicas, dado a importância delas, soa injusto dar a mesma nota que outros álbuns que não significaram nada, então vou nas 3 estrelas mesmo. Mas se esse álbum fosse de 10 ou 20 anos depois, provavelmente seria 2 estrelas.
Interesting “between genres” vibes at first but then got too overly Hendrixian and metal.
just so.
Accidentally spoiled it with some global reviews. I like this phrasing: "stands out more because of when it happened than what it's doing." The drummer was going crazy a lot of the time but keeps a darn good metronome. Respect.
AJ: more bluesy San Fransychodelica. Wiki says they were an early influence on metal, can see that. These kids were on the pot.
This is one of the most blown out and outrageously fuzzy albums I've heard from the 60's so far. But I'm not gonna lie. I have definitely heard more interesting, and just flat out better psych rock before. This feels a little bit like a one trick pony type of deal. Because this is such an early, primitive form of heavy metal, the guitar overwhelms everything else, and the bass and drums kind of fall behind in comparison. And every song sounds like this. It is just a little overwhelming at some points when all you are hearing is this spine shaking guitar blowing everything out. Rating: 5/10
I thought Black Sabbath invented heavy metal, but this predates Sabbath's debut by two years. Like that record, this is heavy blues and still sounds good today. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Summertime Blues Date listened: 11/10/23
US proto blues metal. They're no Sabbath! However I like the narrow vision of basic hard blues. Bet they were great live
That was impressive for the time
Cream en moins bien imho
more like blue cheese lol (cramptés)
Considering this was released at the beginning of 1968, these guys are rocking pretty hard. 3.5 stars.
Ooh that's an album you can smell isn't it. Noodly guitar psychedelia.
Wow, totally unhinged heavy rock. Summertime Blues really sets the scene. Doctor Please is a trip unto itself.
Not gonna lie I was little afraid seeing another psychedelic genre album but that was a nice surprise.
Sounds very much like Hendrix or Cream to me, not sure why it has any more right to be "early heavy metal" than either of those. Nothing wrong with it.
hmm not for me
Instantly this made me think of the Stones but based on the dates maybe some of that influence went both directions
I dug the overall vibe of this, though I wish the songwriting was a bit more interesting. But for three guys, they sure make a fuck-ton of noise, which I can appreciate.
Guitar go brrrrr
Certainly not bad, but it would be far from my first choice if I wanted to listen to hard rock from this era. The guitar work is well done, and I can appreciate how this would have sounded novel and creative at the time. Unfortunately, it's not the sort of album that has held up well over time.
Geluisterd aan de waterkant. Soms erg lekker, soms net iets er over qua chaos. Niet erg memorabel.
Proto heavy metal. It's pretty average, though.
This felt like the lovechild of Cream and Black Sabbath, in a good way. Everything on this record felt like just heavy psychedelic rock, but a lot of it felt very rough and unpolished, like a band first coming into their own. The first two cover tracks in particular were the best here, as they already were established songs which they put their ideas on, like a paint by numbers where you decide to choose your own colors. The rest of the record sort of suffers from the songwriting not being that good, but the talent was there.
Starts off great, but kind of hard to miss when the first two songs are covers. Solid covers. Got me jamming for sure. The rest is kind of nice, reminds me of Hendrix a lot, but sloppier. There is a distinct underproduced way it sits in your ears when using headphones, but I overlook that easily. It's got some nice sounds, the songwriting could use some help I think, and some parts could have ended sooner I think. I don't know. It's OK. 3.
Du bon vieux rock, la touche blues se prend bien. Clairement on comprends l'aspect précusseur metal de leur musique car ça sonne définitivement lourd pour l'époque. Un bon classique à revisiter. 7/10
A no filler bluesy rock album. Pretty solid.
Seeing that it inspired better music down the line, it's pretty good. But, on it's own, just middle of the road. Definitely not going to my regular rotation.
Blues based rock and roll with stripped down production.
I guess they got there first but it really reminds me of Led Zeppelin. Not sure if i'd listen to this again.
Hard album to rate. Influential, sure. Good? Not really. Vocal recording sucks, lyrics aren't good. Can see how this is sort of going to be what heavy rock/metal will be, but not something that's as good as others that were doing it just slightly later.
Can hear the early metal ideas, goes hard but isn’t too long
I thought this was great. So bluesy. I really can’t believe they don’t get played on classic rock stations. Maybe it’s just a bit too old but I love the blues.
It was okay, doubt I’ll listen to it again though.
It's certainly Bluesey and certainly Heavy. Without the 'was it the first Heavy Metal album?' questions it's an enjoyable record to listen to- not especially well played, sung or produced but I think they stumbled onto something that caught on. Good for them.
Doctor Please vond ik het beste nummer. De mix is vrij muddy en vocals torenen er een beetje boven uit. Kon dit album wel waarderen, zoals de wiki zei is het een van de eerste metal albums en cool om te horen hoe het van bluesy naar harder gaat
Wikipedia told me that this had been placed in a list if the 40 greatest metal albums of all time. Interesting, I thought. I liked a bit of metal back in the 80s, I'll see what's on the list. Hmmm... I mean, the list has some nice records on it. But it's also got a Rate album on it - and Ratt were objectively utter shite. I bought that album when I was deluded and young. If it's on this list it'll get a 1. And, oh help me Mrs Medlicott I don't know what to do, there's a Motley Crue album on the list as well... So, yeah, inclusion on that list is clearly no indicator of even half decentness, let alone greatness. I can see, maybe, why this might have been quite important in the history of the genre. But it's not great really is it? The bluesy stuff is better - I disliked the cover of Summertime Blues because it was really quite boring, but preferred the version of Rock me baby. Overall I tolerated it. I wouldn't necessarily skip a tune if it came up, but I'll never go searching for it again - I'd rather listen to some early Rush or Quo.
Interesting - what Black Sabbth would sound like if they did the blues? Also reminds me a little bit of Stray.
Kinda mid, sounded like an average rock band. Not too bad.
I first heard of Blue Cheer in a documentary titled Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. They were identified as the first "heavy metal" band. Their music was the beginnings of a tangent away from psychadelic rock and blues rock of the 60's, and the start of a heavier, fuzzier, overdriven heavy metal style. Apparently, they also played their music super, super loud, which is metal AF. This is the first time I've ever listened to anything of theirs with the exception of Summertime Blues. The vocals were yelled more than sang, the instruments were thrashed upon, and there wasn't a hell of a lot of talent aside from knowing blues scales, but this was a hell of a record all the same. Overall, this was revolutionary. These guys were way ahead of their time! Shortly after this came out, Black Sabbath started doing their thing, and the rest is history. Although this wasn't my favourite album, it is a piece of history, so points for that! Favourite songs: Summertime Blues, Rock Me Baby, Parchment Farm, Out of Focus, Doctor Please Least favourite songs: Second Time Around 3/5
Has a very garage rock sound to it, it’s cool but didn’t keep my interest too much. Also not my favorite version of summertime blues but overall cool album
I thought the length of the songs were good and overall the album got through speedily and efficiently. I think that for being an album that helped inspire many hardcore rock ones, it was a little bit of a letdown, but all in all it wasn’t bad in any way.
eh probably like 2.5? A little psychedelic never hurt I guess.
ehhh
It's an enjoyable racket, sort of Hendrixy pounding but it doesn't feel like it has a huge amount of direction, necessarily. Everything lasted about 2 minutes longer than you'd like, which is tough on a 30 minute album.
it was ok. nothing too ambitious but it never overstayed its welcome. always glad to hear blues influence throughout!
Strong 6/10
Heavier Psych Rock than expected, not bad but nothing really stands out
Certainly one of the contenders for first heavy metal band (tm) summertime blues is an excellent reworking of one of the top 20 songs of the rock era. Ok, the who did it first, but blue cheer slowing it down gave it a certain something. The rest of the album is less assured - they’re trying for something new, but not quite getting it. To be fair, they’re in uncharted waters and we’re listening with massive hindsight. Still I prefer the kinks, the who, cream, yardbirds, sabbath, cream and zeppelin as pioneers.
Immediately reminds me of Jimi Hendrix and Deep Purple. Overall a pretty solid album and I can definitely hear the early heavy metal sounds that this album helped discover. Enjoyable listen, but not too much more than that for me.
Pretty solid feedback rock. I dig it but it does become a bit much after awhile.
eh
En extrapoäng för att dom var så jävla tidiga med metal-soundet.
Sounds just like the cover art. I like the opening cover song, a fun interpretation. Otherwise seemed pretty pedestrian occasionally wandering into long and boring territory. But I guess that's actually a complement that their overall sound became so mainstream. The album is fine, 2.5 stars, and probably does belong on this list.
So much electric guitar 😬
It was ok, pretty heavy and different for the era
👍
Bon blues lourd. Certaines paroles misogynes plus difficiles à avaler