Reviews (page 6 of 7)
Not my style
Nothing special.
Proto heavy metal just does not do anything for me at all
Not my style, I didn't really enjoy it.
sounded fun to play, but not so much to listen to.
some classic tunes that I don't need to hear for a long time.
2.5
The opening couple of tracks were not bad and the last called "Second Time Around" is interesting to a certain degree, but for the most of the duration, I could not feel that the record is a GOAT. I'll call "Rock Me Baby" my fav on this album and give it two stars; the punk/use of dissonance did not really deliver.
Not for me
I like the immediate sound of this more than the overall end result. In other words, if you took a random two second snippet, I'd say it would sound like it would come from a song I'd like, but in this case, it doesn't. I like the fuzzy guitar tone, but the songs are too unstructured.
Not bad psychedelic rock from the 60s. It has a decent feel, but there is something uninspiring by about it. Perhaps I’ve been inundated by those who have done it better.
Some interesting but not very good songs after Summertime Blues which was better. 2 stars or D+.
If Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath birthed good metal, but bad metal exists, it must follow that bad metal came from somewhere outside of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Pretty sure Aristotle said that. I think we’ve found the ur-bad metal.
It kinda bored me. It was ok though.
Alright background music
4/10
Boring, wanky bullshit.
i have no problem believing this was important and influential at the time, now it's just kind of limp and unremarkable
Sounds like 17yo cream and Jimi fanboys fooling and fumbling with electric guitars and drums 2.2
Not the worst but not really that memorable.
Not very interesting.
Did they invent metal before Sabbath? I don’t think so, I found it to be a dull bluesy album that hasn’t got much production value.
Obviously a historic album but I just didn't enjoy it that much. It's definitely Blues, I can see the beginnings of heavy metal maybe? But I think blues rock just maybe isnt my thing
This was a pretty grating album. Like the worst parts of psychedelic rock with all of the dissonant screetching. A genre I normally turn to but have no desire to play this again. 3.5/10 (1.75/5)
I don‘t know why I put off listening to this for so long, but i finally did. It started promising but damn, it turned into a slog really quickly. I listened to it twice and each listen felt significantly longer than the half hour it actually took. This is too unfocussed, too raw (but also kind of limp), too… meh, overall. I guess this was ahead of its time in some regards and it is always different to judge an album 60 years after release but man… what a slog.
Different
I did not begin the 1001 albums to listen to this.
Used to be a big fan of classic rock, but there is a reason why no one speaks of this band or album any longer 68k listeners a month on Spotify.
Solid (Hard-)rock but nothing that would hook me anymore nowadays.
This was just... fine. It sounded good but I didn't feel anything while listening to it. Maybe I just don't "get it" but it was meh and I definitely didn't need to hear this album
First song great. The rest is a lot of noise
Basic blues rock. Solid cover of summertime blues, but the original is better.
Ok
I can see how this album was influential to the heavy metal genre - I can hear elements of Deep purple here, but I don't really like rock n roll and if this was self-penned I may be a bit forgiving, however only three of the six tracks here were written by a member of the band. Hmm
I guess this is here for historicity, but I'm not quite seeing it. Jimi Hendrix's first album came out the year before which had the guitar sounds but with infinitely better playing, songs, and singing. And The Who were already well into their career. Having a somewhat heavier distortion on its own doesn't seem like a big deal but I guess I'm missing something here.
Loud and bluesy.
They trying their best to sound hip, but it’s just sloppy and unoriginal. Wasn’t interested throughout, but there were multiple times I got annoyed. 2/5
Respect them for defining the genre of heavy metal, and making something that contrasts with the time of music it was made in. However, is this album good? No. Rock Me Baby was a pretty neat track; however, the rest felt a bit lacking, which is fine because this is a radical album for the time, so that I won't complain.
Pretty boring, like a lot of the albums of this era. A worse version of what their peers were doing.
The first Heavy Metal album. OK, I guess? I'm not getting Heavy Metal here, but the covers - which is half the album, are certainly hard rock with a big blues influence.
This was a promising album from descriptions but failed to live up to being the birth of Heavy Metal. Aside from a song or two which stood out, it wasn't enough to make this an album that could be listened to again.
Quite a decent album. Nice riffs and blues notes throughout. Obv holds historical significance as a precursor to heavy metal. Favourite tracks: Summertime Blues & Rock me Baby. 2.5/5
Not good
So this is part of the base for metal? I was not moved by this music. I generally do not dig metal. Closest I get is Black Sabbath, then Ozzie's Blizzard album. I'm sure there are others, but overall, not my genre.
Jarenzestigpunk. Dus expres klooien en bestaande nummers vernaggelen (luister voor het idee even naar het origineel van Summertime Blues van Eddie Cochran). Net een beetje interessanter dan jarentachtigpunk, maar 31 minuten is ook hier wel weer genoeg van.
Wat punk, wat jazz/blues, wat jaren '60. De losse nummers zijn niet bijster interessant, maar door de variatie is het nog wel ok. Bijna aan het eind zat het op een 2,5. Nog net een vergeetbare 3. Maar door het laatste nummer (1/5 van het album) slaat het om naar een slecht geheel.
Bij het horen van de eerste klanken moet ik gelijk denken aan bands als Iron Butterfly, van die boomer hardrock die we alleen nog af en toe horen bij de top2000. De wiki wil ons laten geloven dat dit een van de grondleggers was van de heavy metal, maar van Blue Cheer hebben we nog nooit gehoord, terwijl als je doorklikt op 'heavy metal' er dan 3 namen komen: Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath en Deep Purple. En die namen zijn zelfs bekend voor Gen Z. Wat Blue Cheer 'heavy' maakte, was met name het volume, dat stond blijkbaar op standje gehoorschade. Je hoort er al wel iets van terug op dit album. Je kan natuurlijk zelf aan de volumeknop draaien, maar alles ademt wel dat ze zo hard mogelijk willen spelen. Dit is dus een band die als hoofdact moest spelen, want live acts hebben altijd zo'n irritante gewoonte dat de hoofdact op een hoger volume speelt dan de support acts. Verschrikkelijk irritant is dat, dat je per se oordoppen mee moet nemen. Maar goed, over naar de muziek maar weer. Qua gitaarriffjes heeft het iets weg van Jimi Hendrix, maar dan zonder de virtuositeit. Vervolgens zingt de zanger er overheen als een mannelijke Janis Joplin. Ondanks dat ik het volume niet op maximaal heb staan, doet het desondanks toch een beetje pijn aan de oren. Qua muziek zou ik dit op zich wel kunnen waarderen normaal gesproken, maar het is fysiek gewoon vermoeiend. Het is daarom lastig hoeveel sterren ik er aan moet geven. Soms luister je dan nog een keer naar een album, maar daar ga ik me hier niet aan wagen, al vond ik het wel geinig om dit te ontdekken. Ergens tussen de 2 en de 3 in, de waan van de dag bepaalt hoe ik het afrond.
Won't be listening again
Heavy.
Thoughts before listening: A lot of people say these guys invented heavy metal. I'm expecting loud, distorted guitars playing psychedelic blues based rock. Should be awesome. Review: Starts off with a cover of "Summertime Blues" which is a song with a lot of cover versions. This is a pretty good one. Lots of chugging guitars and cool little guitar fills. The recording quality sucks though. Thats true throughout this album where the music sounds like it could be great for what it is, heavy blues rock, but the recording quality is abysmal. That means you have to really crank up the speakers which while that may be the point, isn't something I necessarily want to have to do. I'd give this 3-stars based on the music and history as a big influence on hard rock/heavy metal, but the recording is so bad I'm giving this 2-stars.
I was pleased to see a 32 minute album, but then disappointed that it felt twice as long! Favourite track Summertime Blues, a cover.
Found this a difficult listen. And not so sure why this is so influential as an album. Both Hendrix and Cream were playing this style of heavy blues guitar, and much better at it as well. Can't think why this deserves more than 2 stars.
It wasn’t bad it’s just abrasive and not for me
Forgettable blues rock
It’s an easy and short album. I actually listened to it four or five times, and it grew on me a bit. It didn’t really feel that old, and I liked the melodies of most songs. Then I did a bit of research, and I found I like Summertime Blues by Eddie Cochran more..Blue Cheer changed it a lot but it still hit differently when you knew there was an original which was better. And many sound tracks are not synced..I get that the technology was not there yet.. but at least make it less obvious..
High 2, low 3. Cool to hear what is credited as the first metal album, but it was just fine. Wouldn’t seek out again.
I'm not sure how an album that is only 32 minutes can feel so long. I like bits and pieces of it, but most of the time I'm just thinking "Oh, we're doing this again I see". This is really close to a 1 for me.
Would not listen again; first couple of songs were ok but the rest not my thing; high two?
Sounds like a metal cover band of The Who. Can’t stop hearing Roger Daltrey. Fun for beers and a chuckle.
Vincebus Eruptum was the debut album from Blue Cheer, and is regarded as one of the first, if not the first, heavy metal album. Blue Cheer's over-amplified, bass heavy cover of "Summertime Blues" could be described as a one-hit wonder, but the song, and this album, was quite influential to down-play as "one hit." The band laid down the elements of a heavy metal band - distorted guitar solos, driving bass lines, and near-screaming vocals. They created a great sound, but didn't create a particularly great collection of songs.
Just because something was first doesn't mean it is the best. I understand this being included for historical purposes but it isn't really very good.
When thinking about different singular aspects of this album, it seems like I should like it. The guitar playing often felt very Hendrix. The vocals often sounded very Robert Plant. And yet, I found myself getting bored and not particularly paying much attention as the album played through. Perhaps on a different day I’d have enjoyed this more, but my best rating after one listen is that it was fine. It wasn’t bad, but not exactly great either.
Unemployment line Jimi Hendrix
Fine for what it is.
I bet this was amazing in '68 when it first got released, but in 2025, its a dusty remnant of the past. Summertime Blues is still cool, but the rest is a product of a time and didn't age that well. 2⭐
If you took the first 3 minutes of each song this'd be fine. Every song seems to finish with some mad noodling but it's not particularly musical noodling. Compare with Neil Young's Everybody Knows This is Nowhere for an example of a similar kind of thing but executed much better. By contrast this album feels a bit like listening to some guys jamming in one of their basements. Or a pub band maybe. They're clearly enjoying themselves but it doesn't really do anything for me
This was not the best music I've ever heard. In fact, far from it. It wasn't absolutely awful, but it was pretty eh. 5/10
This feels more historically important than enjoyable to listen to. It's really interesting proto-metal, but I got bored and tired by the end of the album.
Starts and ends reasonably well (emphasis on reasonably) and some nice guitars but unfortunately overall just found it quite dull.
🎧This is poorly recorded and not very good.
summertime blues 3/5 rock me baby 2/5 doctor please 2/5 out of focus 2/5 parchment farm 3/5 secon time around 2/5
2.5/5. I was not very impressed.
Didn't do it for me. It was okay at best.
meh. once again not a lot of vocals
Interesting for the novelty of it being the first hard rock album (supposedly). But it didn’t do much for me personally. 2/5
This is tough for me. I can appreciate that it’s historically an important album as a progenitor for “heavy metal,” but I don’t like metal and I can’t stand blues rock. So none of this does anything for me. It might be more powerful if the recording were better, or if I were alive when it came out. But listening to it now… it’s pretty flabby, the drummer needs more practice, and it’s just freaking boring. Blooz lick after blooz lick, “Awwww yeah babyyy!!” Led Zeppelin type stuff. And yeah I don’t like Led Zeppelin either. There are a couple of sections that leave blues behind, though, and almost get into 80s indie punk territory with how they repeat, and droning guitar, bass and drum line. Those kick it up from 1 to 2 stars.
Meh.
I straight up like the rock'n'roll versions of these songs way more than what's in this album.
It sounds like something from the 70s! Can recognise the mastery with the guitar, but not my favourite style
I'm all for a jam sesh, but this was a little too half hazard for me, 2/5
I'd think Vincebus Eurptum would have all the makings of something I'd enjoy, I mean, it has the fuzzy, heavy and psychedelic sound that defined a lot of proto-heavy metal and generally I think it has a neat heavy sound (if the fact that it's upload on streaming sounds kinda weird which clearly seems like this should be played Mono, especially because my left ear did not like having a feedbacky guitar screech for 30 mins without any balance to it), but all the songs just blend in so much I can barely tell what's what besides the Opener, which is really good. Just kinda forgettable but interesting if you like noise rock or metal
Meh.
bored...
Another day, another album on this list claiming to be the birth of heavy metal. Maybe I’m just getting old but it just felt a bit muddled and focused on making unmelodic noise to be anything particularly interesting. I’ve never played the guitar and yet I feel if someone handed me one I could probably just move my hands over it for 5 minutes and come out with some similar nondescript noise! Just felt a bit pointless. And gave me the start of a headache. Don’t think I’ll be listening again any time soon.
It may be the origin of heavy metal (stateside) but Sabbath did it better. An interesting piece of music history.
Lacks the excitement of other lofi projects in the 60s and the ambition of later sludge metal LPs Favourite Track: Out of Focus Least Fav Track: Rock Me Baby
2.5
Sounded like 60’s heavy metal meets blues
2* boring
Fairly amusing
Add this to the list of albums that I really like the production on, but feel like the vocals reduce my enjoyment of.
Probably super important in the history of rock (and maybe even metal), but it doesn't do it for me at all.
Electric blues stripped to its most basic elements, and I mean that in terms of instrumentation, songwriting and recording quality. Feels longer than its 32 minutes.
Sounds like a jam session with the boys! Nothing stood out to me
i listened yesterday but it felt like nothing special tbh
2.5
It is usually fun to discover the pioneers of new ideas and see exactly when some genres might have been born. Unfortunately, most of the time these are not that great outside of their context and were quickly overtaken by their successors. The same thing can be said here. While it's good to listen and know, it doesn't really do anything for me and I can't imagine picking it up again any time in the near future. Hard to rate it - 2.5/5 as a neutral rating
So the 'first heavy metal album' started with two cover songs followed by two songs that took ten minutes to write. Still, they got it out a full year before Led Zeppelin 1, but a year after 'Are you experienced' and there's massive Hendrix influence in here. Seems meandering though. 2 stars, can understand why people might like it, but don't want it.
This didn't catch my attention even once.
While listening to this all I could think of was that this sounds like some crappy local band who had just enough juice to be popular on the local bar/bowling alley circuit and who peaked when they went on a tour of more bars and bowling alleys four or five towns over.
Nothing stands out about this
The year is 2004. You're 14, and headed to your buddy Tim's house for a sleepover. Gonna watch Lord of the Rings and gorge on some pizza. Tim shows you in through his garage. Tim's dad, let's call him Rolph, has a band. They're practicing in the garage. The three of them are a combined 13 Michelob Ultras deep. It's 7 pm. You like music, so you strike up a conversation with Rolph, wherein he says something to the extent of, "Yeah we're really just trying to keep rock n roll alive man. I think we're pretty solid, kind of just waiting on our big break. There's still an audience for our sound." Rolph is very much aware of his age, but he leaves that out of the conversation. Rolph is 54. He is the lead guitarist (the bassist sings) and plays an Ibanez Joe Satriani Signature model run through of 2 Marshall Stacks. The band is called Demon Resistance. It's fucking cool. You nod and accept what he's telling you. Maybe you even compliment the band's sound. You're really into bands like Led Zeppelin and Cream, and they sound a lot like those guys. Rolph throws you guys 20 bucks and says, "Have fun fellas." Then you go inside and proceed to order your pizza. That's the last you see of Rolph, even though you hear the practice continue until about 10. You fall asleep halfway through Two Towers. Anyway if Rolph's band ever made a studio album I'd bet it would sound like this one.
I get that it's innovative but it's not for me
too "frickly" and noisy for my taste
this is one of those albums that allegedly helped usher in an important genre, but the artifact itself is so underwhelming and even sometimes bad that i'm just like ugh. UGH. BLERG.
welp, this was pretty bad. i almost gave it one star but given that it's responsible for influencing the sound of a bunch of bands i actually like, i concede that it may hold an important place in history. unfortunately, it sounds like it was recorded on the same cheapo amp i used when i was learning guitar in middle school, and played with about the same level of skill and songwriting prowess. blech. favorites: summertime blues (which is a cover, of course)
Not my thing
Started with a surprise cover, ended with disappointment.
A little rough around the edges for me.
frabær timi þegar allir vildu hljoma eins og bitlarnir
Old school cool. A very heavy sound with nice rythms. They switch from some kind of proto-metal in one song to a heavy blues in the next. This was an interesting listen but not something I will go back to anytime soon.
mid
2.5 - it's mostly okay, but sometimes it's just annoying, like near the end.
..
The album has more signifcance for its time than quality. Summertime Blues is a good song and they cover it quite well here. The rest is incredibly boring. None of the other 7 tracks are any good, and it’s a chore to get through
Steppenwolf trifft Stoner-Rock. Scheint mir eher für die Musikgeschichtsinteressierten spannend zu sein.
not my style i guess
I'm surprised that I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. I like a lot of the elements in this album but I found it kinda boring and sloppy (this coming from someone who loves the fuzziness of most garage rock). I don't know man, maybe it just sounds so much like other hard rock/early metal/ bluesy bands of the 70s to me?? Favorite song: Summertime Blues Least favorite: Doctor Please Knew before? No
One of the early forerunners of heavy metal, but certainly not as interesting as what came after. Droning and repetitive.
Started strong, and I was hopeful of more of the same. But what I thought was going to be a bit of fun, psychedelic rock devolved into more noise pollution and clunky rhythms behind vocals that were more akin to an alley cat wailing on a hot summer night.
My score has wavered from a generous 4 to a more realistic 3 to a, perhaps, even more realistic 2. Blue Cheer have got that sixties Cream / Hendrix sound but unfortunately they don't have the musicality. Some of the guitar solos made me wince. And I don't like the singers voice, which is always the nail in the coffin for me liking one of these albums. So, overall I like the tone but not the music and probably won't listen to this again.
Boring blues rock album
On paper this should tick a lot of boxes, yest I found it a bit soulless.
Ekki mjög spennandi. Feður þungarokksins? Má vera en 2,5.
This didn't make it onto the Garage band compilations I was listening to in the early 00s. Plus I already have Guitar Wolf's ridiculously loud cover of Summertime Blues. But whereas that's balls to the wall silliness, this is more chunky and slow, not in a bad way. The next cover, (presumably BB King?) is chunky blues rock, not my bag. None of the originals really stand out. It's garage rock so it's entertaining enough but basically ephemeral.
This was a rough listen, literally. The audio quality is notably just rough. I can respect what these fellas achieved but the entire album felt like a chore. Best - Summertime Blues Worst - Doctor Please, Parchment Farm, and Second Time Around 2.50/5
Rough and ready ponderous blues rock from an overrated pub band.
Either this band influenced a significant number of classic rock bands or they're decent at imitating other bands styles. 2/5
A little too old school for me
Hey, what if we put everything through a fuzz pedal and recorded this with a potato?
Summertime Blues - one song - a career. There was never anything more, and there's nothing more on this album.
Not my taste
Meh. Felt like a record you recorded in your garage right after you learned how to play guitar and got obsessed with playing Jimi Hendrix poorly.
Yay drugs! Summertime Blues is okay.
This felt so much longer than 32 minutes. I guess it was the mix of the sludgy, distorted rock sound with some of the long instrumental breaks thrown in. I would say that there is some merit to this album basically laying the foundation of what would become the "heavy metal" sound, but it was a bit of a mess otherwise.
That was definitely one of the albums of all time
Ruined by too much proggy guitar noodling
Just kind of blends in with others like it.
vincebus eruptum blue cheer 1968 1. summertime blues: 3.5/10 2. rock me baby: 3/10 3. doctor please: 4.5/10 4. out of focus: 6/10 5. parchment farm: 4.5/10 6. second time around: 3.5/10 overall rating: 4,1/10
i support animal testing, throw this one to the litter of piglets
a little more harsh than Foo for me...
Kinda glad this one was only 30 min. Something about it just didn't sit well with my ears.
Solid 3, enjoyment is a 2.
For as long as Black Sabbath has been the "first" metal band, there have been many music nerds attempting to stake a claim in which band was actually the "first". Summertime Blues certainly has a certain heaviness to it, especially with the guitar solo that attempts to melt face, but I find it falls just short of being a proper metal song. Blue Cheer feels like a less-realized version of the Jimi Hedrix Experience. It's fairly competent blues/acid rock for the '60s but it's also not that good either. Is it influential? Probably, but that doesn't mean I have to love it.
Bluesrock, but not smooth and nice dirty, more like metal and drums…4/10
--- its scronchy music its very in my right ear I don't like how it's mixed. the drums are too far away and the bpm just doesn't seem like it's bpming. if this was mono it'd be fine, but it isn't. skrunkley funky weird drums no like nice vocals tho again strange bpm overall not fun bpm not fun if this came on in a shop I would go out of my way to stop and say what on earth. no fun
Could have been a Cream album, pretty good high 2.
noisy
There are way too many of these Blues-goes-Psychedellic albums on this list. All I hear on this one is fuzz guitar and an absence of high frequencies. Not to mention talent. There isn't anything interesting on the album. Move on, nothing to see here. 2/5
i like the sound, but nothing makes me want to go back to it over other psych rock of the era
Sorry my dear sashay away. I wouldn't say I like these music :(
I don’t understand this album or band. The band covers songs from the 60s and 70s and, although the guitarist is not bad, it doesn’t seem like it this needed to be made. 2/5.
2 droney jammy rock
Очень круто, что вот эти дядьки в 68-ом году играли хард рок, который в целом в то же время играли и другие знаменитые группы, и вот у тех знаменитых групп даже есть какая-то уникальная фишка, тогда как эта музыка звучит... Ну, в общем, мне не понятно, чем этот альбом выделяется на фоне большой тройки, кроме географии по другую сторону океана. Выйди этот альбом чуточку позже - никто бы и не заметил. Лучшая песня - Summertime Blues.
I hadn't heard of the group before. The album may have been the starting signal for heavy metal, but from today's perspective it seems rather boring. I won't be listening to the album or the band again any time soon. 2/5
I know I had a copy of this album years ago. Hearing it again makes me remember why I got rid of it. It’s a turning point in heavy rock, no doubt. Its influence on stoner, punk, psych and doom metal is totally there. It’s heavy, the bass sounds great, BUT, it’s not really all that interesting to listen to repeatedly. If it’s this or Sir Lord Baltimore or The Stooges? I’m choosing SLB or Iggy.
Well, that was a waste of time. I don't know who this noisy mess is for. It has the sound and distortion, but it lacks anything catchy or interesting.
This is too noisy for me, and some riffs feel repetitive to the point of being annoying.
Started off pretty solid but towards the end I was repeatedly looking to see how much longer I had to endure
I'm sure it was sensational and revolutionary when it came out, but thru a 2024 lens it just sounds a bit overblown and full of cliche - even if it was one of the originals, there's a reason this isn't up there with Zep and Cream
Loud and distorted. Musically not that impressive and some of the songs just dragged on. Recognized a couple of songs, but still didn’t think it was that good. 2/5 Won’t listen again
joa, für die sehr frühe Zeit ganz nett, aber auch anstrengend
2 - Boring. It's just not really the kind of music I like.
descubrimiento. no destacan al lado de cream o jimi hendrix
Put this album on in the background, turn the volume down a bit, and chill with your favorite drink and some friends. It's perfect for hanging out and chatting.
Not really much to like here. The music here is mostly heavy blues which was a precursor to metal music, but you’re much better off listening to early Black Sabbath than this. Half of the songs are covers which really just aren’t good. And the originals aren’t any better: soulless singing, uninspired guitar and drum solos, just all around mediocre. As a proto-metal album, I can see why this was included, but I’m really glad that Black Sabbath and others developed the genre into much more interesting music.
Proto metal with a missing link between blues and 60s acid rock. Well that sounded interesting. I think it's more accurate to call this 30-40 minutes of three people recording band practice. There's no cohesion or groove here. Every time I started to half like a track, it meandered away into needless guitar antics. Some of the playing was really bad, not in a raw/ live fashion, just bad. I feel like this should have been something I enjoyed, but I didn't - 2 stars.
Hmm
I appreciate the historical value of this album, but it did not make me eruptum with joy
Starts out strong and then fades really really quickly.
Not even the approach of White Boy Summer could make this sound good.
Fuck this album and especially fuck the guitarist
I liked the idea and sound of this album, but the execution was not very good. The songs just weren't enjoyable somehow. Also it sounded pretty bad. Not very well balanced for example; badly mixed and lots of screeching.
It's cool to hear early heavy metal but not really anything more than that. While I think early Black Sabbath still holds up, the best songs here are the two first tracks which are just covers with a heavy metal twist. Still pretty cool to here the origin of a whole genre.
Some really great guitar, licks, but nothing special. When I read the Wikipedia about the album, the idea is that this was a precursor to heavy metal, but before this or contemporary with this, you had Jimmy Hendrix “Purple Haze” you had Rolling Stones “paint it black”, you had Cream, so I don’t feel like this was really all that revolutionary or special
Pioneers of Heavy Metal made me want to like it but in the end it was just okay. Musically, it would be maybe a 3 or 4. Voice knocks it down to 2.
Felt like had some potential but missed badly.
That‘s not mine
one hit wonder.
Always nice to hear some of the earlier entries in what became a massive genre for decades to come and continues today; in this instance, hard rock/heavy metal. Although I'm not particularly compelled to come back to this album or this band, I appreciate what they were doing.
Their rendition of Rock Me Baby is criminally terrible. It should have disqualified them from ever recording another song. I get why this was chosen for the list, but it sucks and I don’t like listening to it.
The most impressive thing about Vincebus Eruptum is the year it was released. Before Deep Purple, Zeppelin and Sabbath and there is a lot to be said for that. But it didn’t do much for me. I can imagine in 1968 being way more impressed 5.4/10
Alright for something recorded in a swamp. Good instrumentation, lackluster songwriting
If this is where metal started, it's not where it landed. Interesting only because of what it could have influenced, not because it is in itself worth listening to.
This list is so bloated with this kind of shit.
I wasn't upset when it was done. Reminded me of Jimi Hendrix, but not as good
i know this is like extremely important for metal as a whole but it is just, like, badly mastered with not-great lyrics. disappointing
There are some decent songs trying to break out here, but it sounds like a bunch of high school kids trying to get together while they've dragooned their mate in to do the sound deskand he keeps playing with sliders trying to get a coherent sound. Meanwhile, the drummer's mother recorded it on a Dictaphone she was holding outside the room because they were playing too loud.
I think they're pretty good at their core, but there's quite a few messy parts that drag it down to a 2.
A little bit indulgent. Seems a bit like a stupid pastiche, despite the fact that it's from the actual era. Some of their sound is good, and I can tell they're influential. But they suck. 2 stars
Fairly unremarkable 60s fuzz rock. Summertime Blues was a nice surprise; I only knew of the Who version (which is better). It's hard to unpick the influence of a band of 60 years ago when I am so much more familiar with all the artists it has since influenced but to me, on two listens there was nothing I'd come back to.
On paper should be right up my alley. In practice my alley is already filled good and proper with what the MC5 and Stooges were doing at the time in this particular zone and listening to this just made me wish I was listening to that.
not for me
Production is pretty bad, but the song writing is... ok. Makes you appreicate what having a producer like Glyn Johns can do for a band.
Considered an early pioneer of what we now see as heavy metal, Vincebus Eruptum seems like an anomaly to me. I mean, it is said to have performed very well both critically and financially, yet unlike Black Sabbath, I've never heard a song off of this album, let alone this band in general. Now, I realize that is very self-centred of me, as I was not around to hear this album at release (not even close) but you'd think I'd at least here some hint of this album in passing. Perhaps an older, more rock-savvy uncle, or just from passing. Yet, I've heard nothing, nada, zilch, and once I actually sit down and listen to the album, I start to understand why. Black Sabbath were so iconic with their newfound genres because it was dark, it was demented, and it truly felt like something new was rising from Hell to take over your pot smoking-son's brain. This? This just feels like someone performing aimless, meandering blues rock with a blown out amp. The sound here doesn't feel like its an active choice that benefits the album, but rather an experiment that turned out in the band's favor. However, the lasting power fails to reach beyond that initial wave, and whilst it may have been something worth exploring in the year of 1968, more contemporary ears will find this pales in comparison to what came after it, and even before it, and while it deserves to be an important part of rock history, I feel outfits such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Black Sabbath have it covered.
whatever
3 2
Holy mother of distortion
pretty cool that these guys are considered the original hard rock band, but glad i wasn't around for the beginning because i wouldn't have liked it.
Meh.
Not my type of music
Not for me
Who wrote this list? Influential albums are not necessarily the best albums of a genre. They are often the first or early examples of the genre. Later albums and acts evolve the germ of an idea into the hugely popular thing that becomes its own genre. In this case, the genre is heavy metal. This may be the first or one of the first heavy metal albums. But by god, it is not one of the best.
imagine my disappointment when i spotted the extra E and it wasn't blue cher.
SHACK eats bees
Kannski tímamótaverk sem einhvers konar prótómetall, en Jesús, ekki er þetta skemmtilegt. Þetta er ekki það fráhrindandi að maður geti ekki haft þetta í gangi, en það verður aldrei betra en það.
I’m not musically inclined, but I’m pretty sure this band in not playing in tune with each other, maybe not even the same song. Also, the recording sounds distant and muted. I get the assignment, listen to 1001 albums of note and rate them. For me sitting here in 2023, this sounds like crap. For a teen in 55 years ago in 1968 who got their hands on this album it may have blown their minds. And I’m glad I listened as this album helps me understand the evaluation of heavy metal and props to the band for being informative, playing what and how they wanted…helping create a whole new style. One star for me for the music One star for innovation
Just felt like a Hendrix rip off of are you experienced
Wow! Kind of a crazy album with LOTS of drums. Really felt like an unrefined Sabbath or Zeppelin. Very raw and I can see why it influenced a lot of the metal/rock but it wasn’t very fun to listen to. Definitely recorded in the late 60’s.
An average pub band. Why is this on the list?
I get it, this is how we get to heavy metal. But this is also the third album I’ve had where someone covers Summertime Blues
Kinda scary. Kinda bad. Kinda jam
a couple jams but can't see coming back to it
5/10 Nice sound, lacking nice songs
It had its good moments, but overall this one was a flop for me. I found the repetitive vocals annoying along with at least half of the guitar solos: a bad combo for this genre!
Standard '60s blues with less impressive vocalist.
Not for me, 70's grungey
Feel like I’ve heard this album 100 different times by different artists.
I’m assuming this album is considered ahead of its time but that didn’t make it enjoyable to listen to. I don’t think you can say this is better than, or vastly different to cream or Hendrix who released albums the year before. I don’t really see the Sabbath comparisons either. They may have been an influence but the first sabbath album was darker and better produced and the songwriting was infinitely better. This just seemed like a blues rock album in comparison.
Yeah put this in the bin.
Didn't do it for me. Not much to say about it. Happy it exists, though. + Doctor Please
just meh...don't really enjoy proto metal all that much. This is basically more of the same. 1.5/5
As much as i like music from this era, this wasn't for me
No sublety about this. Loud, rocky, and ok i suppose. Banal lyrics though, and a feel of one trick ponies didn't endear them to me.
Meh. Nothing stood out to me.
one trick
Meh
Unexpected
The riffs aren't great and it all comes off like a Hendrix ripoff. I don't see how this album birthed heavy metal when Black Sabbath (and even Steppenwolf!) exists.
I’d never heard of this lot before and while it’s obvious that they were one of the progenitors of early Hard Rock then why have they not been quoted or played more. Possibly because they’re just not that interesting- I did like their cover of Summertime Blues and the album was mercifully short.
The first song is familiar and a classic and the second song reminded me of Led Zeppelin but all the songs after that were not good at all. I just read the Wikipedia review that said that this was the precursor of heavy metal so I guess that makes it something that should be listened to. Unless you are one of the people who doesn’t like heavy metal at all, in which case this would have been the album that a time traveler from the future would’ve gone back and destroyed so that heavy-metal never existed. So, while I am glad that this album existed for the future of heavy-metal, I still didn’t like it so much
Ok, I'm good with noisy rock, but this was tough. I get the historical significance — these guys were pioneers in the "ear-bleed-blues-rock" category. But a remedial take on the blues cranked up to 11 does not make for a great album. They pave all the nuance out of everything and leave a flat scorched earth in their wake. I kept thinking of Disaster Area, the loudest rock band in the galaxy (from The Hitchhiker's Guide) and wonder if Douglas Adams was thinking of these guys when he came up with that bit.
It’s like not liking trifle, but liking cake, jam, custard and cream separately. It’s not even that they don’t work together, there’s just not enough definition for me
Interesting, but not great.
Don’t remember it
# 39 : good thing it is only short, lots of noise of distorted riffs and heavy drumming. Not much of a song / album structure.
I was reading recently about Jimi Hendrix’s studio antics. Full of party people and revelry but a meticulous perfectionist to get the take he wanted. Feels like Blue Cheers had the party part nailed but not quite the same dedication to ensuring the quality of output.
Eh
Thank god this album was only 32 minutes because holy hell was that bad. Nonsensical "singing" and instrumentals all over the place. 3/10.
Just not a fan of metal
Första låten okej i alla fall.
Eh
Monotonous hippie junk.
Prototype heavy metal. Interesting artifact but there is a reason few people remember them.
Early (1981/2) MTV would play anything they could find which was amazing - so many early/60s clips from British music/variety shows I'd never heard of etc. and one was for "Summertime Blues" - what the hell, who are these old guys I'd never heard of who were doing a weird cover of that Who song from Live At Leeds (... being ~10, so I had little context)? I've never heard the entire album before today. Totally respecting that it was quite different from anything else at the time - not sure Sabbath could/would have developed their sound w/o these guys. So their (Eddie Cochran) cover of "Summertime Blues" for me is by far the best cut on the disc, the rest are just sorta there and not ... really great songs at all, but again I appreciate it's more about the heavy sound they brought - and it is cool to listen to in that vein. But 32 minutes is more than enough of the history lesson for this morning. 5/10 2 stars.
Good ideas, heavy for the time, but I didn’t love it. Didn’t find anything worth latching on to.
Dull and raw and too loud. May have been influential then but it's well outlived any enjoyability or usefulness it may have once had.
I think it was ok just kinda forgettable
Its almost like a parody of the times. Didn't hold up well.
Is this anything other than someone yelling over very generic guitar riffs? Oh wait, it included a long drum solo. Now I'm definitely totally impressed.
Ok
A musical education for me. The first few tracks are ok...but.... Sounds a lot like 1968 Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix, (could it be they had the same peddles and guitars?)so.... Blue Cheer is, for me, unheard of... and I have no idea how this was called Heavy Metal. Different times. Anyway. It's ok, as a historical album. But not listening again... Only can only listen to so many guitar solos.... 3 stars tops. 2.5 maybe.
2/5
Ok album but not my thing
This band influenced a lot of better ones. Much better ones. I feel like I should like it, but I really don't like it at all. Respect for the influence factor but I found this a chore to get through. It could've easily been a 1 for me.
⭐ Parchment Farm
I had never heard of this band. It's fine, doesn't grab me at all. I guess it's on hear because it's supposedly one of the first "heavy metal" albums. I am not a bluesmen at all, and this is just way too bluesy for me. It has a rawness to it, which I certainly appreciate, but this does not grab me at all.
It's an early example of heavy music, but it might be the worst example of early heavy music. Dickie Peterson brags that he wrote Doctor, Please in 10 minutes. It shows.
Extremely mid
ihan hyvä albumi jonka pilaa aika erittäin paska laatu. ei aina ole huonoksi esimerkiksi hipitus hopituksessa joskus mutta elektroninen kitara ei maistu näin, spotifyssä ei koko albumia mutta ei säväyttänyt tarpeeksi ettå metsästäisin loput...(kertoo varmaan jotain heh(että ei hyvä albumi siis(heh))) parchment farm
This is kind of a mess. It really is a proto record. But it should just be remembered for that. At least it's short.
I'm glad it was short! I do sometimes love face-melting noise, but it has to the right kind of song, topic, style, and genre for that to be my thing. This wasn't it.
Back half is better. Mixing was bad. Can hear what they are going for and I am sure it was new at the time but probably wouldn't listen again
As someone who enjoys metal, I was hoping to like this. Unfortunately, it is terribly boring. It doesn’t help that the drums are tinny and the bass lacks any presence at all.
HL: "Parchment Farm", "Summertime Blues", "Second Time Around" On one hand, almost the whole album has this muddy, gross quality to it, which started to feel one-note. Even its breakthrough cover of "Summertime Blues" (which I've listened to a couple of times earlier this year) is something I can only enjoy in small doses. I did however, start to groove to this album by the final drum + bass solos, turning off my brain, not trying to measure its influence on later metal & punk albums. Y'know, just enjoying 3 musicians shredding in the studio. December 21 2022, the frigid winter solstice
I get why this was on the list, but it wasn’t my cuppa.
I didn't enjoy this as much as I hoped I might. Possibly being a bit harsh with the scoring but I can't just give everything a 3
I guess you get onto the 1001 list just for being loud. A highly overrated band who produced nothing of any real consequence. Yes they were aggressive, loud and a little out of control, but they were not original or really that inspiring. Basic blues mangled rather badly, that really does not hold up in comparison to Hendrix, The Doors, Moby Grape, The Rolling Stones, Cream etc. etc who all released material the year before. The material written by them is just a mess (tracks 3, 4 and 6)
Decent but not my preferred kind of music
ymmärrän, bluessista väänettyä metallia liekö kaverit keksiny
2.5
It gets all the credit in the world for being something of a forefather to heavy metal, but it's still basically garage heavy metal. Nothing here holds up, aside from an interesting cover of "Summertime Blues".
Loose and raw, a little excessive at times. Fans of the Velvet Underground or Iggy Pop and the Stooges might dig.
They sound like the 60's just not done that well compared to the good stuff.
This is easily the lowest quality recording so far on this list. Can't say I'm enjoying it too much. Very raw? But I don't think it sounds good or that they're doing anything special.. No need to listen again.
Don’t think I’d listen to this album today (I can state that with 100% confidence...). The band runs out of original tricks rather too quickly. However, I can totally see me listening to it at the time it was released and thinking how new, original, and full of tricks this album is.
2/5. Fun jams and musicianship but some of the songs are longer than necessary. Summertime blues and second time around are the highlights. The others are okay.
This is one of those albums/bands that fell in the cracks between other blues/rock bands of the time. They would have made more of an impact if they had been able to write some songs that sounded a little different from each other. They also shouldn't have relied solely on distorted guitars and screaming vocals.
Kovin turha levy ja unohdin kuunnella viimeiset 8min. Olisi kiva tietää miksi tämä(kin) levy on päätynyt tällaiselle listalle.
In music, there's never a true "First" anything. So while there are plenty of people claiming this is The First Heavy Metal album, there are plenty of other albums that could also lay claim to the title. However, there's no denying that Blue Cheer's cover of Eddie Cochrane's Summertime Blues has something that not many other people were doing in 1968! Doctor Please does some interesting things musically if not lyrically, and Second Time Around has an almost Stooges-like sound to it at times. Not one I'll be bopping along to, but an interesting historical curiosity!
I was introduced to this album a while back, and it seemed more impressive then. I get that it's "groundbreaking" or whatever, but does it sound good?
Too boring not to be accessible through Spotify.
I suspect this album is here mostly because of 'Summertime Blues', so I'm not so sure this was an album that I had to hear, as much as a song. In general, I dig the distorted blues rock vibe with gravelly vocals. Unfortunately, it's really hard to get over the poor audio quality; it's like they just put a mic in the middle of their garage and hit the record button. As such, I can't really get into the album all that much.
I liked some of the guitar, but otherwise it was pretty forgettable.
Meh, very 60s
an interesting inclusion in this project! it’s got a pre-heavy metal sound laced with that sixties pop. drums and guitar were super heavy. the music is not close to eighties’ heavy metal but i can hear the groundwork blue cheer set in ‘68. this album isn’t awful but just fine? i’m impressed as far as their influence but it’s not super enjoyable overall.
Was this listenable? Sure. Was it great? Nah. From a music history standpoint, it's cool to hear a band who is regarded as a progenitor of a genre, in this case heavy metal. But even though they had part in creating it, they definitely didn't perfect it. They definitely put the proto- in proto-metal. But hey, I guess they walked so bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Pantera could run.
This album has all the elements of the type of album I should love but I hated it.
Ehhhhhh?
One of a clutch of artists, amongst whom number Vanilla Fudge, Cream and Iron Butterfly, who were all groping towards the sound that Black Sabbath would perfect - heavy metal. File this one under proto-metal. To modern ears, this sounds like a mess, quite frankly, and in indulgent one at that. It's as if the thundering ramalama of it all would compensate for a lack of craft or technique. And , hey, perhaps it did. Maybe back in 1968 if you were suitably, ah, 'chemically refreshed', Blue Cheer would've sounded great. I'm afraid that the average white-sock kombucha-sipping asshole won't ever be able to tune into the frequencies required to fully appreciate this heavy-psych mindquest. Well, call me an asshole too, because whilst I'm appreciative of the role in music history this played (doesn't 'Summertime Blues' sound like Acid Bath?), Vincebus Eruptum sounds like what it is; a very 'eavy, very 'umble museum piece.
Outside of the opening track there isn’t much to like here. I will say Summertime Blues is a pretty spectacular track.
Not super my thing tbh. I don't really care for the late 60's heavy metal beginnings.
Fine as an album. Didn't pay much attention to it.
First impression: Sounds like Hendrix...second impression: sounds like the Who. So, they get a zero for originality. LOL. The music was nice though. I'm not a fan of cover songs, and the first two songs right off the bat are covers... The original stuff on the album is fine, but nothing special to me.
I started this one off and heard the already-familiar version of Summertime Blues, and thought, this might well be fun. However, by four songs in, it all started sounding the same: screaming guitar and wailing vocal. I must admit I drifted off and then started being mildly irritated by the incessant noise. I can see what they were trying to do and appreciate that they probably did a lot of it first, but they should have stopped after Summertime.
En saa tätä julkaisua skulaamaan mistään mutta biisit on ihan jees ajoo… 2/5
Blue Boo. I guess you had to be there.
blue cheer sounds like a frat party experiment gone wrong, and so does this record
I did not enjoy this but I also did not hate it
I saw a lot of reviews calling this one of the first heavy metal records and like... I guess. Props to it for being influential but a lot of it is just quite sloppy blues. This really puts into perspective how much of a genre-defining sonic change something like Black Sabbath was just the year after