It all started way back in the late 60’s in San Francisco during the psychedelic/hippie era… a band called Blue Cheer decided to turn up the volume, crank the fuzz and make some of the heaviest rock that had ever been heard at that time. And to this day, their first album, Vincebus Eruptum (1968), still sounds “heavy”, even when compaired to more contemporary records.They are best known for their cover of Eddie Cochran’s "Summertime Blues," which peaked at #14 on the Pop Singles chart and is still occasionally played on the radio today. The were one of the first to cover the song which was later covered by the Who and dozens and dozens of other bands.Most importantly, Blue Cheer helped start a hard rock revolution that is reflected in today’s hard rock and sub-genres like stoner, sludge, doom, and metal. Yes, along with Sabbath and Zepplin, they were certainly one of the early pioneers metal. Although rock was beginning to get a little heavier over in England, with bands like Cream, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Yardbirds, The Who and The Kinks, it’s tough to think of one another band out of America that was playing loud, heavy rock like they were, other than maybe Hendrix (who was in England at the time anyway). Blue Cheer was loud and fuzzy and shared the stage with Hendrix, Joplin, MC 5, Buddy Guy, Freddie King, Tina Turner, Steve Miller Band, Byrds, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and ountless other bands.It’s amazing that after 40 years of bone-crushing heavy rock, they are, a) still alive, b) can still hear and, c) are still touring the country with original members.Don’t miss this rock show on Monday, January 28th at the Launchpad! Tickets are available at www.launchpadrocks.com
Loud And Proud!
Hard Rock Pioneers Still Going Strong After 40 Years
2 min read
