Blue Cheer - 1968 - '74 / Vincibus Eruptum / Outside Inside / New Improved / 4th LP / The Original Human Being / Oh! Pleasant Hope!

Face it, if you don't know Blue Cheer by now, what the hell are you doing on this page? Some people credit them with starting Heavy Metal, others say it was Sabbath, I'll let you be the judge. (personally, I think there's a number of bands responsible, but that's me..) Blue Cheer was formed by Dickie Peterson in 1967, who had previously been with the Davis based band Andrew Staples and the Oxford Circle, as well as future Blue Cheer members Paul Whaley & Gary Lee Yoder. Blue Cheer was a variety LSD of made by Grateful Dead patron Owsley Stanly and the band was said to be named after that. The original lineup of the band was Peterson (bass, vocals), Leigh Stevens (guitar), and drummer Eric Labrond, who would soon be replaced by Whaley. who was joined by Peterson's brother, Jerre (guitar), and Val Hamanaka (keyboards), and  Jere Whiting (vocals and harmonica). Albronda continued his association with Blue Cheer a member of Blue Cheer Management, as well as producing or co-producing 5 Blue Cheer albums.

The band was managed by an inactive member of the Hell's Angels named Allen "Gut" Turk. Early on it was decided that the band members should be trimmed down.

The band decided to adopt a power trio configuration after seeing Jim Hendrix at the Moteray Pop Festival, but that was later deemed to be false. Hamanaka and Whiteling were asked to leave. Jere Peterson didn't' want to remain in the band without them, so he departed leaving Dickie, Leigh, and Paul. Blue Cheer's first album: Vincebus Eruptum produced their first hit, a cover version of Eddie Cochoran's "Summertime Blues" with peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot  100 chart, their only hit, and the album peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 200. In Canada, the song peaked at No. 3 on the RPM magazine chart.

The "Summertime Blues" single was backed with Dickie's original "Out of Focus."Peterson also contributed the eight minute "Doctor Please" and "Second Time Around" which features Paul Whaley's frantic drum solo. Filling out the record, The band cranked out blues covers like "Rock Me Baby' (B.B. King), and "Parchman" Farm". (Mose Allison , But re-titled "Parchment Farm").

The group underwent several personnel changes. The first of which came after the release of Outside Inside. Leigh Stevens left the band due to artistic differences (or as some report deafness). He was replaced with Randy Holden, formerly of Los Angeles band The Other Half. On 1969's New, Improved! there was different guitarists on side 1 and side 2. (Randy Holden and Bruce Stevens) due to Holden's unanticipated departure from the band. Following Holden's departure, the lineup initially lineup consisted of Dickie Peterson, (bass) Tom Weisser (guitar), and Mitch Mitchell (drums) before Whaley returned and Bruce Stevens joined the band. Later, Ralph Burns Kellog also joined the band on keyboards. Paul Whaley had left and had been replaced by Norman Mayall, and following the release of the fourth album Bruce Stevens left the band and was succeeded by Gary Lee Yoder and helped complete the album: Blue Cheer, By the Fourth album Blue

Cheer's style now had changed to a more commercial sound a la Steppenwolf or Iron Butterfly.

The new lineup of Peterson, Kellog, Myer, & Loder, in 1970 saw the release of The Original Human Being, followed by 1971's Oh! Pleasant Hope. When Oh Pleasant Hope failed to dent the sales in charts, Blue Cheer decide to break up in 1972, until the early 80's.
There is more to Blue Cheer's story, however, that's for another blog.