I was personally amazed to find that Blue Cheer are still doing their thing all these years later—or for that matter, that they are even still alive. But, God Bless em', they are still at it on this great DVD recorded last year for Germany's Rockpalast show.
Original guitarist Leigh Stephens is apparently long gone—although original members Dickie Peterson on bass and vocals, and drummer Paul Whaley remain from the bands original power trio lineup.
And damned if they aren't as blissfully loud as ever on this DVD. The new guy on the block isn't exactly new either. Guitarist Andrew "Duck" MacDonald has been with these guys for nearly two decades now, and he fills the shoes of Leigh Stephens quite nicely. The guitar parts are as loud and over the top as ever here.
So with the rhythm section pushing what has to be sixty (at least), can these guys still cut it?
Absolutely.
As might be expected, Peterson has taken on both the appearance and the gravelly voice of a grizzled old biker who has smoked one hell of a lot of cigarettes (among other things), and guzzled more than his fair share of grain alcohol. But damned if he can't still play his ass off.
In the guitar department, the "Duck" tends to be a bit cleaner than Leigh Stephens was back in the day. But for the most part, this is still some dirty, greasy, loud as hell grimey-ass shit.
Which is as it should be. These guys invented it. I defy any self respecting student of rock history to prove me wrong on that. The fact that Blue Cheer are still out there making ears bleed is something that truly makes me smile, too.
Get this now. And make sure to fire up a nice big fatty once you push play.
Article comments