The group's sound was hard to categorize, but was definitely blues-based, psychedelic, and very loud. The band has been subsequently acclaimed as an influence on garage rock, punk rock, heavy metal, and grunge. Julian Cope has written, "In 1968, nothing but nothing in America and Britain sounded as brutal as Blue Cheer except for The Velvet Underground."
The group underwent several personnel changes after the 1968 release of Outsideinside, and then through yet more changes during and after 1969's New! Improved! Blue Cheer (different guitarists on side 1 and 2). After Leigh Stephens was replaced by Randy Holden, formerly of Los Angeles garage rock band The Other Half, in 1968, Blue Cheer's style changed to a more commercial hard rock sound à la Steppenwolf or Iron Butterfly. For the fourth album Blue Cheer, Holden, who had left during the third album, was subsequently replaced by Bruce Stephens. Stephens later quit and was replaced by Gary Lee Yoder, who helped complete the album.
The new line up of Peterson, Ralph Burns Kellogg, Norman Mayell, and Yoder in 1970 saw the release of The Original Human Being and then 1971's Oh! Pleasant Hope. When Oh! Pleasant Hope failed to dent the sales charts, Blue Cheer temporarily split up.
From 1988 to 1993, Blue Cheer toured mainly in Europe. During this time, they played with classic rock acts as well as then-up-and-coming bands: Mountain, Outlaws, Thunder, Groundhogs, Ten Years After, Yardbirds, Danzig, Mucky Pup, Biohazard and others.
On the Nibelung Records label they released several albums. 1989 saw the release of Blue Cheer's first official live album, Blitzkrieg over Nüremberg. This album was recorded on Blue Cheer's first European tour in decades. The drum chair was then taken by Dave Salce; bass by Dickie Peterson; guitar by Duck McDonald.
1990 saw the release of Highlights & Lowlives studio album, comprised of blues-based hard rock, sometimes reminiscent of Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones, and several ballads. The album was produced by notable grunge producer Jack Endino. The line-up was Peterson on bass and vocals, Paul Whaley on drums, and Duck McDonald on guitars.
Blue Cheer followed up "Highlights" with the much heavier Dining with the Sharks. McDonald was replaced by German ex-Monsters guitar player Dieter Saller. Peterson was on bass and vocals again, and Paul Whaley was again on drums. Also featured is a special guest appearance by Groundhogs guitarist Tony McPhee. The album was produced by Roland Hofmann.
In the early 1990s, Peterson and Whaley re-located to Germany. Whaley still lives there. Guitar work has been handled by Duck MacDonald since that time. Blue Cheer are still active as of 2009. Peterson reunited with Leigh Stephens and performed with drummer Prairie Prince at the Chet Helms Memorial Tribal Stomp in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park in Fall of 2005, and their lively performance drew old rockers like Paul Kantner and others from backstage to observe. They did some recordings in Virginia in Winter 2005 with Joe Hasselvander of Raven and Pentagram on drums. Paul Whaley has since returned to the band as drummer. The group's 2007 CD, "What Doesn't Kill You...", features contributions from both Whaley and Hasselvander. In 2009, Peterson died in Germany, leading to the cessation of Blue Cheer.
Blue Cheer's video for Summertime Blues made an appearance in 2005 documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, where Geddy Lee of Rush referred to the group as one of the first heavy metal bands.
The band have also been regarded as the godfathers of stoner rock bands like Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Nebula and Monster Magnet have cited their "heavy-fuzz rock" as a massive influence on them.
Satisfaction
Blue Cheer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't get no satisfaction.
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.
When I'm drivin' in my car
And that man comes on the radio
And he's tellin' me more and more
Supposed to fire my imagination.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.
I can't get no satisfaction,
I can't get no satisfaction.
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.
When I'm watchin' my TV
And that man comes on to tell me
How white my shirts can be.
Well he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarettes as me.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.
I can't get no satisfaction,
I can't get no girl with action.
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.
When I'm ridin' round the world
And I'm doin' this and I'm signing that
And I'm tryin' to make some girl
Who tells me baby better come back later next week
'Cause you see I'm on losing streak.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.
I can't get no, I can't get no,
I can't get no satisfaction,
No satisfaction, no satisfaction, no satisfaction
The song "Satisfaction" by Blue Cheer is a cover of the classic hit by the Rolling Stones. The lyrics describe the annoyance of a man who can't seem to find satisfaction in life no matter what he tries. The repetition of the phrase "I can't get no" emphasizes the frustration felt by the singer. The first verse describes the frustration of listening to the radio and hearing useless information instead of something that sparks his imagination. In the second verse, the frustration comes from a TV commercial that tries to sell him a detergent that can make his white shirts whiter than ever, but it doesn't impress him. Finally, the third verse describes the singer's dissatisfaction in trying to find a girl while on tour, but being constantly rejected due to his losing streak.
The song is a critique of consumer culture, where advertisers constantly bombard people with messages to buy their products, promising to make their lives better. The singer rejects these claims, stating that he can't find satisfaction in these things. He is looking for something more meaningful, but he can't seem to find it.
Overall, "Satisfaction" is a powerful song that speaks to the universal feeling of dissatisfaction that many people experience. The repetition of the phrase "I can't get no" is an effective way to convey the frustration that is felt, and the lyrics provide a scathing critique of the consumer culture that dominates modern society.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't get no satisfaction,
I am unable to find any contentment,
I can't get no satisfaction.
I am completely unfulfilled,
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
Despite my efforts,
I can't get no, I can't get no.
I am still not able to find satisfaction.
When I'm drivin' in my car
While I am driving,
And that man comes on the radio
When a radio host speaks,
And he's tellin' me more and more
He continues to inform me,
About some useless information
Providing me with worthless details,
Supposed to fire my imagination.
In the belief that it will inspire me.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
It still does not give me satisfaction.
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.
This is my response to the situation.
I can't get no satisfaction,
I remain unfulfilled,
I can't get no satisfaction.
I still can't find contentment,
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
Despite my many efforts,
I can't get no, I can't get no.
I am still unable to find satisfaction.
When I'm watchin' my TV
While watching television,
And that man comes on to tell me
And a man speaks to me,
How white my shirts can be.
About how white my clothes can become.
Well he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
However, he cannot be a man because he does not smoke,
The same cigarettes as me.
The same brand of cigarettes as I do.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
This still does not satisfy me,
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.
So I declare my discontentment.
I can't get no satisfaction,
I remain unsatisfied,
I can't get no girl with action.
I cannot find a girl who is interested in me,
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
Despite my continuous efforts,
I can't get no, I can't get no.
I remain unfulfilled.
When I'm ridin' round the world
While I am traveling the world,
And I'm doin' this and I'm signing that
When I am accepting contracts and performing various acts,
And I'm tryin' to make some girl
And I attempt to attract a woman,
Who tells me baby better come back later next week
However, the woman informs me she is not interested and suggests I return later.
'Cause you see I'm on losing streak.
Since I have been experiencing a losing streak lately.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
This is still not enough to satisfy me,
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.
So I articulate my unhappiness.
I can't get no, I can't get no,
I remain unfulfilled,
I can't get no satisfaction,
I cannot find contentment,
No satisfaction, no satisfaction, no satisfaction
I am completely and utterly unfulfilled.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Keith Richards, Michael Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind