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.
Fruit And Icebergs
Blue Cheer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's so nice to feel the colors
All days when you are new
You close your eyes
And feel the foam of silence.
Running home and cease to happen
Phase across the path of time
That heaven left behind.
I can see you when you're laughing
Laughing when you're having fun
Your head is glowing
Overflowing with good times.
Listen for the water droplets
Falling from the ledge
Of birds you heard from grapevine sounds
Of people that you need. (Oh!)
(I definitely think that they're just costing way too much money)
It's so nice to feel the colors
All day when you are new
You close your eyes
And feel the foam of silence.
Listen for the water droplets
Falling from the ledge
Of birds you heard from grapevine sounds
Of people that you need.
The lyrics to Blue Cheer's song Fruit And Icebergs are a bit abstract and open to interpretation. However, it seems to be a song about enjoying the simple things in life and finding joy in the present moment. The opening line, "It's so nice to feel the colors", could be interpreted as an appreciation for the beauty of the world around us. The following line, "All days when you are new", suggests that this appreciation is particularly potent when experiencing something for the first time.
The song goes on to describe the feeling of being in the moment and finding peace in quiet contemplation. "You close your eyes and feel the foam of silence" suggests that the singer is able to shut out the noise of the world and find tranquility. This feeling is contrasted with the idea of "running home and cease to happen", implying a desire to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life in order to find this peace.
The final lines of the song suggest that the people around us are what makes life worth living. "Of birds you heard from grapevine sounds / Of people that you need" implies that connections with others, whether through music or words, are what make life worth living.
Overall, the song seems to be about enjoying the world around us, finding peace in the moment, and valuing human connections.
Line by Line Meaning
It's so nice to feel the colors
Experiencing vibrant emotions is a pleasurable feeling
All days when you are new
This sensation is particularly prevalent during a period of personal transformation
You close your eyes
This feeling can be enhanced by shutting out external stimuli
And feel the foam of silence.
The quietness of the mind adds to the vividness of the emotional experience
Running home and cease to happen
The path of life seems to continue on in the background despite this moment's intensity
Phase across the path of time
The experience feels like it exists outside the normal flow of time
In it all you see them coming
The heightened emotional state makes one feel as though they can predict future events
That heaven left behind.
This ability to forecast is perceived as a gift from a higher power
I can see you when you're laughing
The joy of others is more easily perceivable during these moments
Laughing when you're having fun
Others' enjoyment seems to increase one's own sense of pleasure
Your head is glowing
The heightened emotional state is reflected in one's physical appearance
Overflowing with good times.
The feeling of joy is overwhelming and all-consuming
Listen for the water droplets
Small details become more easily noticeable and appreciated during this time
Falling from the ledge
The natural world is particularly captivating during heightened emotional experiences
Of birds you heard from grapevine sounds
Rumors and hearsay take on greater significance during these moments
Of people that you need. (Oh!)
Personal connections and relationships are deeply valued during times of intense emotion
Contributed by Charlie C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.