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.
Parchment Farm
Blue Cheer Lyrics
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I been sitting over here on Parchment Farm
I been sitting over here on Parchment Farm
Ain't ever done nobody no wrong.
Oh Lord, I bet I'll be here for the rest of my life.
Oh Lord, I bet I'll be here for the rest of my life.
Oh Lord, I bet I'll be here for the rest of my life.
All I did was shoot my wife.
I done picking that cotton in a leather foot sack.
I done picking that cotton in a leather foot sack, yes I have.
I done picking that cotton in a leather foot sack.
A goddamn shotgun at my back.
I been sitting over here on Parchment Farm
Ain't ever done nobody no wrong, no!
I done sitting over here on the longest time.
I been sitting over here on the longest time.
I done sitting over here on the longest time.
All I did was drink my wine.
I swear I'll be here for the rest of my life.
Yeah, I know I'll be here for the rest of my life.
I know I'll be here for the rest of my life.
All I did was shoot your wife.
She was no good, you can take my word for it!
I been sitting over here on Parchment Farm
I been sitting over here on Parchment Farm
I been sitting over here on Parchment Farm
All I did was shoot my arm.
Oh, no!
The lyrics of Blue Cheer's "Parchment Farm" narrate the story of a man who is lamenting his imprisonment on a Southern chain gang facility called Parchment Farm. The singer insists that he has never done anything wrong to be there and that he was falsely accused of killing his wife. He complains of the long hours of work in the cotton fields and the constant intimidation of the guards who hold a shotgun at his back.
The song seems to portray a harsh reality of the cruel and discriminatory prison conditions that existed in the American South at the time. The chain gang that the singer describes was made up of convicts who were chained together and forced to work in harsh conditions, with little regard for their wellbeing. The lyrics also suggest that there was a culture of violence, where guards would use intimidation and violence to maintain control over their prisoners.
In a broader context, "Parchment Farm" is also a representation of the blues tradition where prisoners use music to cope with their difficult circumstances. Blues music often serves as a means of catharsis, with singers conveying their pain and struggles through their lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I been sitting over here on Parchment Farm
The singer has been confined in Parchment Farm prison for an unknown but extended period.
Ain't ever done nobody no wrong.
Despite being imprisoned, the singer believes they did nothing to deserve it.
Oh Lord, I bet I'll be here for the rest of my life.
The singer has lost hope of ever leaving Parchment Farm and expects to remain imprisoned for life.
All I did was shoot my wife.
The artist reveals that they committed a violent crime by shooting their wife, but they argue that she deserved it.
She was no good!
The artist justifies their crime by claiming that their wife was a bad person.
I done picking that cotton in a leather foot sack.
The singer refers to their past labor in the fields, which they claim they performed using a difficult method involving leather sacks.
A goddamn shotgun at my back.
The singer describes how they were forced to work through coercion and threats.
I done sitting over here on the longest time.
The artist emphasizes the extended period of their confinement in prison.
All I did was drink my wine.
The artist describes another action they took, drinking wine, which they don't believe was serious enough to warrant their imprisonment.
I swear I'll be here for the rest of my life.
The artist acknowledges that they cannot see a way out of their predicament and expects to remain in prison for the rest of their life.
Yeah, I know I'll be here for the rest of my life.
The singer repeats their belief that they are doomed to a life sentence in prison.
All I did was shoot your wife.
The artist addresses someone, possibly an authority figure or the general public, and repeats their claim that their wife deserved to be shot.
She was no good, you can take my word for it!
The singer insists that their wife was not a good person and doubles down on their justification for the crime they committed.
All I did was shoot my arm.
The final line is nonsensical and adds an element of absurdity to the singer's situation, emphasizing their powerlessness and confusion.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: MOSE ALLISON
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