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.
Peace Of Mind
Blue Cheer Lyrics
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Peace of mind
To find is not easy
When the one you love you don't trust
When I picture the image of someone else beside her
I see a reflection of violence
And emotion of life that is used
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, ooohhh
I see a reflection of violence
And emotion of life that is used.
You will see
That the mind cannot furnish
Things that you want were gone
What can I see
When the one thing that you had had passed
Is not pretty
You want to love so bad
But you bleed through every time.
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, ooohhh
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, ooohhh
You want to love so bad
But you bleed every time.
You said, you said you loved me
Yeah, more than you do
And you go and take everything I ever did and give to you
And throw it all away yeah, yeah, yeah
Throw it all away yeah.
Why!? Why!? Why!? Why!?
Why!? Why!?
Why!?
The Blue Cheer's song Peace of Mind is about the difficulties of achieving inner peace and satisfaction when one cannot trust the person they love. The main character has a hard time finding peace because he cannot help but picture his loved one with someone else, and this image evokes in him feelings of violence and betrayal. The lyrics paint a picture of someone struggling to move on from a past relationship, but every time they try to love someone again, they end up bleeding from the wounds of the past.
The chorus of the song is an emotional outburst, a cry of frustration and pain. The character feels like he did everything he could for his loved one, yet she still betrayed him and threw all his efforts away. The repetitive "Why!?" at the end of the song emphasizes the character's inability to understand why he was hurt and why love is so hard to find.
Overall, the lyrics of Peace of Mind are intense and emotionally charged, describing a common struggle that many people face in their relationships. The song captures the feelings of frustration, disillusionment, and heartbreak that can accompany the search for love and trust.
Line by Line Meaning
Peace of mind
Finding inner peace is not an easy task
To find is not easy
One must exert efforts to achieve inner peace
When the one you love you don't trust
It is difficult to attain peace of mind when you mistrust the person you love
When I picture the image of someone else beside her
Imagining someone else with the person you love can cause distress
I see a reflection of violence
The image of someone else with your loved one can lead to feelings of aggression
And emotion of life that is used
Such emotions are draining and may take a toll on one’s life
You will see
One will eventually realize
That the mind cannot furnish
The mind cannot conjure up what is no longer present
Things that you want were gone
It is difficult to obtain what is no longer available
What can I see
What is left for me to see
When the one thing that you had had passed
When something important is already a thing of the past
Is not pretty
It can be unpleasant
You want to love so bad
You have a strong desire to love
But you bleed through every time.
But you get hurt every time.
You said, you said you loved me
You promised that you loved me
Yeah, more than you do
But your actions prove otherwise
And you go and take everything I ever did and give to you
You took everything I did for you for granted
And throw it all away yeah, yeah, yeah
You discarded everything I ever did for you
Throw it all away yeah.
You wasted everything I gave to you
Why!? Why!? Why!? Why!?
Questions as to why you did what you did
Why!? Why!?
Questions as to why things turned out the way they did
Why!?
A question expressing confusion, dismay, or disbelief
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Randy Holden
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind