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.
When
Blue Cheer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stop looking at the ground
Things will be much better if you try
When I feel your love next to mine
I forget about space and time
Sing yourself a happy song
Things aren't always, always wrong
When things are good and things are bad
Our love is all we really have
When the cloud is past away
And the sun comes out to stay
I'll remember days like this with you
When we made things better 'cause we tried
Then our love is stronger deep inside
The lyrics to Blue Cheer's song "Better When We Try" are an encouraging message to keep trying in life even when things seem difficult. The opening lines, "Turn yourself around, stop looking at the ground," suggest that the singer is addressing someone who is feeling down or defeated. The singer wants this person to see that things can be better if they just try. The next lines, "When I feel your love next to mine, I forget about space and time," suggest that the singer is deeply connected to the person they are addressing and that their love can help them both overcome any challenges they face.
The chorus continues the message of encouragement, urging the listener to "sing yourself a happy song" and reminding them that "things aren't always, always wrong." The singer believes that if they work together, they can make things better. The second verse reiterates this sentiment, with the lines "when things are good and things are bad, our love is all we really have." This suggests that the singer is committed to the person they are addressing and that their relationship is what gives them strength.
The final verse is perhaps the most hopeful, with the lines "when the cloud is past away and the sun comes out to stay, I'll remember days like this with you." The singer sees a brighter future ahead, one where they can look back on their struggles and know that they overcame them together. The final lines, "when we made things better 'cause we tried, then our love is stronger deep inside," suggest that the struggles they faced only made their relationship stronger.
Overall, "Better When We Try" is a powerful message of hope and perseverance in the face of adversity. It reminds us that with love and effort, we can overcome even the most difficult challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
Turn yourself around
Change your perspective and attitude towards things
Stop looking at the ground
Stop feeling down and lower your eyes on the problems
Things will be much better if you try
Our efforts can improve the situation
When I feel your love next to mine
The presence of your affection is soothing
I forget about space and time
I lose track of everything else
Sing yourself a happy song
Keep yourself motivated and cheerful
Things aren't always, always wrong
Not everything is bad all the time
We can make it better if we try
With effort, we can make an improvement
When things are good and things are bad
In both joy and sorrow
Our love is all we really have
Our love is the most important thing we possess
When the cloud is past away
When the problems are resolved
And the sun comes out to stay
And the good times last
I'll remember days like this with you
I'll cherish memories of you and me together
When we made things better 'cause we tried
When our efforts brought about improvements
Then our love is stronger deep inside
Our affection is reinforced and reinforced internally
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jebidiahnewkedkracker1801
@@sandipbiswas766 Are you for REAL?? YOU would find a picture, in a male co-worker 's cubicle, (not even YOUR cubicle, or even a shared cubicle---but HIS cubicle), of his WIFE**, in a bikini, inappropriate? (I suppose if you both worked in an office of a company that ACTUALLY MADE the same bikini, the wife wearing one of those manufactured in this HYPOTHETICAL scenario would STILL be inappropriate in your eyes?!?!
If so, congratulations!! Your hyper-sensitivity and sense of decorum has contributed in its small way to why so many people, (in this case primarily men), turning into attitude cases and/or addicts, and even why Big Brother is getting even bigger and more intrusive into people's lives--in this case as to how private businesses conduct themselves.
But let me guess...If
it was a FEMALE co-worker or even a "They/Them" co-worker, and the "gal" in the picture was actually a transvestite complete with a tell-tale "lump" protruding from the front of the bottom half of the bikini, would THAT be OK with the "Human Resources" mindset that you currently have as evidenced by your response to me?
(If the answer is "No", then I will at least give you credit for your consistency.)
**His lawfully wedded WIFE, not even his girlfriend, or underaged daughter, or a picture he took out of the Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition and framed, but his WIFE....THAT would still be a problem???? If so, you must be a real splash at office holiday parties?? Oh wait...No more "Holy day" parties either, don't want to offend non Christians with a Christmas party eh? Don't even want to risk HALLOWEEN anymore either--you know because of skimpy attire and/or a white guy daring to be a character like "Gordie" from Star Trek the Next Generation....But if you're as Politically Correct as I think you are, a real M2F transitioning white MAN from the office can go as "Lt. Uhura" from the original series of Star Trek? (Or would such a uniform be too skimpy? Never mind the blowback from the "blackface" element of such a costume!🤣 Better off just nixing office Halloween parties altigether--even for the temps that work at "Spirit" Halloween superstores that pop up around the middle of September🤣🤣🤣🤣
My GOD do you people actually LISTEN to yourselves???😒
@iggycapra1415
i don't care how old you are, "I didn't go to work, I told the boss I was sick" is a timeless sentiment.
@jebidiahnewkedkracker1801
Pretty much🤣
But now there is a new one: "I don't go to work because of a hostile work environment" (My male co-worker has pictures of his wife in a bikini in his cubicle" )🤣🤣🤣
@sandipbiswas766
@@jebidiahnewkedkracker1801 Wtffff 😂😂😂😂
That's probably a little inappropriate in the workplace
@jebidiahnewkedkracker1801
@@sandipbiswas766 Are you for REAL?? YOU would find a picture, in a male co-worker 's cubicle, (not even YOUR cubicle, or even a shared cubicle---but HIS cubicle), of his WIFE**, in a bikini, inappropriate? (I suppose if you both worked in an office of a company that ACTUALLY MADE the same bikini, the wife wearing one of those manufactured in this HYPOTHETICAL scenario would STILL be inappropriate in your eyes?!?!
If so, congratulations!! Your hyper-sensitivity and sense of decorum has contributed in its small way to why so many people, (in this case primarily men), turning into attitude cases and/or addicts, and even why Big Brother is getting even bigger and more intrusive into people's lives--in this case as to how private businesses conduct themselves.
But let me guess...If
it was a FEMALE co-worker or even a "They/Them" co-worker, and the "gal" in the picture was actually a transvestite complete with a tell-tale "lump" protruding from the front of the bottom half of the bikini, would THAT be OK with the "Human Resources" mindset that you currently have as evidenced by your response to me?
(If the answer is "No", then I will at least give you credit for your consistency.)
**His lawfully wedded WIFE, not even his girlfriend, or underaged daughter, or a picture he took out of the Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition and framed, but his WIFE....THAT would still be a problem???? If so, you must be a real splash at office holiday parties?? Oh wait...No more "Holy day" parties either, don't want to offend non Christians with a Christmas party eh? Don't even want to risk HALLOWEEN anymore either--you know because of skimpy attire and/or a white guy daring to be a character like "Gordie" from Star Trek the Next Generation....But if you're as Politically Correct as I think you are, a real M2F transitioning white MAN from the office can go as "Lt. Uhura" from the original series of Star Trek? (Or would such a uniform be too skimpy? Never mind the blowback from the "blackface" element of such a costume!🤣 Better off just nixing office Halloween parties altigether--even for the temps that work at "Spirit" Halloween superstores that pop up around the middle of September🤣🤣🤣🤣
My GOD do you people actually LISTEN to yourselves???😒
@jebidiahnewkedkracker1801
@@sandipbiswas766 Also, if you are NOT a fan of Scott Adams or his "Dilbert" comic; you, and plenty of others like you,are giving him PLENTY of comedic material to write and draw about.. Better off to just "cancel" him eh?
@sandipbiswas766
@@jebidiahnewkedkracker1801 Cancel?!?
With due respect , I've better things to do 🌚
@brandonhofmann5479
Imagine having a rock band in the 60s and 50 years later, thousands of young people finding your music thats wicked
@MarkGuinn59
They found it but they are not paying for it.
@monkeyliver1986
Yup. I was born in 95
@The_Macho_Man
by thousands u mean MILLIONS