‘Vincebus Eruptum’ by Blue Cheer

  In my ongoing quest to discover the roots of heavy music, I ran across Blue Cheer, a “blues-rock, psychedelic band”. It seems to me now that the deeper I go, the more primal, energetic and dirty the music gets and such is the case for this, Blue Cheer’s first album, ‘Vincebus Eruptum’.

  Blue Cheer formed in the mid-sixties by too many people and was soon dwindled down to the power trio of Dickie Peterson on bass and singing, Leigh Stephens on the guitar and Paul Whaley pounding the pigskins. The band quickly got to recording and found a home in the heavier sounds mixed with blues. This album is the result of that search for that sound as well as a lot of drugs. Even the name Blue Cheer is supposedly a reference to a specific brand of acid. But how can you not love a band that The Doors called “the singled most powerful band I’ve ever seen.”?

  This album is 30 minutes of blues churned out with everything at 11. Even the drums, the deep, primal, king sized drums that Whaley is beating on, are overdriven. This album is abundant in the two biggest the two main forces that make rock’n’roll, primal instincts and electricity. Everything about this record is electric. A constant bombardment of fuzz. The sheer size of the drums touches your inner caveman, especially when played as if with hammers. This album has such power, by the climax in ‘Second Time Around’ you will be sweating like Dean Moriarty at a bop joint in San Fran.

  Blue Cheer would be active in one form or another up until 2009, but this album stands out as their biggest success, both critically and commercially. The opener, a cover of Eddie Cochran’s ‘Summertime Blues’ would be their biggest hit, but it is just the opener. The whole album is a gem in the history of heavy metal. The deeper I got, the better it is.

Song: ‘Out of Focus’

‘Master of Reality’ by Black Sabbath

 Ozzy Osbourne, Toni Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward started a band in 1968. This band didn’t just change rock’n’roll, but created a model for a whole new genre, heavy metal. Using tuned down guitars, distortion and the “devils interval” while mixing blues and jazz, these four men created what we know as Black Sabbath. 

  After two albums done and one of them (’Paranoid’) going platinum, Black Sabbath went to create this, their third LP, ‘Master of Reality’. This is the first album of Sabbath that Iommi and Butler tuned their instruments down three semi-tones. This means nothing to someone like me who only knows numbers and about five chords but the effect is what matters. Of corse the effect of the de-tuned guitars made for a much heavier, thicker and brutal sound. I can’t think of very many records from this time, or anytime for that matter that can almost continuously cause me to make a metal face (like my band mate Davy is making here in our metal band Retard Rage, in case you don’t know what a metal face is). This album is considered by many to be the first “stoner rock” album. Inspiring artist like Electric Wizard, Black Mountain, Quest for Fire and even drone bands like Sunn O))).  All these artist take the precedent Black Sabbath laid out and take it to extremes. Making it slower, heavier and thicker.

 If for some crazy reason, you’re not a metal fan, this album proves metalheads have talent. Throughout the album are interludes of classical ballad type songs on acoustic instruments that are gorgeous. These pieces of music are done by Iommi and and sound as if they could have come from the Middle Ages. You almost forget it’s a heavy metal record until the next track starts with a riff that will rip your face off. 

  One interesting thing to note about ‘Master of Reality’ are the lyrics. By now Black Sabbath was considered by many to be a satanic band because of their dark sound. So on songs like ‘After Forever’, the words are all about the Christian faith. Here’s the strange part. They still kick ass. The bass part for that track alone could save your soul. Among songs about war, peace and weed, Black Sabbath snuck in a conversion to Christianity. I didn’t think it was possible to be so metal and preach at the same time but Black Sabbath does it and does it well.

 This album was released and went on to go double platinum securing Black Sabbath as more than a one hit wonder band. Black Sabbath played and recorded with different line-up changes on and off after that and still this day play but nothing for me personally matches the intense, distorted, heavy beauty of ‘Master if Reality’. This is an album the changed music. If you ask a rock musician if they like Black Sabbath and they say no, they are lying. They are the Chuck Berry of heavy metal. Black Sabbath is metal.