''Right out of the gate" Vincebus Eruptum January 16, 1968

Blue Cheer's debut album Vincibus Eruptum was released on January 16, 1968. Both a commercial and critical success, the album peaked at number 11 on the Billboard top 200 chart and spawned the top 20 hit: a cover of Eddie Cochran's ''Summertime Blues.'' It was/is also lauded as one of the very first Heavy Metal albums.

The album was recorded at Amigo studios in North Hollywood, California. According to Dickie Peterson :"Some songs have taken me years to complete, others like ''Out of Focus" and "Doctor Please" took me ten minutes to write.
On "Doctor Please" Peterson explained, "in 1967, "it was a glorification of drugs. I was going through a lot of 'should I take this drug, should i not take this drug blah blah..blah, there was a lot of soul searching a that time and I decided to take it. that's what the song is about and that's what I sang about, sort of a drug anthem for me'". on the band's version f Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" he said "we kept changing it around adding parts taking parts away, It all had to do with large amounts of LSD."

Blue Cheer's debut album has widely been held in high regard by critics. Mark Demming has described Vincibus Eruptom 'A Glorious celebration of Rock and Roll Primitivism run through enough Marshall amps to deafen an army" Praising the bands sound and fury as one of the defining moments of Heavy Metal. Online music service included Vincibus Eruptum as ''one of 10 essential proto-metal albums'' not only inspiring the term ''power-trio" but basically inventing Heavy Metal.''

Track Listing:

Summertime Blues

Rock Me Baby

Doctor Please

Out of Focus 

Parchment Farm

Second Time Around

Personnnel;

Dickie Peterson - Bass Vocals

Leigh Stephens - Guitar

Paul Whaley- Drums

Vincebus Eruptum (LP) Phillips - 600-264  (US)   1968

" On OFF

ON OFF

ON OFF

ON OFF 

ON OFF

OMMMM

the ground of BEING CHANGE

the sound of TIME LIFE

seek the UNRAVELLED LOVE 

dance the WONDER yet concealed

AID

subtle color of the MIND

BLUE 

call the figure of the SOUL

CHEER  

Augustus Stanley Owlsley III"

This text is on the back cover of all of the early copies of the album. Later issues simply state "Owlsley"

• Vinceebus Eruptum (8-Track) Phillips  - 600-264    (US) 1968
• 8Vincebus Eruptum  (LP) Phillips - SPL7839, BL 7839   (UK) 1968
•  Vincebus Eruptum  (LP) Phillips - 600-264 (Canada)  1968
• Vincebus Eruptum  (LP) Phillips - 852-116 BY P  (Italy)  1968
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP) Phillips - 852-116 BY  (Netherlands) 1968
• **Vincebus Eruptum  (LP)  Phillips - 600-264 Deep Groove center labels ''August Stanley Owlsley III" on back cover
• Vincebus Eruptum  (LP) *"High Fidelity'' on label  Phillips - 600-264 (US) 1968
• Vincebus Eruptum  LP (MONO) Phillips - PHM 200-264 (US)  1968
• Vincebus Eruptum  (LP) (2nd MONO press) Phillips - PHM 200-264 (US) 1968 ** the labels DO NOT have either MONAURAL or STEREO on them.
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP) Phillips - 652-116 BL (Spain) 1968
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP) (MONO REPRESS)  Phillips - 200-264 (US) 1968
• Vincebus Eruptum  (LP) Phillips (PROMO) - 600-264 (US) 1968
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP) Phillips - 600-264 (REPRESSED 4 more times in US) 1968
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP) (UNOFFICIAL) CSJ-742 (Taiwan) 1968
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP) Phillips (white Phillips label) - PHS 600-254 (US) 1968
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP) Phillips - BL7839 (MONO) (UK) 1968
• Vincebus Eruptum  (LP) Phillips - PDS 296 
• **There are 3 versions of this copy from Australia, all of which have text on the front cover stating "Contains their hit Summertime Blues" All versions vary by having slightly different back covers and in the tone of the colors used. (AUSTRALIA)  1968
• Vincebus Eruptum Phillips - (REEL TO REEL TAPE) PT 6264 PTX 6264 (US) 1968
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP) Mercury - SM-7280 (JAPAN) 1969
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP) Mercury - PL9001 (Canada) 1972
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP) Mercury/Phillips - PL9001 (US) 1974
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP) Phillips - 6336 281 (Netherlands) 1979
• Vincebus Eruptum (CD) LINEM Records/Line Records - LMCD 5.51075 (Germany) 1991
• Vincebus Eruptum (CD) Repertoire IMS7023 (GERMANY) 1994
• Vicebus Eruptum  (CD REissue) Repertoire IMS7023 (GERMANY) 1994
• Vincebus Eruptum (CD Digipak) Akarma - AK)011 (Italy) 1999
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP/pic disc) Akarma - 011 (Italy) 1999
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP) Arkama - 011 (Italy) 1999
• Vincebu Eruptum (LP/BLU) Akarma 011 (Italy) 1999
• Vincebus Eruptum (CD Cardboard gatefold) Akarma - 011 (Italy) 2000
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP) Akarma - 011 (Italy) 2003
• Vincebus Eruptum (CD) Phillips UICY 93363- 200 264 (Japan) 2007
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP MONO) Sundazed - LP 5297 (US) 2010
• Vincebus Eruptum (CP MONO) Sundazed - SC 6303 (US) 2010
• Vincebus Eruptum (CD) UICU 78041 (Japan) 2016
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP 180g) Universal - LPB (Italy) 2016
• Vincebus Eruptum (SACD/HYBRID) Audio Fidelity/Mercury - AFZ 253 BOO26513-06  (US) 2017
• Vincebus Eruptum (LP/White) Sundazed - LP 5297 (US) 2018
• 
  

Reel to Reel

The entire "OWLSLEY quote found on the back cover of all early copies

SUNDAZED Picture disc version

MONO copy.

The 

Australian version (1 of 3) with "Including their hit "Summertime Blues" on the front cover

Sundazed picture disc version

8-Track cassette

The Other Half of Randy Holden

Put on Blue Cheers third album and you'll hear (on half of it anyway) a man who stepped in when Leigh Stevens decided he'd already lost too much of his

hearing for the likes of BC.
But this was no ordinary replacement. Randy Holden had already made a name for himself with

Randy with his first Strat

groups like the Other Half, and before that, the Sons Of Adam (a surf/psychedelic outfit responsible for such mid-60's singles as ''Saturdays Son'' and "Feathered Fish") who made records for Decca as well as the Alamo imprint.

Later after his time in Blue Cheer, he released the ever-so-heavy "Population II" (1970) L.P. (which has been credited as one of the first examples of Doom Metal) with drummer Chris Lockheed who was known for playing drums and keyboards simultaneously during performances. ("Population II itself being a reference to the fact that the band had only two members).
Along with an array of 200 watt Sunn Amplifiers (16 to be exact. In the studio he would run eight!) it was indeed one step for man, one giant leap for the evolution of Heavy Metal.

But let's go back a bit, back to the mid 60's when surf rock was on everyone's mind and Dick Dale ruled the day. Randy started out in the Fender IV, an instrumental surf band who had released a single called "Mar Gaya' b/w "You Better Tell Me  Now" (1964), and ''Malibu R

un" b/w ''Everybody up'' in 1965, both on Imperial Records.

Sons of Adam

His next project "Sons of Adam" was basically the FenderIV with the addition of a new drummer.
It was when the Sons of Adam took a support bill with the Rolling Stones for the Stones' first show at the Los Angeles Sports arena, that Randy took note of the almost reverb-less tone of Keith Richards guitar. With a new attitude toward guitar tone, this set Holden on a path toward overdriven psychedelic hard rock. He began experimenting with feedback, distortion, and other ''noise" , with volume and electricity in the heart of what was on the horizon, at least, on Randy's horizon. He ended up leaving the Sons of Adam due to lack of original material. After all, gigging around town for some dough may be a great way to start out, randy was ready to move on to the next phase.

the Other Half

The Other Half was a psychedelic garage band from San Francisco, who had regular gigs playing at the Avalon Ballroom, with a penchant for the Yardbirds and the Rolling Stones. The Other Half were at the forefront of the ''flower power'/Haight Ashbury"scene. However the band had changed from a vocal based garage band, to the loudest thing on the big stage with all thanks going to Randy Holden's vision (and ear). The band recorded an album, after which Randy found himself moving on again. Not satisfied with the guitar he was playing or the finished product. One time stating:"I was trying to accommodate everyone else, at the expense for my own soul and happiness''

Having the sound of the album compared to the Yardbirds, and despite Holdens misgivings, the album to this day is considered to be awesome incendiary rock.

Blue Cheer

Enter Blue Cheer. Blue Cheer were the new kids on the block, they were playing a lot of shows with the Other Half and appeared to be the only band around that even came close to the volume levels that Randy was shooting for. Blue Cheer hit it out of the park right out of the gate with a blistering rendition of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues." Paul Whaley, Blue Cheers extraordinary drummer knew Holden from Sons of Adam, when Paul was vying for the drum throne in "Sons." And it came to pass, that randy Holden had replaced Leigh Stevens as the guitar player in  Blue Cheer. The band went no to tour Europe and the states. However, Holden's time in Blue Cheer would be brief. As mismanagement of finances, and addictions becoming more important than music (two of the main reasons for many of a good bands demise ,all too often in those times), so, once again, Randy pulled the plug. But not before recording half of their third album. 'New Improved" left more than one big question mark hanging. What had happened? fans wanted to know. What would the album  have sounded like if Holden were to complete it?

What fans got was a fairly psychotic album. Side one was Blue Cheer experimenting with         shorter pop songs that were anything but exceptional, side two however was Randy Holden songs sounding more like what the band was known for. Randy had no contract with BC, and besides that, he wasn't getting paid. Besides, can you imagine Blue Cheers management telling you to ''tone it down?"
laughable.

There's a scene in "The Buddy Holly Story" where holly is describing to his bandmates "I've got a sound in my head, and that's the sound I need" Well, Now Randy Holden was free to go after that sound that, like Holly, he'd been chasing for all those years.

Population II

Enter "Population II"
Randy's frustration with the lack of control over the bands he'd been involved with had come to a head. Until one day he was approached by Chris Lockheed. Just "as a matter of factly"Holden asked Lockheed if he could play drums and keyboards. It just so turned out that he could!
Randy scored a sponsorship from Sunn Amplifiers. (it's rumored that he recorded 'Population II" with 20 of these wired in parallel) Julian Cope writes extensively in his blog Head Heritage about this album, I suggest you read it.

Following intense rehearsing,"Population II" was ready for release. After of course, they wre forced to change the name. It seems the record company didn't like "Lucifer." So, after a name change and cover re-designing, the record company refused to release it ,choosing to remain secretive about it. After studying the contract, Holden found there was no guarantee to release clause in it.NOR would they release him from the contract! FUCKING RECORD COMPANIES! EH?! (leaving the details to the professionals) So after a meeting with his CPA and Robert Stigwood to negotiate a release, the label wouldn't budge.

And so, with no album to promote, Randy eventually went broke, lost all of his equipment, and quit the music business all together.
"Population II" was released multiple times over the years as a bootleg, until finally in 2005 it saw a limited release on vinyl, and re mastered on CD in 2008.

After two decades absent from the music business, in 1997, a Japanese CD was released callled "Guitar God'' (and re-issued in Italy in 2017.
As well as a self released CDr in 2001.

-M

https://www.randyholden.com/

Update! ('bout f*%$# time!!!)

'ello fans of Blue Cheer! So, I haven't really updated this for a while, and that's because I've been re-tooling several of my blogs to a "Collector's Guide" sort of approach (much like my Motorhead blog, you can find a link to it at the bottom of the home page.). Since I'm no kind of writer, I'm better at obsessing and documenting every last blofddy release of a band's catalog. And it suits me fine, what with me being an obsessive collector.
That is what I plan on doing with this page. In addition, with this page, I've decided to solicit essays written about the band from a varied host of guest writers, about personal experiences, Working with them, sharing a stage, even fans from concerts.

So with that, please bear with me as I move to get all this underway.
Until then....
-Mike

All New 2016 SHM-CD "Mini-L.P.'s" from Japan!

On December 14th Universal Music released a set of CD "Mimi-L.P.'s" out of Japan of the first 6 Blue Cheer LP's. The SMH-CD series features a new 2016 re-mastering, and each Mini-L.P. faithfully replicates it's U.S. first pressing L.P. design, and even replicates the original obi that accompanied the original Japanese issues. Includes a lyric and description sheet as well.

I'n not to sure how "Limited" these limited editions are, but it seems they're beginning to disappear already, even commanding higher than retail prices from some sources . The releases also take the form of a boxed set, but these are apparently "promo" pieces. and spendy. At roughly $25-$30 a cd, a full set would run around, let's say $150. However, all 6 mini-L.P.'s, with the box, will set you back to the tune of $230-$250. That's one spendy cardboard box. Other boxes are available as well. I've come across two variations of a Vincibus Eruptum box, as well as an Outside Inside variation, leading one to believe that the boxes are available separately with a "carrying case" type purpose in their own right.

One varient of the "Vincibus Eruptum" box

In that respect, it's fairly difficult to tell whether they are in fact "promo's" or their own product. Either way, $$$.

If you're not familiar with SMH cd's the abbreviation stands for "super high material", meaning that it's an improved compact disc product with the greatest change being a polycarbonate material that allows more precise physical representation of stored bits during pressing, and less laser scattering during reading. These improvements aim to facilitate playback by producing fewer errors and, potentially, better sound quality. SMH-CD's are played through regular CD players.

Outside Inside "pill-box"

The Japanese mini L.P. has quite a following of it's own.  These miniature paper/cardboard clad releases do a pretty good job a recreating old records. I've even come across a few blogs devoted solely to the mini-L.P. scene. Maybe you knew that already. I didn't. I am also not in any big hurry to replace all my "standard" sized record either. I'll be sticking to the actual L.P. as my primary medium. But these are really cool.

I'm reminded of "Chu  Bops", those mini L.P's of the 1980's that contained little bubble gum "records"? You can still find lots of them for sale on ebay. (I wouldn't recommend eating them) However I didn't buy many of them when I was a kid. Seems they never had any mini Iron Maiden or Alice Cooper records. Woe is me.

A set of Rolling Stones "Chu Bops." I wonder how long it will be before I start adding these to my collection.

Leigh Stephens - After Blue Cheer

After his departure from Blue Cheer in 1969, Leigh Stephens went on to form Silver Meter with Pete Sears on bass. Sears played on the classic Rod Stewart albums Gasoline Alley, Every Picture Tells A Story, (which was listed high in Rolling Stone Magazine's top 500 albums of all time), Never A Dull Moment, and Smiler. He also played on the hit singles Maggie May and Reason to Believe, and was with Jefferson Starship (1974 to 1984) and it's offspring Starship (1985 to 1987). Micky Waller occupied the drums and Jack Reynolds supplied vocals.
  The group recorded one album, at Trident Studios in London, England and it was released on National General Records, produced by their manager, FM rock radio pioneer Tom Donahue.

His 1971 album, And A Cast of Thousands featured among other musicians his fellow band members from the above mentioned band, together with the power trio Ashton, Gardner, and Dyke, together with the two sax players from If, Dave Quincey, Dave Morrissey, and Jethro Tull bassist Glen Cornick.
1971 also saw the formation of Pilot, consisting of Bruce Stephens, Leigh Stephens, Micky Waller, and Neville Whitehead. The band came about while Micky Waller was on a trip to California, where he met and played with Bruce Stephens who had just completed playing with Blue Cheer as lead guitarist / vocalist. Mickey returned to England and met with Martin Quittenton. They formed the band and stayed together until 1973. During that time they released two albums for RCA: Pilot (1972), and Point of View (1973), along with one single Rider / Miss Sandy. 

He was ranked 98 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar players of all time.

Red Weather - 1969