Blue Cheer: Gypsy Ball

Here's some super heavy 1960's psych metal from Blue Cheer. These guys were great. Pre-Stooges, amp destroying, beautiful noise...can't go wrong with this band's early stuff.

SIR LORD BALTIMORE: MASTER HEARTACHE

Sir Lord Baltimore is a band I just recently discovered. Their legendary debut album "Kingdom Come"(1971) is hopelessly out of print with high prices being asked for it...so all I have to go from is songs I can find on the Internet. Hailing from New York, these guys are one of the harbingers of heavy metal. Forget the sludge of Black Sabbath...Sir Lord Baltimore offers up pure molten, euphoric fury, like The Stooges, Led Zeppelin, and Blue Cheer rolled into one and launched into a high octane overdrive. This is some of the purest and most face removing metal you will ever hear. Sometimes they remind of the "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" that would soon be brewing overseas. Nevertheless, Sir lord Baltimore's intensity is tough to match. Here's "Master Heartache", the best track of theirs that I have heard so far, for your enjoyment.

GRAVEYARD

I don't know what it is about Sweden. The country continues to crank out one brilliant retro/psych/doom rock/metal band after another, such as Witchcraft and Troubled Horse. I just discovered another excellent Swedish band called Graveyard. Their music is exceptional...it's filled with your usual retro Pentagram, Blue Cheer, and Black Sabbath worship, but these guys add a modern, driving touch to their music as well. The vocal delivery is akin to a cross Glen Danzig, Ian Astbury of The Cult, and Jim Morrison. The music reminds of the heavy, starry eyed, retro rock of The Cult and also Glen Danzig's solo work at times. The guitar playing is fuzzed out, psychedelic, and euphoric, reminding me of the guitar work of Monster Magnet and space rock gods Hawkwind at times.

Anyway, Graveyard has one self titled album that came out in 2008. I just purchased it this morning and comes highly recommended. Here's the first track, "Evil Ways". I'm sure you will enjoy.

BLUE CHEER

Blue Cheer are an incredible heavy psych rock band that came out in the late 1960's, led by singer bassist Dickie Peterson. Their sound is euphoric, acid laced, blues based rock played at deafening volumes. They were known for blowing up amplifiers at some of their early performances. Blue Cheer, along with Black Sabbath, would greatly influence the upcoming genre of heavy metal. Whereas Sabbath specialized in doom, Blue Cheer specialized in more upbeat, brain melting euphoria. Their two best albums are "Vincebus Eruptum" and "Outside Inside", both released in 1968. "Vincebus Eruptum" has more of a straight forward and frenetic blues metal feel to it, while "Outside Inside" is more adventurous and psychedelic. Both albums are extremely heavy and highly recommended.

Here's a vintage performance of "Summertime Blues" from "Vincebus Eruptum"...


...and here's "Come and Get It" from "Outside "Inside". Enjoy.

Come And Get It - Blue Cheer

HERMANO: "...INTO THE EXAM ROOM"

"Into the Exam Room" (2007) is Hermano's third and strongest studio release. Hermano are an excellent band led by ex-Kyuss singer John Garcia. Their music strays away from the stoner metal of Kyuss, exploring the many aspects of 1960's and 1970's psychedelic rock & metal instead. They are equal parts Led Zeppelin, Cream, Blue Cheer, and Black Sabbath. John Garcia's vocals are in top form, smooth and plaintive when they need to be, and dead on heavy whenever the music calls for it. "Into the Exam Room" has a high gloss 1970's production, and the feel of this album reminds me at times of the starry eyed retro rock of The Cult. All the tracks are great, as the song writing maintains a strong balance between melody and heaviness. Highly recommended, and here's a few of my favorite tracks.

MONSTER MAGNET: "SUPERJUDGE"

I've been a fan of the band Monster Magnet for years. The first ablum of theirs I bought was "Superjudge", way back in 1993. I love all of their material, but for some reason, this album always stands out to me. Maybe it is because it is the first album I heard by them. Who knows, but I will tell you this: "Superjudge" is in my opinion the most perfect space rock album ever made. Dave Wyndorf and crew were definitely channeling the powers of the psychedelic space lords on this release.

"Superjudge" is the perfect blend of Hawwind(they even cover "Brainstorm"), the euphoria of Blue Cheer, the retro-doom riffing of Black Sabbath, and a giant, 1970's arena rock sound and vibe. Monster Magnet blasts you off into outer space from the first few seconds of the first track "Cyclops Revolution", and they don't let you land until the closing notes of 'Black Balloon". By then you are exhausted from such a long and intense, yet highly enjoyable journey through space. Dave Wyndorf's lyrics are the perfect blend of psychedelia, science fiction, and intentional rock star cliches. His commanding, lysergic vocals perfectly fit the world eating euphoria of the music. All of the tracks are incredible on this album. I can't think of any real standouts because "Superjudge" is best appreciated as a whole. Listen to it all the way through, play it loud on some good speakers, and have a safe trip.

Here's the videos to "Twin Earth" and "Face Down".

MOSE ALLISON

Mose Allison was a highly innovative jazz singer/piano player from the Mississippi Delta in Tallahatchie County. He started recording music in the late 1950's. His music, an ultra-modern fusion of jazz and blues, was way ahead of it's time. The lyrics are very cynical and pessimistic, in stark contrast to the mid-to fast paced jazz/blues. The music does convey a certain sense of helplessness though. It is in a minor key, and conveys the feeling of being caught in a world spinning out of control. Mose Allison's vocals are highly detached, almost spoken, and are a desperate cry for help in a world that is too fast paced for people to notice what is going on around them. His dry style is somewhat similar to the vocal delivery of Tom Waits. He has influenced a huge range of artists, from Blue Cheer to The Rolling Stones.

A great place to start if you're curious is the 20 track CD "The Best of Mose Allison". Every track is great. You can't go wrong with this one.

Here's "Stop This World" and "I Don't Worry About a Thing", two of my all time favorite songs. Hope you like 'em.

Stop This World - Mose Allison

I Dont Worry About A Thing - Mose Allison

PENTAGRAM

Pentagram was a great metal band that came out about the same time Black Sabbath did, the late '60's/early "70's. They both had a doomy approach to metal. While Sabbath was all doom and gloom, however, Pentagram was more up tempo and edgy. They were also into the heavy, euphoric, psychedelic rock of Blue Cheer, so that gave then a more lively edge than Sabbath.

They released very little material in the 1970's. Most of it has been recently re-issued on "First Daze Here: The Vintage Collection 1 and 2." That is a good set, with volume 1 being the best, as volume 2 is mostly demos.

Pentagram came back in full force in the 1980's with a much heavier and cleaner sound. This time around they were all doom, with crushing, frayed nerve-endings guitar riffs and the usual great vocals of Bobby Liebling. They were still way more up-tempo than Sabbath, but the lighter edge of their music was gone. They released 3 solid albums during this time: "Relentless", "Day of Reckoning", and "Be Forewarned", with "Relentless" being their heaviest.

Here's "Forever My Queen", from the 1970's:



And here's "Sign of the Wolf" from the 1980's album "Relentless".
Both of these tracks, are among my all time favorite songs. Enjoy!

WITCHCRAFT

Witchcraft are a great retro doom metal band I discovered about a year ago. Their influences range from the psychedelic doom metal of Black Sabbath & Pentagram to the heavy psych of Blue Cheer to the melody of Cream and the vocal power of The Doors. The vocals are very melodic, with touches of Glen Danzig, Ozzy, and Jim Morrison. The musicianship is top notch, blending old retro influences to make something that sounds completely new. They have 3 albums out so far: "Witchcraft"(2004), "Firewood"(2005), and "The Alchemist"(2007). All three are great, with "Firewood" probably being the weakest of the three. I highly recommend these guys.

Here's the video to "Chylde of Fire", from the "Firewood" album:

And here's a live performance of "Hey Doctor", from "The Alchemist":