| Vincebus Eruptum | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by Blue Cheer | ||
| Released | January 16 1968 | |
| Recorded | 1967 at Amigo Studios in Hollywood, California | |
| Genre | Hard Rock, Heavy Metal (Proto-Metal), Proto-Punk Psychedelic Rock, Acid Rock, Blues Rock, Garage Rock | |
| Length | 31:54 | |
| Label | Phillips | |
| Producer | Abe "Voco" Kesh | |
| Blue Cheer chronology | ||
| 'Debut Release' (N/A) |
Vincebus Eruptum (1968) |
OutsideInside (1968) |
Vincebus Eruptum (/vɪŋˈkeɪbəs ɪˈrʌptəm/; pseudo-Latin) is the debut album by American rock band Blue Cheer. Released on 16 January 1968, the album features a heavy-thunderous blues sound, which would later be known as heavy metal. Many elements of this album would also serve as precursors to punk rock, acid rock and grunge while the album itself maintained elements of hard rock, blues rock, garage rock and psychedelic rock. A commercial and critical success, Vincebus Eruptum peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and spawned the top-20 hit cover of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues". Some rock critics and fans of the bands have cited this as one of if not the first heavy metal album.
Background[]
Writing and Recording[]
Blue Cheer's debut album was recorded in 1967 at Amigo Studios in North Hollywood, California. In an interview with StonerRock.com, frontman Dickie Peterson explained that "Some songs I wrote have taken 20 years to really complete. And there are other songs like 'Doctor Please' or 'Out of Focus' that I wrote in ten minutes." On "Doctor Please" in particular, Peterson explained that "when I wrote the song (in 1967), it was a glorification of drugs. I was going through a lot of 'Should I take this drug or should I not take this drug? Blah, blah, blah.' There was a lot of soul searching at the time when I wrote that song, and I actually decided to take it. That’s what that song was about and that’s what I sang it about, sort of a drug anthem for me."[1] On the band's cover of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues", Peterson noted that "We kept changing it around and adding/taking bits away. It also has to do with large doses of LSD."[2]
Release, Reception and Legacy[]
Blue Cheer's debut album has widely been held in high regard by critics. Writing for music website AllMusic, Mark Deming described Vincebus Eruptum as "a glorious celebration of rock & roll primitivism run through enough Marshall amps to deafen an army", praising the band's "sound and fury" as one of the founding movements of heavy metal.[3] Pitchfork reviewer Alexander Linhardt gave the album nine out of a maximum ten points, noting that the album was less structured than its successor, Outsideinside.[4] It has also been described by Billboard as "the epitome of psychedelic rock".
Online music service Rhapsody included Vincebus Eruptum in its list of the "10 Essential Proto-Metal Albums", suggesting that the band "not only inspired the term 'power trio,' they practically invented heavy metal."[5]
For the album's 50th Anniversary, Loudwire would revisit the album and closing with the following statement on the band's influence: "Whether or not Blue Cheer influenced Sabbath, Zeppelin, et al, it's clear that they were, at the very least, setting the stage for audiences to devour bands long-haired dudes taking the blues and early rock and roll to louder, uglier and more distorted places, and echoes of Vincebus Eruptum can be heard through the decades in the music of Soundgarden, Nirvana, the Melvins, Earth, Clutch, Fu Manchu, Elder, Pallbearer and Monster Magnet, just to name a few."[6]
Pressings and Reissues[]
Vincebus Eruptum would be released worldwide over the years in a host of different formats common to the time, mainly on Phillips or Mercury Records. the original vinyl pressings featured a poem by legendary LSD chemist Owsley Stanley which became a specific point among collectors. In regards to notable reissues the most notable being a 2000 remastered edition via Akarma Records featuring a bonus track "All Night Long". Notable garage rock label Sundazed would reissue Vincebus Eruptum along with Outsideinside in 2010 with a full remaster and extensive liner notes.
Notable audiophile label Audio Fidelity would reissue Vincebus Eruptum on a Super Audio Compact Disc in June 2017.[7]
Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum (Full Album)
Tracklist[]
NOTE: Track 7 is only included on the Akarma Records reissue.
- 1. Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart) (3:47)
- 2. Rock Me Baby (B.B. King, Joe Josea) (3:47)
- 3. Doctor Please (Dickie Peterson) (7:53)
- 4. Out of Focus (Dickie Peterson) (3:58)
- 5. Parchment Farm (Mose Allison) (5:49)
- 6. Second Time Around (Dickie Peterson) (6:17)
- 7. All Night Long (Ralph Kellogg) (2:06)
Personnel[]
- Dickie Peterson - Bass, Vocals
- Leigh Stephens - Guitars
- Paul Whaley - Drums
- Abe "Voco" Kesh - Producer
- John MacQuarrie - Engineer
- John Van Hamersveld - Photography
- Gut - Graphic Design
- Bill Levenson - Producer (Remasters)
- Ellen Fitton - Remastering (Remasters)
External Links[]
- Vincebus Eruptum on Discogs
- UDiscoverMusic article on Blue Cheer
- UltimateClassicRock's review of Vincebus Eruptum
- HeadHeritage review of Vincebus Eruptum
- Uncut review of Vincebus Eruptum
- 7th Level Music review of Vincebus Eruptum
- On This Diety review of Vincebus Eruptum
- Sputnik Music review of Vincebus Eruptum
- Elsewhere review of Vincebus Eruptum
References[]
- ↑ Stonerrock.com via Wayback MachineAccessed 16 January 2018]
- ↑ Get Ready To RockAccessed 16 January 2018
- ↑ AllMusicAccessed 16 January 2018
- ↑ PitchforkAccessed 16 January 2018
- ↑ Rhapsody BlogAccessed 16 January 2018
- ↑ LoudwireAccessed 16 January 2018
- ↑ BlabbermouthAccessed 16 January 2018