BLUE CHEER Vinyl & CDs

Review: There are moments in the spellbinding and often criminally overlooked Blue Cheer anthem, 'Summertime Blues', when it feels like we've descended into the depths of industrial guitar chaos. A cacophony of feedback, growls, and low, rumbling refrains. A pithy reinterpretation of Eddie Cochran's 1958 hit single, here rendered obtuse for the second, decidedly less-radio and commercial-friendly rock 'n' roll generation.

The whole version plays out in a way that's much like we can imagine Jimi Hendrix might have made happen. Grizzled, gritty, fraught and, ultimately, very loud indeed. It's a standout on this triple-A-side of 1967 Blue Cheer demos, three tracks committed to the pantheons when the psychedelic blues and acid rockers were first beginning to focus their energies. But while the aforementioned is the main event, everything here shows why there was so much excitement around them in the first place.