From the Forum on Stonerrock.com (Live Reviews)

[isis]

Blue Cheer
@ Sneaky Dee's
Toronto, Canada
April 10, 2007

Damn, what can I say about this show? When I read the upcoming concert listings and saw "Blue Cheer" listed about a month and a half ago, I thought, "no effin' way...can it be"? With a quick clickity-click, baraba-trick internet search I learned it was true: the legendary Blue Cheer were touring (and have been for a while) and coming to Toronto. I nabbed some tix (10 bones, what a steal), spread the groove gospel and cranked my favourite BC records "vincebus eruptus", "outsideinside" & "the original human being" at least once a day.

I arrived at the concert and saw a big ol' SOLD OUT sign across Sneaky's doors. I didn't know how many folks would come out to this show, but damn I was not expecting a capacity crowd. Toronto is a strange place, you can have hundreds of people one night for a show and other nights when you expect a huge turn out, nothing. Go figure.

Anyway, I made it upstairs and heard mighty fine jams roarin' from the stage and it was local boys Harold Wartooth. I was impressed with their playin' and vocals. Nice fuzzy, psych-jams held together by mammoth grooves. Definitely worth checkin' out if your in the GTA.

An Albatross were up next and these cats just aren't my thang. What they do, they do well: barking screamo-spastic temper tantrum music, with a side of experimental prog. 'Nuff said.

Around midnight Blue Cheer took the stage and brought heavy grooves for close to an hour and a half. It was phuckin' bliss. The gear looked mid-70's: Ampeg Bass rig, Marshall Guitar head and a simple yet effective drum set up with a massive floor tom and Blue Cheer logo painted on the bass drum. The boys played exclusively Fender axes and damn I've never heard a stratocaster sound that good. Pure phuckin' fuzz! As they plowed through the entire Vincebus Eruptum lp I was thinkin' that this is close to ground zero for fuzzrock, grunge, stonerrock, superfuzz-bigmuff-wahwah-rocknroll (whatever ya wanna call it). The crowd was into it and Dickie Peterson (bass,vocals), Andrew 'Duck' Mac Donald (guitar) and Paul Whaley (drums) fed off the energy and just gave it.

Set list included:
Babylon (outsideinside)
Second Time Around (Vincebus Eruptum)
Rock Me Baby (Vincebus)
Come & Get It (outside)
Parchment Farm (Vincebus)
Just A Little Bit (outside)
the Hunter (outside)
Out of Focus (Vincebus)
Summertime Blues (Vincebus)
Doctor Please (Vincebus)

Review by Rotten Rabbit





Now Playing: Captain Beyond - s/t

[poopypants]

Great article. Thanks for posting it.
But.......Sorry, I'm anal about one thing though. The drum set was definitely NOT even remotely reminiscent of the 70's. It's a newer Pearl Export, which is essentially an extremely good entry-level set or a semi-professional set at best (I know this cuz I'm a drummer myself). Unless it's a complete piece of shit, the quality of a drumset doesn't matter a whole lot if you're miking it, as BC does. But the size of the kit he uses were uncommon in the 70's. Most folks won't notice this, but I noticed it right away when I saw them last year, and then when Paul gave me a personal guided tour of his kit (Including his new DW 9000 pedal-Nice!!). He does however play a 6 1/2 X 14" Ludwig Supraphonic 402 snare drum (The same one Bonham used) that's from the 70's I have one and they go for a fair amount of money on Ebay, and for good reason; They are one of the best sounding snares out there. I have a Ludwig kit from the 70's and it definitely has some Mojo goin' on...I love it!
Anyway, sorry for rambling, but we are talking about Blue Cheer's gear. Personally, I like the gear they use. This is just me, but I would much rather see a band use older gear that looks used than shiny new gear. Remember Stevie Ray Vaughn's guitar? That baby had some road wear on it, but damn it looked sharp!
Oh yeah, most importantly, it ain't the gear no-how. It really comes down to the player, and Paul Whaley is one helluva good drummer. He could probably play a cheap set and make it sound good, but it would most definitely not be able to withstand the power he delivers when playing with Blue Cheer!

[gypsyball]

Is Paul Whaley on the all time best drummer list? If not, he should on there!

[capz]

Come and get it?! Can any one else confirm this? I've been to all the NY shows and the one NJ show and I'm sure I didn't hear that song.

[FeedbackLourde]

Yeah, they definitely did NOT play Come & Get It. Ya can't bullshit a bullshitter.....

[poopypants]

gypsyball said:

Is Paul Whaley on the all time best drummer list? If not, he should on there!

The magazine Modern Drummer just came out with a special edition called "25 Greatest Drummers" and unfortunately, Whaley wasn't one of them (Neither was Ginger Baker or Mitch Mitchell, so there ya go ). However, that doesn't mean he's not on my personal list, which is what really counts.
However, a gentleman drummer by the name of Bob Cianci (Nice guy too!) has come out with a revised edition of his book "The Great Rock Drummers Of The 60's" (Or something like that) and I believe he does discuss Whaley in the original edition. When I informed Bob of my meeting with Whaley last Summer, he said the last he heard about him was during the late 80's, when the first edition of his book came out. He said unfortunately his new edition was just about to come out, otherwise he would update Paul's information.
"Official" Best-Of lists are okay, but they are not definite. The best list is what YOU like. Personally I'm kinda glad Blue Cheer isn't universally adored; Kinda keeps their Outlaw or underdog status, know what I mean? Yeah it's a bit selfish to say that, but that's aprt of their appeal. Dig?

[Eric Albronda]

Biased as can be , I am, but having been at gigs with BC and The Cream, BC and Hendrix and having seen John Bonham on several stints, Paul Whaley at one time , during that time , among musicians was considered the BEST drummer in the world.

[mr maltese]

Personally I'm kinda glad Blue Cheer isn't universally adored; Kinda keeps their Outlaw or underdog status, know what I mean? Yeah it's a bit selfish to say that, but that's aprt of their appeal. Dig?

I agree with you 100 % poopy pants I feel the same way on that

as for drummers I am a drummer myself and when it comes to drummers there are different categories of drummers to me, Mitch Mitchell, Paul Whaley,Keith Moon and Ginger Baker to me were the best drummers of the late sixties because they took drumming and brought it to a whole other level and style - they had a very unorthodox style of drumming which made them very unique....Bill Ward plays like this as well

as for the more technical drummers in my opinion Buddy Rich and Carl Palmer are the two greatest drummers ever they are both in a class by themselves as far as technical ability,speed and stamina

[FeedbackLourde]

Don't forget about Terry Bozio & Bill Bruford for the technical. As for real good straight ahead rock drummers, we got Brian Downey and Peter Criss (yes, I do think he was great once upon a time!)

[mr maltese]

I would like to also add as for the techincal guys: Louis Belson, a new guy who's come out from Austria by the name of Tommy Lang, Billy Cobham(Mahavishnu Orchestra) & Stuart Copeland(The Police)

as for the straight ahead players I think Phil Rudd (AC/DC) has a great meter and great drum sound,...and another drummer who gets overlooked who I think is very good is Cheap Trick's Bun E. Carlos he's a combination of Ringo Starr and Keith Moon

[FeedbackLourde]

Get a haircut you hippie!!! Joey Hasselvander is awesome too (though Raven is a waste of his talent in my always humble opinion).

Another great drummer is TWINK.

[gypsyball]

I'd add Ian Paice of Deep Purple to the list, of great drummers.

[moondoggie]

This is Moondogie and for what its worth saw the Creams last concert in USA just two weeks before my expirence.Paul was balls to the wall with both solos that night just motherfreaking unfreakin beliveable.

[poopypants]

I admire Paul's playing for a variety of reasons. First of all, his playing on VB. Need I say more? When I think of thundering, pounding drums, this album immediately comes to mind.
Thene there's OI. This as well as the first shows that Paul plays not only rhythmically but melodically.
But it's the third album that shows that Paul can also play laid back when needed, the sign of a really good drummer and not just a basher.
Yeah, his playing on the later albums may have gotten "pedestrian" (As one reviewer called it although I personally thought he still was a terrific drummer on those albums), but give the guy a break. He stayed away from the drums for a loooong time, and, as you get older, yer muscles just don't move like they used to.
All that aside, he's still an amazing drummer to watch, and a very down-to-Earth person....As most drummers are ;D

[mr maltese]

I agree, he's not only powerful and free style but he can also play straight forward when it's called for in the song...he's very creative and musical which is what makes a really good drummer I think...one of the problems with Keith Moon (as much as I like his playing) he was always constantly putting a fill in sometimes even when it wasn't neccesary in certain parts of some of The Who's songs whereas Whaley would know when to put in the fills in and where not to....that is why I would put Whaley over Moon as a drummer in my opinion