Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 03/18/1993
Run Time: 32:42
There's a swagger and aggression to
Blue Cheer's
power blues that can be traced through the decades of
heavy metal and the
post-metal mutations of hard music. The second of only two
Blue Cheer recordings featuring the classic lineup of
Leigh Stephens on guitar,
Dickie Peterson on bass and lead vocals, and
Paul Whaley playing drums,
Outsideinside, along with its predecessor,
Vincebus Eruptum, ranks among the most underappreciated
hard rock collections ever.
Blue Cheer's second, more refined offering stands as a testament to the power-for-its-own-sake mentality that helped forge '70s
hard rock out of the
blues,
psychedelia, and energetic
rock & roll.
Whaley's hyper drumming sounds almost
punk during a frantic rework of
the Rolling Stone's
"Satisfaction" and the instrumental
"Magnolia Caboose Babyfinger." This was quite an accomplishment considering that
Outsideinside was released a full year before either
the Stooges' debut or
MC5's
Kick Out the Jams.
Stephens' fuzzed-out guitar solos shift and weave through each of
Outsideinside's nine tracks, but the guitars work best as rhythmic support of
Peterson's vocals on the standout tracks
"Just a Little Bit" and
"Come and Get It." Unfortunately,
Blue Cheer simply did not possess the virtuosity to fight through the record's more ambitious moments; when the San Francisco trio tries to cop
Hendrix in
"Sun Cycle," the music sputters and loses focus. In true
metal tradition, critics have generally ignored
Blue Cheer's vast musical influence except for the most derivative of bands. Meanwhile, artists like
Smashing Pumpkins,
Mudhoney, and
the Melvins have consistently covered the group both live and in the studio. Anyone interested in the history of hard music will want to familiarize themselves with this exceptional, innovative release.
~Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide
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