PREAMBLE

Welcome to my series in which I explore the history of hard rock, heavy rock, and heavy metal—including metal’s many subgenres. In it, you will find, and hopefully discover, key artists and records that will allow you to better understand and appreciate this fascinating facet of potent and often rebellious rock. The selections will be presented in chronological order based on their original release date. I will not go into great detail about the recordings’ sound quality; suffice to say that these types of rock releases are at times edgy and aggressive, which is apropos considering the nature of the beast. So don’t expect perfectly polished Steely Dan, Supertramp or Eagles demo-worthy sonics. Sound quality did not factor into my choices for inclusion in this series, which means it will run the gamut from very bad (often due to over-compression or bad EQ choices) to quite impressive, exciting, and engaging.

So, as Alice Cooper said: Hello! Hooray! Let the show begin…   

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By 1964, rock and roll in America was dwindling. Instead, music fans were caught up in the fervour of the British Invasion, ignited by the Beatles and their rougher rivals, the Rolling Stones. While the former kept pushing the envelope in terms of melody, harmony, and technical wizardry, the latter incorporated strong streaks of the blues and R&B into their songs. Seattle-born musical genius Jimi Hendrix would combine both the blues and the tech mastery into one bold experience.

1- The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced. Reprise Records – RS 6261 (1967, May), Experience Hendrix, Legacy 88697 62395 1 (2010, March), 33 1/3 rpm, 180g. Genre: psychedelic, acid rock, heavy rock, blues rock, R&B.

The trio of guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist Noel Redding, and drummer Mitch Mitchell, known collectively as The Jimi Hendrix Experience, formed a formidable force to be reckoned with. The band’s debut album, Are You Experienced, first released in the U.K. in May 1967—roughly two weeks before the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper—sounded like nothing else before it. The album’s eleven tracks fuse psychedelic, acid rock, and blues into a melting pot of what we call ‘heavy rock’, making it the first full-fledged album of this genre, with the heaviest dissonant rock sound of any album at that time, by a wide margin. Like many musical acts from the 1960s, UK album versions often slightly differed from their US counterparts regarding song inclusions and running order. In this case, the US version is the better choice as it features one of the band’s key signature songs, “Purple Haze”, whereas the UK one omits it. Here, Hendrix employs the dissonant interval known as the diabolus in musica, a recurring motif in heavy metal. Glancing at the track listing, one could be forgiven for thinking this is a “Greatest Hits” package rather than a regular or debut LP, given the number of great Hendrix compositions that soon became rock classics. “Purple Haze”, “Manic Depression”, “Hey Joe”, “The Wind Cries Mary”, “Fire”, “Third Stone from the Sun”, “Foxey Lady”, and “Are You Experienced?” are all there! Jimi pioneered the use of phasing, fuzz, wah-wah, and Uni-Vibe/Univox foot-pedal effects, and mastered the art of controlled distortion from his Marshall tube amp. All of the above and more ensures Jimi’s status as the most creative, greatest, gifted guitarist in rock history. Produced by former Animals bassist Chas Chandler, and engineered by Eddie Kramer, David Siddle, and Mike Ross at De Lane Lea, CBS, and Olympic studios in London. The 2010 “all analog” Legacy reissue remastered by Kramer and cut by George Marino at Sterling Sound is the one to get.

Not to be outgunned…

…another powerful trio from England had released its debut in December 1966, called Fresh Cream, and featuring the song “I Feel Free”. But it is truly the band’s second album, Disraeli Gears (derailleur gears) that shifted the race.

2- Cream – Disraeli Gears. Reaction – 594 003, ATCO Records – SD 33-232 (1967, Nov.), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: psychedelic, acid rock, heavy rock, blues rock.

Considered the first ‘supergroup’, Cream consisted of bassist Jack Bruce (ex-member of Graham Bond Organization, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Manfred Mann); guitarist Eric Clapton (ex-member of the Yardbirds, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers); and drummer Ginger Baker (ex-member of Blues Incorporated, Graham Bond Organization). Talk about converging paths! No doubt Cream’s best album, Disraeli Gears starts out with the sensuous, bluesy “Strange Brew”, brought by Clapton taking the lead vocal instead of the usual Bruce, followed by the band’s best known single, “Sunshine of Your Love”. Bruce was inspired to write the famous bass riff after he heard Hendrix play at a London theatre. This is the heaviest track of the album, and my main reason for including it as a key piece in this puzzle covering the history of hard and heavy.

Side two’s “Tales of Brave Ulysses” is one of my favourite tracks from the album as well as from the group’s repertoire. It’s probably also their most psychedelic-sounding song, employing a descending tetrachord bass line, plus Clapton’s guitar wah-wah pedal effect. Both of these features would be recycled on their 1968 single “White Room”. “SWLABR” sports a fuzz-filled faster pace, with two-channel twin guitar solos. Finally, I love “We’re Going Wrong”, where Bruce’s vocals remain soft and falsetto, accompanied by Clapton’s emotionally-driven, bluesy-psychedelic guitar work, whereas Baker’s distinct drumming in 6/8 time creates an Eastern-style vibe, common in psychedelic music. Felix Pappalardi produced the album, and Atlantic’s Tom Dowd did the engineering at the label’s studio in New York City. I only have the original UK Reaction pressing so I couldn’t compare it with the US one on ATCO. 

Let’s leave London now to… go to San Francisco…

As 1967 came to a close, the flower children and hippies from Haight-Ashbury were long gone. Many had indeed followed Leary’s advice to “turn on, tune in, and drop out”. But some youths were not that enthralled by this ‘peace and love’ movement and spiritual awakening philosophy.

3- Blue Cheer – Vincebus Eruptum. Philips – PHS 600-264 (1968, Jan.), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: heavy blues rock, heavy metal, acid rock, psychedelic rock.

Trading the Summer of Love for the “Summer Time Blues”, Blue Cheer channelled Eddie Cochran’s rock and roll classic, and churned it into something real heavy. This third trio of this series features Dickie Peterson on vocals and bass, Leigh Stephens on guitar, and Paul Whaley on drums. Unfamiliar to many, the band’s debut album, Vincebus Eruptum, nonetheless plays an important role in the evolution of heavy metal as their Cochran cover is considered to be the very first heavy metal song. At that time, Vincebus was certainly the most heavy and aggressive-sounding record out there. This is Cream whipped on steroids. The relentless pummelling of the drums, the fast tempo, the main repeating riff, the guitar’s distortion, the fuzzy dissonant leads, and towards the last third of the track right after the guitar solo, there is an abrupt, brief change in rhythm, followed by an accelerando with rising scale, something we often encounter in heavy metal. The blues-rock “Rock Me Baby” is a cover of a blues standard popularized by B.B. King. The Peterson-penned “Doctor Please” is an aggressive tempo-modulating heavy metal track—it’s quite good and sounds ahead of its time. “Parchman Farm” is a cover of a 1941 blues song by Bukka White, which gets a psychedelic acidic revamp shifting between two tempi. Finally, “Second Time Around”—another original by Peterson—is the most psychedelic track of the album, with dueling guitars, drum and bass solos, and a cataclysmic coda. The album was produced by Abe “Voco” Kesh and engineered by John MacQuarrie at Amigo Studios in Hollywood, CA. The sound quality would benefit from a serious vinyl remastering and/or remixing to get better impact from those wonderful drums. Anybody listening out there?

For more from Claude Lemaire visit…

http://soundevaluations.blogspot.ca/

Reference List (Singles, albums, and labels):

1. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced
Reprise Records – RS 6261 (1967, May), Experience Hendrix, Legacy 88697 62395 1 (2010, March), 33 1/3 rpm, 180g. Genre: psychedelic, acid rock, heavy rock, blues rock, R&B.

2. Cream – Disraeli Gears
Reaction – 594 003, ATCO Records – SD 33-232 (1967, Nov.), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: psychedelic, acid rock, heavy rock, blues rock.

3. Blue Cheer – Vincebus Eruptum
Philips – PHS 600-264 (1968, Jan.), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: heavy blues rock, heavy metal, acid rock, psychedelic rock.