“Louder Than God”: Rush’s Neil Peart Remembers Blue Cheer’s Dickie Peterson

Rolling Stone ^ | 10-21-2009 | Neil Peart

[Lancey Howard]

Whoa... I hadn't heard about this. I still have the album 'Outsideinside' (I bought it circa 1970) sitting in the shelves behind me, and I routinely listen to SUMMERTIME BLUES as I sit here at my computer. I still remember seeing them on TV, late '60s.

RIP, Dickie.

[Tainan]

Thanks...I do remember.

[Lancey Howard]

'Outsideinside' - Blue Cheer

[gigster]

Good job Neil.

I think I will put on “Rush in Rio” for my lullaby tonight.

[Captain Beyond]

bump

[Lancey Howard]

By the way, thanks for posting this. Neil Peart did a great job with that tribute. We are about the same age, and I always enjoy hearing/reading somebody else reminiscing the same reminiscences as me.

(Uhh... if that makes any sense.)

Anyway, those (late ‘60s) were some incredible times.
Of course, I happen to be a Rush fan as well. But Neal is talking “loud”? I saw Rush and Kiss open for Blue Oyster Cult in a field house at Bucknell circa 1975 and my ears throbbed for a week. Loudest concert I ever saw, and I saw Black Sabbath at the Spectrum twice (in ‘70 and ‘71).

FRegards,
LH

[historyrepeatz]

Since then, it’s a tragedy that the “powers that be” in the recording industry decided to collectively KILL REAL MUSIC. On a positive note, I’ll ignore anything produced after the 80’s and go out and find myself Vincebus Eruptum and Outsideinside. If Neil Peart says it’s good, it’s good.

[ChrisInAR]

Ping for later

[rawcatslyentist]

>"it’s a tragedy that the “powers that be” in the recording industry decided to collectively KILL REAL MUSIC. "

Who would buy their garbage, if they had a choice?

It's not music anymore, it's low level pedophilia porn.

[LS]

I saw Blue Cheer, and did not think they were all that loud.

I've seen 'em all: Hendrix (twice), Zeppelin, Vanilla Fudge . . . but the loudest band EVER (not even close) was Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. They were ear-splittingly loud.

[LS]

Loudest band I saw was Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. And I saw a weird double bill with Sabbath and Yes, and didn’t think Sabbath was that loud.

[Poser]

Summertime Blues is on my Highs of the Sixties album. I still turn it up butt...

The loudest band I ever saw was The Georgia Satellites.

[I Buried My Guns]

"...Geddy, who remarked that Blue Cheer might well have been the first heavy metal band..."

I always thought MC5 was the first heavy metal band.

the loudest band I ever saw was the L.A. art-punkabilly band X. They came to my town with the Rollins Band a few years ago. On second thought, maybe it was the Rollins Band that was the loudest. It was all a blur that night.

[Lawgvr1955]

Bloodrock was the loudest band I ever heard (saw?). If you don't remember them, they were the band that did "DOA" with the ambulance siren on it.

The years have flown by.

[andy58-in-nh]

I saw CSNY once but don't recall them being particularly loud (although I saw Neil Young play solo, and he certainly was). The loudest band I ever recall was a concert by Rick Derringer at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio. I have no idea what the wattage output must have been, but the effect was so explosively ear-splitting that I swear you could smell the guitar licks. My ears rang for a full day afterward.

[My Favorite Headache]

Anyone with a serious knowledge of hard rock and heavy metal knows that Blue Cheer was the first and the original real deal of metal.

[My Favorite Headache]

It’s funny reading people’s memories of what their loudest concerts were...odd to see Yes/Sabbath, Rick Derringer, and CSNY mentioned here. Sabbath I could buy being loud but the others are a bit of an eye opener.

Saying that...I think the loudest concert I ever attended was Pantera and Skid Row. I have been to hundreds of concerts and I still stand by today as that show being the single loudest 2 band event I have ever heard in my life. I am not kidding. I did not have my hearing back for 3 plus days. I used to think people were b.s.’ing me when they would talk about shows they couldn’t hear after for days. I would usually get my ears back the next morning or so if a concert was really super loud.

But that combo of Pantera and Skid Row was just off the charts LOUD.

[LS]

Wow, I LOVED Bloodrock, and our little band played at least 3-4 Bloodrock songs, particularly “Kool Aid Kids” I think they had a song called “DOA.”

[Lancey Howard]

Anyone with a serious knowledge of hard rock and heavy metal knows that Blue Cheer was the first and the original real deal of metal.

Only one other group I can think of might have an argument:

(I still go with Blue Cheer, though.)