Blue Cheer - 'What Doesn't Kill You...'
                                                                                                                        Released on August 16, 2007 on Rainman Records
THE BAND:                                                                                                                                                    www.bluecheer.us
Dickie Peterson - bass/vocals                                                                                                                       www.myspace.com/bluecheer
Andrew "Duck" MacDonald - guitar/vocals
Paul Whaley - drums



TRACK FRAGMENTS:
1.) "Rollin' Dem Bones"  - The first intro of this track opens with a very simple rhythm guitar blues riff over the top of  four tom-tom and bass fills.  There is a small lead guitar lick that connects this intro section to what actually is the main musical intro.  The rhythm arrangement of the guitar, bass and drums changes at this point in the intro giving the song a very intense sound.  Over the top of this second more major intro section there is a minor lead guitar solo.  The same rhythm guitar riff of the intro sections was the same one the band used for the musical verse.  The only real difference between the two riffs is the rhythm riff for the verse was turned down just a little.  There is a rhythm guitar arrangement change connecting the verse to the pre-chorus.  This rhythm arrangement is the same one the band used for the second musical intro.  After the second pre-chorus there is a small breakdown section.  For this breakdown section Alex switches from playing a standard hi-hat rhythm to playing a rhythm on his tom-toms.  The lead guitar solo was very reminiscent of lead guitar solos back in the sixties.  There is a couple vocal line accents over the top of a minor lead guitar solo of the outro section. 
2.) "Piece O' The Pie" - The opening rhythm guitar riff of this intro section had a Jimi Hendrix feel to it.  There is a minor lead guitar solo over the top the intro section.  The vocal lines of the first verse have an older Alice Cooper feel to them.  In between each lyric line of the verse there is a small lead guitar solo section.  Paul's drum rhythm and drum fills of this song reminded me a lot of some pf the stuff I have heard Cream drummer Ginger Baker do.  There is a small bass line and drum pattern change underneath the musical chorus.   After the second chorus there is a small musical rest that consisted of a drum fill.  As Paul plays this fill he slowly slows down the song.  This musical section that connects the second chorus with the third verse had a very dramatic effect.  Because there are minor lead guitar solos scattered throughout the song the track really does not have a major lead guitar solo section.  
3.) "Born Under A Bad Sign" - This track was written by Booker T. Jones & William Bell, and was featured on Albert King's first album titled, 'Born Under A Bad Sign', and was released in 1967.
4.) "Gypsy Rider" - The drum rhythm of this intro section was done using a tom-tom and snare pattern.  There are a couple lead guitar licks over the top of the musical intro.  There is a small rhythm guitar change for the musical pre-verse.  This main rhythm of the musical pre-verse was very simple and basic.  There is a small musical rest consisting of a snare fill connecting the pre-verse and the verse.  Underneath the vocal lines of the chorus there are a couple lead guitar licks.  Paul switches from a standard drum rhythm to a tom-tom rhythm for the musical chorus.  The rhythm guitar of the lead guitar solo section was so heavy it almost overshadows the lead guitar solo section.  The highlight of the lead guitar solo was the lead guitar licks underneath the vocal lines leading into the outro section.
5.) "Young Lions In Paradise" -The rhythm guitars of this intro section gives the song a very Country music feel.  With that being said it is some of the best rhythm guitar picking I have ever heard!  There is a small musical rest connecting the intro section to the musical verse.  After hearing the four tracks before this one you are kind of taken a back by the song's laid back feel.  Vocally, the verses are very draggy sounding.  The backing vocals on this track could have been arranged by The Band! 
6.) "I Don't Know About You" - There is a minor lead guitar solo over the top of this short intro section.  The main rhythm guitar riff underneath the lead vocal lines of the musical verse had a very simple feel to them.  There is a small rhythm change for the musical chorus.  Laced in between the lead vocal lines of the chorus there are minor lead guitar solos.  After the first chorus there is a minor lead guitar solo connecting the first chorus to the second verse.  For this musical section Paul incorporated a small hi-hat opening and closing rhythm.  The main musical rhythms of the song have a very stinking groove to them.  The first half of the main lead guitar solo was heavily distorted.  This is something that was very big within the late sixties. For the second half of the solo Andrew used a clean electric guitar sound.  This solo was double tracked giving the effect it was two different guitarist playing it.  There is a minor lead guitar solo that runs underneath the vocal lines of the outro section. 
7.) "I'm Gonna Get You"  - Underneath the heavy rhythm guitar riffs of this intro section Paul is playing a rhythm on his tom-tom and snare.  The intro section consisted of two different rhythm guitar arrangements.  The drums are so heavy on this track the minor lead guitar solo that connects the intro to the musical verse is almost overshadowed.  The vocal lines of the verse have a very dark abstract feel to them.  The main instrumentation of the musical verse was the drum line.  The rhythm guitar does not kick in until the second or third lyric line.  You can definitely hear Blue Cheer's sixties influence on this track.  For me the highlight was the drums and lead guitar.  I really got off on Andrew's sixties influenced guitar licks!!!
8.) "Malajusted Child" -The minor lead guitar solo over the top of this intro section was heavily influenced by the late Jimi Hendrix.  The bass line underneath the vocal line of the musical verse just blew me away!  There is a small rhythm change and minor lead guitar solo for the musical chorus.  The main rhythms of this track have a stinking sixties groove to them.  The lead guitar solo was heavily influenced by Eric Clapton and if I did not know any better I would swear this was Cream playing this song.  This has quickly became my favorite song on the CD!   
9.) "Just A Little Bit (redux)" - Originally released on the Blue Cheer album 'Outside Inside' released on August 1968.
10.) "No Relief" -This track opens with a minor lead guitar solo over the top of a very laid back blues rhythm.  The musical verse consisted of a lead guitar over the top of a rhythm guitar arrangement.  The main vocal lines of the verses have a eerie blues sound to them.  Musically this sounds like one of those songs were the band locked into a groove and just went with it.  I loved the lead guitar licks that connected the verse to the chorus. Andrew's major lead guitar solo had an echo effect attached to it.  The song has a drug effect on the listener.  The effect of were it draws you in and you get lost within the smooth lead guitar licks of Andrew's playing style.


    When most modern hard rock and heavy metal critics think of the origins of heavy metal they think of bands like Black Sabbath & Led Zeppelin.  However, there were a string of little known bands from the late sixties and early seventies that were heavy innovators in not only the eighties heavy metal sound but also modern hard rock of today.  Those band’s were, The Sweet, Iron Butterfly, and Blue Cheer.
    Too be perfectly honest with our readers, outside of hearing a thirty-second song sample of Blue Cheer's cover of Eddie Cochran hit “Summertime Blues”. 
I was not familiar with the band.  ‘What Doesn’t Kill You…’ marks Blue Cheer’s thirteenth release (this includes greatest hits & live releases) in thirty-nine years.  The release includes nine original recordings plus one cover song.  The nine original tracks are heavily influenced by such rock –n- roll blues bands as Cream and BBM (Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker & Gary Moore) with one exception, these tracks are heavy and smack you in the face.  Naturally, this CD is a must have for all Blue Cheer fans.  However, if you really want to hear the true roots of heavy metal then this release is also for you and should be checked out.