1968 article about Blue Cheer recording on Pier 57 in New York (Outsideinside sessions)

I found this article on another forum, and noticed it wasn't posted anywhere else, so thought you guys might like it.

Source: Recording at Pier 57 (magazine unknown) | Message Board

 

Very cool... Thanks for sharing!

 

"Whatta ya wanna do tonight, Marty?" "I dunno. Whatta you wanna do?"

"Let's Go Down To Pier 57 and Watch BLUE CHEER Cut a Record!"

By Rick Bolsom

"Really . . on a pier!" was my first reaction when Philips Records called and asked me to drop in on a Blue Cheer recording session. The San Francisco-based trio uses six amps, 12 speakers, and a double set of drums, and the studio hasn't been built that can perfectly hold their sound. This was the reason given to me for the outdoor session. So, the following Tuesday, as bright and sunny a day as you'd like, I packed pen and camera and went to Pier 57, which juts out of the side of Manhattan out into the Hudson River for the length of about three or four football fields.

Way out on the end of the pier, facing the New Jersey side of the river, was Blue Cheer, all their equipment, and their entourage.

It took three full-time equipment handlers to set up the Cheer's stuff, and two sound men and a head engineer to get the portable recording gear into working order.

The first person I met on the pier was Cheer's producer, Abe Kesh, a bearded San Franciscan who never stops saying "yeahhh" in a voice that makes you know that he knows. Abe introduced me to the group—Dickie Peterson (bass), Leigh Stephens (guitar), and Paul Whaley (drums)—all of whom were in the process of directing the erection of their wall of sound equipment.

Two hours and several smashed fingers later, everything was ready to go, and Dickie and Leigh crowded around Paul and started to work out a tune that was eventually to become "Just A Little Bit," the follow-up single to "Summertime Blues." The basics of the song had been worked on before, and now the finishing touches that marked it a typical Blue Cheer tune were added. Breaks for solos were agreed on, the final words were fitted to the tune, and, with no further ado, Dickie and Lee pushed the dials on their amps all the way up and started into the song.

The tugboats that cruise the river stopped hauling their barges and headed en masse for Pier 57 to find out! Ferryboats detoured so that homebound suburbanites could see what they were hearing miles away. The whole waterfront of New York came to a rather abrupt stop in that first 30 seconds. The longshoremen will probably never recover.

One hour, two broken guitar strings, and a broken drumstick later, the group stopped for a smoke. And, two full hours after that, producer Kesh said "yeahhh," and "Just A Little Bit" was in the can.

Despite the size and power of the amps used by Blue Cheer, I was to find out that the repair bill for the equipment runs about $1,000 a week, which is probably one of the reasons that the Cheer have to work a lot harder and a lot more often than most groups. It gets expensive.

Meanwhile, without a break, Paul started some figures on the drums, and Leigh, almost without being heard (he only turned one amp on), joined in. Dickie, never far behind, strolled over, and altogether the three of them started to work out another number for the album that they wanted to get finished before an upcoming tour took them away from their sessions.

Blue Cheer stayed out on the pier for three solid days. Luckily, the sun kept shining, and the music kept flowing. As I write this, Paul, Leigh, Dickie, and Abe are deep inside the recording complex of Philips, mixing and mastering the tunes that were worked out on that $1,000-a-day pier that let Blue Cheer use the whole world for an echo chamber!

 

Addendum - apparently the name of the magazine this was published in was called Go Magazine, though I can't find other traces of it anywhere besides here: GO Magazine

No problem!

 

F in awesome article. Thanks! Rockin'........

 

Just a bump for the morning crew...

Looks like this may have been from another magazine, Discoscene? Possibly September 1968 issue (July 1968 only has a review of their first album), though not sure...

 

One last morning bump for those who missed it a couple weeks ago...

 

Alright, an update to this thread: I linked to the ProBoards thread on top, but I didn't realize at the time that one of the guys posting there was Eric S. Albronda himself! For those of you who didn't know, he's the co-founder and also the first drummer of the band before Paul Whaley took over.

Mind you, these following quotes are from September 2007:

He doesn't mention it (probably because it was already talked about in the article), but "Just A Little Bit" was recorded outside as well, on Pier 57 in New York. Though I'm surprised "Feathers From Your Tree" was recorded on a pier, when I would've thought it was recorded inside due to the piano. It must have been overdubbed.

Here's a couple more recent interviews from him you might enjoy if you have time:
Producer/musician Eric Albronda talks about Blue Cheer, Merry Pranksters, and magic city of San Francisco – Blues.Gr
Five Guns West: Blue Cheer!!!!! Eric Albronda Interview

 

On another note, I've been trying to track down the original source of the article posted above (the original poster in the linked thread said it was a photocopy he received) but I've been having trouble since I can't find any scans of Discoscene Magazine anywhere online. Can anyone help me? And is this actually from that magazine or from some other one?

Author seems to be Rick Bolsom, if it helps.

On another note, found this cool Billboard ad for Vincebus Eruptum (page 63): https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/60s/1968/Billboard 1968-03-02.pdf

 

I interviewed Eric Albronda for UK's Terrascope magazine a couple of years ago. Here it is....enjoy!

Blue Cheer Terrascope Feature

And here's an earlier one from 1990....also originally in Terrascope magazine....

Blue Cheer © terrascope

 

I wish albums three thru six would come out on CD. Do it like those original album series box sets with the mini cardboard sleeves. Just slap them all together in a box and have good digital versions of these often neglected last four albums. Universal, are you reading this?

 

Great job on your interview.

 

Also, add the non LP single "All Night Long / Fortunes" as bonus tracks.

 

Six days from today, will be ten years since we lost Dickie Peterson. You and Paul Whaley keep RIP.

 

I agree...but, did you know that the Philips/Repertoire cd of "New Improved" has 'All Night Long' and "Fortunes' on it?

 

Yeah, I did. I just never bought it since Repertoire CDs were expensive back then depending upon who you ordered them from, the price range was $18 - $22 plus postage. Some were even priced higher. Plus I just kind of forgot about it. I have an old cassette on Polygram Special Products that has those two songs.

 

I can't believe it's been 10 years that Dickie's passed away...and just a couple of years ago for Paul. Boy, I miss those guys. By the way, you said "You and Paul Whaley keep RIP". Hey, man, I ain't dead yet!

 

I was referring to Dickie.

 

Hahaha....ok....I had to check my pulse.

 

Yeah. Before I got the cd, I bought the single from a guy in Detroit, who shipped it in a big manila envelope, and of course it was broken. So, I complained about it, and he said, "Good Luck finding another one"....like it was my problem. That's Detroit for ya.

 

Did you get compensated in any way?

 

He sent me an mp3.

 

I hope you got refunded as well.

 

No, I didn't. He said he shipped 45's in manila envelopes all the time, and had never had a problem, (which is unbelievable). He obviously thought I had broken it and was blaming him...which was not the case. Anyway, the picture sleeve survived and I eventually found another copy and put it in the sleeve. But, all in all, it ended up costing me twice as much as it should have.

 

Sending 45's in an envelope through the mail system is just a stupid/backwards/cheap way of doing things. Sorry to hear you getting screwed as far as this purchase. That seller is an idiot!