| Rocks Europe | ||
|---|---|---|
 Box art for the DVD | ||
| Live album by Blue Cheer | ||
| Released | June 23 2009 | |
| Genre | Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Blues | |
| Length | 1:28:58 (DVD) | |
| Label | Rainman | |
| Blue Cheer chronology | ||
| What Doesn't Kill You... (2007) |
Rocks Europe (2009) |
7 (2012) |
Rocks Europe is a live DVD (And later Double CD) by California hard rock band Blue Cheer. it stems from a live performance for the Rockpalast show in Bonn, Germany. This set was recorded by WDR-TV in Germany in April 2008.
It would prove to be the final official release in the band's lifetime before Dickie Peterson's passing on October 12, 2009.
Background[]
Blue Cheer was offered to play at the Crossroads Festival at Harmonie in Bonn, Germany on April 11, 2008. Their set entirely featured songs from Vincebus Eruptum, OutsideInside and What Doesn't Kill You.... Rockpalast recorded the entire show for live TV broadcast for WDR-TV. In late 2008, Rainman announced they were releasing this show in 2009 as "The only complete concert footage" of Blue Cheer.
Along with the concert, the DVD also contains a plethora of bonus features. A Dutch TV feature from 2005 appears in the extras with Joe Hasselvander on drums performing "Summertime Blues". An interview with Peterson is also featured on the DVD detailing the 40+ year career of the band. Liner notes are provided by producer Jack Endino detailing his experiences with seeing the band live and producing "Highlights and Lowlives".
Commentary during the live show was also recorded for the DVD, done by Peterson. Dickie expresses opinions and insights in the commentary such as a desire to die on stage...
| “ | “I plan to be touring when I die. There's nothing that would make me happier than to die at that microphone stand with my bass in my hands. That's the way I wanna go. And Duck know that if that happens, when it does, he just walks over to my amp and dimes it for a minute and shuts it off cus' I wanna ride out on that big mowee. And uh, I don't want any remorse for this, man. I had a really good ride.” | ” |
— Dickie Peterson, Rocks Europe [1]
|
...Touring culture in Europe...
| “ | “You know, Germany is in general a pretty conservative country as far as how people behave socially. Now that's not to say there aren't freaks because believe me I know a lot of freaks over there! But you find German audiences are very appreciative of the music. Also the way they look at a musician is much different than we look at it over here in the States. They look at it like it's a job and they know that it's a lot of work. And uh, You know, I've never been handed a bar bill or a tab for a meal at any place I've ever played in Europe. You don't even ask for it. It's there! It's part of what it is to make an event happen. Even bands that are local bands that have never even had a CD, they go to play at a club and you know, they don't get a bar bill and they get a deli tray at their soundcheck, which is just about unheard of over here. It's almost unheard of playing over here without paying to do so, which is quite frightening.” | ” |
— Dickie Peterson, Rocks Europe [2]
|
...And even opinions on other bands.
| “ | “Y'know, we opened for Hendrix a few times. At the Filmore East, at the Shrine Auditorium... Gulfstream Race Track... A few other places I'm sure. I became an acquaintance of Noel Redding. Noel and I sat at Gulfstream racetrack at the Castaway Motel and we rolled foot-long joints and had about 100 people in one hotel room. Boy, did we have a party! That was a lot of fun!
That was down in Miami. We also played down there with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown which is absolutely one of the best bands I had ever seen in my life! And you talk about being ahead of their time, I mean Arthur Brown arrived on stage with his head on fire! You know, nobody was doing stuff like that! But I could say the same this about Iggy and The Stooges at the Grandy Ballroom. I watched Iggy crawl around on the floor telling people to go home and screw your mothers! I never seen anything like this either! So all this stuff was happening at that time. Arthur Brown at Gulfstream Racetrack... Jimi Hendrix arrived and demanded to go on stage in the middle of Arthur's set and went on stage and got part way in the middle of their first song. And Arthur Brown came out there with a paper bag and lit it on fire, dropped it in the middle of the stage and it was a smoke bomb. They had to stop Hendrix's set, drag him off stage, clear the stage, do all this stuff, you know. Yes I love Hendrix and I love what this man did for guitar that nobody's done since but coming up I really have a problem with taking people's stage time away. Which has to do having cut my teeth early in my career opening... Playing with the Grateful Dead, which was a fucking nightmare because once they got on stage you knew you weren't going on stage. You know, all the bands, we all needed our time on stage! And I thought The Grateful Dead were absolutely the most unprofessional bunch of hacks I had ever seen! Doing a seventy-minute drum solo, gimme a break! Seventy minutes, nobody's that good. Buddy Rich isn't that good...” |
” |
— Dickie Peterson, Rocks Europe [3]
|
Other things discussed in the documentary include advice and artist development with MCA, early writing, song meanings, an unconventional cure for Hepatitis and Muddy Waters among other subjects.
In 2013, Rocks Europe would be released as a 2CD via Rainman with two outtakes from the band's final album What Doesn't Kill You as bonus tracks.
Tracklist[]
NOTE: Tracks 11 and 12 are outtakes from What Doesn't Kill You. While "Alligator Boots" appears in the extras on the DVD, "She's Something Else" is only on the 2CD version.
Blue Cheer Rocks Europe (FULL concert) DVD quality-1
Blue Cheer - Alligator Boots
Blue Cheer - She's Something Else
- 1. Babylon - 5:55
- 2. Parchman Farm - 7:51
- 3. I'm Gonna Get To You - 7:43
- 4. Rollin' Dem Bones - 5:25
- 5. Out of Focus - 5:26
- 6. Just a Little Bit - 4:42
- 7. Maladjusted Child - 6:32
- 8. Summertime Blues - 7:55
- 9. Doctor Please - 25:54
- 10. The Hunter - 5:31
- 11. Alligator Boots - 3:57
- 12. She's Something Else - 2:42
Personnel OR Starring[]
- Dickie Peterson - Bass, Vocals, Commentary
- Paul Whaley - Drums
- Andrew MacDonald - Guitar
- Joe Hasselvander - Drums on "Dutch TV Featurette".
- Jack Endino - Liner Notes
- Emek - Cover Art
- Ed Spyra - Design