Blue Cheer more or less speaks for itself, but I was listening to Vincebus Eruptum earlier this week and thinking about Dickie Peterson (blessings and peace be upon him), and I figured for this Frydee afternoon, they were probably the way to go. Their cover of Albert King‘s “The Hunter” originally appeared on 1968’s Outsideinside. This performance is from Virginia Beach in 2007, and anyone interested in tracking down the rest of the show can do so here.

The press release pretty much says it all. If there was a chance any of us was going to turn out immortal, it would have been him.

Los Angeles, CA ? Friends, fans and heavy metal rock and rollers around the world are mourning the death of Blue Cheer bassist and lead singer Richard Allan ?Dickie? Peterson (b. September 12, 1946), after a long fight against cancer.? Peterson, age 63, died in Erkelenz, Germany, where he lived, on the morning of October 12, 2009.? He is survived by wife Ilka Peterson, ex-wife Marilyn (Peterson) Stephens with whom he had a daughter, CorrinaPeterson-Kaltenrieder, and a grandson.? He was a founding member and leader of the San Francisco band Blue Cheer; a band known to heavy metal fans for being louder and heavier than any band before them and for laying the blueprint for much of what would come after.? The band debuted with a ground shaking cover of Eddie Cochran?s ?Summertime Blues? on their 1968 album Vincebus Eruptum.? In the early days, the Cheer regularly played shows with their San Francisco peers including such era luminaries as The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Big Brother & the Holding Company and Cream.

The band?s last US tour (members Peterson, founding drummer Paul Whaley, and guitarist Andrew ?Duck? MacDonald) was in support of their 2007 release What Doesn?t Kill You? and had the band playing shows with the fourth generation of bands to follow in their path.? ?He loved the younger musicians,? said MacDonald of his bandmate, ?he thought of all of them as his children.?? Zach Gabbard of the band Buffalo Killers, one of Dickie?s favorite new generation rock bands, said, ?You never know what it is going to be like to play with your heroes, but we walked into the club and Dickie stopped and said, ?Buffalo Killers, cool name.?? We played and hung out with Dickie and the rest of the band all night.? It was a gift.? Dickie was worthy of his hero status and will be missed by many.?

Plans were underway for the band to tour in support of the 2009 Rainman Records DVD release of Blue Cheer Rocks Europe when Dickie?s cancer was found.? Tour plans were put on hold, but the first full-length concert DVD in the band?s more than 40 year history was released without delay.? The DVD includes not only the concert footage with 5.1 audio, but also included a Peterson voiceover commentary and a complete interview with the late leader of the band.

Dickie and Blue Cheer cherished their fans, the 1%ers as they were called, and considered them the fourth member of their band.? ?Without you, what we do is completely pointless? Peterson said to an audience in 2006, continuing ?you?ve got to take care of each other, you?re all you?ve got.?? MacDonald says that Dickie believed in the best of people. ?The people loved him and he loved them right back. It was the best relationship he had in his life.?

Even if Blue Cheer weren’t gods widely credited with being the first true stoner rock band, their new DVD, Rocks Europe (Rainman Records) would still be worth checking out just for frontman/bassist Dickie Peterson‘s commentary and bonus interview segment. Between the two, he spills his guts about the trio’s long, long history — they formed in 1966! — and what it was like being the loudest band in the San Francisco hippie scene, his lack of a tone knob, the blues, his motivations, songs that take 20 years to write, how he wants to die on stage, etc. It’s a 90-minute show and the commentary runs through the whole thing. He’s got a lot of time to fill.

The concert taped for the DVD took place in Bonn, Germany in April 2008, so it’s not so much all of Europe being rocked as just one city in it, but as someone who saw them on the American leg of this tour supporting their first album in 16 years, What Doesn’t Kill You, the safe bet is that the rest of the shows fell in line accordingly. The set list in Bonn crosses the decades, opening with “Babylon” from 1968’s Outsideinside, going back to their seminal release, (earlier) 1968’s Vincebus Eruptum with “Parchman Farm,” “Out of Focus,” “Summertime Blues” and “Doctor Please” spread throughout with What Doesn’t Kill You cuts “I’m Gonna Get to You,” (the High Times Award-winning) “Rollin’ Dem Bones,” “Just a Little Bit” and “Maladjusted Child” before returning to Outsideinside to close the night with their famous cover of Booker T. Jones‘ “The Hunter.” Sure, there are seven other studio records untouched, but Blue Cheer hasn’t lasted 43 years by indulging themselves in the deep cuts. They know what fans want and they know how to deliver. Loudly.

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Because it’s absolutely gorgeous out in the valley despite some clouds rolling in, I’m feeling like summer time and summer time means Blue Cheer. As such, here’s a video of the original stoner rock band, live from Virginia Beach, VA on the local show Up all Night, doing “Rollin’ Dem Bones” from 2007’s What Doesn’t Kill You — their first album since 1991. Classic stoner pace. If you’d like to check out the whole show, all you need to do is make a wish and click these words. Enjoy and have a great weekend.