Blue Cheer

The Northern California band Blue Cheer injected the American rock sound of the 1960s with an ungodly dose of power and volume. Once dubbed "the World's Loudest Band," Blue Cheer presaged heavy metal and established the blueprint for an expansive version of psychedelia that has permeated rock's underground ever since. Though the band has had numerous releases over its long on-again/off-again career, the 1968 album VINCEBUS ERUPTUM remains its finest hour, and features a stunningly massive reworking of the Eddie Cochran classic, "Summertime Blues."