The word “pleasant” is one of my
favorite words. To me, I’ve always
associated “pleasant” with a sense of joy and contentment, mixed with very low
levels of excitement. It’s not to say that
there is no excitement; it’s just that it is not what is important about the
feeling. I seldom find myself looking
for things that are exciting. I do
however find myself looking for things that are pleasant, and “Oh! Pleasant
Hope” by Blue Cheer is just that.
As a person who has played in his
fair share of bands, I have come into contact with a lot of musicians. Some have been absolutely amazing, and others
average. But what always amazed me was
when an average musician or band struck gold and came up with something
brilliant. Sometimes it was only one
song or one gig, but everything came together perfectly and created something phenomenally
pleasant. A song like “Money Troubles”
fits this description. There is nothing complex
or showy, nothing highbrow. It’s just a
song about how good it feels to blow all your money.
Oh, don’t you know
It feels so good to go
broke.
It would strike me as a perfectly bone-headed lyric if it
wasn’t so Zen like. It’s heartfelt,
sincere, insightful and true. The
singing and guitar playing are average by most standards, but are believable
and convey the message in a wonderfully plain way.
The opening number “Hiway Man”
(note the spelling) starts with a rare fade-in to the track. Who knows how long they were playing that
groove before they brought the faders up.
I like to think it took them a few minutes to warm up before they
launched into the song in earnest. More
than likely it was an engineer who forgot to push record or some kind of false
start, but a planned fade-in to a song is certainly different. I also really like the perspective of the man
singing the song. The line “Money, give
me all you have” feels like a line that was meant to be read and not so much
sung, however it comes off really well when it is.
The song with the greatest emotional
impact is undoubtedly “I’m the Light.”
This one truly soars. Sonically
it has one foot in the late 60’s (sitar, harp, and a mellotron type synthesizer)
and one foot in the early 70’s (spiritual-hippie-cowboy lyrics, and dry rustic
sounding guitars). The lyrics come off as
cosmic Christian to me. It does not talk
about Jesus or God, but someone more mystical.
The combination of both the sitar and the repetition of “I’m the Light.
I’m the Light. I’m the only one you’ll see.” moves the song into almost
Indian/Raga/Mantra territory. Everything
comes together very nicely on this one. If
this album was a table, this would be the centerpiece.
On a lighter note, the song “Oh!
Pleasant Hope” is a relaxing number about not being able to find any dope. This is not a song with drug references. It’s a song that just comes right out and
says it.
They said
they're burning farmers now
Long live Mexico!
For some uncertain reason now
Just won't let grass grow
All we have to do is wait some more
And bide our time
And pretty soon the times will change
And grass will flow like wine.
Long live Mexico!
For some uncertain reason now
Just won't let grass grow
All we have to do is wait some more
And bide our time
And pretty soon the times will change
And grass will flow like wine.
In my
opinion, drug songs usually come off heavy handed or silly because of their
veiled references (especially in the late 60’s). Not the case here. I hear a lot of sincerity and can easily
picture the hot “yellow summer day” the singer refers to.
If you are a fan of the first two Blue Cheer records than
the last two songs may peak your interest.
They are the only songs that sound even close to the bands original
sound, but they are still pretty far removed.
Dickie Peterson was the bands original bass player and singer. At this point in Blue Cheer’s career, I
believe that Dickie was the only original member left. His voice is still full of the crackle, quiver
and angst it had from the bands more thunderous period. “Heart Full of Soul” also has the bass mixed
higher than any other track. “Lester the Molester” sounds like it would be
nasty, and it is, but not for the reason you would think. The lyrics actually refer to “Lester the
Arrester” for some reason, which is probably for the best. The sonic quality of the song is what is so
raunchy. It’s haggard, sloppy, and has a
swagger that can really only come from not giving too much of a damn if it
sounds right. Also, dig the slide
whistle in there.
Tones: "Ecological Blues" has a fascinating combination
of non-percussion instruments. It’s only
bass, saxophone, guitar (acoustic and dobro) and vocals. The vocals are gruff in a sort of Louis
Armstrong-Tom Waits-Howlin’ Wolf kind of way.
This sounds like a back porch jam.
The lyrics are amazing too. Check
out the first verse:
Oh baby, bring my gas
mask here
Oh baby, honey bring
my gas mask here
I got a real bad
feeling
You know my mind’s not
clear.
It’s all a bit tongue-in-cheek, and not nearly as serious as
something like “Don’t Go Near the Water” by the Beach Boys. But really, how serious do you expect Blue
Cheer to take conservation? The
satirical tone somehow makes it much more fun, even poignant. Again, I really love the tone of the guy singing.
Cover Note: I love love
love the patch work quilt and find myself staring at it as I listen to the
record. Is it hard to make this kind of
thing? I’m not sure. The soft blue is also a nice compliment to
the music itself.
Price paid: I have a
little sticker on my copy that says $12.99.
I seem to remember buying this at a record shop brand new. It has been reissued and my pressing sounds
great. As I have said before, I am not
the least bit afraid of a vinyl reissue.
Having a clean copy for an affordable price is great. It seems like vinyl prices are going up these
days. The last time I looked at “new”
vinyl most of the records were above $20.00, many were approaching $40.00, so $12.99 is a very fair price for this lost
gem.
