A Blue Cheer comeback of sorts, The Beast Is Back was the first recording in years to feature more than one bandmember from the group's classic '60s lineup that delivered the essential acid rock/heavy metal albums Outsidedinside and Vincebus Eruptum. Dickie Peterson (bass, vocals) and Paul Whaley (drums) reunited on this 1985 Megaforce records release just as heavy metal (a genre that the band deserves no small amount of credit for helping to create) was reaching its mid-'80s commercial apex. Not so surprisingly, the record's producers tried to update the unrefined sound from of the band's classic period by literally re-recording a few vintage Blue Cheer cuts. The resultant disjointed versions of songs like "Summertime Blues" and "Parchment Farm" are drenched in dated reverb and lifeless kick drum overkill. The performances are fine, but this record too ill-conceived for that to make too much of a difference. Fans of the band might enjoy the updated versions more for their novelty than anything else, and it should be said that Blue Cheer released several discs that were much harder on the ears than this one. So perhaps The Beast Is Back could be considered a modest achievement.





Dickie Peterson bass, lead vocals
Tony Rainier guitar, vocals
Paul Whaley drums

Recorded 1984 At:
- Music America Recording Studios, Rochester, N.Y.
- Sterling Sound, N.Y.C.
Produced By Jon Zazula, Carl Canedy, Paul Curcio
Special Thanks To: Jim Keylor, Eric Albronda, . . .
Design & Layout: Sharola Studios (1985 Edition)
Photography: Geoffrey Thomas
Design: Tom & Ellie Hughes, Hughes Group (1989 Edition)
Cover Illustration: John Cassatto