Blue Cheer - New! Improved! (1969 Acid-Psych)

New!Improved! Blue Cheer is the third album by Blue Cheer, first released in March 1969 on Philips Records. The group's sound was hard to categorise, but was definitely blues-based, psychedelic, and loud. The group underwent several personnel changes after the 1968 release of Outsideinside, and then yet more changes during and after 1969's New! Improved! Blue Cheer (different guitarists on side 1 and 2). After Leigh Stephens was replaced by Randy Holden, formerly of Los Angeles garage rock band The Other Half, in 1968, Blue Cheer's style changed to a more commercial hard rock sound ‡ la Steppenwolf or Iron Butterfly. For the fourth album Blue Cheer, Holden, who had left during the third album, was subsequently replaced by Bruce Stephens. Stephens later quit and was replaced by Gary Lee Yoder, who helped complete the album.

Randy Holden is a guitarist best known for his involvement with the West Coast proto-metal group Blue Cheer on their third album, New! Improved! Blue Cheer (1969).

Randy Holden was born on the 2nd of July 1945 in Pennsylvania and grew up on the move. He played in a number of bands including The Iridescents (blues rock), The Fender IV (surf rock) and The Sons of Adam (surf rock/psychedelic rock). While playing in The Sons of Adam Holden opened for the Rolling Stones at their first show at the Long Beach Sports Arena. Holden was heavily influenced by Keith Richard's guitar and amp set up which helped change his own attitude towards equipment and tone.[2] The Sons of Adam (specifically Holden) began experimenting with distortion and feedback which pushed into psycedelic rock. Holden left the band frustrated with the lack of original material.

Holden joined up with The Other Half, a psychedelic garage band from Los Angeles. They recorded one album together before Holden parted ways. He then replaced Leigh Stevens in Blue Cheer and appeared on one side of the album New! Improved! Blue Cheer (1969). Holden toured with Blue Cheer for an entire year before once again parting ways.

Frustrated with lack of control over the bands, Randy formed his own band with drummer Chris Lockheed. At first Lockheed played both drums and keyboard simultaneously, but later decided to stick with just drums. During this time Holden obtained a sponsorship deal with Sunn amplifiers. Through this he received his legendary sixteen 200 Watt amplifiers. His new band was dubbed Population II which was a reference to the fact there were only two members in the band as well as an astronomical term (see metallicity). The band recorded a single album, Population II (1969). Trouble with the release of the album led to Holden going bankrupt, losing all his equipment and quitting music. Population II was eventually released in bootleg forms and official released years later.

After 23 years he began playing music again, reportedly coerced into playing again by a loyal fan. He recorded Guitar God in 1994


01. "When It All Gets Old" (Kellogg) - 3:01
02. "West Coast Child of Sunshine" (Stephens) - 2:41
03. "I Want My Baby Back" (Stephens) - 3:19
04. "Aces 'n' Eights" (Kellogg, Peterson, Stephens) 2:47
05. "As Long as I Live" (Peterson, Stephens) - 2:20
06. "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" (Dylan) - 3:16
07. "Peace of Mind" (Holden) - 7:22
08. "Fruit & Icebergs" (Holden) - 6:05
09. "Honey Butter Lover" (Holden) - 1:16

Post by ChrisGoesRock