Before there was Black Sabbath, there was Blue Cheer's debut album Vincebus Eruptum in 1968. Some people will argue that Blue Cheer is the genesis of heavy metal and was only popularized by Black Sabbath, but that point remains contested. Vincebus Eruptum contained a cover of Eddie Cochran's 1958 song "Summertime Blues," though it was given a much heavier sound.
Now '68, the duo fronted by ex-The Chariot frontman and guitar Josh Scogin, has released a deluxe version of their album Two Parts Viper, which also has a (heavier) cover of "Summertime Blues" on it. Here's what Scogin had to say about it.
“I have wanted to record a cover song for quite some time. We do a ton of homages live, everything from At The Drive In, Paramore, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin and Notorious B.I.G. to name a few. It varies from night to night, but these are always just small bits—maybe just a riff in the middle, or a signature lyric.
I really wanted to record a song, in its entirety, that was not written by me. So I did. I had several in mind, and someday I might get to those, but the song ‘Summertime Blues‘ just seemed to make the most sense, especially Blue Cheer’s version. Don’t get me wrong.
I love Eddie Cochran’s version, too (in fact you should go listen to it right now, it is so good), but with the rawness that Blue Cheer conjured up—in all their songs—it is easy for me to gravitate to it. All in all, this is just another chance for me to pay homage to another great band and another great song.”
