10 Greatest Pre-Metal Metal Songs
1. Summertime Blues - Blue Cheer
As the Kinks and the Who beefed up the powers of rock and roll, it was almost a race to see who could be the loudest. From the Beatles to The Rolling Stones to The Yardbirds, there was practically a competition among British acts to see who could make the next caustic rocker that would dominate the charts. While they were having their squabbling though, Blue Cheer were arriving in San Francisco with all the sonic force of a nuclear blast.
From the massive amount of amplifiers to the harsh way in which they played, Blue Cheer were one of the first metal bands before Black Sabbath came along...just not in the conventional sense. Instead of droning songs about the horrors of everyday life, these guys were just your standard blues band who pushed their sound to the very limit, with Summertime Blues being the mission statement.
Even though the Who had beefed up this Eddie Cochran classic on Live at Leeds, this makes Townshend and co. look tame, complete with a guitar sound that is sturdy enough to shake the foundation of the Earth. By the time you finally reach the upward ascent towards the midpoint, it feels like the end of the world is about to come falling down around you. It may have been just a bit obnoxious for its time, but when it comes to the attitude of metal music, this has all the fury you really need.