Outsideinside is the second album by American rock trio Blue Cheer. Philips Records released the album in August 1968, only seven months after their debut LP, Vincebus Eruptum.[1]

Outsideinside
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 1968 (1968-08)
RecordedCalifornia & New York, 1968
GenreRock
Length32:44
LabelPhilips
ProducerAbe "Voco" Kesh
Blue Cheer chronology
Vincebus Eruptum
(1968)
Outsideinside
(1968)
New! Improved!
(1969)
Singles from Outsideinside
  1. "Just a Little Bit"
    Released: August 1968

The album was recorded both outdoors and indoors—hence the title of the album.[1] The songs include contributions from all members, along with two covers: "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones and "The Hunter" by Albert King.[2]

Outsideinside reached number 90 on the Billboard 200 album chart. "Just a Little Bit" was the first single from the album; it peaked at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal8/10[3]
Pitchfork9.6/10[2]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Mark Deming commented:

[Outsideinside] captures the psychedelic side of their musical personality with greater clarity than the blunt approach of the debut; Outsideinside doesn't sound trippy so much as righteously buzzed, and the speedy roar of this the music is big enough that the legend that parts of this were so loud they had to be recorded outside seems not just plausible, but perfectly reasonable.[1]

In a review of the two-for-one reissue of the album (coupled with Vincebus Eruptum), Pitchfork's Alexander Lloyd Linhardt noted, "Outsideinside converts their [Blue Cheer's] stylistic enthusiasm and leathery attitude into structured song. If it doesn't sound as influential as Vincebus's cataclysmic insanity, it's because it defines 'classic' rock."[2] Canadian journalist Martin Popoff praised the album where the band "pre-dispose of Purple, thwack the face of Hendrix, and generally pound psychedelia into the dirt" and concluded that "by most definitions this ain't heavy metal, but by most measures Blue Cheer stomp over Zep I and II".[3]

Track listing

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Details taken from the original Philips LP liner notes; other releases may show different information.

Side one
No.TitleWriterLength
1."Feathers from Your Tree"Dickie Peterson, Leigh Stephens, Peter Wagner3:29
2."Sun Cycle"Peterson, Stephens, Wagner4:12
3."Just a Little Bit"Peterson3:24
4."Gypsy Ball"Peterson, Stephens2:57
5."Come and Get It"Peterson, Stephens, Wagner3:13
Side two
No.TitleWriterLength
1."Satisfaction"Jagger/Richards5:07
2."The Hunter"Booker T. Jones, Carl Wells, Al Jackson, Jr., Donald Dunn, Steve Cropper4:22
3."Magnolia Caboose Babyfinger"Peterson, Stephens1:38
4."Babylon"Peterson4:22
Total length:32:44
Bonus track (Akarma CD version 2003)
No.TitleWriterLength
1."Fortunes"Peterson2:20

Recording locations

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"Outside sessions"

  • Gate Five, Sausalito, California
  • Muir Beach, California
  • Pier 57, New York City

"Inside sessions"

Personnel

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Blue Cheer
Guest musician
Production

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Deming, Mark. "Blue Cheer: Outsideinside – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Linhardt, Alexander Lloyd (October 7, 2003). "Blue Cheer: Vincebus Eruptum / Outsideinside". pitchfork.com. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 52. ISBN 978-1894959025.