Shakin' the Blue Cheer Family Tree

OXFORD CIRCLE - Live at the Avalon 1966

Well, since we already got Randy Holden outta the way, let's focus on some pre-Blue Cheer grunt from Paul Whaley and Gary Yoder, eh? Often mistaken for a San Francisco band because of their regular gigging there, the Oxford Circle were actually from Davis, a college town an hour east. Formed in 1964 from the ashes of the Yoder-led instrumental combo the Hide-Aways, 17 year-old sticksman Whaley was recruited after he blew the bands' collective minds playing "Wipeout" at a public jam session. Dehner Patten (lead guitar) and Jim Keylor (bass) rounded out the lineup.

Heavily influenced by the Animals, Yardbirds and Them, the Circle played a frenetic brand of psych-tinged garage punk laced with generous blasts of Yoder/Patten manipulated feedback. The 14 live (of 18 total) tracks are some of the most scintillating freakbeat to ever scorch these ears. Their version of "Mystic Eyes" is positively cataclysmic with Whaley not only providing bone-chilling cymbal accents to accompany the guitar maelstrom, but taking a rare lead vocal as well (Yoder handles the remaining vox). The result is definitive-- much as I love that miserable old bastard Van Morrison, he and his former band's original is but a mere shadow of the cacophony achieved here. Ditto equally impressive (and explosive) interpretations of "Little Girl", "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" and "Mister, You're a Better Man Than I". The fidelity is excellent by 2007 standards, let alone 1966.

The remaining four ditties are the one 45 released during their existence, "Foolish Woman/Mind Destruction"-- the latter living up to its name; A pastiche of guitar skronk melded together by their producer from an 11 minute jam session (they had no idea they were being recorded at the time) that included a young(er) Dr. John on keys. You also get the never released studio version of "Troubles" and the macabre "The Raven". Whaley and Yoder would of course, join Blue Cheer at different stages (Yoder & Patten in between formed the very West Coast-sounding Kak, another masturbation-inducing item for collector geeks), but it was Keylor who gained the most post-Circle renown by opening BSU studios in Frisco-- where, among many others, the Dead Kennedys' "California Uber Alles" was recorded.

Look in the comments, doofus.