Who Invented Heavy Metal?

[DaveB]

Steppenwolf - I think that's it, much as I lurv Sabbath.

I never heard of "Blue Cheer" so they don't count whoever they are.

Personally I'd have gone with Iron Butterfly but there's not much in it. The riff on In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida could be straight off of a Sabbath or Purple track.

[Mich the Tester]

Blue cheer on youtube

[pzz76077]

This site has some interesting perspectives including John Lennon claim that he invented HM with 'Ticket to Ride' http://blogcritics.org/music/article...-who-invented/

PZZ

[expat]

I wouldnt say thrashing applied to any of those, including Sabbath. That didnt arrive till later with Metallica, Megadeath and Anthrax, among others.

A heavy rythmic sound based on distortion, power chords, a solid drum sound and heavy bass is what makes Heavy Metal what it is.

OK, good. So there's no meaningful difference between the phrases heavy metal and heavy rock? Then the Kinks pioneer You Really Got Me and certainly Purple, Steppenwolf, etc are all heavy metal?

What about Summertime Blues? Blue Cheer and the Who versions are heavy metal: what about Eddie Cochran's original?

[DaveB]

This site has some interesting perspectives including John Lennon claim that he invented HM with 'Ticket to Ride' http://blogcritics.org/music/article...-who-invented/

PZZ

If he'd said Helter Skelter I'd be more inclined to agree.

[ace00]

Blue cheer on youtube

That is some freeeeeeeky s**t. What were they on.
Further research is needed.

[VectraMan]

Personally I'd have gone with Iron Butterfly but there's not much in it. The riff on In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida could be straight off of a Sabbath or Purple track.

That's rock, and seems to me much closer to something you might hear from The Doors than Black Sabbath. There's a certain style that runs from Black Sabbath, through Judas Priest and Iron Maiden and a load others that I'd consider to be heavy metal, that isn't there in a lot of the other bands mentioned here.

I'd say Deep Purple, Led Zepplin and Hawkwind at least were all unique, and whilst they were obviously influenced by the heavy rock scene, they're not part of the heavy metal strain.

[ace00]

Blue Cheer: "The group's sound was hard to categorise,.." yup. Still going apparently, although some problem with exploding drummers....

I'm putting them in with Iron Butterfly as "freaky heavy psychedlic s**t man".
Also they didn't sound so good.....

I think the song structure of Born to be Wild does classify as Metal although if you check 1970 Sabbath there is a big change there.

Eddie Cochran? He invented Punk.

[Nexxy]

Blue cheer on youtube

Had never heard of them - but got to be a contender. The drummer is awesome

[wurzel]

I was watching Mountain (Nantucket Sleighride) on the Woodstock DVD the other day and they came over quite metal to me - particularly the vocals. I'm guessing they were around some time before Sabbath, Led Zep etc.