The difference, by ear
The material is largely the same and the intent is not: blues rock solos within a form, acid rock leaves the form behind entirely.
Both are sung cleanly and move at much the same pace, around 90 to 140 bpm. Songs run longer in acid rock: usually 5 to 20 minutes, against 4 to 8 minutes in blues rock. To hear the difference, play Blue Cheer next to Cream. They share a root in rock, and blues rock came first, by four years.
In figures
Acid rock
Where it sits
Rock › Psychedelic rock › Acid rock
In short
The heavy end of psychedelia: raw distortion and endless jams. Blue Cheer is often named the first genuinely heavy band.
How it sounds
- Massive distortion for the era, at the limit of what amplifiers could take.
- Long solos with wah-wah and controlled feedback.
- Slow to medium tempos with heavy drums up front.
Key acts
- Blue Cheer
- Iron Butterfly
- Grateful Dead
Start here
The pickBlue Cheer - Summertime Blues. Three people and a wall of Marshalls.
Full page →Blues rock
Where it sits
In short
Electric blues played louder, longer and with improvised solos. The direct bridge between Muddy Waters and Black Sabbath.
How it sounds
- Pentatonic scales and long bends inherited straight from B.B. King and Buddy Guy.
- Amplifiers driven into natural saturation - the distortion comes from volume, not a pedal.
- Long songs with room for live improvisation.
Key acts
- Cream
- The Yardbirds
- Jimi Hendrix
- Fleetwood Mac
Start here
The pickCream - Sunshine of Your Love. The riff that showed how thick a trio could sound.
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