The Best of 1970’s Psychedelic Rock

Looking for something to get you through your next acid trip? Check out our list of the best psychedelic rock songs from the 1970s!

The Beatles- “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”

The Beatles- “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”

“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 May 1967 as the opening track on their eighth studio album of the same name. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song served as the title track to the album, which was released as a double album in June 1967, and topped record charts in Britain and America. The single sold more than 4 million copies in the United Kingdom. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it number 28 on its list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.

The Doors- “Riders on the Storm”

“Riders on the Storm” is a song by American rock band the Doors, which was released as the lead single from their sixth studio album, L.A. Woman, in 1971. It reached number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The song is considered one of the classic tracks of psychedelic rock.

The song features a driving bassline and prominently featured keyboards. The main riff, played by Ray Manzarek, has been described as “haunting.” The lyrics are written from the perspective of a storm rider: “Into this house we’re born / Into this world we’re thrown.”

The song was recorded in March 1971 at Elektra Sound Recorders in Hollywood, California. Jim Morrison recorded his vocals for the song in one take. Morrison can beheard gasping for breath at the end of the song, as he was struggling with asthma at the time.

The song was released as a single on June 1, 1971. It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number seven on the UK Singles Chart. It remains one of the band’s best-known songs and is included on several of their greatest hits compilations, including The Best of The Doors (1973) and An American Prayer (1978).

Led Zeppelin- “Stairway to Heaven”

The song was composed by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant over a period of several months in 1970 and 1971. It is led by an acoustic guitar intro and features several other instrumentals throughout. “Stairway to Heaven” is often considered to be one of the greatest rock songs of all time.

Pink Floyd- “Another Brick in the Wall”

“Another Brick in the Wall” is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 as a single from their concept album, The Wall. Written by Pink Floyd’s bassist Roger Waters, the song is about the educational system in England and how it produces brainwashed children.

The single was released in two parts: “Part 1”, which reached No. 1 in the UK, and “Part 2”, which peaked at No. 51. In 2004, Pink Floyd won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for their recording of an instrumental version of “Another Brick in the Wall”.

The Rolling Stones- “Gimme Shelter”

The Rolling Stones are a British rock band formed in London in 1962. The first stable line-up consisted of Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica), Mick Jagger (lead vocals, harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Bill Wyman (bass), Charlie Watts (drums), and Ian Stewart (piano). Stewart was removed from the official line-up in 1963 but continued as a touring member until his death in 1985. Jones died less than a month after recording finished, having already been replaced by Mick Taylor, who remained until 1974. After Taylor’s departure, Ron Wood would be added as a second guitarist in 1975. Since Wyman’s retirement in 1993, Darryl Jones has served as their bassist.

The Stones have released 25 studio albums in the United Kingdom (by chronological order of release) – nineteen by the Rolling Stones and six by the Rolling Stones’ current line-up of Jagger, Richards, Wood and Watts – and have released 23 live albums and numerous compilations. Several of the Stones’ studio albums have been ranked at number 1 on various lists including five consecutive number 1s on the Billboard 200 from 1971 to 2005 with Sticky Fingers (1971)), Voodoo Lounge(1994)), Bridges to Babylon(1997)), A Bigger Bang(2005)) and Blue & Lonesome(2016)). The band has topped the UK album chart for more than any other British band ever with seventeen number 1s: Out of Our Heads UK No.1s 1965); Aftermath UK No.1 1966); Between the Buttons UK No.1 1967); Their Satanic Majesties Request(UK No.3 1967); Beggars Banquet(UK No.3 1968); Let It Bleed(UK No.1 1969); Sticky Fingers(UK No.1 1971)); Exile on Main Street(UK No.1 1972); Goats Head Soup UK No.1 1973); It’s Only Rock’n Roll US No