The Best Psychedelic Rock Bands of the 60s

The Best Psychedelic Rock Bands of the 60s – A Comprehensive Guide

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they became widely regarded as the foremost and most influential music band in history. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later utilised several genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelia and hard rock, often incorporating classical elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways. In 1963, their enormous popularity first emerged as “Beatlemania”; as the group’s music grew in sophistication, led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney, the band were integral to pop music’s evolution into an art form and to the development of the counterculture of the 1960s.

The Beatles built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960, with Stuart Sutcliffe initially serving as bass player. The core trio of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison, together since 1958, went through a succession of drummers – including Pete Best – before asking Starr to join them in 1962. Manager Brian Epstein moulded them into a professional act, producing five convective songs ahead of their appearance on television variety show Sunday Night at the London Palladium.

With their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, they became international stars and led the “British Invasion” of music fans into North America. From 1965 onwards regular touring – including one tour where they played 54 shows in just 34 days – meant they could no longer give concerts like they used to; new material was needed for annual releases of albums or compilations of old material as well as for singles. They found time to make two films: A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and Help! (1965). In 1967 creative differences began causing tension within the group; Starr quit twice but returned each time after brief absences. By 1968 relations between Lennon–McCartney had become frayed; when Harrison joined them in recently written songs “Back in the U.S.S.R.” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, there were signs all was not well. McCartney wanted to record an album with Wings but his bandmates vetoed this idea; Lennon quit shortly afterwards over business disagreements; he would return only after guarantees about his role within Apple Corps were met by executive Alan Klein (Lennon having previously tried legal action against Klein).
The Beatles’ final album Abbey Road was completed just weeks before Lennon left; it included some of his most acerbic comments on McCartney: “I told you I didn’t want your help”;the three remaining members finished Let It Be without him after he had already begun work with Yoko Ono on his own material; relations between them broke down completely during its torturous recording sessions which included George Harrison being stabbed by an intruder at Lennon’s house during a burglary attempt while Ringo quit briefly due to health issues…

The Doors

The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts of the 1960s, mostly because of Morrison’s lyrics and his charismatic but unpredictable stage persona. After Morrison’s death in 1971 at age 27, the remaining members continued as a trio until disbanding in 1973. Signing with Elektra Records in 1966, The Doors released eight albums between 1967 and 1971. All but one of their singles (excluding “Break On Through (To the Other Side)”, which was not released as a single until 1967) were top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Morrison was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999, and Manzarek and Krieger were inducted in 2000.

The Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, bluegrass, blues, and psychedelia. They also were one of the most prolific touring bands of their time playing more than 2,300 concerts.

Jimi Hendrix

One of the most influential electric guitarists in rock history, Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle in 1942. Self-taught on the instrument, Hendrix began his career backing such R&B greats as Little Richard and the Isley Brothers. He reached a wider audience with his band the Jimi Hendrix Experience, which he formed in England in 1966 with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell. The group released its debut album, ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?, later that year. With his innovative technique of feedback and distortion, Hendrix expanded the range and vocabulary of the electric guitar far beyond anything that had been done before. His use of feedback to create searing sonic textures anticipated the work of such noise-rock bands as My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. The Experience followed ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? with 1967’s AXIS: BOLD AS LOVE and 1968’s ELECTRIC LADYLAND, both of which reached the Top Five in Britain and the Top 20 in America. Hendrix also recorded a series of singles that have become hard-rock classics, including “Purple Haze,” “Fire,” “Hey Joe” and “All Along the Watchtower.”

Hendrix died at the age of 27 from asphyxiation after taking sleeping pills and drinking wine. He left behind a legacy as one of rock’s most original and imaginative guitarists, whose style has been an enduring influence on successive generations of musicians.

Janis Joplin

Janis Joplin was one of the most popular and influential American rock stars of the 1960s. She was known for her powerful, bluesy voice and her passionate, emotionally charged performances. Joplin rose to fame as the lead singer of the psychedelic rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company, and later had success as a solo artist with her own group, the Full Tilt Boogie Band. She died of a drug overdose at the age of 27.

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin was one of the most innovative and influential psychedelic rock bands of the 1960s. Formed in 1968, the group members were Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals), John Paul Jones (bass) and John Bonham (drums). Led Zeppelin combined elements of blues, folk and rock to create a unique and powerful sound that was unmatched by any other band of their era. They were also known for their spectacular live performances, which often included extended improvisations and instrumentals. Led Zeppelin released their debut album in 1969 and it quickly became a hit, reaching the top of the charts in the UK and US. Over the next decade, they released nine more studio albums, all of which were hugely successful. Led Zeppelin are widely considered to be one of the greatest rock bands of all time and they continue to influence musicians today.

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd is often cited as one of the greatest and most influential rock bands of all time. Formed in London in 1965, the band is known for its extended compositions, psychedelic sound, and philosophical lyrics. Pink Floyd achieved international acclaim with their second album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967), and went on to release a string of successful albums including The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), and The Wall (1979). In 1985, Pink Floyd released A Momentary Lapse of Reason, their first album without founding member Roger Waters. The album was a commercial success and paved the way for Pink Floyd’s comeback tour in 1987. In 1994, Pink Floyd released their final album, The Division Bell. Following the death of Syd Barrett in 2006 and the death of Rick Wright in 2008, only two members of Pink Floyd remain active: David Gilmour and Nick Mason.

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. The first stable line-up consisted of Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica), Ian Stewart (piano), Mick Jagger (lead vocals, harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Bill Wyman (bass) and Charlie Watts (drums). 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 left the band, Ronnie Wood took his place in 1975 and has been on guitar in tandem with Richards ever since. Following Wyman’s departure in 1993, Darryl Jones joined as their touring bassist. Other touring keyboardists for the band have been Nicky Hopkins (1967– 1982), Ian McLagan (1978–1981), Chuck Leavell (1982–1989) and Billy Preston through the mid-1970s.

The Rolling Stones were at the forefront of the British Invasion of bands that became popular in the US in 1964. They were identified with the young and rebellious counterculture of the 1960s. They initially established themselves as a blues-influenced rock ‘n’ roll band with their 1964 debut album …And Now! The Rolling Stones came to be considered as hard rock pioneers with their 1971 album Sticky Fingers which made heavy use of electric blues influences, including slide guitar work by Richards and Wood.

The Who

The Who were an English rock band that was formed in 1964. The group consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They became known for their energetic live performances and their use of powerful amplification. Their hits included “My Generation,” “I Can’t Explain,” “Substitute,” “I Can See for Miles,” “Pinball Wizard,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” and “Who Are You.”