Psychedelic Rock Music of the 60s
Contents
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that emerged in the late 1960s and gained popularity in the 1970s. The sound is characterized by distorted guitars, feedback, and extreme levels of reverb.
The Origins of Psychedelic Rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that emerged in the late 1960s. The style is characterized by a distorted, “trippy” sound and frequently features extended, improvised solos. The genre is often tied to the subculture of psychedelia, which was popularized by the use of psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, and mescaline.
The Influence of Psychedelic Drugs
The use of psychedelic drugs, particularly LSD, had a profound impact on music in the 1960s. The Beatles were the first major pop group to be openly influenced by drugs, and their experiments with LSD had a profound effect on their music and their outlook on life. The Beatles’ song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is thought to be inspired by an acid trip, and the band’s use of sound effects and studio trickery on their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was heavily influenced by their experiences with psychedelics.
Psychedelic drugs also influenced the development of the hippie counterculture, which championed peace, love, and free expression. The Grateful Dead and other bands that played at the California music festival known as Monterey Pop in 1967 were strongly associated with the hippie movement and used their music to promote its ideals. Psychedelic drugs also played a role in the development of electronic music, as they were used by early pioneers like Karlheinz Stockhausen to create new sounds and effects.
The Influence of Eastern Music
Psychedelic rock, also referred to as psychedelia, is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the 1960s. This type of music is characterized by the use of electronic instruments and feedback, distorted sound, and extreme volume levels. Psychedelic rock often incorporates elements of other genres, including folk music, jazz, and blues.
The term “psychedelic” is derived from the Greek word “psyche,” which means “soul” or “mind.” The term was first used in the medical community to describe the effects of psychoactive drugs such as LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide). These drugs were thought to induce states of altered consciousness that resemble those experienced during dreaming or meditation.
Psychedelic rock began to emerge in the mid-1960s with the release of The Beatles’ album Revolver. This album featured songs with drug-related themes and unusual sound effects that were created using electronic instruments and feedback. Other British bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Who also began to experiment with psychedelic sounds.
In 1967, The Beatles released their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which is often considered to be one of the most influential psychedelic rock albums of all time. This album featured a more experimental approach to songwriting and sound production, incorporating elements of classical music and avant-garde noise into traditional pop song structures.
Psychedelic rock reached its peak of popularity in the late 1960s with the release of albums such as The Doors’ self-titled debut album (1967), Jimi Hendrix’s Are You Experienced? (1967), and Pink Floyd’s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967). These albums are considered classics of the genre and have had a lasting impact on popular music.
The popularity of psychedelic rock began to decline in the early 1970s, as many bands moved away from its experimental sound in favor of a more polished pop sensibility. However, the influence of psychedelic rock can still be heard in many genres of popular music today.
The Main Bands and Artists
The 1960s was a decade of political turmoil and social unrest. Psychedelic rock music became the soundtrack for a generation that was determined to change the world. The main bands and artists of the psychedelic rock music scene were The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Doors.
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 of the 20th century. They were instrumental in popularising Western pop music and register rock and roll in South Asia, the Americas, Oceania and Africa. Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, they later utilised several genres ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical elements in innovative ways during their recording career. Their sound incorporates elements of pop, classical music, blues-rock and roll, and experimental music. In 1963 their enormous popularity first emerged as “Beatlemania”; as the group’s music grew in sophistication led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney, they came to be perceived by many fans as an embodiment of 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 1958http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Beatles&oldid=596336365#Formation_and_early_years_(1958%E2%80%931962), went through a succession of drummers before asking Starr to join them in 1962; Kitmaster Keef Hartley briefly filled in for him in late 1962/early 1963 before they secured him on a permanent basis that August following Pete Best’s firing shortly before their commercial breakthrough with Please Please Me (1963). Sutcliffe left the group due to ill health two months prior to Best’s ousting; he died of a brain haemorrhage at age 21 on 10 April 1962 after collapsing into a coma following his seventh gig with them at Top Ten Club Hamburghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Beatles&oldid=596336365#Formation_and_early_years_(1958%E2%80%931962).
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), Mick Jagger (lead vocals, harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Bill Wyman (bass) and Charlie Watts (drums). The band’s primary songwriters, Jagger and Richards, assumed leadership after Andrew Loog Oldham became the group’s manager. Jones left the band less than a month before his death in 1969, having already been replaced by Mick Taylor. After Taylor left the band in 1974, Ronnie Wood stepped into the breach until 1985 when he was replaced by former Faces guitarist Ronnie Wood. Since Wyman’s retirement in 1993, Darryl Jones has served as bassist.
The Stones have released 30 studio albums in the United Kingdom (24 of which charted at number one on the UK Albums Chart), and 23 studio albums in the United States (18 of which reached number one on the Billboard 200). Hot Rocks 1964–1971 is ranked number 117 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”,[7] having been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and ranked as 1971’s fourth greatest album by NME.[8] Sticky Fingers (1971) is ranked number 44 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” as well as being included in several publications’ lists of all-time best albums including Mojo,[9] Q,[10] NME,[11] Uncut,[12] and Blender.[13][14][15][16]”
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robbie Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were one of the most controversial and influential rock acts of the 1960s, mostly because of Morrison’s lyrics and wild behavior, and the group was widely regarded as an important part of the era’s counterculture.
The band released eight studio albums before Morrison’s death at age 27 in 1971. The Doors have sold over 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. In 1993, the Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Legacy of Psychedelic Rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that was popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The style is characterized by distorted guitars, trippy lyrics, and mind-bending sound effects. The music was often used by young people to explore their own minds and expand their consciousness. Psychedelic rock helped to shape the sound of popular music for decades to come.
The Impact on Popular Culture
Psychedelic rock, also known as “acid rock”, reached its peak of mainstream popularity between 1967 and 1968. With the help of artists like Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles, the genre began to filter into popular culture, paving the way for future generations of musicians.
The impact of psychedelic rock can still be felt today, even though the genre is no longer as popular as it once was. The album artwork, fashion, and overall aesthetic of psychedelic rock have all been assimilated into modern pop culture. Many current artists have cited psychedelic rock as an influence, and the genre continues to inspire new music and art.
Despite its relatively short period of mainstream success, psychedelic rock has left a lasting legacy on popular culture.
The Influence on Other Genres of Music
Psychedelic rock music had a profound influence on many other genres of music. The 60s saw the birth of many new genres such as hard rock, heavy metal, acid rock, and progressive rock. All of these genres were informed by the trippy, mind-expanding sounds of psychedelic rock.
Psychedelic rock also had a significant impact on the development of electronic music. The use of synthesizers and other electronic effects was crucial to the sound of many psychedelic bands. This laid the groundwork for subsequent generations of electronic musicians who would explore even further the possibilities of using technology to create new and innovative sounds.
Last but not least, psychedelic rock was a major force in shaping the sound and aesthetics of punk rock. Punk would’ve been a very different beast without the example set by psychedelia. Bands like The Ramones and The Velvet Underground were heavily influenced by psychedlic music, and they in turn went on to influence countless other punk and alternative bands in the years to come.
