70’s Psychedelic Rock Bands You Need to Know

We take a look at some of the most influential psychedelic rock bands of the 1970s and what made them so special.

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The members consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. They are often considered the most influential band of all time, and their music helped shape the sound of psychedelic rock.

Formed in Liverpool in 1960

The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960. They became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in history. Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later utilised several genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways. In 1963, their enormous popularity first manifested itself in Britain when they achieved 17 consecutive weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart with “From Me To You”, “She Loves You”, and “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, marking the beginning of what was to become known as Beatlemania.

Members: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The group, whose best-known lineup was John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, are regarded as the most influential band of all time. They were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and popular music’s recognition as an art form. Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways; the band later explored country, balladry and psychedelia to varying degrees. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects of the music industry and were often publicised as leaders of the era’s youth and sociocultural movements.

Lennon and McCartney flourished as a songwriting partnership after they formed the Beatles with Harrison and Starr in early 1960; by early 1962, all four members had contribution to the band’s catalogue with Lennon-McCartney accounting for the vast majority of their published work by 1967. During these early years, they introduced increasingly sophisticated elements to their shared musical repertoire which expanded beyond rock ‘n’ roll genre conventions; as their creative confidence grew, Beatles records began to incorporate classical or avant-garde influences and experimental production techniques that characterised their later work. Musicologist Allan Moore notes: “They opened up Western harmonies by using Eastern modalities … They expanded pop chords beyond triads … [and] used atonality.” In 1967, they began working with avant-garde producer George Martin on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, an album that Frank Kofsky described as marking “the beginning of a new era in which [the Beatles] created a new musical culture”.

Albums: Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, Beatles for Sale, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles (The White Album), Abbey Road, Let It Be

Please Please Me (1963)
With the Beatles (1963)
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
Beatles for Sale (1964)
Help! (1965)
Rubber Soul (1965)
Revolver (1966)
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
The Beatles (“The White Album”, 1968)
Abbey Road (1969)
Let It Be (1970, released posthumously in May 1970 after the group had officially broken up in April).

Pink Floyd

One of the most influential and groundbreaking bands of the psychedelic rock era, Pink Floyd is considered by many to be one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Formed in London in 1965, the band is known for their progressive and experimental approach to music.

Formed in London in 1965

Formed in London in 1965, Pink Floyd was one of the first psychedelic rock bands. Their early work was heavily influenced by Syd Barrett, who was the band’s original lead singer and songwriter. Barrett’s mental health problems led to him leaving the band in 1968, and Pink Floyd went on to become one of the most successful rock bands of all time.

Members: Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason

Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining a following as a psychedelic band, they were distinguished for their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics and elaborate live shows, and became a leading band of the progressive rock genre. They are one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated global sales of more than 250 million records.

The group consisted of founder Syd Barrett (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals), and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals). Bassist Roger Waters became the de facto leader and primary songwriter within the group following Barrett’s departure in 1968. The5 did not record any new studio material until 1971 when Mason suggested that Pink Floyd work with producer Bob Ezrin. Wright returned to Pink Floyd formally in 1987 after being fired during production of The Wall album. In 1985, Pink Floyd produced one last album with Waters called A Momentary Lapse of Reason followed by a world tour. With great commercial success but little artistic satisfaction for any member other than Gilmour, Pink Floyd officially disbanded in early 1994.

Albums: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, A Saucerful of Secrets, More, Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother, Meddle, Obscured by Clouds, The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall

Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London in 1965. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music.

The band consisted of four members: Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Richard Wright, and Syd Barrett. Barrett left the band in 1968 due to mental health issues.

The band’s first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, was released in 1967 to critical acclaim. It was followed by A Saucerful of Secrets (1968), More (1969), Ummagumma (1969), Atom Heart Mother (1970), Meddle (1971), Obscured by Clouds (1972), The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979).

The Dark Side of the Moon became one of the best-selling albums of all time and is Pink Floyd’s most commercially successful album. It remained on the Billboard 200 chart for 741 weeks from 1973 to 1988, longer than any other album in history.

Animals was Pink Floyd’s second concept album following The Dark Side of the Moon. It is a commentary on the social-political conditions of late-1970s Britain. The Wall is a rock opera that tells the story of Pink, an unhinged rock star who becomes progressively more isolated and mentally unstable. The album is one of the best-selling albums of all time with over 50 million copies sold worldwide.

Led Zeppelin

One of the most popular and well-known psychedelic rock bands of the 70s, Led Zeppelin, formed in 1968 and consisted of Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitar), John Paul Jones (bass), and John Bonham (drums). The band’s musical style blended elements of blues and folk with rock and roll, and their live shows were notorious for being both over-the-top and highly improvised.

Formed in London in 1968

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bass player and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. The band’s heavy, guitar-driven sound has led them to be cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995; the museum’s biography of the band states that they were “as influential during the 1970s as any other rock band.”

Members: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, John Paul Jones

When most people think of the band Led Zeppelin, they think of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. But the band would not have been the same without John Bonham on drums and John Paul Jones playing bass. The four members of Led Zeppelin were all highly skilled musicians who came together to create some of the most influential music of the 1970s.

Led Zeppelin is often credited with popularizing the “heavy metal” sound, but their music was really a mix of many different genres, including blues, folk, and even country. Their biggest hits, such as “Stairway to Heaven” and ” Whole Lotta Love,” are still popular today, more than 40 years after they were first released.

If you’re a fan of classic rock or just looking to expand your musical horizons, Led Zeppelin is a band you need to know.

Albums: Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin III, IV, Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti, Presence, In Through the Out Door, Coda

Led Zeppelin was an English rock band formed in 1968. The group consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. The band’s heavy, guitar-driven sound, rooted in blues and psychedelia on their early albums, has earned them recognition as one of the forerunners of heavy metal. Their later works display a wide variety of influences, including folk, pop, country, and reggae.

Led Zeppelin’s first album was released in early 1969. Entitled Led Zeppelin (sometimes referred to as “Led Zeppelin I”), it was an instant commercial success and critical acclaim. The second album, Led Zeppelin II (1969), featured the tracks “Whole Lotta Love” and “Ramble On”, both of which went on to become classics.

The following year saw the release of Led Zeppelin III (1970), which moved away from the heavier sounds of the first two albums to explore more acoustic and folk-based territory. IV (1971), often referred to as Led Zeppelin’s untitled fourth album or simply Four Symbols, featured the band’s most well-known song, “Stairway to Heaven”.

Houses of the Holy (1973) took a more experimental direction with its blend of hard rock, funk and reggae. Physical Graffiti (1975), a double album consisting of material recorded over two years, marked a return to form for the band with such fan favorites as “Kashmir” and “Trampled Underfoot”.

The next few years saw a decline in activity for Led Zeppelin due to Plant’s recovery from a serious car accident and disagreements between members over songwriting credits. However, they returned with new material in 1976 with Presence (1976) and In Through the Out Door (1979). Coda (1982), consisting of outtakes and unused tracks from various points in their career, was released posthumously after John Bonham’s death in 1980 brought an end to Led Zeppelin.

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. The band got its name, at Morrison’s suggestion from the title of Aldous Huxley’s book The Doors of Perception, which itself was a reference to a line in William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: “If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.” They were unique and among the most controversial and influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.

Formed in Los Angeles in 1965

The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, 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 because of Morrison’s wild, poetic lyrics and 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.

The Doors had a tumultuous career marked by critical and commercial success; disagreements between the band members; drug abuse; and repeated instances of erratic behavior by Morrison. These incidents often involved law enforcement officials and ultimately resulted in his arrest and imprisonment on charges of indecency and profanity. Despite recording two more albums after Morrison’s death—Other Voices (1971) and Full Circle (1972)—the group was effectively dissolved. Eleven of their songs were included in The Doors (1991), a compilation album released by Elektra Records to commemorate the band’s 25th anniversary. In 1993, Densmore co-founded The Doors of the 21st Century—also known as Riders on the Storm—with Krieger to continue performing the group’s music.

Members: Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, John Densmore

The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. The band took its name from the title of Aldous Huxley’s book The Doors of Perception (1954), which itself was a reference to a line in William Blake’s poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790).

They were unique and among the most controversial and influential rock acts of the 1960s, mostly because of Morrison’s lyrics and vocals, and the group’s on-stage performances. After Morrison’s death in Paris at the age of 27 in 1971, the remaining members continued as a trio until finally disbanding in 1973.

The Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

Albums: The Doors, Strange Days, Waiting for the Sun, The Soft Parade, Morrison Hotel, L.A. Woman, Other Voices, Full Circle

The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were unique and among the most controversial and influential rock acts of the 1960s, mostly because of Morrison’s lyrics and his erratic stage persona. After Morrison’s death on July 3, 1971 at age 27, the band continued as a trio until finally disbanding in 1973.

Signing with Elektra Records in 1967, The Doors released eight albums between 1967 and 1971. All of their studio albums made the top ten of the Billboard 200 album chart (with their self-titled debut album reaching number two) and all but one hit the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (with “Light My Fire” becoming their only number-one single). By 2013, The Doors had sold over 100 million copies worldwide. The Doors were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which combined elements of country, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, rock, and jazz. They were one of the most influential bands of the 1960s and ’70s, and their music continues to have a major impact on the world of rock and roll.

Formed in San Francisco in 1965

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. From the outset, the band was identified with the counterculture of the 1960s, and soon became one of its leading musical representatives. “Their music,” writes Lenny Kaye, “touched on ground that most other groups avoided … variously experimental, occasionally primitive, sounds that arose from their own interior energies as much as from any external source.” This uniquely American band performed incessantly throughout their thirty-year history, touching on many musical styles and influences including folk, bluegrass, country, blues, ragtime, reggae, rock ‘n’ roll, techno and worldbeat. They were ranked 57th in Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artists of all Time. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and their individual contributions have been honored at the Grammy Awards.

Members: Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvised jazz, psychedelia and space rock. They are also one of the originators of the jam band tradition. “Their music,” writes Lenny Kaye, “touches on ground that most other groups don’t even know exists.”

The Grateful Dead began their career as The Warlocks, a group formed in early 1965 from the remnants of a Palo Alto jug band called Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions. The Warlocks’s first show was at Magoo’s Pizza located at 639 Santa Cruz Avenue in suburban Menlo Park. But after only a few months, they changed their name to The Grateful Dead; according to urban legend, this occurred when Jerry Garcia glanced up at a dictionary as he doodled and saw the definition: “grateful dead.” The dictionary’s passage read: “the soul of a dead person, or his angel,” and Garcia took it as an omen that the name would bring them good luck.

Albums: The Grateful Dead, Anthem of the Sun, Aoxomoxoa, Live/Dead, Workingman’s Dead, American Beauty, Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses), Europe ’72, Wake of the Flood, From the Mars Hotel, Blues for Allah, Terrapin Station, Shakedown Street, Go to Heaven, In the Dark, Built to Last, Reckoning

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. Ranging from quintet to septet, the band is known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, bluegrass, blues, gospel, modal jazz, reggae, experimental music, psychedelia, and space rock. They are considered one of the main contributors to the development of the jam band music scene. The band was ranked 57th by Rolling Stone magazine in its The Greatest Artists of All Time issue. The Grateful Dead have sold more than 35 million albums worldwide.