The Top 5 Hard Rock Psychedelic Rock Bands

In this blog post, we’ll be counting down the top 5 psychedelic rock bands of all time. From classic acts like The Beatles and The Doors to modern greats like Tame Impala and MGMT, these are the bands that have defined the genre.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

The Jimi Hendrix Experience was an American-English rock band active in the late 1960s. The group, which included drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Billy Cox, was one of the most influential acts of the rock era. Hendrix’s incendiary style of guitar playing combined blues, R&B, and rock with a level of virtuosity that has yet to be surpassed.

Cream

Cream was a 1960s British rock power trio consisting of bassist/singer Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist/singer Eric Clapton. The group’s third album, Wheels of Fire, was the world’s first platinum-selling double album. Cream is widely regarded as one of the greatest rock bands ever.

The band’s biggest hits were “Sunshine of Your Love”, “Crossroads”, “White Room”, and “Badge”. They also had four number one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart: “I Feel Free”, “Sunshine of Your Love”, “Crossroads”, and “Badge”. In their active years from 1966 to 1968, they sold over 15 million records worldwide.

Cream’s music included elements of blues, pop, and psychedelic rock. They collapsed in 1968 due to creative differences and hostility between the members, which resulted in Clapton leaving the band to form Blind Faith with Steve Winwood.

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 are considered one of the most controversial and influential rock bands of the 1960s because of Morrison’s wild, poetic lyrics and charismatic but unpredictable stage persona. After the doors’ acclaimed album Strange Days (1967), Morrison wanted to take the band’s sound in a more electronic direction; however, Densmore and Krieger vetoed his request.

The group signed with Elektra Records in 1967 and released eight successful albums before Morrison’s death on July 3, 1971 at age 27. The band continued as a trio until disbanding in 1973. According to the RIAA, they have sold over 33 million records in the US; their global sales exceed 100 million units. The Doors have been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines including Rolling Stone, which ranked them 41st on their list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”.

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin was 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, rooted in blues and psychedelia on their early albums, has earned them recognition as one of the progenitors of heavy metal. Their later works display a wide variety of influences, including folk music (on Led Zeppelin III), and swamp rock (on Houses of the Holy).

Pink Floyd

1) Pink Floyd- Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. The band initially earned recognition for their psychedelic singles such as “See Emily Play” and “Apples and Oranges”, and later for their more experimental work which included “Interstellar Overdrive”, “Careful with That Axe, Eugene” and “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun”. After the departure of founding member Syd Barrett in 1968, Pink Floyd composed songs like “A Saucerful of Secrets”, “Atom Heart Mother” and “Echoes”. They achieved commercial success with The Dark Side of the Moon, which topped the charts in several countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia. The album was followed by another critical and commercial success, Wish You Were Here. In 1975, Pink Floyd released their tenth album, Animals, followed by The Wall in 1979 — one of rock’s most iconic albums. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Pink Floyd produced several more successful albums including A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987) and The Division Bell (1994).

2) Psychedelic Furs- Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band that was founded in 1977. The band originally consisted of lead vocalist Richard Butler, his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, Duncan Kilburn on saxophone and Roger Morris on guitar. By 1979, they had added Paul Wilson on drums and John Ashton on guitar. The Psychedelic Furs’ sound is based on a fusion of punk rock envelope-pushing music with new wave pop hooks. Their debut album was released in 1980 to positive reviews from critics. It includes the singles “Sister Europe” and “India”.

3) Love & Rockets- Love & Rockets were an English rock band formed in 1985 by former Bauhaus members Daniel Ash (guitar), David J (bass) and Kevin Haskins (drums). The trio first played together in Bauhaus before Ash and Haskins left to form Tones on Tail between 1982–1984; J continued with Bauhaus until they disbanded in 1983. In 1986 they released their debut album Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven to critical acclaim; two years later they released Express; followed by 1989’s Earth Sun Moon; 1992’s Sweet Fanny Adams; 1994’s Hot Trip to Heaven; 1996’s Shame; 1998’s Lift; 2000’s Here They Go Again: Love & Rockets Live!

4) Spacemen 3- Spacemen 3 were an English alternative rock band formed in Rugby, Warwickshire in 1982 by Peter Kember (“Sonic Boom”) and Jason Pierce (“J spaceman”). Fellow Rugby native Alex Weinstein joined soon afterwards as bassist/keyboardist. The group is regarded as having paved the way for contemporary space rock bands such as Spiritualized who often cite them as a key influence. Spacemen 3 combined elements of space rock–influenced drone music with Progressive pop structures often containing simple melodies reminiscent of early British Pop songs. One critic described theirs as being a cross between Black Sabbath’s experimental side (“Into the Void”)and Lou Reed mechanised Velvet Underground groove blueprinted throughout “(I Don’t Want to Go To) Chelsea”.The earliest touchstone for Spacemen 3 sound might be found from Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd or even Velvet Underground but these 60s influences would be quickly eschewed for a more minimal approach throughout their 10 year recording career starting from 1986 – 1996