Echoes of Psychedelic Rock in Mojo

In his recent review of the new album by Tame Impala, Mojo’s Mat Snow notes the band’s debt to psychedelic rock.

The Sound of Psychedelic Rock

There’s something about the sound of psychedelic rock that just makes you want to groove. It’s a sound that’s both familiar and otherworldly, and it’s a sound that just begs to be turned up loud. If you’re a fan of psychedelic rock, then you know what I’m talking about.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

Psychedelic rock, sometimes called acid rock or simply psychedelia, is a style of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s. The sound is characterized by distorted guitars, mind-bending effects, and long, improvised jams. The genre is often associated with the counterculture of the 1960s and early 1970s, when many young people turned to psychedelic drugs as a way to rebel against the establishment.

Despite its name, psychedelic rock is not necessarily explicitly about drug use; it is simply music that aims to replicate or enhance the experience of psychedelic drugs. Many of the musicians who pioneered the genre were themselves drug users, and they often explore themes of personal transformation and spiritual enlightenment in their lyrics. Psychedelic music was also influenced by Eastern philosophy and Indian classical music, which helped to create its distinctive sound.

In the late 1960s, psychedelic rock began to go out of fashion as the hippie movement dissipated and popular taste shifted towards more refined styles of music. However, the genre has left a lasting influence on popular culture, and many of its sonic innovations have been adopted by subsequent generations of musicians.

The Birth of Psychedelic Rock

The first stirrings of what would eventually become psychedelic rock can be found in the mid-’60s work of British Invasion groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, who began expanding the possibilities of what rock & roll could be with mind-altering lyrical themes and hypnotic, effects-laden soundscapes. In America, meanwhile, garage rock bands like the Electric Prunes and ? & the Mysterians were crafting wild, reverb-drenched recordings that pushed the sonic boundaries of what was possible on four-track tape recorders.

The Influence of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock is a genre of rock music that includes elements of psychedelic music. It first became popular in the 1960s and was used by bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Doors. Psychedelic rock was used to describe the music of these bands and other similar bands at the time. The genre is characterized by distorted guitars, mind-altering lyrics, and trippy sound effects.

The Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band’s music integrates elements of diverse genres including country, blues, folk, reggae, rock, and jazz. They are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century.

The band was ranked 57th by Rolling Stone in its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and their recordings are ranked among the 150 greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone. The Grateful Dead have sold more than 35 million albums worldwide.

Jimi Hendrix

Few musicians have been as influential, or as contested, as Jimi Hendrix. In the years since his death in 1970, his stature as a rock icon has only grown; he has been name-checked by everyone from Bob Dylan to Snoop Dogg, and his songs have been covered by everyone from Stevie Wonder to Metallica. His reach extends beyond music: In 2006, a Harris Poll found that Hendrix was the second-most popular musician among Americans aged 18-34, behind only Elvis Presley.

Pink Floyd

Psychedelic rock, sometimes called acid rock, reached its peak of popularity in the 1967 “Summer of Love.” The genre is marked by distorted guitars, mind-bending lyrics, and extended jams. With its roots in the blues and jazz, psychedelic rock would come to influence genres as varied as punk, metal, and even pop.

One of the most successful and influential bands of the psychedelic rock era was Pink Floyd. Formed in London in 1965, the band released their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn the following year. Though it flopped upon release, The Piper… would eventually be recognized as one of the finest albums of the psychedelic era.

The band’s second album, A Saucerful of Secrets (1968), is often considered their first true psychedelia outing. It features the band’s signature extended jam “ Interstellar Overdrive ,” which clocks in at over 9 minutes. Other standout tracks include “Remember a Day” and “Let There Be More Light.”

A Saucerful of Secrets would be the last album to feature original keyboardist/vocalist Syd Barrett , who was slowly losing his grip on reality due to heavy drug use. He would be replaced by David Gilmour on guitar and vocals for 1968’s Piper follow-up Ummagumma .

The Legacy of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock was a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the 1960s. The style is characterized by distorted guitars, feedback, and extreme distortion. Psychedelic rock often incorporates elements of acid rock, garage rock, and blues rock.

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960. They became widely regarded as the foremost and most influential act of the rock era. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are commonly known as the Fab Four. 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, and producer George Martin guided and developed their recordings.

The Beatles left behind a vast body of work that includes some of the most popular songs ever recorded. Their innovations instantly transformed popular music and challenged the role of parlour music and dance bands. They redefinedestamping on famous tracks such as “I Saw Her Standing There”, “She Loves You” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”. In 1957 they formed their own band after opening for Elvis Presley at the Liverpool Empire Theater

The Doors

The Doors were one of the most influential and controversial rock bands of the 1960s. They were unique in their blending of blues, jazz, and classical music with rock and roll, and their lyrics often dealt with dark and erotic topics. The band’s lead singer, Jim Morrison, was a charismatic and enigmatic figure who became a symbol of the counterculture of the 1960s. The Doors’ music has remained popular over the years, and their influence can be heard in the work of many later artists.

The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground -queue the eerie, distorted opening notes of “I’m Waiting for the Man”- is often cited as one of the most important and influential American rock bands. They are considered by many to be the first “alternative” band, and their music has been hugely influential on subsequent generations of musicians. The Velvet Underground was fronted by the charismatic singer/songwriter Lou Reed, and their music was characterized by extended experimental passages, unusual instrumentation, and often dark or challenging lyrics. The band was active from 1965-1972, and though they never achieved commercial success during their lifetime, their legend has only grown in the years since their dissolution.