Psychedelic Classic Rock: Rankar’s Top Picks
Join Rankar as he counts down his top picks for the best Psychedelic Classic Rock albums of all time!
The Psychedelic Era
The Psychedelic Era was a time where music, fashion, and culture were all about pushing boundaries. It was a time of self-expression and many people used music as a way to escape the reality of the world. The Psychedelic Era was a time of peace, love, and experimentation.
What is Psychedelic Rock?
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s and became widely popular in the world by the early 1970s. The term “psychedelic” (from the Ancient Greek: ψυχή, psykhē, “soul”, “spirit”; and δηλείν, delein, “to make visible, to reveal”) was first coined in 1956 by psychiatrist Humphry Osmond as an alternative descriptor for hallucinogenic drugs in the context of psychedelic psychotherapy.
The Origins of Psychedelic Rock
Psychedelic rock, also referred to as garage rock, is a style of rock music that was popularized in the 1960s. This genre of music is characterized by its heavy use of distorted guitars, reverb, and feedback. Psychedelic rock often explores themes of society,drugs, and mental illness.
Psychedelic rock originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 1960s. The British band The Beatles were one of the first psychedelic rock bands. Their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is considered to be a seminal work in the genre. With its heavy use of studio techniques such as backward tapes and sound effects, Sgt. Pepper’s helped define what psychedelic rock would become.
The psychedelic era came to an end in the early 1970s as the major artists associated with the genre began to move away from its experimental roots. However,psychedelic rock has continued to influence subsequent generations of musicians and remains an important part of many popular music genres today.
The Best of Psychedelic Rock
The 1960’s were a time of change and Psychedelic Rock was born. This style of music expressed the feelings of a generation with its distorted guitars, mind-bending lyrics, and long jam sessions. If you’re looking to take a trip down memory lane, or if you’re curious about what Psychedelic Rock is all about, check out Rankar’s top picks for the best Psychedelic Rock songs of all time.
The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
It’s hard to rank the Beatles’ albums, let alone just one, but if we had to choose, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band would be it. This album is a perfect example of the band’s creativity at its peak, and it features some of their best-known songs, including “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “With a Little Help from My Friends,” and “A Day in the Life.”
The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
If you want to know what an album is really about, ask the person who made it. In the case of Pet Sounds, you don’t even need to do that – just read Brian Wilson’s recent memoir, which is as much about the making of this classic record as it is about his life. In short, Wilson was going through an intense personal and creative crisis when he made Pet Sounds, and the album is a document of that.
It’s also one of the most beautiful and innovative records ever made. Working with a group of studio musicians that included future Beach Boys member Bruce Johnston, bassist Carol Kaye and drummer Hal Blaine, Wilson created a sound that was both entirely new and totally familiar. It’s no wonder that the album has been cited as a major influence by everyone from Paul McCartney to Kanye West.
Pink Floyd – The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
In Pink Floyd’s debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967), Syd Barrett creates a sound that is distinctly English and entirely psychedelic. The opening track, “Astronomy Domine,” sets the tone for the rest of the album with its catchy melody, spacey effects, and trippy lyrics. Barrett’s songwriting is at its best on this album, with other standouts including “Lucifer Sam,” “Interstellar Overdrive,” and the title track. Although Pink Floyd would go on to greater success with subsequent albums, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn remains an essential part of their discography and a classic of psychedelic rock.
The Legacy of Psychedelic Rock
Psychedelic rock, also referred to as “acid rock” or “psychedelia”, is a style of music that emerged in the 1960s. This type of music is characterized by its trippy, mind-altering soundscapes and often times, drug-induced lyrics. Psychedelic rock is often cited as one of the most influential genres in the history of music, as it paved the way for genres like punk, metal, and even disco.
The Influence of Psychedelic Rock
Psychedelic rock, also known as psychedelic pop or acid rock, is a style of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s and reached the height of its popularity in the late 1960s. The style is characterized by distorted guitars, drug-related lyrics, and elaborate studio production techniques.
Psychedelic rock began to have a significant impact on popular music in the mid-1960s with bands such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds incorporating elements of the genre into their recordings. The Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) is often cited as the first true psychedelic rock album, and its iconic cover art was inspired by LSD trips taken by the band’s members. The Beach Boys’ album Pet Sounds (1966) was also highly influential, with its experimental production techniques and emotionally charged lyrics.
The genre reached its commercial peak in 1967 with releases such as Pink Floyd’s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Procol Harum’s Whiter Shade of Pale, and the Grateful Dead’s self-titled debut album. Psychedelic rock experienced a brief resurgence in popularity in the early 1970s with bands such as Electric Light Orchestra and Queen incorporating elements of the genre into their music. However, by the middle of the decade, psychedelic rock had largely fallen out of fashion in favor of other musical styles.
The End of the Psychedelic Era
The psychedelic era of rock music came to an abrupt end in the late 1960s. Psychedelic rock, which had been dominated by bands from the United Kingdom, quickly lost its appeal in the United States, where it had been less popular to begin with. American bands that had been at the forefront of the psychedelic movement, such as the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, either disbanded or changed their musical styles. The popularity of psychedelic drugs also declined sharply in the late 1960s, as users became wary of their potential side effects.
Despite its relatively short lifespan, psychedelia left a lasting impression on rock music. Many of the genre’s defining characteristics, such as extended jamming, distorted guitars, and trippy lyrics, would become hallmarks of later rock subgenres such as progressive rock and heavy metal. In addition, several key figures inpsychedelia, including Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, would go on to become hugely influential figures in popular music.
