1968: The Year of Heavy Psychedelic Rock

1968 was a banner year for psychedelic rock, with many of the genre’s defining albums being released. This blog looks at some of the best of 1968’s psychedelic offerings.

The Beatles – “White Album”

The Beatles’ “White Album” is one of the most important albums of 1968. It was a return to their roots after the psychedelic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The album features some of the band’s heaviest songs, like “Helter Skelter” and “Revolution 1.” It’s also considered one of the first heavy metal albums.

Recording

Recording for The Beatles, also known as The White Album, began on May 30th, 1968 at Abbey Road Studios. This was just a few weeks after the band’s return from India, where they had been studying transcendental meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The White Album was a double album, meaning that it had more songs than a typical album. In total, there were thirty songs recorded, although only twenty-seven made it onto the final album.

The recording process was experimental and often improvisational. The Beatles would try different takes of each song until they found one they liked. They also tried different instruments and sounds to see what would work best. This approach was new for the band and it led to some tension between the members. John Lennon, in particular, felt that Paul McCartney was trying to take over the creative direction of the band.

Despite the disagreements, the recording process was ultimately successful. The White Album is considered by many to be one of The Beatles’ best albums. It features some of their most iconic songs, including “Revolution 9” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.

Release

The Beatles, also known as “The White Album”, is the ninth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 22 November 1968. A double album, its plain white sleeve has no graphics or text other than the band’s name embossed, which was intended as a direct contrast to the vivid cover artwork of the band’s previous LP Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Although its minimalist packaging contrasted with Peter Blake’s psychedelic design for Sgt. Pepper, it did have Groove Editing by Tony Richards. Ringo Starr left the group during recording sessions for the album, temporarily reducing its membership to three. Starr returned before production was completed and took part in sessions for “Back in the USSR” and “Good Night”.

The Rolling Stones – “Beggars Banquet”

1968 was a pivotal year in music, and the Rolling Stones released one of the most important albums of the year with “Beggars Banquet.” This album is considered by many to be the Stones’ best album, and it is certainly one of the most influential albums of the psychedelic rock era. The album features some of the Stones’ most iconic songs, including “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Street Fighting Man.”

Recording

In early 1968, The Rolling Stones returned to Olympic Studios in London to start work on their next album, Beggars Banquet. This time, they brought in engineer Glyn Johns, who would go on to work with the band on some of their most classic albums.

The recording process was a bit more relaxed than it had been for previous albums, and the band took their time working on the tracks. This was partly due to the fact that they were now able to record in their own studio, which they had built at Englishland Studios in Surrey.

The album was originally going to be titled “Something Happened to Me Yesterday” after one of the songs written during the sessions, but the title was eventually changed to Beggars Banquet. The album’s artwork was also controversial, as it featured a photograph of a toilet with the words “The Rolling Stones” written on the wall above it.

Beggars Banquet was released in December 1968 and would go on to be one of the band’s most celebrated albums. It includes classic tracks such as “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Street Fighting Man,” and “Stray Cat Blues.”

Release

Beggars Banquet was released in the United Kingdom on December 6, 1968 by Decca Records and in the United States on December 16 by London Records. It was the band’s seventh British and ninth American studio album. The first single, “Street Fighting Man”, was released in August 1968 and reached number one in the UK and number 28 in the US.

Led Zeppelin – “Led Zeppelin II”

1968 was the year of heavy psychedelic rock, and Led Zeppelin’s second album II was a massive part of that. With hits like “Whole Lotta Love” and “Heartbreaker”, the album showcased the band’s range, from the heavy blues of “Moby Dick” to the psychedelic pop of “Ramble On”. There was something for everyone on Led Zeppelin II, and it remains one of the band’s most essential albums.

Recording

In early September 1968, the band returned to Olympic Studios in London to begin work on their second album. The album delivered a harder-hitting sound than their debut release, with heavier electric guitars and a greater focus on instrumentals. It also featured several blues-inspired tracks, including “Whole Lotta Love” and “Bring It On Home”.

The album was recorded quickly, with most of the tracks being completed in just a few takes. engineer Glyn Johns recalled that “those guys were very quick in the studio… it was all done in three weeks”. In contrast to the previous album’s recording sessions, which had been plagued by arguments and disagreements, the sessions for Led Zeppelin II were amicable and relaxed.

The album was released in October 1968 and became an instant success, reaching number one in the UK and number four in the US. It has since been certified 12x platinum by the RIAA.

Release

“Led Zeppelin II” is the second album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 22 October 1969 in the United States and on 31 October 1969 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at several locations in both the United Kingdom and North America from January to August 1969. It was co-produced by Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, and engineered and mixed by Glyn Johns.

Following the success of their debut album, “Led Zeppelin II” was written and recorded during Led Zeppelin’s first concert tour of North America. The record captures them in an aggressive, livelier guitar-driven hard rock style as opposed to the blues rock leanings of its predecessor.

The artwork featured a black-and-white image of the band personalities surrounded by a combine harvester, eggs, bible verses and other symbols. It quickly became one of the most recognisable album covers in music history and has been spoofed or referenced many times since its release.

The record was an instant commercial success upon its release. In contrast to their first album which contained one original song amongst a number of cover versions, all tracks for “Led Zeppelin II” were written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant (with contributions from John Bonham), except for “Moby Dick” which was an improvisational drum solo by Bonham with Peter Grant listed as co-writer as per record company requirements at that time. The album topped various international charts including Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand and Norway as well as reach number one on Billboard’s Pop Albums chart in the US where it stayed for 7 weeks. In 2000 it was voted number 75 in Colin Larkin’s All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd edition

Jimi Hendrix – “Electric Ladyland”

1968 was a year of change and turmoil, with many iconic moments and releases in music. One album that was released in 1968 and that has stood the test of time is Jimi Hendrix’s “Electric Ladyland”. This album was a game-changer for the genre of psychedelic rock.

Recording

Recording for Electric Ladyland took place between March 1966 and October 1968 at a variety of studios. Hendrix particularly liked Record Plant Studios in New York, where he first recorded “All Along the Watchtower” with members of The Band. He also frequently returned to the studio to record additional tracks and overdubs. Hendrix’s fequent collaborator Billy Cox was also present for much of the recording, playing bass on most of the tracks.

Release

“Electric Ladyland” is the third and final album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in October 1968. It was the only Hendrix album produced by Jimi himself, and featured contributions from his bandmates Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, as well as guest appearances from Steve Winwood, Jack Bruce, Buzz Feiten, and others.

With its mix of psychedelic rock, soul, R&B, and funkadelic sounds, “Electric Ladyland” is widely regarded as one of Hendrix’s best albums and one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2003, it was ranked number 55 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Cream – “Disraeli Gears”

Cream’s second album, Disraeli Gears, was released in November 1967. The album reached number five in the UK and number four in the US. It features the singles “Strange Brew”, “Sunshine of Your Love”, “Swlabr”, and “We’re Going Wrong”. The album’s cover art was created by British artist Richard Hamilton.

Recording

The album was recorded in May 1968 at Advison Studios in London, with engineer Glyn Johns. It was the first album by the band to be released on cd. The album was released on 16 October 1968 by Polydor Records in the UK, and on 29 October 1968 by Atlantic Records in the US.

Release

Cream’s third and final album, Wheels of Fire, was released on August 2, 1968. It topped the charts in both the UK and the US, becoming the world’s first ever double album to do so. The album’s first side was recorded in the studio with “Passing the Time”, “As You Said”, and “Born Under a Bad Sign” as its best known tracks. The second side consisted of live recordings from a July 5, 1968 show at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, including versions of “Crossroads”, “Spoonful”, and “We’re Going Wrong”.