5 Psychedelic Punk Rock Bands You Need to Know About
Psychedelic punk rock is a genre of music that takes the raw, distorted sounds of punk rock and infuses them with mind-altering, often trippy, effects. If you’re looking to explore this unique and fascinating genre, here are five bands you need to know about.
Psychedelic Punk
Psychedelic punk is a genre of rock music that emerged in the late 1970s. It is a combination of punk rock and psychedelic rock. The genre is also sometimes referred to as “garage punk” or “garage rock”.
What is Psychedelic Punk?
Psychedelic punk is a subgenre of punk rock that combines the fast-paced, hard-edged sounds of punk with the mind-bending, exploratory qualities of psychedelia. While the two genres may seem like an unlikely pairing, they share a common DIY spirit and a passion for social change.
Psychedelic punk bands often experiment with distorted guitars, feedback, and other sonic effects to create a mind-expanding sound. They also frequently explore themes of mental illness, drug use, and social alienation in their lyrics.
While the genre is not as commercially successful as other punk subgenres, it has produced some influential bands, including the Pixies, Sonic Youth, and Pavement. If you’re looking for something new to listen to, here are five psychedelic punk bands you need to know about.
The Origins of Psychedelic Punk
Psychedelic punk is a subgenre of punk rock that combines the fast-paced, aggressive Attitude of punk with the mind-expanding sounds and textures of psychedelia. It rose to prominence in the late 1970s and 1980s, as punk rock bands began to experiment with the mind-altering effects of psychedelic drugs like LSD and Mushrooms.
Psychedelic punk is defined by its fusion of punk attitude and psychedelic sound. Punk bands like The Damned and The Stooges blended their distorted, high-energy sound with elements of psychedelia like mind-bending feedback loops and trippy effects pedals. This created a new sound that was as wild and anarchic as it was mind-expanding.
In the 1980s, psychedelic punk found a second wave of popularity with bands like Butthole Surfers, Dinosaur Jr., and Sonic Youth. These bands took the sound in new directions, incorporating more jarring elements of noise and avant-garde structure into their music. Psychedelic punk remains an influence on many underground music scenes today.
The Bands
Psychedelic punk rock is a subgenre of punk rock that emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The music is characterized by its use of psychedelic elements and its fusion of punk and garage rock. The genre is often associated with the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Here are five psychedelic punk rock bands you need to know about.
The Stooges
The Stooges were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexander. Signed to Elektra Records in 1968, they released their self-titled debut album the same year to a mixed critical and commercial reception. They followed with Fun House in 1970 which fared poorly initially but eventually became considered one of the greatest punk rock albums of all time. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked them 78th on their list of the 100 greatest artists of all time.
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1964. The band was initially active between 1965 and 1973, and was best known for its association with Lou Reed, who served as lead vocalist, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Although they failed to achieve commercial success while active, the band is often cited as one of the most important and influential groups of its era.
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band which formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. The band originally consisted of Jim Morrison (vocals), Ray Manzarek (keyboards), John Densmore (drums) and Robby Krieger (guitar). They were one of the most controversial and influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s, mostly because of Morrison’s lyrics and vocal style, as well as the dramatic circumstances surrounding his life and early death.
The Doors’ sound was a fusion of garage rock, hard rock, blues-rock and acid rock. They were one of the first American bands to employ unorthodox musical approaches such as heavy use of percussion and overdubbed vocals. Due to these experimental approaches, as well as Morrison’s often cryptic lyrics and erratic stage behavior, the band quickly developed a cult following among music fans and critics alike.
Love
Love was an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group was fronted by singer-songwriter Arthur Lee, who wrote most of the band’s material. They are best known for their album Forever Changes, which is considered one of the greatest albums of all time. Other notable albums include Da Capo and Four Sail.
The band’s lineup changed frequently throughout its history, but the most stable lineup included Lee, guitarist Johnny Echols, drummer Michael Stuart-Ware, and bassist Ken Forssi. Love were one of the first psychedelic punk rock bands and were an influence on many subsequent bands including The Doors, The Byrds, and Grateful Dead.
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who is widely considered to be one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music. He achieved mainstream success in the late 1960s with the release of his third studio album, Electric Ladyland. During his lifetime, Hendrix received numerous awards and posthumous accolades, including induction into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. His established legend status was affirmed in 1994, when he was inducted into the North American Native Musicians’ Association’s Hall of Fame.
The Music
Psychedelic punk rock is a genre of music that takes the energy and aggressiveness of punk rock and combines it with the mind-altering effects of psychedelic drugs. The result is a unique and powerful sound that can be both trip-inducing and cathartic. If you’re looking for 5 bands that exemplify this sound, look no further.
The Stooges – “I Wanna Be Your Dog”
The Stooges were a Psychedelic Punk Rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Formed in 1967 by brothers Ron and Scott Asheton, and leading vocalist Iggy Pop, the Stooges are considered one of the most influential bands of all time. The group’s third album, “Fun House”, is widely regarded as one of the best Punk Rock albums ever made. The band’s raw and aggressive sound would go on to inspire many future Punk and alternative bands.
The Velvet Underground – “Venus in Furs”
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in 1964 in New York City by singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise (replaced by Maureen Tucker in 1965). The band was initially active between 1965 and 1973, and was briefly managed by the pop artist Andy Warhol. Their debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential records ever made.
The Doors – “Light My Fire”
Psychedelic punk rock is a type of punk rock that draws on musical and style elements of psychedelic rock. Psychedelic punk rock often stresses traditional punk rock instrumentation (guitar, bass guitar, and drums), but is distinct in its incorporation of hallucinogenic, mind-altering sonics, patterns, textures and treatments.
The Doors – “Light My Fire”
The Velvet Underground – “I’m Waiting for the Man”
The Stooges – “I Wanna Be Your Dog”
Syd Barrett- “See Emily Play”
MC5 – “Kick Out the Jams”
Love – “Alone Again Or”
Love was an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1964. The group’s original lineup consisted of Arthur Lee (vocals, guitar), Bryan MacLean (guitar, vocals), Johnny Echols (guitar), Alban “Snoopy” Pfisterer (bass) and Don Conka (drums). They were later joined by Ken Forssi on bass.
The band’s first album, Love, was released in March 1966 and included the song “Alone Again Or”, which became a hit in the United States and Europe. The album was followed by da Capo in 1967, which featured the songs “Seven and Seven Is” and “She Comes in Colors”. Forever Changes, released in 1968, is considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time. It included the song “A House Is Not a Motel”, which was later covered by Nirvana.
The band released four more albums before disbanding in 1974: Out Here (1969), Four Sail (1969), False Start (1970) and Black Beauty (1974). Love reunited in 1992 for a reunion tour and released a live album, Behind the Eyes of Love, in 1993. The band toured again in 2006 and 2008.
Love were one of the first American bands to incorporate elements of psychedelia into their sound. They were also one of the first rock bands to be signed to a major label without having a hit record. Their experimental approach to music influenced many subsequent artists, including Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and Patti Smith.
Jimi Hendrix – “Purple Haze”
As one of the most iconic and influential guitarists of all time, Jimi Hendrix needs no introduction. His 1967 debut album, Are You Experienced, is widely considered one of the greatest albums in rock history. One of its most popular tracks, “Purple Haze,” is a perfect example of Hendrix’s signature psychedelic sound. With its mind-bending guitar riffs and trippy lyrics, “Purple Haze” is an undisputed classic of the genre.
