The 5 Best Psychedelic Rock Bands of All Time
In this post, we’ll countdown the 5 best psychedelic rock bands of all time. From The Beatles to The Doors, these bands defined an era and left a lasting impact on music.
The Beatles
No psychedelic rock band is more influential and important than the Beatles. Love them or hate them, there’s no denying that the Fab Four changed the course of popular music forever. While their early work was firmly rooted in pop and rock ‘n’ roll, the band began to experiment with drugs in the mid-1960s, which led to a more experimental, trippy sound. Songs like “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Day Tripper” are among the best-known examples of psychedelic music, and the band’s groundbreaking album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is often cited as one of the genre’s defining works.
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd is one of the most iconic and influential bands of all time, and they are often cited as one of the pioneers of psychedelic rock. Formed in London in 1965, the band is composed of Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason. Barrett was the main songwriter for the band during their early years, and he wrote some of their most famous songs, including “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Pyramid Song.” The band’s 1967 album, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” is considered one of the most important psychedelic rock albums of all time.
After Barrett left the band in 1968 due to mental health problems, Waters became the primary songwriter. The band released several more critically acclaimed albums throughout the 1970s, including “Meddle” (1971), “Dark Side of the Moon” (1973), and “Wish You Were Here” (1975). They also toured extensively throughout this period, including a legendary tour in 1973 where they performed in front of more than 100,000 people at Earls Court in London.
In 1985, Waters left Pink Floyd amid creative differences with Wright and Mason. He was replaced by David Gilmour, who had been a member of the band since 1968. Pink Floyd released two more albums with Gilmour before Wright died in 2008. The band officially announced their retirement in 2014.
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin is often cited as one of the greatest and most influential rock bands of all time. Formed in 1968, the band members were Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals), John Bonham (drums), and John Paul Jones (bass). They are best known for their powerful and epic songs, such as “Stairway to Heaven,” “Kashmir,” and “Whole Lotta Love.” Led Zeppelin has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and continues to be popular today.
The Grateful Dead
It’s hard to overestimate the importance of the Grateful Dead to the history of psychedelic rock. They were, after all, the house band at Ken Kesey’s infamous Acid Tests, and their sprawling, experiential live shows did as much as anything to codify the psychedelic concert experience. The Dead were also one of the first bands to make extensive use of amplified feedback and other avant-garde production techniques on their 1967 masterpiece “Anthem of the Sun.” But what really set them apart was their unrivaled ability to create a sense of musical communion between band and audience, a quality that would come to be known as “the Deadhead ethos.” In many ways, they were the ultimate trip band, and they remain an inspiration to successive generations of jam bands.
Jimi Hendrix
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Pink Floyd
3. The Doors
4. The Moody Blues
5. Procol Harum
