5 Early Psychedelic Rock Bands You Need to Know

Psychedelic rock music emerged in the 1960s and was characterized by distorted guitars, drug-inspired lyrics, and trippy sound effects. Here are 5 early psychedelic rock bands you need to know.

Introduction

Psychedelic rock, often referred to simply as psychedelia, is a style of rock music that was popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The style is characterized by distorted guitars, Feedback, extreme changes in dynamics, extended instrumentation, and other elements such as computer-generated sounds. Psychedelic rock developed out of the early rock and roll scene in the United States and British Invasion bands. It reached its peak popularity in the mid-1960s with bands such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Who.

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they became widely regarded as the foremost and most influential music band in history. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later experimented with several musical styles, ranging from pop ballads and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock, often incorporating classical elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways. In 1963, their enormous popularity first emerged as “Beatlemania”; as the group’s music grew in sophistication, led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney, the band were integral to pop music’s evolution into an art form and to the development of the counterculture of the 1960s.

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 molded them into a professional act,[16] and producer George Martin guided and developed their recordings,[17] greatly expanding their success in 1963 with their debut album Please Please Me[18] and produced singles “From Me To You”/”Thank You Girl” (both UK) and “She Loves You”/”I’ll Get You” (both US).

With their appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964,[19] the Beatles soon became international stars,[20][21] leading the “British Invasion” ofx`the United States pop market.[22][23] From 1964 onwards,[24][25] they produced increasingly innovative recordings marked by evolving experimentation with multitrack recording techniques (up to eight tracks by mid-1966), sound effects (backward tapes, varispeed tape manipulation), avant-garde arrangements (strings on “Yesterday”, sitar on “Norwegian Wood”), cameras in the studio (prominently featured on promotional films such as A Hard Day’s Night),[26][27] classical elements such as piccolo trumpet on “Penny Lane”, innovations such as their use of feedback[28][29]and Ray Charles-inspired horn sections;[30][31][32][33] songs such as 1966’s “Paperback Writer”/”Rain” showcased sustained electric guitar violence that set them apart from any prior recording act;[34]:48–49 for example: on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band alone there are over fifty instances of guitar feedback.[35]:229 In 1967 they made Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band which won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards; it was voted number one album of all time by Rolling Stone magazine readership poll released 50 years later.[36] During this period they also used LSD which greatly influenced some songs like: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,”[37][38]:210 Paul McCartney claims that much was learned about LSD while under its influence; however Ringo Starr admitted he never tried it after becoming paranoid about what it would do to his drumming skills.[39]:166

The Beatles’ partnership broke up acrimoniously when Lennon announced his intention to leave due to personal differences within the group regarding artistic control.[40]:285 McCartney subsequently led another band named Wings from 1971–1981 which had considerable commercial success but critical reception was mixed.[41]:262–263 Initially inspired by television programs featuring former Armed Forces personnel during World War II such as The army Game[42 recently novels about skiffle musician Johnny Gentle performed throughout Northern England],[43]:129 please please me is credited with popularizing Merseybeat—a cross between rhythm and blues with a distinctly British flavor that later distinguished bands such as Gerry & The Pacemakers (“Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying”), Billy J. Kramer (“Bad To Me”) including Freddie & The Dreamers (“I’m Telling You Now”) although if truth be told is not actually an accurate representation since prior affected groups like Rory Storm & The Hurricanes (“America”[44]) who had previously toured Hamburg with Beatle Ringo Starr long before Please Please Me was released had already developed an eclectic blend that included country & western influences

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones were one of the first and most influential bands of the psychedelic rock era. Formed in 1962, they rose to prominence with their signature sound of blues-infused rock & roll. The Stones’; debut album, “The Rolling Stones,” (1964) featured hits like “Time Is On My Side” and “Tell Me,” which laid the foundation for their subsequent success.

The band’s follow-up album, “Out of Our Heads” (1965), is where they truly began to experiment with psychedelic sounds. It includes the classic Stones hits “Satisfaction” and “Get Off of My Cloud,” both of which feature distorted guitars and other psychedelic elements. The band further explored this psychedelic sound on their next album, “Between the Buttons” (1967), which includes the trippy single “She’s a Rainbow.”

The Rolling Stones are considered one of the greatest bands of all time and have influenced countless artists in both the psychedelic rock and classic rock genres.

The Kinks

There are few British Invasion bands more influential than The Kinks. Though they began as a clean-cut R&B-influenced pop band, by 1968 they had become a psychedelic powerhouse, with Ray Davies’ biting wit and social commentary front and center. They would continue to explore different musical styles throughout their career, but their psychedelic period is unquestionably their most vital. Here are five essential Kinks tracks from that era.

The Who

If there’s one band that personifies the psychedelic rock movement, it’s The Who. The British rockers were at the forefront of the scene in the mid-1960s, and their full-throttle style of playing was perfect for the new genre. Although The Who only had a handful of truly psychedelic songs, they remain one of the most important bands of the era.