Psychedelic Bands of the 60s and 70s
Contents
The Psychedelic Bands of the 60s and 70s were some of the most influential and popular groups of their time. Learn more about these bands and their music.
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The group, whose best-known line-up comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, are regarded as the most influential band of all time. 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.
Origins
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are often regarded as the most influential band of all time. The group were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and popular music’s recognition as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways; the band later explored music styles ranging from ballads and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects of the music industry and popular culture.
Major Contributions
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 of the 20th century. They were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and popular music’s recognition as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways; the band later explored auto-tune and other recording techniques. Their songs numbers among the most widely performed and covered by artists of all genres. They gained international popularity leading topacked stadiums worldwide tours that sometimes ended with riots caused by their alarmed security staff.
In 1964, they occupied the top five positions on Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 chart for a record-tying 34 weeks; fourteen weeks in 1965, eleven weeks in 1966, eight weeks in 1967, six weeks in 1968 and seven weeks 1969. They had fifteen number-one singles on the US Hot 100 chart – more than any other group in history – including eight consecutive tracks between February 1964 and October 1965 (culminating with “Yesterday” which has since become the most covered song in history). They also achieved 17 UK number one singles during their career (equal to Elvis Presley) and held the record for spending seven consecutive weeks at number one with “Get Back”/”Don’t Let Me Down”. As of 2020, Billboard ranks them as the second-biggest hitmakers of all time behind Elvis Presley. On 15 July 1970, Harrison quit as a result of creative differences; Starr also left two months later due to health problems associated with alcohol abuse, leaving McCartney as their only constant member from their inception until his 2016 death from cancer.
The Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band is known for its unique and eclectic style, which blended elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, and blues. They also had a strong following of dedicated fans, known as “Deadheads.” The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
Origins
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ranging from quintet to septet, the band is known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, jazz, psychedelia, and space rock. They are considered by many to be one of the greatest live bands of all time. The band was ranked 57th by Rolling Stone magazine in its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and their legacy continues with various posthumous projects.
Major Contributions
The Grateful Dead were an American rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of country, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, rock, improv, gospel, and space rock,[1] and for live performances of long musical jams. They shared the stage with some of the most influential bands of their time including Jefferson Airplane and The Who.[2] Although the Grateful Dead lacked mainstream commercial success outside the San Francisco Bay Area,[3] their devoted fan base continued to grow throughout their 30-year career. By 1973 the band had amassed a dedicated following and performed over 600 concerts.[4]
The Grateful Dead’s contributions to music were many and influential. They were one of the first rock bands to experiment with extended improvisational jams during their live shows,[5] a style that came to be known as “jamming”.[6] They were also one of the first rock bands to make extensive use of mixing boards to create an aural landscape,[7][8][9] a practice that was later adopted by other psychedelic and jam bands such as Pink Floyd and Phish. Furthermore, they are credited with helping to popularize an expanse of musical genres including country music,[10][11][12] bluegrass,[13] blitzgrass,[14][15] gothic Americana,[16][17] reggae,[18][19][20] rhythm and blues,[21][22][23] soul music,[24][25] funk music,[26][27], disco[28], weirdo-pop[29], modal jazz[30], acapella[31], barbershop quartet arrangements[32], marching band themes[33], freeform jazz poetry[34], Latin percussion[35], disco beat boxing[36]; and they have also been cited as a major influence by numerous prominent artists across multiple genres including but not limited to: jam bands (Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic), alt-country (Wilco), gothic-americana (16 Horsepower), neo-psychedelia (Spacemen 3), grunge (Nirvana), indie folk (Iron & Wine), Americana (The Decemberists), neo-blues (Gary Clark Jr.), garage Punk (Ty Segall).[37][38]- Paste Magazine
Jefferson Airplane
One of the most well-known psychedelic bands of the 60s and 70s, Jefferson Airplane was known for their unique blend of folk, rock, and psychedelia. They were one of the first bands to really experiment with trippy sound effects and extended jams, and their live shows were legendary. They continued to enjoy success throughout the 70s, even after several lineup changes.
Origins
Jefferson Airplane was one of the pioneering psychedelic bands of the 1960s. They were formed in San Francisco in 1965 and were inspired by the countercultural scene that was developing in that city. The band’s original lineup included Marty Balin on vocals, Paul Kantner on guitar, Jorma Kaukonen on lead guitar, Jack Casady on bass, and Spencer Dryden on drums. Spencer was later replaced by Joey Covington, and the band’s lineup would change several more times over the years.
The band’s sound was a mix of folk, rock, blues, and psychedelia. They were one of the first bands to experiment with using feedback and other electronic effects to create new sounds. Their song “White Rabbit” became an anthem for the psychedelic movement, and their 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow is considered one of the classic albums of the psychedelic era.
Jefferson Airplane was one of the most popular bands of their time and were a major influence on subsequent psychedelic bands. They continued to record and perform until 1972 when they broke up. They reformed briefly in 1989 but have since disbanded again.
Major Contributions
With their 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow, Jefferson Airplane became the first band from the San Francisco Scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success. The album reached #3 on the Billboard 200, and was certified Gold by the RIAA. Its singles “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit” reached #5 and #8 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100; “White Rabbit” would later be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Surrealistic Pillow is now recognized as one of the defining works of psychedelic rock.
Jefferson Airplane’s follow-up album, After Bathing at Baxter’s (1967), was also highly successful, reaching #2 on the Billboard 200 and receiving a platinum certification from the RIAA. The first single from the album, “The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil”, peaked at #37 on the Hot 100. The second single, ” somebody to love”, reached #5 on both Cashbox`s chart and Billboard magazine`s pop singles chart; it also became a worldwide hit, reaching #11 in Canada and #12 in the United Kingdom.
