Psychedelic Rock of the 60s and 70s

Psychedelic rock of the 60s and 70s was a time when music and culture were changed forever. Join us as we explore this unique period in music history.

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, became widely regarded as the foremost and most influential music band in history. Rooted in skiffle 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.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 May 1967 on Parlophone. The album was an immediate commercial and critical success upon its release, spending 27 weeks at the top of the UK Albums Chart and 15 weeks at number one in the US. It won four Grammy Awards in 1968, including Album of the Year, the first rock LP to receive this honour.

Abbey Road

Abbey Road is the eleventh studio album by English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969 by Apple Records. The recording sessions for the album were the last in which all four Beatles participated. Although Let It Be was the final album that the Beatles completed before the band’s dissolution in April 1970, most of the album had been recorded before the Abbey Road sessions began. A double A-side single from the album, “Something” backed with “Come Together”, released in October, topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US.

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. The first stable line-up consisted of Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica), Mick Jagger (lead vocals, harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Bill Wyman (bass), Charlie Watts (drums), and Ian Stewart (piano). Stewart was removed from the official line-up in 1963 but continued as a touring member until his death in 1985. Jones left the band less than a month prior to his death in 1969, having already been replaced by Mick Taylor, who remained until 1974. After Taylor’s departure, Ronnie Wood took his place in 1975 and has been on guitar in tandem with Richards ever since.

Let it Bleed

Let it Bleed is the eighth British and tenth American studio album by English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in December 1969 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. Released shortly after the band’s 1969 American Tour, it is the follow-up to 1968’s Beggars Banquet and was their last album to be released in both Britain and America simultaneously.

The LP was originally scheduled for release in July 1969, but due to a number of delays, including Jagger’s legal problems from his affair with Marianne Faithfull, contributed to its eventual release four months later. Although Let it Bleed reached number one in the UK charts and number three in the US, it received mixed reviews upon its initial release and wasn’t as commercially successful as its predecessor.

The album featured two of the band’s most popular singles – “Gimme Shelter” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” – both of which reached the top 10 in both Britain and America. “Midnight Rambler” was also issued as a single in some countries, while “Country Honk” was released as a single in America only. The recording sessions also produced “Honky Tonk Women”, which topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and became one of their most popular songs.

In 2003, Let it Bleed was ranked number 32 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time; however, by 2012 its ranking had dropped to number 45. In 2004, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame; while included in Robert Dimery’s 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005).

Sticky Fingers

Sticky Fingers is the ninth British and eleventh American studio album by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released on 23 April 1971. It was the band’s first album of new studio material in two and a half years, since 1968’s Beggars Banquet. Sticky Fingers is widely regarded as one of the Stones’ best albums. Containing long-form songs such as “Brown Sugar” and “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”, it also featured one of rock’s most iconic album covers: an image of a close-up of a jeans-wearing male groin, with a real working zipper welded into place.

Led Zeppelin

Psychedelic rock, also called psychedelic pop, or simply psychedelia, is a style ofpopular music that originated in the mid-1960s with the release of the album The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators. The style is marked by a preoccupation with psychedelic, often mind-altering experiences, as inspired by the use of LSD and other psychoactive drugs. Musically, psychedelic rock often employs non-Western scales and modal melodies, Created in the spirit of experimentation, psychedelic rock bridges the gap between conventional pop music and the avant-garde.

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin IV is the fourth studio album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 8 November 1971 by Atlantic Records. It was produced by guitarist Jimmy Page and recorded between December 1970 and February 1971, mostly in the country house Headley Grange. The album contains one of the band’s best known songs, “Stairway to Heaven”.

Although no singles were released from the album in the UK or US, three tracks received considerable airplay on FM radio stations: “Black Dog”, “Misty Mountain Hop”, and “Four Sticks”. The album was a commercial success, topping record charts in several countries including the US, UK, Australia and Canada. It eventually sold over 23 million copies worldwide, becoming Led Zeppelin’s best-selling album.

Houses of the Holy

Led Zeppelin’s fifth album, Houses of the Holy, was released in 1973. The album’s title track is a reference to the fact that the band had played at the Houses of Parliament in London. The track features a riff played by guitarist Jimmy Page on a Gibson EDS-1275 double-necked guitar.

The album artwork was designed by Hipgnosis and Robert Beirs, and features an image of children climbing the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. The picture is often misinterpreted as being an alien landscape, but Page has stated that it is actually a representation of the human race ascending to a higher level of existence.

Houses of the Holy was well-received by critics and is considered one of Led Zeppelin’s best albums. It peaked at number 1 on both the UK and US charts, and has been certified 11 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Pink Floyd

Psychedelic rock, sometimes called acid rock, is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. The style often incorporates flowing, hypnotic rhythms, headphone-friendly drone sounds, and grandiose, cosmic lyrics.

The Dark Side of the Moon

The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973 by Harvest Records. Primarily produced by band member Roger Waters, the album built on ideas explored in Pink Floyd’s earlier recordings and performances, most notably The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967) and A Saucerful of Secrets (1968).

The Dark Side of the Moon’s themes include conflict, greed, time and mental illness. Waters conceived The Dark Side of the Moon as a statement against former band-mate Syd Barrett’s mental deterioration. Recording spanned from January 1972 to February 1973 at Abbey Road Studios in London.

The album was an immediate commercial and critical success upon its release; it topped record charts in several countries and sold more than 50 million copies worldwide, making it one of Pink Floyd’s best-selling albums. With an advance order of 1.4 million copies from EMI, it became Britain’s fastest selling album ever at that time. By October 1973, it had been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of one million compact discs or analogue records. Its initially mixed reviews were eclipsed by its reputation as a defining work within progressive rock; subsequent reassessments have variously ranked it as one of Pink Floyd’s finest achievements and one of the greatest albums ever made.

Wish You Were Here

“Wish You Were Here” is the ninth track on Pink Floyd’s 1975 album of the same name. The song’s lyrics encompass writer Roger Waters’ feelings of alienation from other people. Like most of the album, it refers to former band-mate Syd Barrett and his mental illness. Musically, “Wish You Were Here” marked the return of David Gilmour’s guitar compositions to the album. It opens with an acoustic guitar Intro and features a distinctive slide guitar solo by Gilmour.

The song was released as a single in the US and France, reaching number one in Canada and number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. In 1976, it won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.