Psychedelic Rock Groups from the 70s
Contents
A list of the best Psychedelic Rock groups from the 1970s.
The Doors
Jim Morrison and The Doors were one of the most influential Psychedelic Rock groups of the 60s and 70s. Their debut album, “The Doors,” was released in 1967 and quickly gained popularity with its unique blend of blues, jazz, and rock. The band became well-known for their live performances, which were often wild and rebellious.
Background and musical style
As one of the first American psychedelic rock groups, The Doors developed a distinctive style of music marked by Morrison’s deep, baritone voice and the group’s use of improvisation. The band was also known for its atmospheric, Jazz-influenced sound and poetic lyrics. According to critic Greg Shaw, The Doors were “the most controversial and, at the same time, the most instantly recognizable band in pop history”, due to Morrison’s wild behavior on and offstage. Doors fans were sometimes referred to as “freaks”, a label that Morrison embraced.
The doors often utilized unusual chord progressions and time signatures not typically used in rock music, giving their songs a free-flowing, improvisational quality. Morrison was an avid reader of French Symbolist poetry and used many of these ideas in his songwriting. For example, the title of their 1967 debut album, The Doors, is a reference to Aldous Huxley’s book The Doors of Perception (1954), which itself was inspired by William Blake’s 1793 poem “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”.
Notable songs
“Break On Through (To the Other Side)” – The first track on their debut album, this song was released as their first single but failed to chart. It is one of their most recognizable songs, though, and has been covered by a number of other artists.
“Light My Fire” – The second single from their debut album, this song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1967. It is one of their best-known songs and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
“The End” – This song is the final track on their second album, Strange Days. It is an intense and dark song that runs over 11 minutes in length. It is considered one of their best songs and was ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as the third greatest song of all time.
Pink Floyd
One of the most popular psychedelic rock groups of the 70s was Pink Floyd. Formed in London in 1965, the group was originally founded by Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright. The group is most well-known for their album “The Dark Side of the Moon”, which was released in 1973.
Background and musical style
Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London in 1965. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music.
The band consisted of Syd Barrett (lead vocals, guitar), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals), and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals). Barrett left the band in 1968 due to declining mental health. Waters became the primary lyricist and conceptual leader, devising the concepts behind their albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), and The Wall (1979).
Pink Floyd are known for their elaborate live shows, which featured innovative visual effects and inflatables. They have sold over 250 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 2005, they were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The group’s principal members were Syd Barrett (lead guitarist and lead singer from 1965 to 1968), Roger Waters (bass guitarist, vocalist, chief lyricist from 1965 to 1985), Richard Wright (keyboardist, vocalist from 1965 to 1980; died 2008), and Nick Mason (drums and percussion). Founded in 1965, they gained popularity performing in London’s underground music scene during the late 1960s, and under Barrett’s leadership released two charting singles Arnold Layne and See Emily Play. Following his departure in 1968 due to deteriorating mental health, Pink Floyd balanced creative approaches between Waters’ concept-based compositions and Wright’s more structured keyboard arrangements; by 1973 they had reached critical recognition with The Dark Side of the Moon – one of rock music’s most commercially successful albums – followed by Wish You Were Here in 1975. With Wright’s temporary departure due largely to creative differences within the band during recording sessions for The Wall album in 1979 – he officially left Pink Floyd that December – Gilmour took over as their creative leader while Pink Floyd rotated drummers including recruited session musician Steve Holley on The Wall tour following Wright’s return after a period of rehabilitation; initially gradual it became progressively marked regional distinctions between fans both musically as well as visually from fan-worn album art T-shirt apparel to concert poster memorabilia.
Notable songs
-Careful with That Axe, Eugene
-Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
-A Saucerful of Secrets
-See Emily Play
-The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
-Interstellar Overdrive
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin was an English rock band formed in 1968. The group’s heavy, guitar-driven sound has led them to be cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal. Their style drew from a wide variety of influences, including blues, psychedelia, and folk music.
Background and musical style
Led Zeppelin was formed in London in 1968. The group’s lineup consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. The band’s heavy, guitar-driven sound has led them to be cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal. Their style drew from a wide variety of influences, including blues, psychedelia, and folk music.
While the band’s early material was marked by a raw and forceful blues-rock style, their later work showed a more versatile approach that drew from a wider range of influences. Led Zeppelin’s fourth album (1971) featured the song “Stairway to Heaven”, which earned them international acclaim. Plant’s lyrics incorporated mythological and literary references, which helped to make Led Zeppelin one of the most successful rock bands of all time.
The group’s untitled fourth studio album, commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV (1971) and featuring the track “Stairway to Heaven”, is among the most popular and influential works in rock music, and it helped to secure their place in the pantheon of classic rock groups.
Notable songs
Led Zeppelin was an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are regularly cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal. Their style drew from a wide variety of sources, including blues, psychedelia, and folk music.
The band’s classic lineup was Chartered at number fifty-five on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995; surviving members Page and Plant were inducted in their own right in 2014 and 2012 respectively. In 2016, the group was awarded the Polar Music Prize.
Notable songs:
-“Stairway to Heaven”
-“Whole Lotta Love”
-“Black Dog”
-“Kashmir”
The Grateful Dead
One of the most well-known psychedelic rock groups from the 70s is The Grateful Dead. The band was known for their live concerts and improvisational jams. They released 13 studio albums and several live albums. The Grateful Dead were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
Background and musical style
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. Ranging from quintet to septet, the band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, gospel, and psychedelic rock; for live performances of lengthy instrumental jams; and for its devoted fan base, known as “Deadheads.” “Their music,” writes Lenny Kaye,”was Acid Rock – but they reached further out than anyone else at the time to touch on Miles Davis-style jazz explorations and modal kind of playing. They also incorporated feedback and other blues innovations.” The band was ranked 57th by Rolling Stone in its The Greatest 100 Artists of All Time issue. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and their devoted following continues through the popularity of live recordings. They were ranked number 46 on VH1’s Greatest Artists of Hard Rock program.
Notable songs
“Sugar Magnolia”
“Sunshine Daydream”
“Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad”
“Touch of Grey”
“Uncle John’s Band”
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of country, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, rock, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, space rock and gospel—and for live performances of long musical jams.
