The Best Soft Psychedelic Rock Bands
Looking for some new music to get into? Check out our list of the best soft psychedelic rock bands around! From classic acts like Pink Floyd to more modern groups like Tame Impala, there’s something for everyone here.
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band that formed in Liverpool in 1960. The band became internationally famous and is widely considered to be one of the most influential bands of all time. They were a soft psychedelic rock band that experimented with different sounds and influences.
Their early work
The Beatles’ early work is marked by the influence of skiffle and early rock and roll, with simple folk-influenced songwriting on songs such as “Love Me Do”. With the development of their songwriting skills, they began experimenting with different styles and incorporating elements of classical music and pop ballads into their work. As their confidence grew, they developed a experimental approach which culminated in the groundbreaking album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, often considered to be one of the first psychedelic albums.
Their work with producer George Martin
The Beatles worked with producer George Martin from 1962 onwards, and he became an important creative force behind their recordings. He helped them to refine their songwriting and arranging skills, and approach their work in a more professional way. He also added creative flourishes to their recordings, using studio techniques such as overdubbing and sound effects.
Martin was also instrumental in getting the band’s music onto film and television. He arranged for their songs to be used in the films A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and Help! (1965), and also oversaw the recording of the soundtrack albums for both films. He also worked on the band’s groundbreaking animated film Yellow Submarine (1968).
The Beatles’ work with George Martin is widely regarded as some of the best work by any rock band. His input helped to make them into not just a great rock band, but also a group with a very distinctive sound.
Their later work
The Beatles’ Shea Stadium performance in 1965 was, at the time, the largest concert attendance in history.
Their 1966 US tour included 44 cities, with mobs of screaming fans everywhere they went.
The tour was so massive that it is credited with single-handedly saving live music touring in the US.
In the UK, meanwhile, their concerts were defined by girls faintingseptically analyzing their performances and relationships to each other. These girls became known as “Beatlemaniacs”, and their hysterical fandom played an important role in establishing The Beatles as an international sensation.
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American institution. Originally formed in Southern California in the early 1960s, the Beach Boys were one of the first bands to bring the surf sound to the masses. With their signature California sound and sun-soaked melodies, the Beach Boys created some of the most iconic pop songs of all time.
Their early work
The Beach Boys were one of the most successful bands of the early 1960s, scoring hit after hit with their unique brand of soft psychedelic rock. Inspired by the sound of surf music, the Beach Boys created a unique sound that incorporated elements of pop, rock, and R&B. The band’s early work includes timeless classics like “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” “I Get Around,” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.” With their catchy melodies and upbeat lyrics, the Beach Boys became one of the most iconic bands of the 1960s and continue to be hugely popular to this day.
Their work with producer Brian Wilson
from 1963 to 1966, the Beach Boys’ recordings were supervised by Brian Wilson, who produced some of their most acclaimed work. This period began with “Surfin’ Safari”, the band’s first hit single. It included their first LP, Surfin’ Safari (1962), and Surfin’ USA (1963), which peaked at number three in the United States and number two in the United Kingdom. In September 1963, they hit number one in the US with “Surf City” (a collaboration with Jan Berry of Jan & Dean) and became international stars. With assistance from lyricist Tony Asher, Wilson wrote a series of complex, varied compositions such as “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, “God Only Knows”, and “Good Vibrations”, which reflected his new musical ambitions for the band. These songs were tracked quickly in small studios using multiple takes, with Brian growing increasingly frustrated with the slower progress in contrast to Capitol’s demand for product.
Their later work
During the mid to late 1960s, the Beach Boys’ free concerts at various California hot spots such as Dodger Stadium and the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium drew enormous crowds of young people. These events coincided with the state’s burgeoning counterculture scene and helped spread the Beach Boys’ popularity beyond Southern California. The release of the 1966 album Pet Sounds and the accompanying singles “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “Sloop John B” further cemented their standing as a premier American band. The following year, they issued “Good Vibrations”, which became one of their biggest hits.
In 1968, the Beach Boys’ creativity was reinvigorated by the arrival of Bruce Johnston, who replaced Brian Wilson after he suffered a nervous breakdown during the Smile sessions. The band recorded several hit albums throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, including Friends (1968), 20/20 (1969), Sunflower (1970), and Surf’s Up (1971). However, creative tensions within the group led to Wilson’s departure in 1982, bringing an end to one of rock music’s most lauded and influential bands.
The Kinks
One of the best psychedelic bands of all time, the Kinks released their debut album in 1964. The album, which was called “The Kinks”, featured the hit single “You Really Got Me”. The Kinks are often credited as being one of the first punk rock bands.
Their early work
The Kinks are an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, in 1964 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most important and influential rock bands of the era. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm and blues and Merseybeat, and were leaders in the development of rock and roll and psychedelic rock.
The Kinks’ early work was marked by a raw, almost impossibly high-energy sound that was surprisingly innovative for its time; it was also frequently punctuated by over-the-top onstage antics by both Davies brothers. The group’s early hits included “You Really Got Me” (1964), “All Day and All of the Night” (1964), “Tired of Waiting for You” (1965), “Set Me Free” (1965), “See My Friends” (1965), “A Well Respected Man” (1965) and “Sunny Afternoon” (1966).
Their work with producer Shel Talmy
The Kinks worked with producer Shel Talmy on their first four albums, which were released between 1964 and 1967. Talmy’s production techniques helped to define the band’s sound, and he was instrumental in their adoption of a “raga rock” approach on songs like “You Really Got Me” and “See My Friends”. The Kinks left Talmy in 1967 and went on to work with other producers, but their early work with him remains some of their best-known and most influential.
Their later work
The Kinks’ later work is often overlooked in preference for their earlier, more pop-oriented work. However, their later albums are well worth a listen, especially “The Village Green Preservation Society” and “Muswell Hillbillies.” These albums are cut from the same cloth as The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds,” in that they are concept albums that explore English life and culture. If you’re a fan of either of those bands, you’ll definitely enjoy The Kinks’ later work.
The Zombies
The Zombies are often cited as one of the best psychedelic rock bands of all time. The group formed in the early 1960s in England and released their debut album, “Begin Here”, in 1965. The album contained the hits “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No”. The Zombies went on to release several more successful albums before disbanding in the early 1970s.
Their early work
The Zombies were an English rock band, formed in 1962 in St Albans and led by keyboardist Chris White and singer Colin Blunstone. The group scored British and American hits with “She’s Not There” (1964), “Tell Her No” (1965), “She’s a Mystery to Me” (1968). Their 1968 album Odyssey and Oracle, is ranked number 100 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
The band began as The Mustangs in early 1962, with Rod Argent (piano), Chris White (bass), Paul Atkinson (guitar) and Paul Arnold (drums). Some members of this group brought their instruments with them when they switched over to become Zombies in late 1962. While White has always been squad leader, for most of the band’s history Argent has composed the great majority of their material, including all but one of their hit singles.
Their early work was heavily influenced by American rhythm and blues. It wasn’t until the Zombies worked with legendary producer Glyn Johns on their second album that they began to find commercial success in both Britain and America.
Their work with producer Glyn Johns
The Zombies’ work with producer Glyn Johns yielded two singles that were modest hits in the United States: “Tell Her No” (no. 2 on Billboard’s R&B chart and no. 38 on the Hot 100) and “She’s Not There” (no. 2 R&B and no. 12 Hot 100). In the UK, these two singles plus “She’s Coming Home” were Top 40 hits, and “She’s Not There” was also a hit in Australia, France, Sweden and New Zealand; it reached no. 1 in Norway. The band’s second album, Odessey and Oracle, was completed in 1968 but only released in April 1969 due to legal wrangles with CBS Records; by that time, Whiteside had left the group
Their later work
The Zombies are a British rock band, formed in 1962 in St Albans and led by keyboardist Rod Argent and singer Colin Blunstone. The group scored British and American hits in 1964 with “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No”. Their 1968 album Odyssey and Oracle, is ranked on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
The Zombies had seven Top 40 hit singles in the UK between 1963 and 1967, plus twelve tracks that reached the Hot 100 in the US during that time; eight made the Cash Box Top 100. “Time of the Season” hit No. 3 in early 1969 for three weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and spent a then-record 69 weeks on various Billboard charts, eventually earning a gold disc. The band’s last new studio album release was 1972’s R.I.P., after which they disbanded permanently in 1974.
