The Best of Acid and Psychedelic Rock

The Best of Acid and Psychedelic Rock is a blog dedicated to fans of psychedelic rock music. Featuring news, reviews, and interviews with some of the genre’s biggest names.

The Beatles – “Tomorrow Never Knows”

The Beatles – “Tomorrow Never Knows”: The final track on Revolver, this was the first song the band recorded with a sitar. The innovative use of reversed tapes and looped effects created an otherworldly vibe that was perfect for the lyrics, which were inspired by The Tibetan Book of the Dead.

The Rolling Stones – “She’s a Rainbow”

The Rolling Stones – “She’s a Rainbow”
The first single from 1967’s Their Satanic Majesties Request, “She’s a Rainbow” is one of the Acid Rockiest songs The Stones ever wrote. Laced with strings, Mellotron, marimba, and dripping with Brian Jones’ psychedelic influence, it’s a perfect example of the period.

For more great Acid Rock check out:
The 13th Floor Elevators – “You’re Gonna Miss Me”
H.P. Lovecraft – “Electrocutioner”
The Moonriders – “Blood On The Ceiling”
The garage-rock classic from the Texas psychedelic legends. From their seminal 1966 album The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, this song perfectly encapsulates the sound and feeling of mind-expanding Acid Rock.

Lovecraft was one of the first popular bands to bring Acid Rock to a wider audience. This track, from their debut album At War With Society, hits hard with its driving rhythms and searing guitars.

From the Chicago band’s 2007 album Starry Wisdom, “Blood on the Ceiling” is a pure shot of wild Psychedelic Rock straight to the brain.

Love – “Forever Changes”

Love’s third album, “Forever Changes” is a masterpiece of psychedelic pop. != Love’s third album, Forever Changes, is a great example of psychedelic pop. With its combination of swirling strings and jangly guitars, the album is both trippy and accessible. The lyrics are introspective and personal, yet somehow universal. It’s an odd mix, but it works perfectly.

The best known song on the album is “Alone Again Or”, but there are many other great tracks, including “A House Is Not A Home”, “Andmoreagain” and “The Daily Planet”. If you’re a fan of psychedelic pop or simply looking for a great album to listen to, you can’t go wrong with “Forever Changes”.

Pink Floyd – “Interstellar Overdrive”

Recorded in 1966, “Interstellar Overdrive” is one of the first examples of what would become known as acid rock. The song is an extended jam that features heavy use of feedback and distorted guitars, giving it a murky, spacey feel. The lyrics (such as they are) add to the song’s trippy vibe, with lines like “I am very tired / I am very mad / I didn’t get to sleep at all last night.”

The Doors – “The End”

There is no band more synonymous with the psychedelic 60s than The Doors, and “The End” is the perfect example of their dark, trippy sound. Featuring one of the most iconic intros in rock history, the song slowly builds to a crescendo of drums and keyboards before launching into the first verse. The lyrics are cryptic and mysterious, but they perfectly capture the feeling of paranoia and anxiety that was so prevalent in the psychedelic era.

Jimi Hendrix – “Are You Experienced?”

Released in 1967, “Are You Experienced?” is the debut album from Jimi Hendrix and one of the most influential albums in rock history. Blending blues, acid rock, and psychedelia, Hendrix created a sound that was unlike anything that had come before. This album features some of Hendrix’s most iconic songs, including “Purple Haze” and “Fire.”

The Velvet Underground – “Sister Ray”

The Velvet Underground – “Sister Ray”

The best of Acid and Psychedelic Rock is a article that covers the 10 best songs of the genre. It talks about how the genre developed and what made these songs stand out. The article then goes on to list the 10 best songs in the genre.

Syd Barrett – “Dark Globe”

Barrett’s short and tragic career with Pink Floyd is the stuff of legend, and while he only recorded two solo albums before retreating from the public eye, both are essential listening for fans of psychedelic music. “Dark Globe” is a perfect encapsulation of Barrett’s troubled mind, weaving together elements of English folk, pop, and psychedelia into a beautifully unsettling whole.

Can – “Vitamin C”

Bands from across the globe experimented with new sounds in the 1960s and ’70s, resulting in some of the most innovative and mind-bending music ever made. This list looks at ten of the best examples of acid and psychedelic rock.

1. Can – “Vitamin C”
2. The Velvet Underground – “I Heard Her Call My Name”
3. Pink Floyd – “Careful with That Axe, Eugene”
4. The Grateful Dead – “Dark Star”
5. Hawkwind – “Silver Machine”
6. Amon Düül II – “Spaced Out”
7. AshRa Tempel – “In Search of the Miraculous, Pt. 1”
8. Kraftwerk – “Autobahn”
9.Faust – “It’s a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl”
10\.Neu! – “Hallogallo”

Faust – “It’s a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl”

Faust is a German rock band frequently associated with the krautrock and experimental rock genres. They were active from 1971 to 1975, reuniting briefly in 2009 and again in 2014. The group was formed by producer Uwe Nettlebeck, who signed the group to his label, Virgin Records. Faust became one of the most prominent exponents of the German krautrock scene, releasing four pioneering albums of avant-garde rock.

The band’s signature sound included heavy use of electronics and feedback, combined with a strong focus on improvisation. Faust’s lyrics often had a dark or surrealist edge, and were purposely ambiguous or minimalist; poet and band member Jean-Hervé Péron often served as the group’s singer and spokesman.

After Faust’s first album, Inside Out (1972), was met with critical acclaim but poor sales, the band returned to a more accessible sound on their second album, So Far (1972). Although Faust’s third album, The Last Day (1973), was also praised by critics, it did not sell well and led to Virgin pressuring the band to produce a more commercial fourth album. This resulted in Faust IV (1973), which was more pop-oriented but still failed to achieve mainstream success.

The group disbanded after Virgin refused to release their fifth album, which they considered too avant-garde. In 2009, they reunited for a series of live shows in Europe and Japan; these led to the release of the live album C’est com… com… compliqué (2010). In 2014, Faust once again reunited for a European tour culminating in two concerts at La Cigale in Paris – one featuring material from throughout their career, and one focusing on their experimental period between 1971 and 1973.