Psychedelic Rock: More Than Just Mind-Altering Music

Psychedelic rock is more than just music that alters your mind. It’s a genre that encompasses a wide range of styles, all with the common goal of creating an experience that is both mind-altering and musically transcendent.

Origins of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock, also known as acid rock or trippy rock, is a music genre that emerged in the 1960s. The style is characterized by distorted guitars, mind-altering lyrics, and drug-inspired visuals. The genre’s roots can be traced back to the early days of rock ‘n’ roll when artists like Chuck Berry and Little Richard were experimenting with sounds that were new and exciting.

1960s San Francisco Sound

Psychedelic rock, also referred to as psychedelia, is a diverse style of rock music that was inspired, in part, by hallucinogenic drugs. The genre emerged during the mid-1960s and reached its peak of popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Psychedelic rock often made use of new recording techniques such as feedback, echo, and stereo sound, as well as new musical instruments such as the sitar.

The “San Francisco Sound” is a subgenre of psychedelic rock that refers to the music scene that developed in San Francisco during the mid-1960s. The sound is characterized by its use of electric guitars, extended improvisation, and screaming vocals.

One of the most popular bands associated with the San Francisco Sound was The Grateful Dead. The band’s organist, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, was a major influence on the development of the sound. Other bands associated with the San Francisco Sound include The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

British Invasion

Psychedelic rock is a music genre that emerged in the 1960s that was influenced by psychedelic culture. The style is characterized by distorted guitars, lyrics about drug use, and extended improvisational jams. The genre evolved out of the British Invasion, when bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones started to experiment with drugs like LSD. Psychedelic rock became popular in the United States in the late 1960s, with bands like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Jimi Hendrix Experience becoming hugely successful. The genre continued to be popular in the 1970s with bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Queen creating some of the most iconic songs of all time.

Key Characteristics of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock, also sometimes called acid rock, is a type of rock music that became popular in the 1960s. It is characterized by distorted sounds, feedback, and other effects, and by a preoccupation with drug culture, including the use of LSD.

Experimental and Avant-Garde

Psychedelic rock is often experimental and avant-garde, delving into areas that other genres of rock wouldn’t dare go. This can be seen in the freeform structures of songs like The Doors’ “The End” and Pink Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive.” Psychedelic rock also frequently makes use of feedback, dissonance, and noise. All of these factors give the genre a sense of space and trippiness that is unique to psychedelia.

Use of feedback, distortion, and other sonic effects

Psychedelic rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s. The genre is characterized by a preoccupation with altered states of consciousness, euphoria, and drug use, and is often distinguished by the use of feedback, distortion, and other sonic effects.

Psychedelic rock often contains elements of other genres, such as folk music and jazz, and is often accompanied by visual effects such as lightshows. The term “psychedelic” was first coined in 1956 by psychiatrist Humphry Osmond in an attempt to describe the effects of LSD.

The genre evolved out of the British and American folk rock scenes of the early 1960s, and began to reach its peak popularity in the late 1960s with bands such as the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, and The Doors. However, psychedelic rock began to decline in popularity in the early 1970s due to a number of factors, including the declining use of psychedelic drugs and the rise of punk rock.

Extended jams and improvisation

Psychedelic rock jams and improvisations can last for hours. The Grateful Dead played some of the longest jams in rock history, with some lasting over half an hour. This was made possible by the use of long, meandering melodies and chord progressions that provided a foundation for the musicians to improvise around.

While psychedelic rock is often associated with mind-altering drugs, it is important to note that not all bands that made use of extended jams and improvisation were actively using drugs. Many were simply trying to create an experience for their audiences that would take them on a journey and transport them to another place.

Psychedelic Rock Today

Psychedelic rock, also referred to as acid rock or simply psychedelic music, is a wide-ranging style of rock music characterized by the creation of an atmosphere or state of mind intended to induce a heightened state of awareness. Today, psychedelic rock is enjoying a resurgence in popularity.

Neo-Psychedelia

Psychedelic Rock Today: More Than Just Mind-Altering Music

Psychedelic rock is a musical genre that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It drew heavily on the influence of earlier styles like rockabilly, rhythm and blues, and surf music, as well as the Eastern-influenced garage rock of artists like the Kinks and the Yardbirds. Psychedelic rock is characterized by extended improvisation, experimentation with unusual sounds, effects and studio techniques, and often drug-inspired lyrics.

In the 1980s, a new wave of psychedelic rock bands emerged, sometimes referred to as “neo-psychedelia.” These bands were influenced less by traditional psychedelic music and more by new wave and post-punk bands like Talking Heads and Joy Division. They often combined elements of psychedelia with other genres like shoegaze and gothic rock. Notable neo-psychedelia bands include the Pixies, Stone Roses, My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain, Spacemen 3, Primal Scream, Slowdive, Ride, Chapterhouse, and Lush.

Pyschedelic Pop

Psychedelic pop, also known as “psych pop”, or “society rock”, is a style of popular music that emerged in the mid-1960s. It is generally characterized by a mixture of elements from 1960s pop and psychedelic rock, featuring distorted guitars, arpeggios, and other effects. Psychedelic pop often uses the same musical settings as regular pop, but with added distortion and effects.

Psychedelic pop developed in Britain and the United States at roughly the same time. In Britain, band such as The Beatles and The Zombies were at the forefront of the style, with songs such as “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967) and “She’s Not There” (1964) being particularly influential. American bands such as The Beach Boys and Love were also early adopters of the sound, with tracks like “Good Vibrations” (1966) and “Alone Again Or” (1967).

In the early 1970s, acts like Roxy Music and David Bowie began to experiment with elements of glam rock, which would go on to have a significant influence on psychedelic pop. By the middle of the decade, groups like 10cc and ELO had taken the sound in a more commercial direction. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, acts like Talking Heads and The Police continued to experiment withpsychedelic pop, while also incorporating new wave and post-punk influences.

Today, psychedelic pop remains an influential genre, with bands like Tame Impala and Pond carrying on its legacy.

Revival Scene

Psychedelic music reached the height of its popularity in the mid to late 1960s, but the genre has experienced a recent resurgence in popularity. A new generation of psychedelic bands have been emerging on the music scene, keeping the spirit of psychedelic rock alive.

Though these new bands may not have been around during the golden age of psychedelic rock, they still uphold the musical traditions of the genre. Psychedelic rock is typically characterized by extended jams, complex song structures, and trippy sound effects. It is often heavily influenced by Eastern music and philosophy, as well as mind-altering substances such as drugs and alcohol.

The revival scene has been growing steadily in recent years, with more and more bands popping up all over the world. Some of the most popular new psychedelic bands include AcidMothersGuruGuru, Elephant6, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. These bands are keeping the spirit of psychedelic rock alive and well into the 21st century.