The Best Hard Hitting Psychedelic Rock

Looking for the best in hard hitting psychedelic rock? Then check out our blog for the latest news and reviews on the genre.

Introduction

Psychedelic rock, also referred to as garage rock, is a style of music that is characterized by distorted guitars, feedback, and heavy use of reverb. The genre evolved in the mid-1960s garage band scene in the United States and Canada, and reached its peak in popularity in the late 1960s.

What is Psychedelic Rock?

Psychedelic rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s. Psychedelic rock is inspired by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. These include the use of extended feedback, distorted guitars, tape manipulation, sitars, and playing styles that intentionally induce trances and states of altered consciousness.

The Best Psychedelic Rock Bands

Psychedelic rock, also referred to as psychedelia, is a diverse style of rock music that was inspired by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. Psychedelic music often employs new and unconventional sounds, textures, visual effects, and song structures, and is typified by a preoccupation with extended instrumental solos, elaborate studio effects, and an overall experimental approach.

Psychedelic rock reached its peak of popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with seminal bands such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape , 13th Floor Elevators , Sir Lord Baltimore , and Iron Butterfly achieving widespread critical and commercial success. By the early 1970s, however, most of these bands had either disbanded or were on hiatus due to drug-related deaths or creative differences.

The Best Psychedelic Rock Songs

In the 1960s, psychedelic rock emerged as a subgenre of rock music that was influenced by psychedelia, a subculture that promoted the use of psychedelic drugs. Psychedelic rock songs often explore themes of Eastern philosophy, Quaaludes or other drugs, sexual liberation, and social commentary. Psychedelic rock reached the peak of its popularity in the mid- to late-1960s, with bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Doors becoming household names. Many of the genre’s classic songs were released during this time, including “I Can See for Miles” by The Who, “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix, and “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones. In the 1970s, psychedelic rock began to decline in popularity as punk rock and disco gained favor with mainstream audiences. However, the genre has remained popular among underground and independent music scenes.

The Legacy of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock, also referred to as garage rock, is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s. The genre is characterized by distorted guitars, feedback, and other sonic innovations that were intended to replicate the experience of psychedelic drugs. Psychedelic rock reached the height of its popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with bands such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, and the Grateful Dead achieving commercial success. However, the genre was largely overshadowed by more mainstream styles of rock music in the 1980s and 1990s. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in psychedelic rock, with bands such as Tame Impala and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard reviving elements of the style.