The Best Psychedelic Rock Bands of All Time
Looking for some mind-bending psychedelic rock? Check out our list of the best psychedelic rock bands of all time! From the psychedelic sounds of the 60s to today’s experimental artists, these bands will take you on a trip you won’t soon forget.
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. They became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in history. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are regarded as the foremost and most influential music band of all time. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later utilised several genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways. In 1963 their enormous popularity first emerged as “Beatlemania”; as the group’s music grew in sophistication led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney, they came to be perceived as an embodiment of the ideals shared by the fledgling counterculture of the 1960s.
The Beatles built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960, with Stuart Sutcliffe initially serving as bass player. The core lineup of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr continued until April 1970, when McCartney unexpectedly announced his departure from the band. All four members appeared on each of the band’s albums released between 1962 and 1970; Starr left the group during sessions for The White Album (1968) but rejoined prior to its release. In 1967 they founded Apple Corps, a multimedia company that continues to oversee projects related to the band’s legacy. After decades of legal wrangling with EMI over royalties for their recordings and songwriting for films, TV shows and advertisements (including a lawsuit which was only resolved in 1989), they earned ascertainment as songwriters in 2018 when judges ruled that Northern Songs had been undervalued at the time it was sold to Brian Epstein’s company NEMS Enterprises by its original publisher Dick James.
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys may be better known for their sunny California image and radio-friendly Surfin’ Safari pop hits, but they were also one of the most innovative and influential psychedelic rock bands of all time. The group began experimenting with feedback, distorted guitars, and experimental studio techniques on their 1966 album Pet Sounds, which is widely regarded as one of the best albums of all time. They continued to push boundaries on 1967’s Smile Sessions (which wasn’t released until 2011), and 1968’s Friends, which featured avant-garde instrumentation and sound collages. The Beach Boys are one of the few psychedelic bands that managed to keep their commercial appeal while still innovating musically, and they remain an influence on artists to this day.
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts of the 1960s, mostly because of Morrison’s lyrics and charismatic but unpredictable stage persona. After Morrison’s early death in 1971 at age 27, the remaining members continued as a trio until disbanding in 1973.
Although they were commonly labeled as a psychedelic rock band, the Doors liked to distance themselves from that label. Morrison once said: “We are all doors. And you must be one of us to enter.”
Despite this attempt at distancing themselves from their psychedelic label, there is no denying that the Doors produced some of the best psychedelic rock music of all time. From their debut album all the way through to their final album, they managed to produce hits after hits that would go on to influence future generations of rock bands.
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. Pink Floyd were founded in 1965 by students Syd Barrett on guitar and lead vocals, Nick Mason on drums, Roger Waters on bass and lead vocals, and Richard Wright on keyboards and backing vocals. They gained popularity performing in London’s underground music scene during the late 1960s, and under Barrett’s leadership released two charting singles and a successful debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967). Guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour joinedPink Floyd in December 1967; Barrett left the band in April 1968 due to deteriorating mental health.
Waters became the band’s primary lyricist and conceptual leader, devising much of their thematic material including The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), The Wall (1979) and The Final Cut (1983). The Dark Side of the Moon is one of the best-selling albums of all time, with estimated sales over 45 million copies. Pink Floyd were one of the first British psychedelic groups to achieve widespread commercial success internationally.
The Grateful Dead
Formed in 1965 in San Francisco, the Grateful Dead was one of the most successful and influential rock bands of all time. The band’s unique sound was a blend of country, folk, blues, jazz, and psychedelia. The Grateful Dead’s live shows were legendary, and their fans, known as “Deadheads,” were some of the most dedicated in rock music. The band toured relentlessly throughout their career, playing over 2,300 concerts. The Grateful Dead achieved commercial success with a number of hit singles, including “Touch of Gray,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and “Truckin’.” The band’s album sales were modest compared to their concert attendance, but they did release a number of live albums that were hugely popular with fans. The Grateful Dead was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
