The Best British Psychedelic Rock Bands
Curious which British psychedelic rock bands are considered the best? Check out our list of the top 10 groups, including The Beatles and Pink Floyd.
The Beatles
The Beatles are often cited as the most influential band of all time and are considered to be the best British psychedelic rock band. They popularized the genre with their early singles such as “Paperback Writer” and “Rain”, and their innovative use of studio techniques and experimental sounds on albums such as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Beatles (commonly known as The White Album).
The Beatles’ psychedelic period
The Beatles’ psychedelic period began with the 1967 release of their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The album was a commercial and critical success, spending 27 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time. It won four Grammy Awards in 1968, including Album of the Year, the first rock album to receive that honor. In August 1967, the band began recording material for their next album, Magical Mystery Tour. The album was released as a double EP in the UK and as an LP in the US. The EP peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and the LP at number 1 on the Billboard 200.
The band’s next album, The Beatles (commonly known as “the White Album”), was released in 1968 and was another commercial success, spending nine weeks at number 1 on the Billboard 200. Recording for the album began in May 1968 and continued until October of that year. During this period, tensions among the band members were high, and George Harrison left the group for a brief time in September 1968. The album contains several songs that are widely regarded as among the best work by any popular music artist, including “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, “Hey Jude”, “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”, and “Blackbird”.
In January 1969, The Beatles traveled to Rishikesh, India, to study meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at his ashram. While there, they wrote or co-wrote several songs that would appear on future albums, including “Get Back” and “Don’t Let Me Down”. The band’s next album Abbey Road was released in September 1969 and became their final studio album before McCartney announced his departure from the group in April 1970.
The Beatles’ psychedelic songs
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are regarded as the most influential band of all time. The group were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and popular music’s recognition as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways; the band later explored music styles ranging from ballads and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. During their career, the Beatles produced what critic Ivor Davis called “an astonishing body of work” that includes the innovations “help!”, “Yesterday”, “Strawberry Fields Forever”, “I Am the Walrus”, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Let It Be”. As writers, particularly Lennon and McCartney, they became internationally acclaimed for their numerous compositions, which include some of pop music’s most celebrated songs such as “Love Me Do”, “From Me to You”, “She Loves You”, “Help!”,
“Yesterday”,
“Hey Jude”,
“Let It Be”,
and “The Long and Winding Road”.
The Rolling Stones
Psychedelic rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The style is typified by a preoccupation with altered states of consciousness, unusual sounds, and swirling textures. The Rolling Stones are one of the best British psychedelic rock bands, with their album Beggars Banquet widely considered to be a psychedelic rock masterpiece.
The Rolling Stones’ psychedelic period
The Rolling Stones’ psychedelic period was marked by the use of druggy and often tongue-in-cheek lyrics, as well as experimenting with sound. In this period, the band released three of their most famous and influential albums: Between the Buttons (1967), Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967), and Beggars Banquet (1968). The band also began to experiment with other forms of music, such as country and western on their album Let it Bleed (1969). Some of the band’s most well-known songs were released during this period, including “Paint It Black,” “Ruby Tuesday,” and “Sympathy for the Devil.”
The Rolling Stones’ psychedelic songs
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. The first stable line-up consisted of Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica), Mick Jagger (lead vocals, harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Bill Wyman (bass guitar), Charlie Watts (drums), and Ian Stewart (piano). Stewart was removed from the official line-up in 1963 but continued as a touring member until his death in 1985. Jones died less than a month after recording finished, having already been replaced by Mick Taylor, who remained until 1974. After Taylor left the band, Ronnie Wood took his place in 1975 and has been on guitar in tandem with Richards ever since.
Since Wyman’s retirement in 1993, Darryl Jones has served as bassist. The Stones have released 30 studio albums, 23 live albums and numerous compilations. Let It Bleed (1969) was their first of five consecutive number one studio albums in the UK. Sticky Fingers (1971) was the first of eight number one studio albums in the US. In 2008, the band ranked 10th on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists chart. In 2012, they celebrated their 50th anniversary and released an album named after this event titled GRRR!.
The Rolling Stones were at the forefront of the British Invasion of bands that became popular in North America in 1964 and identified with the youthful and rebellious counterculture of the 1960s. They were instrumental in making blues a major part of rock and roll,[4][5] and of changing the international focus of blues culture to Britain from its previous centre, Chicago.[6][7][8] Discounting live performancesand side projects, they have released 30 studio albums.[9] The band continued to release commercially successful records through much of the 1970s[10] and 1980s;[11] by 1986 they had sold more than 200 million records worldwide.[12][13][14][15] Many of their records placed high on both US and UK charts while reaching number one status late into their careers: Voodoo Lounge reached number one 25 years after it was originally released;[16] Bridges to Babylon reached number one 21 years after its 1989 release,[17] and A Bigger Bang entered at least thirteen different album charts worldwide including reaching number one on three separate occasions between 2005–2007 – 41 years after it had initially been released.[18][19] In 1989 they were inducted into the Rock Roll Hall Fame; they have been awarded five Grammy Awards – including three Lifetime Achievement Awards – and were ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as fourth on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time[20] and thirty-eighth on its list of 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time & The Immortals – 100 Greatest Bands Of All Time.[21][22
The Kinks
The Kinks are one of the most important and influential British rock bands of all time. They helped to shape the sound of British pop and rock music in the 1960s, and their songs are still popular today. The Kinks were one of the first bands to experiment with psychedelic sounds and their music has a unique and timeless quality.
The Kinks’ psychedelic period
The Kinks’ psychedelic period refers to a period in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the English rock band The Kinks experimented with psychedelic rock. It began with their 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society and culminated in their 1970 concept album Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One.
The Kinks’ foray into psychedelia was short-lived, as they abandoned it after only two albums. Nevertheless, their output during this period is highly regarded by music critics and includes some of the band’s best-known songs, such as “Sunny Afternoon”, “Victoria”, “Lola”, and “Apeman”.
The Kinks’ psychedelic songs
The Kinks began experimenting with psychedelic music in 1966 with the song “Yesterday’s Papers”. The song, which was included on the albumFace to Face, featured distorted guitars and feedback. The following year, the band released their albumSomething Else by the Kinks, which featured the psychedelic songs “Death of a Clown” and “David Watts”.
The Kinks’ 1968 albumThe Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society is often considered to be one of the first concept albums. The album contains the psychedelic songs “Picture Book” and “Do You Remember Walter?”.
In 1969, the band released the albumArthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), which featured thepsychedelic songs “Victoria” and “Shangri-La”. In 1970, The Kinks releasedLola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, which contained the psychedelic song “Apeman”.
The Who
The Who is one of the best British psychedelic rock bands. They were one of the first British bands to experiment with the use of feedback and distortion. They are also one of the few bands who were able to meld the elements of blues and rock together.
The Who’s psychedelic period
The Who’s psychedelic period was a time when the band experimented with mind-altering drugs, resulting in a change in musical style. The use of drugs such as LSD and hashish by the band members led to a more experimental and improvizational approach to songwriting and performing. This change in direction is most evident on their 1967 album, The Who Sell Out, which is considered one of the most significant psychedelic rock albums ever made.
The band continued to experiment with drugs and music on their next two albums, 1968’s Magic Bus: The Who on Tour and 1969’s Tommy. These albums are both highly regarded as some of the best work the band ever produced. However, by the early 1970s, the band had started to distance themselves from the psychedelic scene, preferring instead to focus on more traditional rock ‘n’ roll.
The Who’s psychedelic songs
The Who’s psychedelic songs are “I Can See for Miles”, “Pictures of Lily”, “My Generation”, “Baba O’Riley”, and “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.
Cream
Cream’s psychedelic period
Cream’s psychedelic period lasted from late 1966 to early 1967. The band’s third album, Disraeli Gears, released in November of that year, was their most successful and popular album, reaching number five in the US and number two in the UK. It featured the singles “Strange Brew” and “Sunshine of Your Love”, both of which were top ten hits in the US and UK.
Cream’s psychedelic songs
Cream was one of the first supergroups and their music reflected the diversity of their members. They were able to incorporate blues, rock, and pop into their sound, as well as experimenting with feedback and extended jamming. This list looks at some of the best psychedelic songs by Cream.
– “I Feel Free” is a song by British rock band Cream. It was released as a single in November 1966 and was one of the band’s earliest hits. The song is based on a 12-bar blues chord progression and features Glover’s signature use of galloping basslines.
– “Strange Brew” is a song by British rock band Cream. It was released as a single in June 1967 and became one of the band’s most popular songs. The song is based on the traditional folk song “The Raggle Taggle Gypsy”. It features lyrics about an encounter with a group of gypsies, as well as references to drugs and sex.
– “Sunshine of Your Love” is a song by British rock band Cream. It was released as a single in November 1967 and became one of the band’s most popular songs. The song is based on the traditional gospel song “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen”. It features lyrics about love and loss, as well as references to drugs and sex.
– “Crossroads” is a song by British rock band Cream. It was released as a single in March 1968 and became one of the band’s most popular songs. The song is based on the traditional folk song “The House of the Rising Sun”. It features lyrics about an encounter with Satan, as well as references to drugs and sex
