Classic Psychedelic Rock Streaming Radio Stations

Looking for a way to trip out without using drugs? Check out our list of the best classic psychedelic rock streaming radio stations!

60s and 70s Psychedelic Rock

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The group, whose best-known line-up comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, are regarded as the most influential band of all time. With a sound rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, they 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”, but as early as 1965 critics started to describe their worldwide success as “Bigness”.

The Rolling Stones

The esteemed English rock band The Rolling Stones have been credited as one of the first psychedelic rock groups. They began experimenting with drug-related themes in their songs in the mid-1960’s with tracks such as “Mother’s Little Helper” and “Paint It, Black”. The Stones’ landmark 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request is full of ethereal, trippy sounds and themes inspired by hallucinogens like LSD. Other well-known psychedelic Rolling Stones songs include “Sympathy For The Devil”, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, and “Gimme Shelter”.

Led Zeppelin

Few rock bands have achieved the level of success and influence that Led Zeppelin did in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Formed in 1968 by former Yardbirds members Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin quickly became one of the most popular and influential rock bands of their generation. With their blues-influenced, guitar-driven sound, they helped pioneer the genre of heavy metal and had a major impact on the development of hard rock. The band also incorporated elements of folk, Celtic, and Indian music into their sound, which made them one of the first truly “world” rock bands.

Over the course of their career, Led Zeppelin released nine studio albums, which have sold over 300 million copies worldwide. They are widely considered to be one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and they continue to be hugely popular even 40 years after their breakup. If you’re a fan of classic psychedelic rock, make sure to check out Led Zeppelin’s music today!

80s Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock, also called acid rock, is a type of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. The music is intended to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs, often utilizing new recording techniques and effects units. These songs typically have psychedelic lyrics and extended improvisational sections.

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London in 1965. They are known for their philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, and elaborate live shows, and are considered one of the most influential groups in the history of rock music. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music.

The group consisted of Syd Barrett (vocals, guitar), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass, vocals), and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals). Barrett was replaced by David Gilmour in 1968. Waters left the band in 1985, and Wright left in 1987; Gilmour has been Pink Floyd’s only constant member since.

The band’s primary songwriters were Barrett, Waters, and Wright. Mason was their main lyricist and collaborator after Barrett’s departure. Although Pink Floyd were commercially successful for much of their career, they were initially relegated to a cult status because Barrett’s erratic behaviour overshadowed their work. However, they eventually attained critical and commercial success with The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and Wish You Were Here (1975). These albums have been cited as two of the greatest albums of all time by numerous publications such as NME, Time magazine, Spin magazine, Pitchfork Media\u200b\u200band Rolling Stone\u200b\u200b(as well as others). The Pink Floyd Sound became one of the first British psychedelic rock bands to achieve widespread international success. With The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967), they reached instant stardom due to Barrett’s innovative songwriting; A Saucerful of Secrets (1968) would continue this trend.

The Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, gospel, and psychedelic rock; for live performances of lengthy musical improvisation; and for its devoted fan base, known as “Deadheads.” “Their music,” writes Lenny Kaye, “was ice-cream for the mind.”

The band was ranked 57th by Rolling Stone magazine in its The Greatest Artists of All Time issue. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 andtheir 1978 live double album To Terrapin: Hartford ’77 was added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2012.

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. The band got its name at Morrison’s suggestion from the title of Aldous Huxley’s book The Doors of Perception (1954), which itself was a reference to a line in William Blake’s 1793 poem “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”: “If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is: infinite.” They were unique and 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 death on July 3, 1971 at age 27, the remaining members continued as a trio until finally disbanding in 1973.

Despite obstacles posed by their record label Elektra Records and a highly volatile band member in Morrison, The Doors enjoyed great critical and commercial success throughout most of their career. The group placed eight singles in the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 including six that reached the Top 10: “Light My Fire”, “Break On Through (To the Other Side)”, “The Crystal Ship”, “People Are Strange”, “Love Me Two Times” and “Touch Me”. They also released one album that went to number one on the Billboard 200 chart—Their self-titled debut album—and another that hit number two: Strange Days (1967).

The Doors were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Rolling Stone ranked them 41st on their list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” published four years later. In 2002, they were ranked number 12 on VH1’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists”. In 2015, they were ranked number 44 by Billboard magazine as part of their 50th anniversary cover story on music history.

Modern Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock, also referred to as “psychedelia”, is a diverse style of rock music that originated in the mid-1960s. Psychedelic rock is characterized by distorted guitars, mind-altering lyrics, and experimental sound effects. The genre is often associated with the subculture of drug use, particularly LSD.

Tame Impala

Tame Impala is an Australian psychedelic rock band founded in 2007. The group’s debut album, Innerspeaker, was released in 2010 on Modular Recordings. The album was certified platinum in Australia and gold in the United Kingdom. The band’s second album, Lonerism, was released in 2012 on Universal Music Australia. It reached number one on the ARIA Albums Chart and number 13 on the UK Albums Chart.

The War on Drugs

The War on Drugs is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 2005. The band consists of Adam Granduciel (lead vocals, guitar), David Hartley (bass), Robbie Bennett (keyboards), Charlie Hall (drums), Jon Natchez (saxophone, keyboard) and Anthony LaMarca (rhythm guitar).

The War on Drugs signed with Secretly Canadian records in 2011 and released their second studio album Slave Ambient in August 2011 to critical acclaim. The album peaked at number 41 on the Billboard 200 chart and received widespread praise from music critics. In October 2013, the band released their third studio album Lost in the Dream, which peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200 and received universal acclaim from music critics. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album at the 57th Grammy Awards.

The War on Drugs’ fourth studio album A Deeper Understanding was released on August 25, 2017 by Atlantic Records to critical acclaim. The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 89,000 pure album sales, making it the band’s highest-charting album in the US. It also debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number two on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart.

The Black Keys

The Black Keys are an American rock band formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney. The Black Keys have released eight studio albums, two EPs, and a live album. Their eighth album, Turn Blue, was released on May 12, 2014. As of December 2015, the band’s worldwide sales totaled over 23 million records. They gained popularity with their 2010 single “Tighten Up”, as well as “Lonely Boy” (2011), “Gold on the Ceiling” (2012), and “Fever” (2014).

Auerbach and Carney met during their freshman year at the University of Akron in 1997. Auerbach was moving toward an interest in alternative rock and punk rock while Carney grew up playing jazz drums and was his high school marching band’s drum captain. Interested in the local music scene shaped their sense of collaboration calling it “the collective mindset that exists in Akron”. With help from producer Danger Mouse, they recorded some demos for their first album which eventually led to their 2002 contract with independent label Alive Records.

Their debut album The Big Come Up was recorded entirely on an 8-track tape recorder in Carney’s basement and according to him is “lo-fi forthright indie rock record” that helped them gain recognition. The album earned strong reviews and sales, leading to a constant touring schedule over the next several years supporting this release throughout 2002–2003 as well as performances at music festivals including Bonnaroo Music Festival.

After receiving positive attention from critics for The Big Come Up (2002), they began work on Thickfreakness (2003) which took only ten days to record due to minimal overdubs necessary.The result was a loose garage rock record whose rapid recording helped capture the raw energy present during live performances giving itMaximumrocknroll’s Album of the Year award as well as Pitchfork Media’s Best New Music designation; both publications ranked it highly on their year-end lists. Rolling Stone described it as “the best garage-rock disc since 1993’s proto-punk revival”.