The Best Psychedelic Rock Albums of All Time

Join us as we explore the best psychedelic rock albums of all time. From the early days of the genre to the modern masters, these are the albums that defined Psychedelic Rock.

The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: The Beatles range from psychedelic to bluesy to jazzy on this, their eighth studio album. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is widely considered one of the best albums of all time, and it’s certainly the most influential psychedelic rock album.

The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds

If you’re looking for the best psychedelic rock album of all time, you can’t go wrong with The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. Released in 1966, the album is hailed as one of the most influential records of all time, and it’s not hard to see why. From the opening bars of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” to the final notes of “God Only Knows,” the album is a masterclass in songwriting, arrangement, and production, with each track showcasing a different side of the Beach Boys’ genius. While the album didn’t achieve commercial success at the time of its release (it peaked at #2 on the US Billboard 200), it has since gone on to be regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, and it remains an essential listen for any fan of psychedelic rock.

The Doors – The Doors

The Doors’ eponymous debut album is one of the most important and influential debuts in rock history. Recorded in just six days in August, “The Doors” is a perfect distillation of the band’s melding of psychedelia, blues, and Eastern influences. Jim Morrison’s bewitching baritone and the band’s hypnotic arrangements create an otherworldly atmosphere that pulls the listener into its orbit. With classics like “Break On Through (To the Other Side),” “Light My Fire,” and “The End,” The Doors set the standard for what a rock album could be.

Pink Floyd – The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Released in August 1967, Pink Floyd’s debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn was a commercial and critical success. The album’s musical style is a blend of psychedelia and Syd Barrett’s unique songwriting, which includes frequent use of sound effects and experimental recording techniques. Barrett’s lyrics are often surreal, childlike, and whimsical, which contributes to the album’s overall trippy feel. Highlights include the catchy “Lucifer Sam”, the ethereal “Remember a Day”, and the 11-minute epic “Interstellar Overdrive”.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced

Are You Experienced is the debut studio album by English-American rock band the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was first released in the United Kingdom on May 12, 1967, by Track Records, and then in the United States on August 23 by Reprise Records. The album was Hendrix’s first LP.

The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground’s debut album is one of the most influential and important albums in music history, and not just in the realm of psychedelic rock. It is an album that challenged and changed the way people thought about music, and its influence can still be felt today. Released in 1967, The Velvet Underground & Nico was not a commercial success at the time, but its impact on popular culture was huge. The album’s experimental sound and lyrical themes were a revelation to many listeners, and it has since been cited as an influence by countless artists.

The Grateful Dead – Anthem of the Sun

The Grateful Dead’s second studio album, Anthem of the Sun, is a mind-bending, genre-defying work of art that showcases the band’s versatility and sense of adventure. Drawing from a wide range of influences, including jazz, folk, and experimental music, the album takes the listener on a journey through an alternate reality where the boundaries between time and space are blurred. With its intricate layered soundscapes and extended improvisational passages, Anthem of the Sun is an essential listens for fans of psychedelic rock.

Cream – Disraeli Gears

Cream’s second album, Disraeli Gears, was a major stepping stone in the band’s career, and one of the most important albums in the history of psychedelic rock. The album features the hits “Sunshine of Your Love” and “Strange Brew”, as well as other excellent tracks like “Tales of Brave Ulysses” and “We’re Going Wrong”. Disraeli Gears is a classic album that every fan of psychedelic rock should own.

The Stooges – Fun House

Fun House is the second album by American rock band the Stooges, released in July 1970 by Elektra Records. It was recorded in May 1970 following the purchase of a 24-track tape recorder by the record label. It peaked at number 33 on Billboard’s 200 album chart and its single, “Down on the Street”, reached number 49 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. The cover art was designed by streakandfade.

The album was ranked number 190 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and number 85 on Pitchfork Media’s The Top 100 Albums of the 1970s. In 2003, the album was ranked number 290 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and again in 2012 at number 281.

Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica

Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica (1969)

Trout Mask Replica is the third studio album by Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, released in 1969 on Frank Zappa’s record label, Straight Records.

A double album, it was the result of a meticulously planned recording schedule that demanded complete dedication and focus from the entire band. According to Captain Beefheart, “I told them they’d have to be monks in a monastery for eight months.”

The album is considered a classic of avant-garde music and one of the greatest albums of all time.