The 10 Most Essential Psychedelic Rock Albums

In this blog post, we’ll be taking a look at the 10 most essential psychedelic rock albums. These are the albums that you need to have in your collection if you want to be considered a psychedelic rock fan.

The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967): The Sgt. Pepper album was a high watermark for psychedelic rock, and its creation was a turning point in the evolution of the Beatles as well. The album’s ambitious concept, intricate soundscapes, and use of studio techniques were a radical departure from the band’s earlier work, and it stands as one of the most influential albums of all time.

Pink Floyd – The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)

Included in Rolling Stone’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” The Piper at the Gates of Dawn was the only album released by Pink Floyd with founder Syd Barrett as lead vocalist and guitarist. The album is considered a classic of the psychedelic rock genre and features Barrett’s surreal lyrics and gnomic guitar work.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced? (1967)

No psychedelic rock album list would be complete without The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s debut album, Are You Experienced? The album expanded the possibilities of what rock & roll could be, with Hendrix’s innovative playing and songwriting pushing the boundaries of the genre. Are You Experienced? features some of Hendrix’s most iconic tracks, including “Purple Haze,” “Fire,” and “Hey Joe.”

Cream – Disraeli Gears (1967)

Cream’s second album is the perfect encapsulation of late-60s psychedelia. Eddie Kramer’s production dovetails nicely with the wah-wah histrionics of Eric Clapton and the bluesy, 12-bar workouts of Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, resulting in a record that is simultaneously trippy and down to earth. The band also experimented with backwards tapes and studio trickery on songs like “Tales of Brave Ulysses” and “We’re Going Wrong,” giving the album an otherworldly feel. But it’s the singles “Sunshine of Your Love” and “Strange Brew” that have truly stood the test of time, remaining two of rock’s most enduring anthems.

The Doors – The Doors (1967)

Listening to The Doors’ self-titled debut album is like taking a time machine back to the heady days of 1967, when anything and everything seemed possible. From the opening notes of “Break On Through (To the Other Side)” to the final strains of “The End,” this is an album that drips with sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Jim Morrison’s lyrics are enigmatic and suggestive, while the band – Robbie Krieger (guitar), Ray Manzarek (keyboards), John Densmore (drums) – provide a muscular yet supple backing. The Doors would go on to make more experimental and overtly commercial albums, but they would never again capture the raw magic of their debut.

The Grateful Dead – Anthem of the Sun (1968)

The Grateful Dead’s second album, Anthem of the Sun, saw the band expanding their sound by melding together multiple recording sessions, experimental techniques, and overdubbing. The result is an experimental classic that dips its toes in jazz, proto-metal, and folk. Jerry Garcia’s guitar playing is particularly outstanding throughout the record.

The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

The Velvet Underground’s debut album is one of the most influential and important releases in all of rock music. Though it was largely ignored upon its release, it has since been cited as an important influence by countless artists in generations since. The Velvet Underground & Nico features some of the band’s most well-known songs, including “I’m Waiting for the Man” and “All Tomorrow’s Parties.”

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

An avant-garde masterpiece that is as musically challenging as it is rewarding, Trout Mask Replica is the kind of album that demands—and deserves— repeated listens. Conceived and mostly written by Beefheart (real name Don Van Vliet) while living in a cramped house with his band in Woodland Hills, California, the record is a disorienting, yet ultimately exhilarating blend of blues, R&B, free jazz, and noise rock that sounds like nothing else that came before or since.

Syd Barrett – The Madcap Laughs (1970)

Syd Barrett’s The Madcap Laughs is an essential album for any fan of psychedelic rock. Barrett was a founding member of Pink Floyd, but left the band due to his mental health problems. The Madcap Laughs is a collection of solo recordings that Barrett made after leaving Pink Floyd. The album is characterized by its surrealist lyrics and atmospheric soundscapes.

Can – Tago Mago (1971)

A record so strange, so powerful and so forward-thinking that itstitle – which translates as ‘Crazy Moon’ – seems like the understatement of the century, Tago Mago announced Can as the most innovative and intoxicating force in rock music. It was also their last album with founding singer Damo Suzuki, who left the band shortly after its completion, and whose replacement Malcolm Mooney would record only one further album with them, 1970’s Soundtracks.