The Best Obscure 60’s Psychedelic Rock Bands
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A list of the best psychedelic rock bands from the 60’s that you’ve probably never heard of. These bands were ahead of their time and created some of the most mind-bending, trippy music of the era.
The Obscure 60’s Psychedelic Rock Bands
The 60’s were a time of change and new music. Psychedelic rock was a genre that was born in the 60’s and many great bands came out of this time. Some of these bands are well known, but there are also many that are obscure. In this article, we will be discussing some of the best obscure 60’s psychedelic rock bands.
The Electric Prunes
The Electric Prunes were an American rock band formed in 1966. They were active until 1969, when they released their final album, titled just The Electric Prunes. Despite limited commercial success, the band was influential for their innovative use of experimental music techniques and psychedelic rock elements.
The band’s original lineup consisted of James Lowe (lead vocals), Ken Williams (guitar), Michael Quintana (drums), Preston Ritter (bass guitar), and Mark Tulin (keyboards). Quintana and Ritter were later replaced by Dave Hassinger and Mike Gannon, respectively.
The Electric Prunes released two studio albums in 1967, their self-titled debut album and the more experimental Mass in F Minor. The latter album, which featured the song “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)”, was a critical and commercial success, reaching number 11 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album’s single “Kyrie Eleison” also charted well, peaking at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Despite their success, The Electric Prunes struggled with creative control over their music, as their record label – Reprise Records – was largely responsible for the production of their albums. This led to tension between the band and their label, which came to a head during the recording of their third album, 1968’s Underground. unhappy with Reprise’s production methods, The Electric Prunes refused to promote the album and it was a commercial failure. This would ultimately lead to the band’s dissolution in 1969.
The United States of America
The United States of America was a psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1967. The group was led by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Dana Countryman, and also featured guitarist Craig Hicks, bassist Joel Larson and drummer Danny Weis. The band’s music combined elements of folk, rock, classical music and avant-garde experimentation, and their sound was largely defined by Countryman’s use of electronics and tape manipulation.
The group released their self-titled debut album in 1968 to critical acclaim, but commercial success eluded them. Undeterred, the band released a second album, The United States of America Volume II, in 1969. This album failed to sell well and the group disbanded shortly afterwards.
Despite their brief career, the band’s impact on the development of psychedelic rock was significant; they were one of the first groups to make use of electronic instrumentation and tape manipulation in their music, predating similar experiments by better-known acts such as Pink Floyd and The Beatles. In recent years, the band has been cited as an influence by a number of modern artists working in similar musical styles.
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band were an American rock band formed in 1965 and led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Don Van Vliet. They performed with a wide range of styles that encompassed avant-garde, blues, and free jazz influences, along with ideas from psychedelia and the blues rock genre.
The band members were drawn from a group of Los Angeles-based musicians who had worked together in various capacities since the early 1960s, including session men who had played on records by the Beach Boys and Frank Zappa. The Magic Band’s instrumentation often included electric guitars, electric bass guitars (), drums, saxophones, and keyboards; Van Vliet played harmonica on several albums.
In addition to releasing thirteen studio albums, Captain Beefheart and his band appeared in the filmfind
(an unreleased documentary by Richard Analyst that starred Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger), as well as on various television shows. They toured extensively throughout Europe and North America.
The Sound of Psychedelic Rock
Psychedelic rock emerged in the mid 1960s as a more extreme offshoot of the already-existing subgenre of psychedelic music. It was characterised by distorted guitars, trippy lyrics, and mind-bending sound effects. The genre is often seen as a bridge between the classic rock of the 1960s and the more experimental types of rock that would come to prominence in the 1970s.
The Electric Prunes
The Electric Prunes are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1965. Originally a garage rock band, they released their first album, which included the hit single “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)”, in early 1967. The album sold over one million copies and was certified gold by the RIAA. The band’s second album, , was released later that year and was less successful commercially, although it was well received by critics. The band’s third album, , was released in 1968 to mixed reviews and poor sales.
The band’s fourth album,, released in 1969, was a commercial and critical disappointment, causing the band to be dropped by their record label. Despite this, the album is now considered a lost psychedelic classic and has been praised by such contemporary artists as Beck and Belle & Sebastian. In 2006, Pitchfork Media ranked it #41 on its list of the Top 100 Psychedelic Albums of All Time. The band broke up shortly after its release.
The Electric Prunes reformed in 2001 with original members James Lowe (vocals) and Ken Williams (guitar) joined by new members Mike Gannon (bass), Mark Tulin (keyboards), and Preston Ritter (drums). The band has since released two albums of new material,, in 2002, and , in 2008.
The United States of America
Formed in Los Angeles in 1967, The United States of America was one of the first psychedelic rock bands. With their experimental and avant-garde approach, they were far ahead of their time, and their self-titled debut album is now considered a classic of the genre. Featuring the future film composer Leonard Rosenman on keyboards and brass, and featuring distorted electric guitars and intricate multi-layered vocals, The United States of America was an innovative and influential band who are sadly now largely forgotten.
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California. The group was led by singer, songwriter, trombonist and percussionist Don Van Vliet (“Captain Beefheart”). His musical approach was characterized by an often discordant mix of blues, free jazz, and avant-garde rock.
The band’s early work was strongly influenced by contemporary rhythm and blues, but later works incorporated elements of garage rock, punk rock, and experimental music. They attained a cult following throughout their career and were mentioned as an important precursor to punk rock.
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band’s music often featured saxophone solos by Doug Moon and guitar performed by Ry Cooder and Zoot Horn Rollo (Bill Harkleroad). The lyrics were written primarily by Van Vliet and usually employed word play, while the music was constructed using the principles of avant-garde jazz.
The band gained a reputation for their often chaotic live performances, which featured drum solos, extended improvisations, feedback, stage diving, andcapricious onstage behavior. They were fellow travelers of the late 1960s countercultural movementand frequently performed alongside acts like The Grateful Deadand Jefferson Airplane at Deborah Koopers’ loft on Cole Street in San Francisco.
The Legacy of Psychedelic Rock
Psychedelic rock, also called psyrock, is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the late 1960s.Psychedelic rock is often characterized by a distorted, “psychedelic” sound, used to produce a “dropsychedelic” or “trippy” experience. The genre was pioneered by American and British bands such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Doors, and The Grateful Dead.
The Electric Prunes
The Electric Prunes are an American garage rock band, formed in 1966 in Los Angeles. The band’s original lineup consisted of James Lowe (lead vocals), Ken Williams (guitar), Michael Gannon (bass), and Preston Ritter (drums). Over the next few years, the band would release a string of psychedelic-influenced singles, most notably “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)”, which reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967.
The band’s sound was marked by innovative and often experimental production values, as well as Lowe’s distinctive high-pitched vocals. They were one of the first rock bands to make extensive use of studio multitrack recording techniques and were one of the earliest adopters of the fuzzbox.
The Electric Prunes are often cited as being ahead of their time, and their influence can be heard in the work of laterPsychedelic Rock bands such as The Flaming Lips and Tame Impala.
The United States of America
The United States of America is a country that has given birth to countless different genres and sub-genres of music, and psychedelic rock is one of them. Psychedelic rock first started to emerge in the mid-1960s, and it was a time when the country was going through huge social and political changes. The youth culture of the time was exploring new and radical ideas, and this is reflected in the music of the time. Psychedelic rock was a musical movement that was all about pushing boundaries and expanding minds.
The United States was not the only country where psychedelic rock was being created, but it was definitely one of the most important centres for the genre. Some of the most influential and groundbreaking psychedelic rock bands came from America, including The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and The Doors. These bands would go on to have a massive impact on popular culture and they would help to define an entire generation.
Psychedelic rock would go on to have a lasting influence on popular music, even though it only existed for a few short years. The genre would help to inspire other genres such as punk rock and metal, and many of the bands from the 60s are still hugely popular today. Psychedelic rock may be gone, but its legacy continues on.
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California. The band’s music blended elements of rock, blues, and avant-garde. They released their debut album Safe as Milk in 1967 to positive reviews. However, the album was not a commercial success and failed to enter the Billboard 200 chart. Over the next five years, the band released five more studio albums—Strictly Personal (1968),Mirror Man (1967), Trout Mask Replica (1969), Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1970), and The Spotlight Kid (1972)—to increasing critical acclaim but poor sales.
Captain Beefheart’s music is characterized by its unconventional structure, often erratic rhythms, and deep blues and primitive flourishes. His ideas were often ahead of their time; while many of his songs were initially panned by contemporary critics, they have since been acknowledged as influential on several generations of musicians. His vocals were similarly idiosyncratic; he often sang in an alter-ego persona known as “Don van Vliet”, characterized by a gravel-throated growl that has been described as “one of the most distinctive voices in all of 20th century music”.
Captain Beefheart’s influence was not limited to music; his poetic lyrics, design sensibilities, and work ethic had a profound impact on several generations of artists across multiple disciplines. He has been praised as one of the most innovative and important musicians of his generation, and his work is ranked among the greatest albums of all time by several publications.
