The Pioneers of Psychedelic Rock

The story of how a group of innovative and creative musicians took Rock n’ Roll in a new direction, and changed the course of popular music forever.

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. They became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed act in the history of popular music. They were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and popular music’s recognition as an art form.

The Beatles and LSD

The Beatles’ experience with LSD was undoubtedly influenced by their friend and dentist, John Riley. Riley had turned them on to the drug in 1965, at a time when they were already exploring Eastern mysticism and meditation. The band’s use of LSD coincided with the release of their groundbreaking album Revolver, which featured songs like “Tomorrow Never Knows” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” that were inspired by their trips.

While some have speculated that the psychedelic effects of LSD may have contributed to the break-up of the band, there’s no evidence that it played any role in their decision to go their separate ways. In fact, John Lennon continued to speak positively about LSD even after the group disbanded.

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are one of the most influential bands of all time. They started out as a blues cover band in the 1960s and slowly began to incorporate elements of psychedelic rock into their music. They were one of the first bands to experiment with this new genre of music and their influence can still be heard in modern psychedelic rock.

The Rolling Stones and LSD

The Rolling Stones were one of the first mainstream bands to experiment with LSD. In May 1967, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Anita Pallenberg, Marianne Faithfull and Nicholas Roeg took acid together at Keith’s country home, Redlands. The experience was not a pleasant one for Brian – he ended up in a tree, thinking he could fly – and it put him off LSD for life. Mick and Keith, on the other hand, were both inspired by what they had seen and heard while under the influence of the drug.

Mick Jagger later said of that first trip: “It was a very powerful experience… You actually hear colours and see sounds. It’s quite extraordinary.” Afterward, the Rolling Stones began to explore more experimental sounds and song structures on their albums – most notably on their 1968 album ‘Beggars Banquet’ which is often cited as one of the greatest rock albums of all time.

The band also began to experiment with other drugs around this time, including amphetamines, cocaine and heroin. However, it was LSD that had the biggest impact on their music. As Keith Richards put it: “Once you’ve tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward… For there you have been and there you long to return.”

The Doors

One of the most influential and controversial rock bands of the 1960s, the Doors were unique for their incorporation of psychedelic rock elements into their music. The band, which was formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, is composed of lead singer and keyboardist Jim Morrison, guitarist Robby Krieger, drummer John Densmore, and bassist Ray Manzarek.

The Doors and LSD

The Doors were one of the first rock bands to be strongly associated with LSD, and their debut album (which is simply titled The Doors) contains several references to the drug. The most well-known example is probably the song “The End,” which features the line “Father, I want to kill you / Mother, I want to…you.” However, other songs on the album also allude to LSD use, including “Break On Through (To the Other Side),” “Light My Fire,” and “When the Music’s Over.”

In an interview with Playboy magazine in March of 1967, Jim Morrison (the lead singer of The Doors) was asked about his use of LSD. He replied:

“I tried it once but it didn’t do anything for me. Probably because I didn’t know how to use it correctly. I think perhaps if one uses it intelligently, as a tool, as something like yoga or meditation or fasting, it could be very beneficial. But if you just go out and drop acid all the time without having some sort of religious or spiritual framework within which to view your experiences, then you’re going to have problems.”

It’s worth noting that Morrison later died of an apparent drug overdose in 1971, so his LSD use may have eventually caught up with him. However, there’s no way to know for sure what role (if any) LSD played in his death.

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in 1965. They are known for their experimental and psychedelic music. Pink Floyd’s songs often dealt with the themes of mental illness, anxiety, and the subversion of authority. They are one of the most commercially successful and influential bands of all time.

Pink Floyd and LSD

LSD was a big part of Pink Floyd’s early career. The band would often drop acid before their shows, and it would often influence their music.Pink Floyd’s first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, is full of psychedelic lyrics and sounds. The band would later distance themselves from LSD, but their early work is still influential to many psych rock bands today.