The Best Psychedelic Rock Albums of the 1960s

It’s no secret that the 1960s was a time of great change and experimentation in music. Psychedelic rock albums were a huge part of that, and we’ve compiled a list of what we think are the best of the genre from that decade.

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

The Beatles’ classic 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, is universally regarded as one of the best psychedelic rock albums of all time. The album was a commercial and critical success, spending 27 weeks at the top of the UK charts and 15 weeks at the top of the US charts. It won four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, and is widely considered to be one of the most influential albums of all time.

The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds: Released in 1966, this album is often considered one of the best albums ever made, not just in the psychedelic rock genre. The Beach Boys pushed the boundaries of what was possible in popular music with their creative and innovative songwriting, production, and use of recording techniques.

The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet

Released in December 1968, Beggars Banquet was The Rolling Stones’ return to form – both musically and lyrically. After the relative commercial disappointment of Their Satanic Majesties Request, the band abandoned psychedelia and returned to their blues roots. The result is one of their best albums, with classic tracks like “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Street Fighting Man.”

The Doors – The Doors

The Doors were one of the most controversial and influential rock bands of the 1960s. With their self-titled debut album, they fused elements of blues-rock, folk-rock, and jazz-influenced pop to create a sound that was both unique and ahead of its time. The Doors were led by the magnetic and enigmatic Jim Morrison, who became one of the most iconic frontmen in rock history. The album features some of their most well-known songs, including “Break On Through (To the Other Side)”, “Light My Fire”, and “The End”.

The Kinks – Are the Village Green Preservation Society

The Kinks – Are the Village Green Preservation Society is the 6th studio album by English rock band The Kinks, released on 22 November 1968 by Pye Records in the UK and Reprise Records in the US. It was conceived as a concept album featuring an array of disparate songs focused around the theme of nostalgia for a bygone era.

The idea for a new direction came to Ray Davies after hearing The Rolling Stones’ “She’s a Rainbow” over and over again on the radio, which led him to reflect on his own childhood growing up in Muswell Hill, North London. He began writing material with British nostalgia and increasingly pastoral themes in mind, which resulted in some of his most personal and introspective work.

The Grateful Dead – Anthem of the Sun

The Grateful Dead’s second album, Anthem of the Sun, is an ambitious and experimental work that draws on a wide range of influences, from free jazz to Indian music. The result is a sprawling and often chaotic record that sounds like nothing else in the Dead’s catalog. It’s also one of the band’s most psychedelic albums, with trippy sound effects and extended jams that truly feel like you’re taking a journey into another realm. “Alligator” and “That’s It for the Other One” are particularly mind-bending tracks, but the entire album is worth listening to for its unique take on psychedelic rock.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced

Are You Experienced is the debut studio album by English-American rock band the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Released in May 1967, it was the first LP for Track Records, and was marketed and distributed by Polydor Records in Britain and Reprise Records in the United States. The album featured Jimi Hendrix’s breakthrough hits “Purple Haze” and “Hey Joe”, and became the Experience’s best-selling album in terms of both chart position and sales.

Cream – Disraeli Gears

Cream – Disraeli Gears
This English rock band’s second album, released in 1967, was a commercial and critical success. It reached No. 1 in the UK and US, and has been ranked among the greatest albums of all time. The title refers to the unique sound of the guitars on the album, which were achieved by using special effects pedals.

The Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo

The Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo
(Columbia, 1968)

It’s hard to overemphasize the historical significance of The Byrds‘ 1968 album Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Recorded in Nashville with Gram Parsons as their new full-time member, it was country rock’s first real statement, and for better or worse, everything that came after can be seen as a reaction to it.

The Byrds were always a good band, but with Sweetheart of the Rodeo they became a great one. The addition of Gram Parsons brought new life to the group, and his country influences helped them create an album that was both groundbreaking and timeless.

The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground & Nico is the debut album by American rock band the Velvet Underground, released in March 1967 by Verve Records. It was recorded at T.T.G. Studios in Hollywood, California, with German-born record producer Andy Warhol and Tom Wilson serving as co-producers. Nico, a German singer and model who performed with the band as a vocalist on several tracks, is featured on the cover and contributed one of her own compositions to the album; Warhol’s name also appears on the cover superimposed over a photograph of a cow’s flank.

The Velvet Underground & Nico is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential rock albums of all time. In 2012, it was ranked number 13 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.