Psychedelic Rock Bands of the 60’s and 70’s
Contents
List of popular psychedelic rock bands of the 60’s and 70’s including The Beatles, The Doors, and The Grateful Dead.
The Beatles
The Beatles, who are considered one of the most important and influential bands of all time, are often credited with helping to popularize psychedelic rock in the late 1960s. Along with The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, The Beatles were one of the most prominent bands associated with the counterculture movement of the 1960s.
Their Influence
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they became widely regarded as the foremost and most influential music band in history. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, the group began their career in acting out as ego-maniacal cardboard cut-outs in Beatlemania. The Beatles later experimented with several musical styles, ranging from pop ballads and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock, often incorporating classical elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways. In 1963 their enormous popularity first emerged as “Beatlemania”, but as their songwriting grew in sophistication they came to be perceived by many fans as an embodiment of the ideals shared by the era’s sociocultural revolutions.
As the members of The Beatles evolved artistically throughout their career, they came to be perceived as representing the ideals shared by youth during the 1960s counterculture: rebellion against existing social norms, disestablishmentarianism, self-awareness, rejection of materialism and consumerism, internationalism and tolerance for different races, faiths and lifestyles. Lennon later commented that “we consciously decided to present a positive image… We weren’t trying to preach or anything; we just thought it was cool not to swear on TV.” The vast majority of songs written by John Lennon or Paul McCartney dealt with typical young love themes such as courtship, jealousy and heartbreak. However, as time went on The Beatles started exploring other topics such as death (“Eleanor Rigby”), spirituality (“The End”), drug use (“Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”), consumerism (“Taxman”) and violence (“A Day in the Life”), among others
Their Music
Beatles released their first album, Please Please Me, in 1963. With hits like “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Love Me Do,” the album shot to the top of the charts in the UK, spending 30 weeks at number one. They followed it up with 12 more chart-topping albums in the next seven years. In 1968, they released the double album The Beatles (better known as The White Album), which featured such classics as “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Revolution.” In 1969, they released Abbey Road, which included such hits as “Here Comes the Sun” and “Come Together.” Later that year, they released their final album, Let It Be. The Beatles disbanded in 1970.
The Rolling Stones
Psychedelic rock arrived on the music scene in the 1960s and had a profound impact on the bands of the decade. The Rolling Stones were no exception. The band’s transformation from a blues-influenced rock band to a psychedelic rock band was complete by the end of the decade. In this article, we’ll take a look at the Rolling Stones’ psychedelic period and some of the band’s best-known songs from that era.
Their Influence
The Rolling Stones were one of the most influential Psychedelic Rock bands of the 60’s and 70’s. They popularized the genre with hits like “Paint It Black” and “Sympathy for the Devil.” The Stones also experimented with other genres like blues and country. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
Their Music
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London, England, in 1962. The first stable line-up consisted of Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica), Mick Jagger (lead vocals, harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Bill Wyman (bass), Charlie Watts (drums), and Ian Stewart (piano). Stewart was removed from the official line-up in 1963 but continued to work with the band as a contracted musician until his death in 1985. The band’s primary songwriters, Jagger and Richards, assumed leadership after Andrew Loog Oldham became the group’s manager. Jones left the band less than a month before his death in 1969, having already been replaced by Mick Taylor, who remained until 1974. After Taylor left the band, Ronnie Wood took his place in 1975 and has been on guitar ever since.
The Rolling Stones were at the forefront of the British Invasion of bands that became popular in the United States in 1964 and were identified with the youthful and rebellious counterculture of the 1960s. They enjoyed great popularity throughout most of that decade with many chart topping hits,…reamlined by him over time into what he called “rock and roll”.
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin was an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. The band’s heavy, guitar-driven sound, rooted in blues and psychedelia on their early albums, has earned them recognition as one of the progenitors of heavy metal, though their unique style drew from a wide variety of influences, including folk, blues, and world music.
Their Influence
Led Zeppelin achieved a level of commercial and critical success that made them one of the most influential bands of their era. They are ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time by magazines such as Rolling Stone and VH1. Led Zeppelin’s pedal-driven, bluesy sound lay the foundation for hard rock and heavy metal, while their use of improvisation, imagination and showmanship combined with their legendary parties has led them to be considered as one of the progenitors of arena rock and stadium rock. The band also had a notable impact on fashion, with Robert Plant’s iconic curly perm and tight trousers becoming a symbol of nostalgia for many fans.
Their Music
Led Zeppelin merged blues and rock to create a unique sound that caught the ears of listeners worldwide. The English band, which formed in 1968, consisted of singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. Over the next decade, Led Zeppelin released eight studio albums that included such hits as “Stairway to Heaven,” “Whole Lotta Love” and “Kashmir.” The band’s heavy sound and Plant’s powerful vocals drove their music to the top of the charts time and again.
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd is a psychedelic rock band from London, England. The band was formed in 1965 and released their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in 1967. Pink Floyd is known for their unique sound and experimental approach to music. The band has released fourteen studio albums, seven live albums, and numerous singles and compilations.
Their Influence
Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London in 1965. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in popular music history.
The group have sold more than 200 million records worldwide, including 74.5 million certified units in the United States. They have released fourteen studio albums, three live albums, eight compilations, thirty-nine singles, eleven video albums, and five soundtrack albums. Pink Floyd were inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. By 2013 they had sold more than 250 million records worldwide.
The band’s members are Syd Barrett (guitar and lead vocals), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar and vocals), Rick Wright (keyboards and vocals), and David Gilmour (guitar, vocals, and bass guitar). Barrett left the band following their first album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967) due to deteriorating mental health which resulted in his hospitalization. Waters became their primary songwriter while Wright was forced to step back from writing due to financial problems with Pink Floyd’s record label EMI. Gilmour joined as a fifth member in 1968 after Barrett’s departure and continued as the band’s main vocalist, guitarist andbassist for over 45 years until Wright’s death in 2008; he has been credited for standing “as Pink Floyd’s spiritual leader” during this period by AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine. Mason has been Pink Floyd’s drummer for their entire history; he is considered to be Pink Floyd’s “anchor point”.
Their Music
Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music.
Pink Floyd is credited with having a significant impact on the development of rock music, helping to pioneer the subgenres of art rock and ambient rock. They are known for their philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and live entertainments.
The band initially consisted of Syd Barrett on lead guitar and lead vocals, Nick Mason on drums, Roger Waters on bass guitar and vocals, and Richard Wright on keyboards and vocals. Following Barrett’s departure in 1968, Pink Floyd recruited guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour.
