Psychedelic Rock: The Music Dad Grew Up Listening To
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Psychedelic Rock: The Music Dad Grew Up Listening To – This is a blog about the music that my dad grew up listening to. He was a big fan of psychedelic rock, and he loved the music of the 60s and 70s. I hope you enjoy this blog!
Psychedelic Rock Defined
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s. The music is characterized by its abstract lyrics, unusual sounds, and extended improvisation. Psychedelic rock was developed by artists like The Beatles, The Doors, and Jimi Hendrix who were influenced by drugs like LSD and psilocybin mushrooms.
The Beatles
Of all the bands that contributed to the development of psychedelic rock, The Beatles were by far the most important. Hailed as the greatest and most influential rock band of all time, The Beatles were at the forefront of the British Invasion of America in 1964. With their landmark album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles ushered in a new era of more experimental and introspective songwriting that would come to define psychedelic rock. Other important early psychedelic rock bands include Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane.
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London in 1965. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. Pink Floyd are noted for their philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, and elaborate live shows. One of the most successful and influential groups of the 20th century, they have sold over 250 million records worldwide.
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/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are regularly cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal. Their style drew from a wide variety of influences, including blues, psychedelia, and folk music.
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
While the music of the Psychedelic Rock age might not be what is playing on the radio today, it is still a significant genre that had a large impact on the culture and music of its time. This genre of music was created in the 60s and was characterized by its heavy use of drugs, specifically LSD.
Ken Kesey
Ken Kesey was one of the best-known American writers of the 1960s. He wrote the novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and was a prominent figure in the counterculture movement. In 1964, he founded the Merry Pranksters, a group that popularized LSD and other psychedelic drugs.
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is a 1968 nonfiction book by Tom Wolfe that chronicles the early years of the counterculture movement in the United States, specifically focusing on Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters. The book is considered an important work of new journalism and gave rise to the popular image of acid trips as consisting of long conversations about philosophy and life.
The Merry Pranksters
The Merry Pranksters were a group of people who joined author Ken Kesey in a cross-country bus trip in 1964. The trip was intended to promote the use of psychedelic drugs, particularly LSD. Kesey had already gained notoriety for his involvement with psychedelics through his work with psychologist Timothy Leary at Harvard University. The Pranksters became famous for their outrageous antics, which were often captured on film and audio by fellow Prankster Neal Cassady. The group’s exploits were later chronicled in Tom Wolfe’s 1968 book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.
The Merry Pranksters were influential in the development of the psychedelic rock music genre. Many of the musicians who would go on to create this type of music were members of the Pranksters, or were otherwise influenced by the group’s philosophy. The Pranksters also popularized the use of light shows and projections at live music events, another hallmark of psychedelic rock concerts.
The Summer of Love
In 1967, between June and September, young people from all over the world converged on the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. This gathering of hippies became known as the Summer of Love. The music of the time-Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin-reflects the energy and optimism of the counterculture movement.
The Haight-Ashbury
The Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco was the epicenter of the “Summer of Love” in 1967. This was whenPsychedelic Rockwas at its peak and the hippie counterculture was in full swing. Bands likeThe Grateful Dead,Jefferson Airplane, andBig Brother and the Holding Companyperformed nightly in the area’s clubs, and young people from all over the country came to experience the scene.
The Haight-Ashbury was also ground zero for the Psychedelic Rock movement. The music was characterized by extended improvisation, experiments with sound and light, and often drug-inspired lyrics. It was a direct response to the rigid conformity of 1950s society, and it offered a glimpse of an alternate reality where love and peace were possible.
Sadly, the Summer of Love didn’t last, and by 1968 the Haight-Ashbury had become a shadow of its former self. The rise of hard drugs like heroin took its toll on the community, and many of the pioneering bands had broken up or gone their separate ways. But Psychedelic Rock lives on in the music of today, and the Summer of Love is still remembered as a time when anything seemed possible.
The San Francisco Sound
The San Francisco Sound is a style of psychedelic rock music that was popular in the mid to late 1960s in the area around San Francisco, California. The music is credited to bands such as the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Big Brother and the Holding Company, although there were many other local bands that played a role in creating the sound.
The San Francisco Sound is typified by extended jams, mind-expanding lyrics, and a focus on live performance rather than studio recordings. The sound often incorporates elements of folk music, blues, and country as well as traditional rock and roll. The bands of the San Francisco Sound were known for their eclectic repertoire, which could include covers of popular songs as well as original material.
The Grateful Dead were perhaps the most well-known exponents of the San Francisco Sound. The band was known for their lengthy improvisational jams, which could last for hours. They were also one of the first rock bands to make extensive use of synthesizers and other electronic instruments. Other notable bands associated with the San Francisco Sound include Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Country Joe and the Fish, Sly and the Family Stone, Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia Band.
Woodstock
On August 15th, 1969, half a million people congregated on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York, for the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. The now-iconic event was originally envisioned as a smaller-scale version of the 1967 Monterey Pop Music Festival. The Woodstock lineup featured a diverse range of artists, from big names like Jimi Hendrix and The Who to lesser-known acts like Jefferson Airplane and Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. Psychedelic rock, the genre of music made famous by the festival, was in its prime in 1969. Headlining acts like Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, and Santana popularized the genre and brought it to a mainstream audience.
The Who
The Who is an English rock band formed in 1964. They became known for their dynamic live performances and for their stage shows which often included instruments being smashed by lead guitarist Pete Townshend. The Who have sold about 100 million records, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time.
Jimi Hendrix
As a teenager, Jimi Hendrix was captivated by American blues artists such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Albert King. In 1964, he left Seattle for New York City where he worked as a sideman for various R&B acts, including the Isley Brothers and Little Richard. The following year, he toured with Chuck Berry before forming his own band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The trio – featuring Hendrix on lead guitar, backed by bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell – released their debut album, Are You Experienced?, in 1967. The record’s groundbreaking blend of blues, psychedelic rock and feedback forever changed the course of popular music.
Psychedelic Rock Today
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that emerged in the 1960s. It is characterized by distorted guitars, mind-altering lyrics, and trippy sound effects. Psychedelic rock grew out of the British Invasion, and was influenced by Eastern music and mind-expanding drugs such as LSD.
Tame Impala
Few contemporary bands have as strong of a tie to the classic psychedelic sound as Tame Impala. Hailing from Australia, the band is fronted by Kevin Parker, who writes, records, and produces the group’s albums in their entirety. To date, Tame Impala has released three full-length studio albums, 2010’s Innerspeaker, 2012’s Lonerism, and 2015’s Currents. All three albums have been met with critical acclaim, with Innerspeaker and Currents both earning a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album.
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American rock band formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983. Psychadelic rock today would not be the same without this innovative and boundary pushing group. The band has won three Grammy Awards, including two for Best Engineered Album and one for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. They have also been nominated for an Academy Award and a Grammy Award for their song “All We Have Is Now”.
The Flaming Lips are known for their unique live shows, which often feature elaborate costumes and projections. They have also created a number of ground-breaking music videos, including “Do You Realize??”, which was named the greatest music video of all time by NME magazine.
The group’s 13th studio album, Oczy Mlody, was released in 2017 to critical acclaim. The album features the singles “Sunrise (Eyes of the Young)” and “There Should Be Unicorns”.
