Psychedelic Rock Organs – The Must Have Sound of the 60s

Psychedelic Rock Organs – The Must Have Sound of the 60s. The 60s were a time when music and culture were colliding and evolving. Psychedelic rock organs were the must have sound of the time.

What is Psychedelic Rock?

Psychedelic rock, also referred to as “acid rock”, is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s. The style is characterized by a heavy use of distorted electric guitars, bass guitar, drums, and often irregular song structures. Psychedelic rock often incorporates elements of other genres, including folk, electronic, and Latin American music.

The Birth of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock, also referred to as acid rock, is a type of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s and reached its peak popularity in the late 1960s. The style is characterized by electric guitars, drumming and bass, played at high volumes with heavy distortion and reverb. The sound was often supplemented with hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD, which were thought to enhance the musical experience.

Psychedelic rock began to decline in popularity in the early 1970s, but has since experienced a resurgence in popularity among independent and underground music scenes.

The Sound of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock, sometimes called garage rock, is a style of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s and became widely popular in the United States and Britain. The sound is marked by distorted guitars, Feedback, heavy doses of echoing vocals, and occasionally sitars. Psychedelic rock developed out of the early garage band scene in the United States and Britain. By 1965 bands such as The Grateful Dead, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones were playing psychedelic inspired music.

Psychedelic rock reached its peak in 1967 with the release of albums such as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles and The Doors’ self-titled debut album. In 1968, the genre began to split into two directions: hard rock and acid rock. Hard rock bands such as Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple continued to play psychedelic inspired music but with a heavier sound. Acid rock bands such as Jefferson Airplane and Santana began to experiment with longer jams and more intense bass lines.

By the early 1970s, psychedelic rock had all but disappeared from the mainstream. However, many of the genre’s pioneers continued to record and perform throughout the decade. Psychedelic rock made a comeback in the 1990s with bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam incorporating elements of the style into their music.

Psychedelic Rock Organs

Psychedelic rock organs are the must have sound of the 60s. They were used by some of the most famous bands of the time, including The Doors, The Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane. These organs add a unique sound to your music that can’t be replicated by any other type of instrument.

The Hammond B-3

The Hammond B-3 organ is one of the most iconic and essential instruments in the history of rock music. Used by some of the greatest bands of all time, from The Beatles to The Doors, it helped define the sound of the 1960s.

The Hammond B-3 was first introduced in 1954, and quickly became the go-to choice for rock and blues organists. Its signature sound is a result of its unique design, which uses a system of rotating Leslie speaker cabinets to create a swirling, vibrato effect.

Over the years, the Hammond B-3 has been used on countless classic recordings, and has been featured in some of rock’s most iconic moments. Here are just a few of our favorite examples:

The Beatles – “I Want To Hold Your Hand”
The Doors – “Light My Fire”
Cream – “Crossroads”
Jimi Hendrix – “All Along The Watchtower”
Stevie Wonder – “Superstition”

The Vox Continental

The Vox Continental was one of the most popular organs used by psychedelic rock bands in the 1960s. Its unique sound was perfect for creating the dense, swirling textures that defined the genre. The Continental was also notable for its compact size, which made it easy to transport to gigs and recording sessions.

Although the Continental was originally designed as a portable organ for use in churches and small venues, it quickly became a staple of the psychedelic rock scene. Bands like The Doors, The Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane all made extensive use of the instrument on stage and in the studio. The Continental’s popularity began to decline in the 1970s as synthesizers became more prevalent in rock music, but its impact on the sound of psychedelic rock is still evident today.

The Farfisa Compact

The Farfisa Compact is a combo organ that was popular in the 1960s and featured in many psychedelic rock bands. The organ produces a unique sound that is essential to the psychedelic rock genre.

The Farfisa Compact was first introduced in 1966 and quickly became a popular choice for organists in psychedelic rock bands. The organ’s sound is created by two sets of reeds which are vibrated by air passing through them. The reeds are mounted on resonators which amplify the sound of the vibrating reeds.

Psychedelic rock band, The Doors, used a Farfisa Compact on their debut album which was released in 1967. The organ can be heard on the song “Light My Fire”.

Psychedelic Rock Organists

Rock organs were an important part of the psychedelic sound of the 1960s. They helped to create the trippy, mind-bending sound that was associated with the psychedelic movement. Many famous rock stars of the time, such as Jimi Hendrix and The Doors, made use of rock organs to create their signature sound.

Larry Young

Larry Young (born Lawrence Eugene Young, October 7, 1940 – March 30, 1978) was an American jazz organist and composer. He is best known for his work with saxophonist John Coltrane in the late 1960s and with Miles Davis on the seminal jazz-fusion albums In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew. He also recorded three well-received albums as a bandleader for Blue Note Records.

Young was born in Newark, New Jersey, and began playing piano at the age of four. He switched to Hammond organ when he was about twelve years old, after hearing Wild Bill Davis play at a local church. He began his professional career playing R&B and rock and roll in New Jersey clubs. In 1960 he moved to New York City, where he quickly became in demand as an accompanist for improvisers such as Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, Eric Dolphy (on Out to Lunch), Coleman Hawkins (on The Hawk Flies High), and Charles Mingus (on Town Hall Concert).

Over the next few years he developed a distinctive style that incorporated elements of modal jazz, blues, gospel music, and rhythm and blues. In 1965 he joined forces with alto saxophonist Charles Lloyd; their band also featured tenor saxophonist Gábor Szabó and drummer Jack DeJohnette. The group was one of the first jazz bands to achieve widespread popularity outside of the traditional jazz audience; they recorded several highly acclaimed albums for Atlantic Records before disbanding in 1968.

In August 1967 Young made his first recordings as a leader for Blue Note Records; these were later released as the album Contemplating the Engine Room. Around this time he also began working with trumpeter Miles Davis on Davis’s groundbreaking album In a Silent Way; he later contributed to Davis’s follow-up release Bitches Brew. Young continued to record sporadically as a leader throughout the 1970s; his final album Larry Young’s Fuel was released posthumously in 1978. He died of a heart attack in New York City at the age of 37.

Brian Auger

Brian Auger is a British jazz and rock keyboardist, who was a pioneer of the hard rock form of jazz-rock. He was the first person to use electronic keyboards in rock music, and played a major role in developing the Hammond B3 organ as a sound for pop and rock. He is best known as the keyboard player of The Tridents, who had a UK hit with “Money” in 1967, and as the founder and leader of turn-of-the-1970s fusion band Oblivion Express. After leaving Apocalypse in 1968, he briefly toured with Jimi Hendrix. He subsequently established himself as a successful solo artist and bandleader, working with such musicians as Julie Driscoll, Robin Trower, Mitch Mitchell, Steve Cropper, Albert Lee, Paul Butterfield and Felix Cavaliere.

Steve Winwood

Steve Winwood was one of the most well-known and respected rock organists of the psychedelic era. He was a member of the seminal British rock band Traffic, as well as a solo artist with a successful career that has spanned decades. His distinctive style helped to define the sound of psychedelic rock, and his influence can still be heard in many modern bands.

The Legacy of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture, typically employing distortion, extended feedback, and hallucinogenic drugs. The style is marked by a preoccupation with style and technique over traditional songwriting, and often placed greater emphasis on visual and sensory stimulation.

The End of Psychedelic Rock

The 60s was the decade that saw the birth and, eventually, the commercial peak of psychedelic rock, a genre of music characterized by the use of mind-altering drugs, lengthy jams, distorted guitars, and trippy sound effects. But as the decade came to a close, psychedelic rock began to lose its luster. By the early 70s, it had all but disappeared from prominence.

What caused this sudden decline? There are a few theories. First, many of the architects of psychedelic rock (such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin) died suddenly and tragically, depriving the genre of some of its biggest stars. Second, as the 60s progressed and social tensions mounted, many music fans were simply in no mood for mind-expanding escapism – they wanted music that reflected their reality, not tried to transcend it. Finally, psychedelia became increasingly self-indulgent and formulaic; as one commentator put it, it became “the sound of four dudes staring at their shoes”.

Whatever the reasons for its decline, there’s no denying that psychedelic rock left a lasting legacy. Many of its innovations (such as feedback and distortion) are still central to rock music today; without psychedelia, we might not have had heavy metal or punk rock. And whilepsychedelic rock may be long gone, its spirit lives on in contemporary genres like acid house and shoegaze.

The Resurgence of Psychedelic Rock

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, we saw a resurgence of interest in psychedelic rock, with bands such as The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Dandy Warhols, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and The Vines all taking influence from the sound of the 1960s. This new wave of psychedelic rock was often dubbed “neo-psychedelia” or “retro-psychedelia” to distinguish it from the original movement.