Psychedelic Rock: The Golden Period

Psychedelic rock reached its golden period during the late 1960s. This was a time when many young people were experimenting with drugs, and the music reflected this change in attitude. The best psychedelic rock bands were able to create a sound that was both trippy and catchy, and the genre quickly gained popularity.

The Birth of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that became popular in the 1960s. The style is characterized by distorted guitars, feedback, elaborate studio effects, and trippy lyrics. The genre is often associated with the counterculture of the 1960s and the subculture of the hippies.

The San Francisco Sound

Psychedelic rock was born in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s. The first psychedelic rock band was The Grateful Dead, who were quickly followed by other San Francisco bands like Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Quicksilver Messenger Service. These bands were influenced by the blues, gospel, and jazz they heard on the radio, as well as by the new drugs they were experimenting with, like LSD and psilocybin mushrooms.

The San Francisco sound was characterized by long improvisational jams, mind-bending lyrics, and a focus on creating an experience for the listener rather than simply playing music. The style was often imitated but never truly duplicated; no other city had quite the same combination of influences and culture.

The British Invasion

The origins of psychedelic rock can be traced back to the early 1960s and the British Invasion led by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. These two bands, along with other British Invasion groups such as The Kinks and The Who, were influenced by American rhythm and blues artists such as Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. They began to experiment with new sounds and production techniques, which laid the foundation for what would become psychedelic rock.

The Beatles’ landmark album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in 1967, is often cited as the first overtly psychedelic rock album. It featured a number of elements that would become synonymous with the genre, including distorted guitars, feedback, unconventional song structures, and studio experimentation. The album was a commercial and critical success, and it helped to popularize psychedelic rock both in the UK and the US.

The Rolling Stones’ 1968 album Beggars Banquet was also highly influential in the development of psychedelic rock. Like Sgt. Pepper’s, it featured distorted guitars and feedback, as well as a more raw and blues-influenced sound. The album’s lead single, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” is often considered one of the first true psychedelic rock songs.

Other important early psychedelic rock albums include The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Are You Experienced (1967), Cream’s Disraeli Gears (1967), The Doors’ self-titled debut album (1967), Vanilla Fudge’s Renaissance (1968), and Small Faces’ Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake (1968). These albums helped to further define the genre and solidify its place in popular music.

The Psychedelic Sound

Psychedelic rock, also referred to as “acid rock”, is a music genre that emerged in the 1960s. It is characterized by a distorted, “trippy” sound that was created with the help of studio effects and psychedelic drugs. The Golden Age of Psychedelic Rock is considered to be from 1966 to 1968.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

In late 1966 and early 1967, American author Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters traveled across the country in a painted school bus, spreading the gospel of psychedelic drugs and mind expansion. The Acid Test parties they threw — which featured the Grateful Dead as the house band — were epic affairs that lasted for days, with constant psychedelic music, light shows, and acid (LSD) being passed around. These parties were immortalized in Tom Wolfe’s 1968 book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.

The Summer of Love

The Summer of Love was a turning point for music and culture. The Psychedelic Sound examines how this incredible time period gave birth to Psychedelic Rock--one of the most influential and significant genres in music history.

Psychedelic Rock reached its peak during what is now known as the Golden Age of Psychedelia, which lasted from 1966 to 1969. This was a time when young people were pushing boundaries and expanding their minds, and the music reflected this spirit of exploration. Psychedelic Rock bands like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and The Doors were at the forefront of this musical revolution, creating sounds that were both experimental and accessible.

The Golden Age of Psychedelia came to an end with the tragic death of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones in 1969. Jones was one of the architects of Psychedelic Rock, and his death signaled the beginning of the end for the genre. As the 1970s dawned, Psychedelic Rock gave way to more experimental styles like Progressive Rock and Krautrock. But the impact of this brief but influential period can still be felt today in the work of modern bands like Tame Impala and MGMT.

The Legacy of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock, often simply called psychedelia, is a style of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s. The style is characterized by a preoccupation with LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline, and other psychedelic drugs. Psychedelic rock often employs sonic experimentation, extended jam sessions, and unusual sound effects. It was inspired by Eastern music and the writings of authors such as Aldous Huxley, Arthur Rimbaud, and Jack Kerouac.

The Grateful Dead

Formed in 1965 in San Francisco, the Grateful Dead was one of the most revered and influential bands of the psychedelic rock era. The band’s long, improvised jams and exploration of various musical styles helped to define the genre, and their live shows became legendary. The Dead were also known for their strong commitment to their fans, allowing audience members to tape and trade live recordings of their concerts.

The Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995 following the death of guitarist and singer Jerry Garcia, but their music continues to live on through their devoted fan base (known as “Deadheads”) and numerous live recordings.

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960. They became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in history. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are commonly regarded as the foremost and most influential music band of all time. Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways; the band later explored music styles ranging from ballads and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects of popular music, helping to define the embryonic pop band format.

The End of an Era

Psychedelic rock, also referred to as “acid rock”, reached the height of its popularity in the late 1960s. The genre is distinguished by distorted guitars, mind-altering lyrical themes, and experimental instrumentation. The golden period of psychedelic rock ended with the dawn of the 1970s.

The Altamont Speedway Free Concert

Held on December 6, 1969, at the Altamont Speedway in Northern California, the Altamont Speedway Free Concert was billed as “The Woodstock of the West.” An estimated 300,000 people attended the event, which was marred by violence, including the death of audience member Meredith Hunter. The incident was captured in the documentary film Gimme Shelter.

The Manson Family Murders

The Manson Family Murders were a series of killigs carried out by members of the Manson Family, a Californian commune led by Charles Manson. Between August 9 and 10, 1969, the Manson Family murdered five people: actress Sharon Tate, her husband Roman Polanski, Abigail Folger, Jay Sebring, and Wojciech Frykowski.

The murders shocked and horrified the nation, and put an end to the “Summer of Love.” Psychedelic rock – which had been growing in popularity throughout the late 1960s – became tainted by association with the murders, and many fans turned away from the genre. The Golden Age of Psychedelic Rock came to an abrupt and tragic end.