Psychedelic Rock: The Best of Rolling Stone
Contents
A look at the best Psychedelic Rock songs of all time, as decided by Rolling Stone magazine. These tracks exemplify the genre and its evolution.
What is Psychedelic Rock?
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s and gained popularity in the United States and Britain. The genre is characterized by its use of distorted guitars, feedback, and often lengthy solos, as well as by its experimental approach to composition and instrumentation. Psychedelic rock arose out of the broader subculture of psychedelic drugs, particularly LSD.
Psychedelic rock helped shape progressive rock, with many bands considered part of both genres sharing common elements. Psychedelic rock also had an impact on popular music, influencing artists such as the Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and the Beatles.
The Best Psychedelic Rock Albums of All Time
Psychedelic rock is one of the most enduring and popular genres of rock music. It was first popularized in the 1960s and has since had a major influence on popular music. Psychedelic rock is characterized by its use of electronic instruments, extended improvisation, and unconventional song structures.
The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles’ eighth studio album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, is the best psychedelic rock album of all time. Released in 1967, the album is a masterclass in songwriting, performances, and production, and it remains an important and influential work nearly 50 years later.
Filled with hits like “With a Little Help from My Friends,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” and “A Day in the Life,” Sgt. Pepper’s is a timeless record that captures the spirit of the psychedelic era perfectly. The album also features some of the Beatles’ most complex and experimental music, making it an essential listen for any fan of rock music.
The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
Few albums are as influential or as revered as The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. The 1966 LP is often cited as one of the best and most important albums of all time, and its impact can still be felt today – not just in the world of rock, but in pop music as a whole.
Pet Sounds was The Beach Boys’ follow-up to their 1965 album Today!, and it was a huge departure from their previous sound. Gone were the surfing anthems and party tunes; in their place were more introspective, personal songs about love, loss, and yearning. Working with legendary producer Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys created a complex and beautiful record that pushed the boundaries of what pop music could be.
Pet Sounds is often hailed as one of the first “concept albums,” and its influence can be heard in everything from The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to Radiohead’s OK Computer. If you’re looking for a place to start withPsychedelic Rock, there is no better album than Pet Sounds.
The Doors – The Doors
The Doors’ self-titled debut is one of the most fully realized albums of the psychedelic era, and its impact can still be felt today. The record is powered by singer Jim Morrison’s hypnotic baritone, keyboardist Ray Manzarek’s jazzy organ playing, and the vivid poetry of Morrison’s lyrics, which explore dark corners of the American psyche. The Doors also helped pioneer the use of feedback and other studio effects to create an eerie, otherworldly sound. With its mix of blues, jazz, and Eastern influences, The Doors was a bold statement that helped set the stage for the psychedelic revolution.
Jimi Hendrix – Are You Experienced
Rolling Stone – The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: “Are You Experienced changed the face of rock & roll. For electric blues — the foundation of hard rock and classic rock — it was a quantum leap, as radical and influential as anything recorded in the Fifties by Muddy Waters or Howlin’ Wolf. On this debut LP, which still feels fresh four decades later, Jimi Hendrix created an electric-guitar sound so visceral, so nakedly physical, that it remains one of rock’s most shocking sonic overtures.”
Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon
Released in March of 1973, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon was an instant classic. The album is a perfect example of psychedelic rock, and it is often cited as one of the greatest albums of all time. The Dark Side of the Moon is a concept album that explores topics such as madness, death, and materialism. The album’s iconic cover art features a prism that creates a rainbow when light is shone through it.
The album’s first track, “Speak to Me,” sets the tone for the rest of the record with its spacey sound effects and heartbeat-like pulse. This is followed by “Breathe,” a calm and beautiful song that features some of Roger Waters’ best lyrics. “On the Run” is another highlights, and it features an interesting sound collage that includes airplane announcements and police sirens.
The second half of The Dark Side of the Moon is where the album really takes off. “Time” is one of Pink Floyd’s most popular songs, and it features some great guitar work from David Gilmour. “The Great Gig in the Sky” is a atmospheric track that features some stunning vocals from Clare Torry. “Money” is another fan favorite, and it contains some great saxophone playing from Dick Parry.
The Dark Side of the Moon is an essential album for any fan of psychedelic rock or Pink Floyd. It is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when artists push themselves to create something truly unique and special.
The Best Psychedelic Rock Songs of All Time
Psychedelic rock, also called psychedelia, is a style of rock music that emerged in the mid 1960s. Psychedelic rock is characterized by distorted guitars, trippy lyrics, and mind-bending sound effects. The best psychedelic rock songs are mind-bending masterpieces that transport listeners to another world.
“A Day in the Life” by The Beatles
This song, from the Fab Four’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, is a perfect example of the psychedelia that was prevalent in music during the late 1960s. The song features strange sound effects, such as an EMT siren and a choir of doo-wop singers, that create an otherworldly feeling. The lyrics are equally trippy, with references to an “eggman” and a “smokey room.” Despite all of this strangeness, the song is still incredibly catchy and is sure to stick in your head for days.
“Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys
Psychedelic rock, or psyrock for short, is a style of rock music that was initially popularized in the 1960s and 1970s. The term “psychedelic” refers to the mind-altering effects of drugs such as LSD, and the music often incorporates elements of that experience, such as distorted guitars and trippy sound effects. Psychedelic rock came to prominence in the late 1960s with bands like The Beach Boys and The Beatles experimenting with the sound, and it continued to be popular throughout the 1970s with bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath.
“Light My Fire” by The Doors
“Light My Fire” is a 1967 song by The Doors, which was recorded in late May and released the first week of July on their debut album The Doors. It was the first single released by The Doors and was a huge commercial success, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 andnumber two in the UK Singles Chart.
The song featured on the soundtrack of the movie The Big Lebowski and has been covered by many artists including Jose Feliciano, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Phish, Hootie & The Blowfish and Ellie Goulding.
“Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix
Debuting on the album Are You Experienced, “Purple Haze” was one of the first psychedelic rock songs to chart. Jimi Hendrix’s signature use of feedback and distortion, paired with his lyrical references to drug culture, made “Purple Haze” an anthem for the counterculture movement of the 1960s.
“Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2” by Pink Floyd
There’s no question that “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2” is one of the most iconic and popular songs of all time, both in and out of the psychedelic rock genre. Sung by a children’s choir, it’s a stark, eerie track that contrasts with the rest of Pink Floyd’s The Wall album, which is full of dark, personal lyrics. Whether you’re a fan of psychedelic rock or not, it’s hard to deny the power and influence of “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2.”
