The Best Pure Psychedelic Rock Bands
These are the best psychedelic rock bands that stay true to the genre’s roots with mind-bending sounds and trippy lyrics.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience was an American-English rock band that formed in London in October 1966. Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding, and drummer Mitch Mitchell comprised the group, which was active until June 1969. During this time, they released three studio albums—Are You Experienced (1967), Axis: Bold as Love (1967), and Electric Ladyland (1968)—and became one of the most influential acts in rock history.
Cream
Cream was a British rock supergroup formed in London in 1966. The group consisted of lead vocalist/bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker. They were considered to be one of the first supergroups, and their unique sound influenced many future rock bands. Cream combined elements of blues and jazz to create a unique psychedelic sound that was unmatched at the time. The band only lasted for two years, but they left a lasting legacy on rock music.
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The group consisted of vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were one of the most controversial and influential rock acts of the 1960s and 1970s due largely to Morrison’s lyrics and voice which was described as erotic, poetic and shamanistic. Due to his enigmatic persona, wild personality and the physicality of his performances, Morrison was referred to by critics and admirers alike as “The Lizard King”.
The Doors’ debut album, The Doors (1967), released by Elektra Records, peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and produced their most well-known song, “Light My Fire”. The single spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July 1967 and helped the album reach number one in September. In December 1967 they released their second album Strange Days which also reached number two on the Billboard 200. The album’s opening track “People Are Strange” was a top ten hit in October 1967. In 1968 they released Waiting for the Sun which reached number three on the Billboard 200 but its single “Hello, I Love You” only reached number fifteen on the Hot 100 chart.
After Morrison’s death in 1971 at age 27 despite having only recorded six studio albums, The Doors were recognized as one of the most popular and influential bands of their era with hits like “Break On Through (To the Other Side)”, “Touch Me”, “Love Her Madly”, “Riders on the Storm” and “L.A. Woman”. The band has sold over 100 million records worldwide from their albums which have been certified multi-platinum by RIAA in America alone. In 2015 they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with a total of eight nominations between them.
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was a psychedelic rock band that was formed in San Francisco in 1965. The band was one of the pioneering bands of the psychedelic rock genre and their 1967 album, Surrealistic Pillow, is considered to be one of the greatest psychedelic rock albums of all time. The band continued to release successful albums throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, before disbanding in 1974.
The Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, and gospel—and for live performances of long musical improvisation. “Their music,” writes Lenny Kaye, “wasn’theard so much as experienced.” The band was ranked 57th by Rolling Stone in its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and 23rd by VH1 in its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. The Grateful Dead have sold more than 35 million albums worldwide.
