Swedish Psychedelic Rock: The Best of the 60s and 70s

This blog spotlights Swedish psychedelic rock from the 60s and 70s. It includes a history of the genre as well as a list of essential tracks.

Swedish Psychedelic Rock

Swedish psychedelic rock refers to a musical style that emerged in Sweden in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The style is characterized by its use of electric guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards, as well as its incorporation of elements of Swedish folk music. Swedish psychedelic rock bands were influenced by a variety of international acts, including The Beatles, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Pink Floyd.

The history of Swedish psychedelic rock

Swedish psychedelic rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in Sweden in the late 1960s. The Swedish sound was influenced by British and American Psychedelic music, but also incorporated ideas from Swedish folk music, giving it a distinctive character.

Swedish psychedelic bands often used instruments such as the sitar and tabla, as well as traditional Swedish instruments like the nyckelharpa and the hurdy-gurdy. Swedish musicians also experimented with electronic music, which became an important part of the Swedish sound.

Swedish psychedelic rock reached its peak in popularity in the early 1970s, with bands such as Denniz Pop’s Hep Stars and Janne Schaffer’s Blå Tåget becoming household names in Sweden. The genre declined in popularity thereafter, but has seen a resurgence in recent years with new bands carrying on the tradition.

The best Swedish psychedelic rock bands of the 60s and 70s

Swedish psychedelic rock is a subgenre of psychedelic rock characterized by its distinctive ” Swedish sound” and use of Swedish-language lyrics. The style emerged in Sweden in the late 1960s, when bands such as Pärson Sound, Hans Edler, and Träd, Gräs och Stenar began to experiment with extended improvisation and sound manipulation.

In the 1970s, Swedish psychedelic rock reached its commercial peak with bands such as Fläskkvartetten, MEKON/3, Pangchrist, and Samla Mammas Manna gaining popularity both in Sweden and abroad. However, by the end of the decade, the trend had largely faded from the mainstream and only a few Swedish psychedelic bands (such as Dungen) have continued to achieve critical and commercial success in the years since.

The Best of Swedish Psychedelic Rock

Sweden has a long and proud tradition of psychedelic rock, dating back to the 1960s. In the 1960s, Sweden was at the forefront of the psychedelic rock scene, with bands such as The Nice, The Moody Blues, and Pink Floyd all playing a part in shaping the genre. The 1970s saw a resurgence in Swedish psychedelic rock, with bands such as Hawkwind, Atomic Rooster, and Lucifer’s Friend all making a name for themselves.

The best Swedish psychedelic rock albums of the 60s and 70s

In a country more commonly associated with frigid temperatures, Swedish psychedelic rock was surprisingly hot in the 1960s and 1970s. These are the best Swedish psychedelic rock albums of that era.

As the counterculture movement gripped the world in the late 1960s, Sweden was no exception. Psychedelic music and mind-expanding drugs became part of the youth culture, and Swedish bands were quick to embrace these new sounds and textures.

Sweden’s first major psychedelic act was The Savage Rose, who combined hard rock with far-out improvisation on their 1968 debut album ‘In the Forest’. Other key Swedish psychedlic acts include improvisational rockers Kebnekaise, acid folk band Pärson Sound, and heavy psych outfit Träd Gräs och Stenar.

If you’re looking to explorer some Scandinavian psychedelia, these are the best Swedish psychedelic rock albums of the 60s and 70s.

The best Swedish psychedelic rock songs of the 60s and 70s

In the 1960s and 1970s, Swedish musicians took the psychedelic sound of the times and made it their own. Drawing from a wide range of influences, they created a unique brand of psychedelic rock that was at turns dreamy, dark, and downright weird.

While some Swedish psychedelic bands found mainstream success (most notably, ABBA), many more remained cult favorites, known only to dedicated fans of Sweden’s underground music scene. Here are some of the best Swedish psychedelic rock songs of the 60s and 70s.