The Top 5 Psychedelic Rock Bands of All Time
The Top 5 Psychedelic Rock Bands of All Time
1. The Beatles
2. Pink Floyd
3. The Rolling Stones
4. The Doors
5. Jimi Hendrix
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960. With members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they became widely regarded as the foremost and most influential music band in history. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later experimented with several genres, ranging from pop ballads and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock, often incorporating classical elements in innovative ways. In 1963, their enormous popularity first emerged as “Beatlemania”; as the group’s music grew in sophistication, led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney, the band were integral to pop music’s evolution into an art form and to the development of the counterculture of the 1960s.
The Beatles built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960, with Stuart Sutcliffe initially serving as bass player. The core trio of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison, together since 1958, went through a succession of drummers, including Pete Best, before asking Starr to join them in 1962. Manager Brian Epstein moulded them into a professional act, and producer George Martin enhanced their musical potential by adding layers of instrumentation to their raw recordings. By early 1964 they had become international stars; Starr had replaced Best on drums that previous August when they topped the US album charts with Meet the Beatles! and topped both the UK Singles Chart with “I Want To Hold Your Hand”and Rolling Stone magazine’s poll of critics as 1964’s best new musical act.
A series of successful main releases followed: With The Beatles (1963), Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966), Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), The Beatles (1968) – also colloquially known as The White Album – Abbey Road (1969) and Let It Be (1970). In 1968 they founded Apple Corps Ltd., a multimedia corporation that continues to control their business interests more than four decades after they disbanded as a performing unit in 1970. A documentary film about their time together before breaking up was made after their breakup released under the name Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years(2016).
Psychedelic rock is a diverse style of rock music inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate or enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid-1960s among folk rock bands like Jefferson Airplaneand Donovanand reached its greatest prominence between 1967and 1969with artists such as Jimi Hendrixand Janis Joplinhitting commercial success; British bands such as Pink FloydThe Whoand Cream; American groups such as The ByrdsThe DoorsLove; psychedelic soul performers such as Sly & The Family Stone; proto-metal jam bands such as Iron Butterflyand Blues Magoosas well as major figures working within mainstream Rock music including Bob DylanThe Beach BoysBrian WilsonEric Clapton Crosby Stills Nash & Young Mark Mothersbaugh would later describe his own work with Devo David Bowie Rolling Stones Led Zeppelin As psychedelia encompassed jazz-based improvisation it Touched upon several other genres including blues R&B gospel reggae country folk pop baroque pop classical music
After achieving commercial success during this initial period many artists moved away from psychedelia towards more concise song-based material influenced more by hard rock heavy metal glam rock or simply abandoned it completely for other directions including electronic disco funk avant-garde jazz new wave punk post punk glam metal gothic metal indie pop alternative hip hop drone metal Grunge emo nu metal rap metal nu metal rap core afrobeat arabesque bedroom pop syncretism synthpop electronic body music trap
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. The first stable line-up consisted of Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica), Mick Jagger (lead vocals, harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Bill Wyman (bass), Charlie Watts (drums), and Ian Stewart (piano). Stewart was removed from the official line-up in 1963 but continued as a touring member until his death in 1985. Jones died less than a month after Stewart, having already been replaced by Mick Taylor, who remained until 1974. After Taylor left the band, Ronnie Wood took his place in 1975 and has been on guitar in tandem with Richards ever since. Following Wyman’s departure in 1993, Darryl Jones joined as their touring bassist. Other touring keyboardists for the band have been Nicky Hopkins (1967–1982), introduced by newly hired producer Jimmy Miller, conga player Pablo Libreros Percussion Group and Billy Preston through the 1970s; Chuck Leavell has been the principal keyboardist since 1982; Lisa Fischer and Bernard Fowler sing backing vocals on many songs since late 1990s/early 2000s tours; while Blondie Chaplin, Sasha Allen and Bernard Fowler were added to backing vocals duties on select dates during 2013 50 & Counting Tour.
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts of the 1960s because of Morrison’s lyrics and charismatic but unpredictable stage persona. After the band’s debut album in 1967, they released eight additional studio albums and toured extensively until Morrison’s death at the age of 27 in 1971. Despite this, the band continued as a trio until finally disbanding in 1973.
many of their songs, such as “The End”, “Light My Fire”, “People Are Strange”, and “Touch Me”, became international hits on radio stations across the world and are still popular today. The doors have sold over 100 million records worldwide and have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Pink Floyd
Formed in London in 1965, Pink Floyd is one of the most influential rock bands of all time. With hits like “Another Brick in the Wall” and ” Comfortably Numb,” the band created a unique sound that was both accessible and experimental. Pink Floyd is also known for their groundbreaking live shows, which often featured elaborate light shows and special effects.
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin is often considered one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and their experimental, psychedelic sound has inspired many other artists. Formed in 1968, the band rose to prominence in the 1970s with their unique blend of blues, folk, and hard rock. Led Zeppelin has sold more than 300 million records worldwide, and they continue to be hugely popular, even after the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980. Other notable bands in this genre include Pink Floyd and The Doors.
