What is Psychedelic Rock?

Psychedelic rock, also referred to as psyrock, is a subgenre of rock music that is inspired, or influenced, by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs.

Origins of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s. Musically, psychedelic rock is characterized by distorted guitars, feedback, and other effects, and by the incorporation of elements of Eastern music. Psychedelic rock reached the height of its popularity in the 1967 Summer of Love.

San Francisco’s Summer of Love

In the summer of 1967, young people from all over the country descended on San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, hoping to partake in the peace, love, and free-spiritedness that seemed to be taking over the city. This mass migration came to be known as the Summer of Love.

At the heart of the Summer of Love was music. Every day, new bands dedicated to creating mind-expanding sounds were forming, and clubs like The Fillmore and The Avalon were showcasing cutting-edge talent. One of the most popular genres to come out of this time was psychedelic rock.

Psychedelic rock was characterized by extended jams, distorted guitars, mind-bending lyrics, and a general sense of experimentation. It was often inspired by (and sometimes incorporated) elements of other genres like folk, jazz, and electronic music. Some of the most famous psychedelic rock bands were The Grateful Dead, The Jefferson Airplane, and The Doors.

Psychedelic rock would go on to have a profound impact on popular culture. It ushered in a new era of creativity and self-expression, and its spirit can still be felt in many contemporary genres like jam band music and indie rock.

The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”

Psychedelic rock, sometimes referred to simply as psychedelia, is a style of rock music that was popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The style is characterized by a preoccupation with state of mind-altering substances, such as LSD, and a preoccupation with the mystical and spiritual. Musically, it is often distinguished by the use of sitars, feedback, and other effects intended to create an “acid trip” experience.

The Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is often cited as one of the most influential psychedelic rock albums. The album’s iconic artwork, which featured a collage of life-sized cardboard cut-outs of famous people, was designed by artist Peter Blake. The album’s opening track, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” is widely believed to be about LSD.

Key Characteristics of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock is a type of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture. The music is intended to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. Psychedelic rock often uses new recording techniques and effects and draws on non-Western sources such as the ragas and drones of Indian music.

Use of feedback, distortion, and other sonic effects

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It often uses new recording techniques and effects and incorporates elements of other genres such as blues, folk, jazz, and electronica.

Use of extended improvisation

Psychedelic rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Rooted in British and American Blues-rock, the genre is characterized by heavy use of extended improvisation, electric guitars, amplified bass guitars, drums, and often accompanied by keyboards.

Psychedelic rock often uses perceived hallucinations and flashbacks to create lyrical content, which has been described as “dreaming with your eyes wide open.” The experience of a psychedelic state is often associated with altered states of consciousness, such as heightened awareness, travel through time and space, synesthesia (e.g. “seeing” sound or “hearing” colors), and religious experiences.

The use of extended improvisation is one of the key characteristics of psychedelic rock. This improvisation is often based on chord progressions that are either simple or complex. The goal is to create a state of mind where the musicians are “playing from the same page,” allowing them to explore the music without any predetermined structure.

Psychedelic rock is sometimes used as a catch-all term for any rock music that contains elements of psychedelia, whether intentional or not. However, the genre is more accurately defined by its sonic characteristics, rather than its lyrical content or drug associations.

Use of unconventional song structures

Psychedelic rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the 1960s. Its style is distinguished by the infusion of elements from other genres such as:
– Blues
– Folk
– Jazz
– Sitar
– Electronic music
Psychedelic rock often incorporates:
– Odd time signatures
– Unusual harmonic structures
– Extended vocal techniques
Instrumentation in psychedelic rock often includes:
– Guitars
– Electric basses
– Drums
Psychedelic rock songs are often divided into sections, which may be labeled with Roman numerals, called “modular song form”.

Notable Psychedelic Rock Artists

Psychedelic Rock, also known as Psychedelia, is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the 1960s. Psychedelic rock is often characterized by a distorted, “trippy” sound, extended jams, and unusual or futuristic lyrics. The genre is often associated with the use of psychedelic drugs, particularly LSD.

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who is widely considered to be one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music. Hendrix’s style of playing was unique and combined elements of psychedelia, blues, jazz, and rock. Hisihara has been inspired by many different artists including B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Albert King.

Hendrix began his recording career with the release of his debut album Are You Experienced in 1967. The album featured hits like “Purple Haze” and “Hey Joe” which helped to launch Hendrix’s career. He went on to release a number of other successful albums including Axis: Bold as Love and Electric Ladyland. In 1970, Hendrix performed at the iconic Woodstock Music & Art Fair. He died less than a year later at the age of 27 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

The Doors

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired, or influenced by, psychedelia, a subculture of people who used psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline and DMT to experience visual and auditory hallucinations, an altered state of consciousness, or a dissociative state. Psychedelic rock can be traced back to the early 1960s, when bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones began experimenting with drugs such as LSD and cannabis.

The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were one of the most successful and influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band released eight studio albums including their debut album The Doors (1967), which reached number two on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album featured their breakthrough single “Light My Fire” which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished for their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics and elaborate live shows, and became a leading band of the progressive rock genre. They are one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in popular music history.

Formed in 1965, Pink Floyd originally consisted of students Syd Barrett on guitar and lead vocals, Nick Mason on drums, Roger Waters on bass and lead vocals, and Richard Wright on keyboards and backing vocals. They gained popularity performing in London’s underground music scene during the late 1960s, and under Barrett’s leadership released two charting singles and a successful debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967). Guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour joined Pink Floyd in December 1967; Barrett left the band in April 1968 due to deteriorating mental health.

With Wright as their new leader, Pink Floyd recorded several more concept albums—most notably The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), The Wall (1979) and The Division Bell (1994)—and prospered as one of the most innovative bands of their era. Barrett died in 2006; Waters became estranged from Pink Floyd in 1985 amid creative differences. Gilmour assumes leadership while Wright rejoined them as a session musician that same year; both continued to contribute to Pink Floyd’s output until 1994’s The Division Bell brought diminishing returns commercially compared to their earlier work. In 2005, members of Pink Floyd reunited for a performance at the Live 8 global awareness event where they performed “Wish You Were Here”. Mason currently serves as chief executive officer (CEO) of Pink Floyd Music Ltd., holding rights to the band name along with Gilmour.