10 Best Psychedelic Rock Bands of All Time
Psychedelic rock is a genre of music that emerged in the 1960s and influenced many other styles of rock, pop, and alternative music. Psychedelic rock bands use distorted guitars, keyboards, effects, and lyrics that explore themes of consciousness, perception, and spirituality. Some of the most influential and popular psychedelic rock bands of all time are:
10. The Beatles
The Beatles are widely regarded as the most influential band in the history of music. They started as a pop rock band, but experimented with different genres and sounds throughout their career. One of their most psychedelic albums is Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967).
It features songs like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, A Day in the Life, and Within You Without You. The Beatles also made other psychedelic songs, such as Strawberry Fields Forever, I Am the Walrus, and Tomorrow Never Knows.
9. Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are one of the most successful and influential psychedelic rock bands of all time. They gained recognition for creating concept albums, delivering elaborate live shows, and innovating the use of sound effects and synthesizers.
Some of their most psychedelic albums are The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), which explores themes of madness, time, and death, Wish You Were Here (1975), which is a tribute to their former leader Syd Barrett, and The Wall (1979), which is also a rock opera about a troubled rock star. Some of their most psychedelic songs are Echoes, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, and Comfortably Numb.
8. The Doors
The Doors are one of the most iconic and controversial psychedelic rock bands of all time. They are known for their charismatic and provocative frontman Jim Morrison, who frequently sang about sex, drugs, and death. Some of their most psychedelic albums are The Doors (1967).
It features their hit song Light My Fire, Strange Days (1967), which includes songs like People Are Strange and When the Music’s Over, and L.A. Woman (1971), which is their last album with Morrison. Some of their most psychedelic songs are The End, Riders on the Storm, and Break on Through (To the Other Side).
7. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience are one of the most influential and innovative psychedelic rock bands of all time. They earned recognition for revolutionizing the use of distortion, feedback, and effects through their virtuosic and experimental guitar playing.
Some of their most psychedelic albums are Are You Experienced (1967), which features songs like Purple Haze, Hey Joe, and The Wind Cries Mary, Axis: Bold as Love (1967), which includes songs like Little Wing, Castles Made of Sand, and If 6 Was 9, and Electric Ladyland (1968), which also contains songs like All Along the Watchtower, Voodoo Child (Slight Return), and 1983… (A Merman I Should Turn to Be).
6. Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead are one of the most popular and enduring psychedelic rock bands of all time. They cultivate a reputation for their improvisational and eclectic style, integrating elements of folk, blues, country, jazz, and rock. They also earned recognition for their loyal fan base, known as “Deadheads,” who followed them around the country and recorded their live shows.
Some of their most psychedelic albums are Anthem of the Sun (1968), which features songs like That’s It for the Other One, New Potato Caboose, and Born Cross-Eyed, Aoxomoxoa (1969), which includes songs like St. Stephen, China Cat Sunflower, and Cosmic Charlie, and American Beauty (1970), which also contains songs like Box of Rain, Friend of the Devil, and Truckin’.
5. Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane are one of the most influential and successful psychedelic rock bands of the 1960s. They gained renown for their political and social activism, featured female vocalists Grace Slick and Marty Balin, and fused elements of folk, rock, and blues. Some of their most psychedelic albums are Surrealistic Pillow (1967).
It features songs like Somebody to Love, White Rabbit, and Today, After Bathing at Baxter’s (1967), which includes songs like The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil, Watch Her Ride, and Martha, and Crown of Creation (1968), which also contains songs like Lather, Triad, and Volunteers.
4. Cream
Cream are one of the first and most influential psychedelic rock bands of all time. They gain recognition for their power trio format, blues-based rock, and virtuosic musicianship. They also earned credit as one of the first supergroups, with Eric Clapton on guitar, Jack Bruce on bass and vocals, and Ginger Baker on drums.
Some of their most psychedelic albums are Disraeli Gears (1967), which features songs like Sunshine of Your Love, Strange Brew, and Tales of Brave Ulysses, Wheels of Fire (1968), which includes songs like White Room, Crossroads, and Spoonful, and Goodbye (1969), which contains songs like Badge, Doing That Scrapyard Thing, and I’m So Glad.
3. The 13th Floor Elevators
The 13th Floor Elevators are one of the first and most influential psychedelic rock bands of all time. Their use of the electric jug, a homemade instrument producing a distinctive sound, their raw and garage rock style, and their advocacy of LSD and other psychedelic drugs, contribute to their distinct musical identity.
Some of their most psychedelic albums are The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators (1966), which features songs like You’re Gonna Miss Me, Fire Engine, and Reverberation (Doubt), Easter Everywhere (1967), which also includes songs like Slip Inside This House, She Lives (In a Time of Her Own), and Postures (Leave Your Body Behind), and Bull of the Woods (1969), which contains songs like Livin’ On, May the Circle Remain Unbroken, and Dr. Doom.
2. King Crimson
King Crimson are one of the most influential and innovative psychedelic rock bands of all time. They are known for their complex and experimental music, which incorporates elements of classical, jazz, and avant-garde. They are also known for their frequent lineup changes and their use of unusual instruments and sounds.
Some of their most psychedelic albums are In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), which also features songs like 21st Century Schizoid Man, Epitaph, and The Court of the Crimson King, Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (1973), which includes songs like Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part One, Exiles, and Easy Money, and Red (1974), which contains songs like Red, Fallen Angel, and Starless.
1. Tame Impala
Tame Impala are one of the most popular and acclaimed psychedelic rock bands of the 21st century. They showcase a distinctive blend of rock, pop, and electronic music. They create a unique sound that combines retro and modern influences. The band are also known for their creative and visionary leader Kevin Parker, who writes, records, and produces all of their music.
Some of their most psychedelic albums are Innerspeaker (2010), which features songs like Solitude Is Bliss, Lucidity, and Alter Ego, Lonerism (2012), which includes songs like Elephant, Feels Like We Only Go Backwards, and Apocalypse Dreams, and Currents (2015), which contains songs like Let It Happen, The Less I Know the Better, and Eventually.
The Bottom Line
Psychedelic rock is a diverse and fascinating genre of music that has influenced many artists and listeners over the decades. The 10 bands listed above are some of the best examples of psychedelic rock. But there are many more that deserve recognition and appreciation.
If you are a fan of psychedelic rock, or curious about it, you should check out these bands and their albums. You might also discover some new sounds and perspectives that will expand your mind and soul.