Psychedelic Era

tagStarted 1966Peak 1967-1969Last big hit 1970

Located in 1 route

Acid-rock and studio psychedelia: phasing, backwards tape, sitar drones, swirling organ, extended improvisations and lyrics steeped in surreal, mind-expanding imagery. Reverb-drenched, kaleidoscopic mixes built around the new freedom of multitrack recording — the sound of the counterculture chasing inner space rather than the radio single.

History

Emerging from 1966 in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury and London's UFO Club, psychedelia peaked across the 1967 Summer of Love with Sgt. Pepper and the Monterey festival. Jefferson Airplane, the Doors and Hendrix took it to the charts before harder, rootsier reactions ended the movement around 1970.

Defining artists

Essential listening

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Sources

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_rock
  • https://www.allmusic.com/style/psychedelic-ma0000002762
  • https://www.britannica.com/art/psychedelic-music