Psychedelic Pop Rock
tagStarted 1966Peak 1967-1969Last big hit 1969
Located in 1 route
Psychedelia tucked into tight, melodic three-minute pop: lush harmonies, harpsichord, strings, Mellotron and tape effects wrapped around hummable hooks. Sunshine-bright or wistfully baroque, it borrows acid-era color (phasing, backwards bits, surreal lyrics) without abandoning the verse-chorus craft and chart ambition of classic pop songwriting.
History
Bloomed in 1967 as studios let pop acts add psychedelic ornamentation to radio-ready songs. The Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Zombies and Los Angeles 'sunshine pop' producers led the way, while one-off chart hits carried the sound widely. Largely faded by 1969 but became a key reference for later baroque-pop and twee revivalists.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Wikipedia: Psychedelic pop
- AllMusic
- Rolling Stone
- Pitchfork