100 Greatest Psychedelic Rock Bands

Top 100 Psychedelic Rock Bands

Psychedelic Rock is a style of rock music influenced and represented by psychedelic culture. While psychedelic music is often centered on musical elements that give listeners a mind altering experience associated with perception and thoughts, the musical style has been used indiscriminately in different sub-cultures. This article presents a detailed perspective on the best psychedelic rock bands.
Image Credit - https://pixabay.com/en/woodstock-art-hippi-colorful-paint-568933/

The roots of Psychedelic music lie in the 60s. The style of music came into its own when musicians in the folk genre started experimenting with long improvisational elements and musical structures that featured electronic sounds induced through studio tricks accompanied by non-western instrumentation, dynamization and disjunctive sonic soundscapes. The musical and lyrical elements in psychedelic rock are known to take listeners on a thought provoking musical journey often induced by a mind altering high. The early psychedelic movement that stemmed from folk rock derived a significant influence from blues and jazz. The raga rock movement became monumental in the 60s, and many psychedelic rock bands incorporated Indian influences in sounds.

Psychedelic Rock and the Hippie Culture

The psychedelic music movement became a subculture with hippies in the 60s. Between 1965 and 1969 psychedelic rock became an epic musical movement, Events such as Summer of Love in 1967 and Woodstock Rock Festival spread the message of hippie culture also fondly known as the flower generation.

The mind altering experiences of psychedelic drugs, LSD in particular started being associated with different styles of psychedelic rock.

The music that came to life induced by a hallucinogenic episode of mind altering drugs has a signature dark mood to music and lyrics evoking thoughtfulness and perception of changes. While the hippie movement embraced different forms of psychedelic music with open arms, the hippie culture involved with meditation and spiritual practices were disheartened about psychedelic rock being showcased in negative light through use of drugs.

In the 60s, a number of bands emerged in the British music scene with a psychedelic pop sound. The American West coast in the mid 60s developed the acid rock sound, a heavy-hard-hitting style often associated with psychedelic rock. While different musical influences shaped the Psychedelic rock sound, the free-form experimentation in structured jams formed the focal point of psychedelic music. Psychedelic rock is known to take listeners on a journey of thought provoking questions of self-realization. While the psychedelic rock scene peaked in the 60s, the movement started fading away in the 70s with many psychedelic bands adopting a change in sound or shifting to other genres.

The neo-psychedelic sound emerged in the 70s with a number of progressive elements rooted in the psychedelic sound. Though the psychedelic rock sound has evolved considerably since the 70s, the magical expression of perception, introspect, and mindfulness through music and lyrics remain the same. The present psychedelic rock movement may not be as magnanimous as it used to be, however, the fact remains that psychedelic rock changed the lives of many through music.

The flower power generation owes it big to different forms of psychedelic rock. Psychedelic rock is often associated with the hippie culture that spawned a new world of artists, poets, thinkers, dreamers, and intellects. Progressive rock and many heavy metal subgenres have branched and developed through different forms of psychedelic rock. While the school of thought in regard with psychedelic rock as a diverse musical style varies drastically, no one can deny…psychedelic rock paved the way for wide genres of music.

The lines below showcase a diverse list of the best Psychedelic bands.  

100 Greatest Psychedelic Rock Bands

  1. Gong
  2. Jefferson Airplane
  3. Pink Floyd
  4. Big Brother and the Holding Company
  5. Apple Pie Motherhood Band
  6. Blue Magoos
  7. Quicksilver Messenger Service
  8. The Electric Prunes
  9. Grateful Dead
  10. The 13 th Floor Elevators
  11. The Doors
  12. The Charlatans
  13. Blue Cheer
  14. The Byrds
  15. Lothar and the Hand People
  16. Count Five
  17. Pink Fairies
  18. Comus
  19. Shocking Blue
  20. Country Joe and the Fish
  21. Love
  22. Iron Butterfly
  23. Trad Gras Stenar
  24. Procol Harum
  25. The Seeds
  26. Moby Grape
  27. Soft Machine
  28. The Velvet Underground
  29. The Peanut Butter Conspiracy
  30. Spirit
  31. Les Rallizes Denudes
  32. The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
  33. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
  34. Sons of Champlin
  35. Vanilla Fudge
  36. Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band
  37. The Moody Blues
  38. Tame Impala
  39. Silver Apples
  40. Porcupine Tree
  41. The Savage Resurrection
  42. Hawkwind
  43. The Great Society
  44. The Daily Flash
  45. Os Mutantes
  46. The Flaming Lips
  47. T. Rex
  48. Cream
  49. Zakary Thaks
  50. The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band
  51. The Deviants
  52. The Yardbirds
  53. Ultimate Spinach
  54. Traffic
  55. The Black Angels
  56. Strawberry Alarm Clock  
  57. The Mystery Trend
  58. Earthless
  59. The Mothers of Invention
  60. Wolfmother
  61. Black Mountain
  62. The Brian Jonestown Massacre
  63. Sugarloaf
  64. A Place to Bury Strangers
  65. The Aliens
  66. Hopewell
  67. White Denim
  68. King Crimson
  69. Warpaint
  70. Foxygen
  71. Allah-Las
  72. Fifty Foot Hose
  73. The Chocolate Watchband
  74. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
  75. Argent
  76. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
  77. Woods
  78. Endless Boogie
  79. Thin White Rope
  80. Unknown Mortal Orchestra
  81. Dead Meadow
  82. Zoe
  83. The Fresh & Onlys
  84. Andromeda
  85. Kadavar
  86. Secret Machines
  87. Acid Mother’s Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
  88. Pretty Things
  89. Freedom
  90. Tumbleweed
  91. Oh Sees
  92. Yeasayer
  93. Darker My Love
  94. The Zombies
  95. Frijid Pink
  96. Spacemen 3
  97. Hunger
  98. Onieda
  99. Red Krayola
  100. Psychic TV

Other Notable Bands Associated with Psychedelic Rock

TAGS : psychedelic rock bands acid rock psychedelic rock 60s 70s hippie culture

realityspeaks

Thank you for visiting my profile. I am a Freelance Content Writer. I like to learn something new every day. When I’m not at the computer, I’m either reading or on vacation. I dwell in peace, I hope you do too. My Favorite Quote “When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.”- Dalai Lama


Post Your Comment

Related Articles

  • 100 Greatest Bollywood Dance Songs
    Music and dance is an essential part of Bollywood movies. Song and dance routines have been popular in Hindi films since the 50s. This article brings to light the best Bollywood dance songs.
  • 100 Greatest Bollywood Item Songs
    Item songs have become the quite essential flavor of Bollywood movies. Without an item song a commercial Hindi movie seems incomplete. This space is dedicated to the best Bollywood item songs from the 80s, 90s and 2000.
  • 100 Greatest Bollywood Sad Songs
    Numerous Bollywood songs connect on an emotional level. The lyrics of some Bollywood songs bring tears. Sad songs do bring memories. This article is an epic showcase of the best Bollywood sad songs.