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60s Psychedelia

Tony L

Administrator
Any 60s psych fans here on pfm?

Psychedelia is an area of music I feel I don’t have nearly enough of – I can pretty much list the lot here, so I obviously ain’t got enough!

Pink Floyd – ‘Piper at the gates of dawn’. The definitive UK psych album. Barking mad, searing guitar and great trippy grooves. Everyone has this album, well everyone should have this album…

Electric Prunes – I’ve got ‘Underground’, ‘Too much to dream’ and ‘Mass in F minor’. Along with the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band the Electric Prunes pretty much are US psych. Superb hallucinogenic tunes with searing trebly guitar.

West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band – I’ve got ‘Vol 1’, ‘Vol 2’ and ‘ A child’s guide to good and evil’. This lot are probably my favourites of this genre, their music seems to be just that little more unhinged and bends virtually everything that can be bent. The can knock out amazing pop songs too.

Vanilla Fudge – I’ve got the self titled first LP and just won mono originals of ‘The beat goes on’ and ‘Renaissance’ on eBay today… Judging by the first LP they are in a slightly different place to the above, producing mainly long sprawling B3 infested cover versions. The first album has an amazing version of The Supremes ‘ You keep me hanging on’ – totally tripped out acid rock.

Jefferson Airplane – ‘Surrealistic Pillow’. The other psych popular classic along with ‘Piper’. Someone has a totally cack-handed dance version of ‘Need someone to love’ in the charts at the moment.

MC5 'Kick out the jams' – is this psych? Possibly, its bloody good anyway. A live 60s freak out, and a definitive example of same.

The Beatles I don't really see 'Sgt Pepper' as a psych LP regardless what the rest of the world says. It's a good album, it just isn't psych, well not the way the others I've listed are. 'Tomorrow never knows' off Revolver is for sure, and you can make a great case for 'I am the walrus' and 'Strawberry Fields' but thats pretty much it IMHO Beatles wise.

Anyone care to add to the list?

Tony.
 
I'd add the following to that list:

Jimi Hendrix - Axis: Bold as Love
It's a Beautiful Day - It's a Beautiful Day
Cream - Disraeli Gears

jay

P.S. - Might follow this link for more suggestions - some way-out looking stuff there.

psychedelic music
 
Psychedelic means different things to different people, but here goes...

United States of America - astounding album
Pearls before swine - first 2 albums
Help yourself - late on the scene but wonderful
Soft Machine – with a jazzy tinge
Fairport Convention – First album
Traffic – Mr Fantasy
Incredible String Band – again early
Pentangle – basket of light
Steve Miller Band – first four or five albums, but only in places – ‘Song For Our Ancestors’ is outstanding
Nuggets – the early 70’s collection
And of course early Kraut Rock – usually far more psychedelic than US or English ‘psychedelic’ music

Martin
 
You had to be there. I was leading a kind of double life, DJ ing Stax/Atlantic/Motown type stuff 7 nights a week, and listening to the other stuff after gigs and during the day. We actually used to play Vanilla Fudge's version of You Keep Me Hangin On, AND the Byrds Eight Miles High at what were essentially soul gigs. As the man said 'Strange Days'! Three albums can be regarded as truly seminal. 1. Piper at the Gates of Dawn. We'd never heard anything like it. 2. Are You Experienced. OK it's not really psych, but we'd never heard anybody play a guitar like that..... 3. The above mentioned Cream album. Sublime. My memory of those days is somewhat hazy, (Well it would be wouldn't it?...) but IIRC, bands like Love, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Electric Flag, Flock, Buffalo Springfield, Moby Grape, White Noise, Blue Cheer etc etc were lurking about. Thing is, many bands were more or less psychedelic. It wasn't an all or nothing thing........ Man:cool:

Mull
 
My favourite collection of nasty fuzzbox gems is Pebbles Volume 3.
Classics such as "I had too much to dream last night", "Horror Asparagus Stories" and "I'm Allergic To Flowers" make this the definitive collection of songs by bands that where just about to lose their minds to acid.

Also The Seeds, The Chocolate Watchband and The Thirteenth Floor Elevators weren't bad, but 1st prize has to go to Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd - I've never heard anything like it since.
 
H P Lovecraft: they only produced 2 albums worth having, the third was not really them. Fantastic stuff, possibly one of the most psychedelic bands that I have come across. I would imagine that their two studio albums are hard to come by now. However the good news is that a few years ago Sundazed in the US came across some incredibly good live tapes and put out a record (yes, a RECORD) and that is still listed as being available. It is well woth getting, I managed to get a green copy about ten years ago from a small record store in the UK. Check the Sundazed website and order today whilst the £ is strong.

I would also agree on Love, early Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. They have stood the test of time unlike some of the material from that era. I used to be a bit sniffy about Vanila Fudge back then, they always struck me as pretentious and overblown, but I might like them now. Some of the early Who was fantastic but I now find the vocals let it down, sorry Roger.

Martin
 
Also The Seeds, The Chocolate Watchband and The Thirteenth Floor Elevators weren't bad, but 1st prize has to go to Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd - I've never heard anything like it since.

I really need some Seeds, but originals are getting absurdly expensive. Are the reissues worth a punt? So which is the definitive Seeds album? Need some HP Lovecraft too...

Tony.
 
I have only one suggestion, but it is an album that is well worth looking out for:
John Berberian & The Middle Eastern Ensemble: Middle Eastern Rock
 
Would 'Forever Changes' by Love come into this category? Right era, for sure, but, as was said earlier, psychedelia means different things to many people.

Anyway, whether it does or doesn't, top album.
 
but some of the stuff you are mentioning sounds bloody awful.

I suspect some of it is best heard under the influence of dubious sustances.

Regards

Mick
 
Originally posted by Fubar
White Noise - An Electric Storm

Seminal.
I totally agree, and available on CD these days with a full writeup of the pain of birthing the album. I have a mother and a number of wives (mostly ex) who have suffered this album. I'm making sure my children all get to hear it, even if they only like 'Fleas'.

For real trippy stuff I'd add:

Breath Awhile - Arcadium
Deep Purple - Deep Purple
In The Land Of Grey and Pink - Caravan
In The Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson
Mercator Projector - East of Eden
Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus - Spirit
Umma Gumma - Pink Floyd
whatevershebringswesing - Kevin Ayres

Mick
 
Soft Machine, especially the first two albums. The recently reissued Live At Paradiso is great, as well. After Robert Wyatt left it all went a bit jazz-rock.

I'd second the Nuggets recommendation, lots of wonderful stuff.

For recent stuff, I really like Steve Ray Lobdell's (guitarist with Faust) Davis Redford Triad records.

And, of course, Syd Barrett's solo albums.

-- Ian
 
Why only the 60s? And how psychedelic does it have to be before you can call it Psychedelia? I can't decide and find it very difficult to make a bin for every musical style. I like rock music and about every album I like have psychedelic elements. I don't collect albums, just listen to music BTW. A lot easier.
 
Along with some of the ones already mentioned my particular favourite is called The Parable of Arable Land by Red Krayola, which quite frankly outtrips (is that a word? well it is now!) anything else I've heard.
It has the original of Transparent Radiation which was covered by Spacemen 3 and every track is separated by free-form freakouts. Ace!!
 
Beefheart isn't psychedelia IMO, he makes Beefheart Music, completely sui generis.

Anyone else see the Magic Band and The Fall a couple of weeks ago? Fantastic.

The Parable of Arable Land by Red Krayola

Good choice, top record. Mayo Thompson's solo Corky's Debt to His Father could probably count as psychedelic folk.

-- Ian
 
Originally posted by sideshowbob

Good choice, top record. Mayo Thompson's solo Corky's Debt to His Father could probably count as psychedelic folk.

Now you've got me interested... never heard of it. How much can I expect to pay for one of these then? Is it good? When was it released?
 


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