Why Do You Like Psychedelia?

Beware, pretentiousness ahead.
It’s quite a big sub-genre of rock music, and certainly my favourite, and it’s a hard one to really define. What one may consider psychedelic might sound like a normal song to another. So, if you’re a fan of the genre, what exactly do you like about it? It could be the era it reflects, it could be the usually odd or unique production, it could be the out there sounds and lyrics or it could be the influence and mixing of other genres of music and of different cultures that interests you. Or, whatever else! So, what do you like about it?

For me, I wouldn’t be as into music as I am without the genre. Albums within the genre have changed my mindset and made me think of music as less of just melody and rhythm, and that it has the potential to be more of an experience. It has heavily interested me in the altered state of mind one can achieve with the music (and what the music is based on). I’ve said it here before but I promise you, when I was younger exploring Pink Floyd, the music brought me into a whole other world. Like an out or body experience in that type of extreme, but that’s not really how I’d describe it. The Doors did similar things and so have bits of music here and there but it’s not something that has happened to me for a long time, and for every new album in the genre I listen to, I always hope it will. So this is why I love the genre, for the experiences and impact it has on me that no other genre seems to have on me in the same way.

 

I know this is an odd one, but I really am interested since it’s such a hard to define genre and I think lots of people like psychedelic music for lots of different reasons. For me, there’s music, and then there’s psychedelic music. Usually a much more impactful genre to me. I’m sure others could relate with other genres.

 

I like the more alienated side of psychedelic music, i.e Pink Floyd's Saucerful of Secrets album, The Rolling Stones' 2,000 Light Years From Home, We Love You, but don't like the elevated whimsy of Piper At The Gates of Dawn. It's more the bad trip side of things.

However, I also like Anthem of The Sun by The Grateful Dead, as it's more jazzier and improv based, yet I hate the first Dead album. Furthermore, ultimately, the country folk side of the Dead is my favourite era, spanning Workingman's Dead up to Europe 72, yet I still love the jam-based stuff.

Additionally, I like The Pretty Things, and the Nuggets box sets from Rhino.

 

Good to hear, and your liking of Saucerful made me happy, even if your disliking of Piper didn’t
Personally a lot of 60’s psychedelia seems to be quite folk influenced. For me this is the side I don’t really like, i.e. The Byrds, Grateful Dead etc.

 

I don't know why I like it. Interesting fascinating at times I would and still do explore all genres of psychedelia as well as the obscure material.

Some of the comps I've listened to I would read the linear notes and it would fascinate the hell out of me when they had to get a track from an original 45 because the master reel was burnt in a fire. Listening to that track from the only existing source a 45 vinyl.

Besides the popular psychedelia we all know you the listener new or experienced can get lost in web search and linear notes in psych cd comps.

An interesting genre indeed that many enjoy.

 

I'm really digging newer bands heavily influenced by the psychedelic era. To wit:

 

Agree

 

Had a feeling you’d respond to this thread
Cool stuff. I certainly love reading about it, and the backstory behind the music.

 

Forms of/sub-shoots of Psychedelia
For the slow grooves

 

British psych and some US psych of the '66 - 'early 68 has an exuberance to it, unmatched in other eras. It was a time of moving ahead and experimentation , with the turmoil of '68 onward making everything heavier, thus psych became heavier and the experimentation led to the progressive era (before prog).

The Brits with early Floyd, Jason Crest, some July, and Arcadium blueprint Goth almost.

US psych has a lot of regional variances with the West Coast leading the way and splitting between LA and Sf. But Chicago, Detroit, Texas, Boston, Phila, NYC all have their interesting spins.

Then there is Europe, Australia, Canada, etc.,

 

Psychedelia just fascinates me. Even as said above new groups mixing in the genre into their new music.

 

I need to play Traffic's debut again today, that's my answer to this thread.

 

Well, we're all entitled to an opinion. I just don't relate to Piper, but then there are some that like it.

I think the reason I like some of Satanic Majesties, and The Stones efforts, is that blues is alienation music, and 2,000 Light Years From Home is a psychedelic blues number.

The Byrds, and I'm also putting my neck on the line here, and the Grateful Dead couldn't play the blues all that well. The Dead attempted to jam the blues, but they never could: at least not on a par with The Allman Brothers Band. The Byrds attempted Chess material with awful results, i.e Roll Over Beethoven from the 1991 Box set, but stayed well away from the blues in the main. That said, I love Everybody's Been Burned by Crosby.

 

This is actually part of a soundtrack to an Aussie YouTube show I love (probably a little too innapropiate to link an actual video). Very simple but effective. Certainly gets me in the mood for psych when listening to this one eyes closed.


Also, can’t not mention Chamber of Reflections by Mac Demarco. A modern psychedelic pop song from an indie artist. Honestly without exaggeration one of the best songs I’ve ever heard.

 

An incredible psych trip indeed the lads would never dabble in the genre again after album # 1.

 

Of course! I didn’t mean to undermine your opinion. I can certainly understand why some might not like the whimsical, childlike yet slightly darker feel of Piper, and that’s fine
I’d love to hear more of The Byrds and Grateful Dead as I’ve heard very little of both. I’m sure they’ve got some great stuff.

 

Well known tune but I was always interested in this tunes structure. Psych 1966.

 

I like some of it - I like what I call Pop Pyschedelia - pop oriented songs like “Incense & Pepermint,” “Green Tamborine,” stuff by the Beatles, etc. I also like blues influenced psychedelia - Hendrix, Cream etc. My guess is that since I’m a fan of blues & 60s pop, I like the impact of psychedelia on those genres.

I’m not into groups like Pink Floyd or the Grateful Dead.

 

Never heard of it. Added to my Apple Music library. Cheers!

 

Because reality gets boring sometimes.

 

Even the Monkees dabbled in psych.

 

Hendrix and Cream came as a surprise to me as my introduction to the genre was through Floyd and the more out there stuff by The Beatles (A Day In the Life, Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite, Long, Long, Long etc,), and so when I heard this very blues influenced stuff I wasn’t a fan since I went in with the wrong expectations. I didn’t realise psych could be more subtle, I guess. Now I love Cream and like Hendrix!

But what is reality? What if with a psychedelic influence we see more of reality than our usual states of mind allow?

 

The Four Seasons with their crack at psych recorded 1968 released January 1969.


The Four Seasons - The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette (1969) - YouTube

 

... because of the colours, man.

Tone colours!

Psychedelia blew the possibilities of what a pop record could sound like wide open. And that's why the decade 1965-1975 (approximately, with its prog developments growing out of psychedelia) is my favourite ever, were I forced to pick one.

 

The freakbeat singles of the Attack, the Flies, Accent, Creation, Fleur De Lys, etc., are exciting rise of a fiercer guitar rock than the previous UK beat boom groups.

The Accent - red sky at night