What is the greatest baroque/psychedelic pop album?

They're one of the quintessential Baroque pop groups. In fact they were the first (can't think of anyone earlier). Here's their second hit song "Pretty Ballerina":

 

It’s not really psychedelic or baroque.

 

I agree.

That's one of the things that makes Pet Sounds cool. It sort of stood as an island unto itself at the time.

 

Trout Mask Replica

 

Other.
Philamore Lincoln-The North Wind Blew South (1970)
Psychedelic confection perfection.

 

'That's the strangest list of 'Baroque/Psychedelic Pop' albums I've ever seen. Apart from the Bee Gees I have everyone of those records and I wouldn't put any of them in the OP's chosen category.

 

Agreed. Maybe just the fact that it was released in 1966, but you are right it's not psychedelic...

 

Again I resort to Sparks' A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing. Just about the trippiest album I've ever heard.

Runners-up would be side 2 of Amon Düül II's Tanz der Lemminge, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, and Firesign Theatre's Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers and I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus. I'm pretty sure the default answer to the question would be Sgt. Pepper's for many people, but the "aura" on that album wore out for me by the mid-'70's and never seemed to come back. I have no desire to listen to it now.

 

Procol Harum Procol Harum
Procol Harum Shine On Brightly

For me nothing is more 'baroque' than A Whiter Shade Of Pale, though it was only on the US version of the debut which took its name.

 

i picked pet sounds, but song cycle and oracle are close!

 

The Grateful Dead's Aoxomoxoa fits both categories quite neatly.

 

Under the definition above 'baroque/psychedelic pop' it can only be 'Odessey & Oracle'.

Missing the Left Banke as they would obviously have been in there.

Most of those albums are rock albums with psychedelic touches to a lesser ('Pet Sounds') or greater ('Piper') extent.

 

It doesn’t seem like Pepper’s is very psychedelic either, is it?

 

At the very least, some of it sure is, whereas Pet Sounds has no psych trademarks to my ears.

 

Would think "Mr. Kite", "Lucy in the Sky" would disagree with this

 

I would say that it has many touches of psychedelia. Light psychedelia that is.

Darker psychedelia, at its best, is Mad River, SRC's Black Sheep, Beau Brummels's "Magic hollow", Spirit's Mechanical world.

 

I guess a day in the life too

 

I would think that one key feature of the baroque pop sound - in addition to the use of strings and horns in a chamber setting - would be the use of a harpsichord, that's why my vote goes to The Zombies' Odessey and Oracle. The Left Banke's Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina would be runners-up. Both these albums are also psychedelic sounding insofar as they were of their time, 1966 - 1968, the height of psychedelic pop.

 

Baroque and psychedelic are different terms, right? E.g. I would say that Left Banke is baroque but hardly psychedelic.

A fun thread!

 

Yes indeed.

 

They’re all great but c’mon it’s Pet Sounds.

 

Something Else by the Kinks... very baroque pop.

 

The Asylum Choir?

 

You probably should have asked what's the greatest pop-psych album....

 

I do not know what Baroque Pop is but thinking maybe 'Days of Future Passed' might fit, so I voted for that album. As far as Psychedelic Albums, I selected 'Pipers' & 'Satanic Majesties'(just discord that album this year with Box Set release and really love it, as as much as I love the well known Hits By The Stones, I do not love their albums that followed as do not care for the songs that have a Country Rock Sound on them, so wish thye would have made at least one more Psychedelic Rock Album, but realize that one album was most likely a product of its time when it was created.

I really would have selected JA's 'After Bathing at Baxters' as one my top 2 Psychedelic Rock Album though along with 'Pipers'. The 2 Beatles albums n this list are my favorite ones because of the songs on them that have a Psychedelic Rock sound, but the problem is that most of the songs are not Psychedelic Rock, although adding 'Strawberry Fields Forever' to the 50th reissue of 'Sgt. Peppers' at least made that album a little more Psychedelic Rock overall, but than it takes that song away from 'Magical Mystery Tour' which along with 'Revolver', are more Psychedelic Rock.

If I could pick just one Psychedelic Rock song for this thread, it would be 'Section 43' by a 'Country Joe Mile'.