Psychedelia

"The Psychedelic Era was A Kaleidoscope of Musical Extravagance".....

Psychedelia - Psychedelic Rarities, and other Odd stuff to muse over;
Pic left; Janis Joplin performs at the Fillmore east - psychedelic effects by the Joshua Lightshow. A classic scene from the Psychedelic era.
Psychedelic Man! What IS Psychedelic? may we ask for a moment; Psychedelic is to suggest that something is remisiscent (reminds one of, or causes to think of) of the feelings stirred by the expressionism of the "Psychedelic" Era and Movement. Classic examples of Psychedelia are perhaps; Cream, the early Pink Floyd with Syd Barret, the Byrds (to an extent) The Jefferson Airplane, the Electric Prunes, and the inimitable Jimi Hendrix, to not go on mentioning hundreds of other bands that left their impression on the Genres

Psychedelia is most probably a direct product of the LSD set of the sixties generation. Instigated by professor Timothy Leary and various accomplices, the mindalteriing drug L.S.D. was unleashed upon the youth movement of sixties Californie, soon spreading across the world as the mindboggling effects were heard of and of course, the desire to try it out was irresistible to the naturally curious flower children. The Psychedelic movement was perhaps the avant garde of the time. Although then rather short lived as far as a mega phenomenon goes, it surprisingly has experienced a massive revival several times since the sixties, and has always had a faithful following throughout the years since its birth.To many, the Psychedelic era was an era of love and oneness, for others it was a dream that turrned into a nightmare (the acid casualties)
The era left its toll on many great artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morisson - both died very early in their careers from drug overdose.

For a giggle, let's see what Wikipedia say about this Genre
Psychedelic rock evolved in the 60s as an offshoot of the rock and roll movement combining elements of rock, electronic music, eastern influences, and other diverse elements. Inspired by the use of mind altering drugs like cannabis, mescaline, psilocybin, and especially LSD, psychedelic rock broke with traditional rock and laid the roots for krautrock and experimental rock genres of the eighties and nineties. In the USA bands like the 13th Floor Elevators were the first band to overtly use the term "psychedelic" in connection with rock music which lead the way for later bands like the Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane to name a few. In 1965-1967, The Beatles also were recording psychedelic rock with tracks like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" to name a few, but were not strictly classified as psychedelic rock. Cream and Pink Floyd (with original founder Syd Barrett) embraced psychedelic music fully becoming two of the first truly psychedelic bands.


Psychedelic music could also be interpreted as simply a "surreal and dreamy feeling" in a particular song, instead of a specific genre with rules to follow. In some cases, this simply requires writing one coherent song, then to experiment recording that song in the studio while under "psychedelic influence", yielding very surreal musical results. A classic example of this method is "Bass Strings", by Country Joe And The Fish. This early track, written and recorded by Country Joe and the rest of his band in 1966, was obviously an upbeat, hasty, and offensive song of protest in a raw jug band influenced style. In 1967, this song changed dramatically, not to meet more contemporary commercial standards, but rather to re-record it as an experimental track while under the influence of LSD. The new psychedelic result was clearly self-evident in Country Joe's first studio album ("Electric Music for the Mind and Body") when "Bass Strings" featured a much slower tempo, delayed vocals, added reverb, studio reversed cymbals, electric organ, desert traveler lyrics, and a continuous blues guitar solo which together make this song a very, in the true sense of the word, "psychedelic" track.

The Jefferson Airplane website states that (the album), "After Bathing at Baxter's" was the group's attempt to capture what the psychedelic experience sounded and felt like to them from the inside." Jimi Hendrix is also renowned for his talent and guitar virtuosity being able to emulate the psychedelic experience.
Wikipedia....

The Psychedelic kaleidoscope of sense stimulating sounds and visual projections used in public performance such as concerts was conducive to the current trend in experimenting with psychotropic substances, such as magic mushrooms and l.s.d., and led to some very odd and also surprising developments in the mass consciousness of society and how its' children were beginning to behave and express their individualities.

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Let's take a closer and deeper look at some of Psychedelia's musical Icons and their music, as well as the Individuals involved and a look into their personal lives.



Roky Erickson And the Aliens, the 13th Floor Elevators;
This is a what i call real authentic Psychedelia from Roky and his friends in the 13th floor elevators, and the aliens.
DOWNLOAD "Burn The Flames (Theme to Living Dead Movie)" - Roky Erickson
DOWNLOAD "I Think Up Demons" - Rocky Erickson

Creature With the Atom Brain - Roky Erickson