Let's talk 60s psychedelic bands...

[bobbydj]

One band that really should've been mentioned by now is The Misunderstood. I dunno whether they're poppy in the Kinks sense of the word, but they're definitely poppy in that every song is very hummable alongable with. Yeah, they're kind of slightly darker than some of that stuff. Like, I love The Creation, but they're more sort of like The Who. The Misunderstood are edgey somehow. Oh and NB there're 2 line-ups. I dunno what the story is - something like they all went to Nam and died, apart from one member who started another line-up. Something like that. Anyhow, the first line-up is definitely the one. Look out for songs like Children of the Sun. I can't find my copy here. Definitely get the compilation put out by Cherry Red records on the early '80s.

My fave psyche song at the moment (apart from Lucifer Sam off the first Floyd) is Action Woman by The Litter. Funny thing is there're 2 versions of this song, one that appears on the first vinyl nuggets and one that appears on the cd version. The cd version is so much better it's not even funny. It shreds. Awesome drums and bass. And the vocals - wow. Fuckin cool.

[JASIII]

What about Keith Emerson's band before ELP? Shit, what were they called? Fuck...I'm spacing out right now. Anyway they did a killer cover of "America" from West Side Story, that had the sound of whips ala a slave ship, kind of a political statement that got Leonard Bernstein so mad he had the song banned in America.

[trash180]

The Zombies
The Moon
Sagittarius (My World Fell Down is an awesome song!)
The Millenium

They all seem to share a distinct similar style that I really love, yet they're all quite different from one another. Any other stuff I should check out? Anything that is sort of a lesser known great?

Maybe more of that Baroque pop stuff? Left Banke should be good. Check out Sundazed.com if you haven't already. They have clips you can listen to. I think they put out the Sagittarius and Millenium stuff. Is that Curt Boettcher?

Maybe the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band? The Cyrkle? The Association?
Oooh...The Free Design
Kites ARE Fun!

[coniferouspine]

Spirit, "The Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus." One of the great overlooked albums of the psychedelic era, that almost never gets mentioned in threads like these. Maybe heading a little bit in the direction of prog, but it's really good.

Procul Harum "Whiter Shade Of Pale." All those psychedelic John Lennon/Beatles songs with the descending chord progressions ("I Am The Walrus" "All You Need Is Love" "Glass Onion" etc.) all come from this one song. He and McCartney were obsessed with that record all through the summer and fall of '67.

Also, like Trashy sed, Donovan. Dare to be dippy! "Wear Your Love Like Heaven," "Atlantis," "Hurdy Gurdy Man," "Teen Angel," etc. Great singles.

[BandyLou]

...deep breath...

the grateful dead

if yer going for that san francisco poppy psychedelic sound (Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape,) check out their first album. Their second and third albums go into more lysergic (and STP and nitrous) influenced studio experimentation type of 'psychedelic' music.

if you have a hard time with that, if you can't think "Grateful Dead" without thinking "Deadhead" (I can't either sometimes) pretend they're some other band. Pretend that they put out albums until 1970, and then faded into obscurity like Quicksilver.

okay, let the abuse begin...

[brainfreezebob]

I don't know what you consider psychedelic, but here are some records I would add:

Billy Nicholls: Would You Beleive
Harry Nilsson: Aerial Ballet
The Pretty Things: SF Sarrow
The Small Faces: Ogdens Nut Gone Flake
Beach Boys: Smiley Smile
Bee Gees: Odessa
Love: Forever Changes
Velvet Underground: White Light/White Heat (I never know where to draw the line. I'll stop now).

Hi, we should be best friends. Those are all my favorite albums. Add The Dukes Of Stratosfear and a Creation compilation and I'm ready for that island. I actually saw the creation in London last weekend and Eddie Phillips is still the guv.

That's really weird. I just picked up the Dukes anthology (Chocolate Chip whatever) yesterday, and I'm digging it quite a bit. I love the Creation.

[uk03878]

What about Keith Emerson's band before ELP? Shit, what were they called? Fuck...I'm spacing out right now. Anyway they did a killer cover of "America" from West Side Story, that had the sound of whips ala a slave ship, kind of a political statement that got Leonard Bernstein so mad he had the song banned in America.

The Nice...

Come to think of it my mum has all the original 7 inch singles around from this time...
Traffic - Here we go round the Mulberry Bush
The Herd - Paradise Lost
etc...

[phalex]

I like the Rolling Stones pyschedelic stuff a lot. Satanic Majesties isn't their best, but "She's A Rainbow," "Sing This All Together" and "2000 Man" are incredible songs.

[Kilroy]

and then faded into obscurity like Quicksilver.

okay, let the abuse begin...

Grateful dead is cool, but yeah, my dad was commenting on how Quicksilver died out, that was his favorite band to see in San fran. They are pretty cool, gonna listen to some of their stuff as soon as i get a new needle for the record player.

[greenmeansjoe]

I like the Rolling Stones pyschedelic stuff a lot. Satanic Majesties isn't their best, but "She's A Rainbow," "Sing This All Together" and "2000 Man" are incredible songs.

"Between the Buttons" is a good record -- just psychedelic enough to qualify as psychedelic.

Joe

[joeysimms]

I like the Rolling Stones pyschedelic stuff a lot. Satanic Majesties isn't their best, but "She's A Rainbow," "Sing This All Together" and "2000 Man" are incredible songs.

Yep, I like "Citadel", too. Everything from that period, 66-68 is awesome pretty much. "We Love You", "Dandelion", "Child Of the Moon", the Between the Buttons album, etc..

[phalex]

Charlie Watts has gotten a lot of flak about his drumming, but he has some of my favorite beats. "Monkey Man" is my favorite.

[JASIII]

I love Charlie Watts drumming!

Also, I'll second The Dead, I love 'em "Live Dead" album (1969) is a pretty powerful thing if you can sit through 15-20 minutes jams. I always though it was "acid-baroque" music. I can see why a lot of people can't stand them or their fans, but if you can get past that they were a powerful ensemble from 1968-1974.

[Paul Schubert]

Psychedelia went beyond Calif. And Texas.

If you can get your hands on this out-of-print album, check out AORTA by a band from the 60s of the same name. They were out of Michigan.

They had two albums (Aorta & Aorta II). The first album is the best. The second album is nearly impossible to find and still lacks what the first delivered (true psychedelia).

I understand a small company in Europe has made a compact disk from a near-mint copy of the vinyl. You'd probably have to search to find it.

This band formed after Peter Cetera left to join Chicago.

The album was on Columbia Records and had a repeating theme throughout it: It's Your Main Vein.

[teleharmonium]

United States of America - s/t album on Columbia is a crucial psych pop record. And, don't forget to check out the Barrett era Floyd singles as well as the first album and 'Jugband Blues' from the second album.

chetatkinsdiet wrote: "

Wing...I'm dissapointed in you...a Texas boy and all and didn't even have the 13th Floor Elevators on your list. They claim fame to being the first band to use the word "psychedelic" to describe their music....or was it the first use of the word in a song....now I forget. "

the former, maybe, the first use of 'psychedelic' in a song is generally considered to be 'Psychedelic Blues' by the Holy Modal Rounders, from '63 or so.

"There was a HUGE Texas Psychedelic scene back in the day...you should dig for some of that. Moving Sidewalks, etc....
Houston was the epicenter. Ask some of the older burner guys around...if you know any. "

I thought Austin was the place for that, the Elevators and the Red Crayola were both from there and both were among the earliest practitioners of what we now call psych.