Top 15 Greatest US 60's Psychedelic albums
A far more complicated affair than picking the best from the UK – wildly varying definitions and far more to choose from. Anyway, here are mine (for today anyway)...
15 – The Monkees – Head. Not just a great psychedelic film but also a great album. Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Leon Russell all play. Top of their game originals and for once, fully cohesive brought in songs. Who could fail to love Porpoise Song!
14 – Silver Apples – Almost chose The United States of America who similarly experimented with electronics, rock and psychedelia, but rather than sounding like Jefferson Airplane with added beeps though, this sounds genuinely like an album from the (then) future.
13 – Quicksilver Messenger Service. Like The Charlatans, they recorded their debut far too late. Still, despite most SF bands currently being out of favour, John Cipollina's quicksilver guitar sound can still be heard in modern rock and indie.
12 – Del Shannon – Charles Westover. Coming just after his aborted Immediate album (which is equally fantastic) this fell into a similar void of being unheard. Shame, as it's full of some of his best material, great singing and a woozy sunshine vibe throughout.
11 Grateful Dead –Anthem of the Sun. Quite a unique album for them – a strange mix of the SF sound+their future extended jams but full of SGT Pepper studio experimentation. Sadly a bit disowned by them and later remixed in an attempt to be more GD. Wish they'd done more like this
10 – Country Joe and the Fish – Electric Music. Just pips Feels Like I'm Fixin' due to darker sound and heavy use of organ. Less accomplished songs but just feels more trippy.
9 – Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow. Perhaps the classic SF album. At least at one time. Other than White Rabbit and Someone to Love, JA and the SF sound seem to have fallen of the radar. Some young band should sort that out.
8 – Kaleidoscope – Leonard Cohen's backing band on his first band. Really unique and original band, mixing country rock, folk, psychedelic jams, Eastern sounds and delved a little further into ragga than the Byrds.
7 – The Four Seasons - The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette. This really is brilliant. Their original harmony sound mixed with Sgt Pepper! Was going to chose the equally great Crimson and Clover album. America really could mix pop and trippiness perfectly. Rubbish UK cover though
6 – Kak – Kak. Possibly doomed to failure due to the terrible name. Great songs, production and superb guitar work. The only thing they did though the singer would join Blue Cheer.
5 - Buffalo Springfield – Again. I'm a big fan of the first album but the diverse nature of their second really stands should above everything else they did. And of course, Neil Young's emergence as an A list songwriter
4 – Moby Grape – Another doomed album that has for a long time, rightly been regarded as one of the high points of 60s music. Appalling mismanagement (that is still occurring to this day) meant it sold very few copies (and is still difficult to buy)
3 – Thirteenth Floor Elevators – Psychedelic Sounds of – A band taking Garage into an entire new dimension, seemingly just working in their own void. Immense.
2 The Doors .There seems to be a current new generational trend to re-assess the cultural importance of classic rock, especially The Doors. While there might be some value in certain areas, no 17 year old's Pitchfork 'essay' can take away from the brilliance of their super debut
Bubbling under.....Almost made it and the garage into psych detour!
1 – Love – Forever Changes. There can only be one and this was always going to be number one, and will probably always be in the top 5 musical statements from the last century, in any genre.
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