What Makes A Song Psychedelic |  

I think that defining a song as psychedelic is mostly an "I know it when I hear it" situation.

My favourite music of the 60’s is the psychedelic period. Great video. Electric music for the mind and body by Country Joe and the Fish was an attempt musically to simulate an LSD trip. Some excellent music produced in this period. Thanks again Matt.

The visual aspect of what was going on in the 60s seems like an essential influence on psychedelic music. The light shows, the concert posters, the clothes, the album sleeves etc. To use an analogy, the 1960s was when music went from monotone to technicolour.

As Aldous Huxley stated in his book "The Doors of Perception," the term "psychedelic" (derived from "psyche" (mind/soul/spirit) and "delos/delic" (clear, manifestation, or openness) ) refers to "mind opening." Thus, broadly speaking, one can definitely have (non-psychotic) "psychedelic" experiences without drugs. Whatever "opens the doors of perception" is psychedelic.

My first excursion into Psychedelic music was the 13th Floor Elevators from Austin, TX. I believe they were the first band to describe themselves as "psychedelic," 1965. I highly recommend them to any fan of Psychedelica.

Number 10 would be: the listener gets Higher from the music. Not "wrecked", not "wasted" - those are post-Psychedelic terms - but Higher. The purpose of Psychedelic music is to raise the consciousness of the listener, to share the musician's Trip with them in the hope that it will be beneficial and liberating. The Underground definition of "Psychedelic", unlike those dictionary descriptions, was "A feast for the senses". It was a unifying connection to every other Head on the planet. When Jimi Hendrix asks "Are you Experienced?" he is well aware that at that time the code word for Acid was "The Experience". The true power of Psychedelic music can't be fully understood by anyone who wasn't part of that time. The energy, the Vibe, that powered it is gone but it changed the world enough that with effort and luck you can still catch an echo of it.

One of my favourite tracks from this era is Pink Floyd's Interstellar Overdrive. The fact it's an instrumental enhances the trip for me. It all comes from the woozy guitar effects. Lyrics would have only diluted the vibe

Early donovan 66-69 was some excellent psych stuff...those magically beautiful days just spawned experimental music..excellent job Matt..great video..Thanks

I would say some of Bob Dylan’s lyrics are surreal, but that he never made psychedelic records, though I wish he had! Thank you for yet another great episode, Matthew!

I got into psychedelic music when I was 15 in 1966. Young, not stoned and looking for unusual sounds with exciting rhythm etc. Later, when stoned, it just adds to enjoyment and understanding of the music but didn't suddenly make the song psychedelic.

This Morning I Listened To In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida , Perhaps The Most Enjoyable Listen Of That Song, So Far... In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida Is About The Greatest Psychedelic Song, Ever! Yes; Some Morning Hybr, The Rainy Day Walk Under An Umbrella, Nature... Everything... Magically; Cheerful Morning-Mood... Was Now, Flashing Back To The Only Time I Ever Saw These Dudes Live In Concert; Great! We Chatted... They Were Very Friendly; They Liked My Crystal... Peace

10. You know it when you hear it.

8. Entrancement. You covered this one quickly but there could be more to it. In many traditional cultures, music was used as part of important ceremonies, often aiming to induce a trance state. Anthropologists think this was an important way to increase social cohesion. Similarly to psychedelic experiences, it could make people feel part of some greater whole.

What I found psychedelic about your video was watching your beer evaporate without you drinking it. Hmmmm lol. Great video. 👍

Often overlooked is the fact that Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters' acid-fueled bus odyssey happened in the summer of 1964, when we were still collectively reeling from the new British Invasion. this is 3 full years before 'Sgt Pepper' was released. So, what were early acid heads listening to if 'psychedelic music' hadn't even been coined as a phrase, let alone pursued as a genre? They were largely listening to bee-bop jazz and Indian ragas. So arguably, musicians like John Coltrane and Ravi Shankar were early purveyors of 'psychedelic' music. The Grateful Dead (then; The Warlocks) were the aspiring bay area blues/jug band at ground zero of the above. Not that this wasn't happening elsewhere in the USA at the time, but they were friends of Kesey and The Pranksters contingent. The Grateful Dead locked in on the extended jams, cultivated their ability to 'read the room' and improvise at the acid test events.

Psychedelic = Mind manifesting. It is music that turns your attention inward, allowing you to see how the music is showing you something about your mind while listening. By this definition, ANY music can be psychedelic if it meets this criterion.

I think the keyword is "disorienting". I think the most important part is the uneven tempo, partly by effects, that give the music a floating feeling. Like a normal melody dissolved in acid. Second is the seemingly aimless and somewhat chromatic movement of solo melodies. Like it is going nowhere but still spiraling upwards or downwards.

I love your channel, Matt.

Sky Pilot by The Animals, specifically when the noodling guitar fuzz in the middle folds into a sound effect of a plane crashing. Pretty chilling

In case they haven’t been mentioned…two psychedelic-sounding songs from the late 60’s that I loved. The Lemon Pipers, Green Tambourine and Status Quo, Pictures of Matchstick Men. And The Kinks, See my Friends is so underrated as far as an Indian sound goes

I think this is as close as we're going to come for a good definition of psychedelic music. Thanks Matt.

Great explanation! Spot on! 👍🏻

Stellar episode, Matt 👏👏👏

This is a great breakdown, Matt! I’m glad that you mentioned recording engineers. I remember being amazed the first time I heard the mono pressing of ‘The Piper at the Gates of Dawn’. It is so much more of a psychedelic experience.

Thanks Matt. Always a favorite & fascinating topic, I like the parameters youve laid down as they arent restrictive or confining, which goes to the core of the universality of Psych or Acid Rock. There were parallel tracks in the UK (Yardbirds - Jeff Beck in particular laying down the tracks for psych rock - distortion on Heart Full of Soul for eg, guitar sounding like a Sitar ) & the US (Byrds - cover of Dylans Tambourine Man) along with sub genres in the Folk-Rock & Underground (13th Floor Elevators etc) Psychedelic genres. The influence of Acid Jazz artists like John Coltrane & Myles Davis was also huge..... as was, again, the Beatles & George Martin in particular, notably on the track Ticket to Ride, though Martin had been using recording sciences tricks for some time before that on the Beatles recordings that became staples of the psychedelic era..... It was a lifestyle, an attitude, you didnt have to take drugs to appreciate it. Fashion exploded with shops like Granny Takes a Trip opening in London, a second location in LA... velvet frock coats, butterfly collared shirts, embroidered jeans, stage gear. Period pieces.... Great time to be alive, young.

Excellent analysis!!

I enjoyed this video too, Matt. Great work! I believe you checked every box. Certainly, the Grateful Dead album Anthem of the Sun fits that catagory.

Great video Matt. When I'm tripping, I spend almost all of the time either hyperfocused on something or searching for somewhere else to be. My 10th criteria would have included restless, trance-like, or "ADHD" style song structures. This can be achieved with dynamic instrumentation and sudden breaks in mood (Strawberry Fields, Good Vibrations) and the use of drones and repetition (Venus in Furs, Tomorrow Never Knows). Most people seem to overlook the "restless" facet of the psychedelic experience. Todd Rundgren's A Wizard a True Star captured it extremely well.

Nice video, as this is a hair-splitting topic. I have always thought of the Electric Prunes' "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" from 1966 as highly psychedelic and Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" from '67 mainly because of the lyrics. Surprisingly, Kenny Rogers' First Edition checked all of the psychedelic boxes with "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" from '68. Crazy lyrics and instrumentation. A little-known psych gem is '67's "Shifting Sands" by the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band.

Great to see Matt again!

#10 "Because I Said So"! Great video Matt. You certainly are determined to lay out your reasoning, which makes you even more believable. Your choice of songs and Artists, were excellent. Got thinking about Dylan.

There's probably a sub-genre or songs that really aren't psychedelic, but have psychedelic flourishes to cash in on the trend. Cry Like a Baby might be one of them. One that I always thought was kind of faux psychedelic is "Susan" by the Buckinghams, which is a conventional pop song with a tacked on psychedelic section toward the end.

Excellent and innovated tutorial! I have always felt that Donovan was one of the trend makers. Do another!

Great job Matt

You had me at The Crystal Ship and then cemented it with White Rabbit. Great channel. New subscriber.

Right now is like the 60's all over again. We got the establishment doing terrible stuff like always, and newer bands being psychedelic too.

No. 10 "Raga Rock". The use of modal or non-Western scales. Jeff Beck was a big proponent in the Yardbirds.

#10 ambient sounds. Pink Floyd Saucerful of Secrets is probably the best 60's psychedelic recording to listen to while tripping. I've listened to it straight also. It holds up.

Great video. Very informative!

As always, Matt, another fab video! "Psychedelic" to me has always felt like that brief period from late 1966 to early 1968, and I think your criteria helps differentiate it from other terrific 60's music style such as Baroque and Sunshine Pop (and I think we know there are examples where these styles and sounds seem to overlap), though I'd leave out criteria #9 as I don't think it's necessary. That said, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" ticks all the boxes, and remains the #1 Psychedelic song of all time - I will leave the remaining 9 spots on the top ten to be advised by all the other viewers of "Pop Goes the 60s". Many thanks, Terry (from Australia).

There's also a whole class of psychedelic music and that is music to 'trip' on - music that when you first heard it , it was so different than anything you ever heard before, like 'tripping' - personally the arc of 'trip' music for me began with with the song A Hard Day's Night to I feel fine to Norwegian Wood (discovering stereo headphones) to all of Revolver, Sgt Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour and the whole Notorious Byrd Brothers album, Procol Harum's Salty Dog, all Pink Floyd did....of course Ithycoo Park, the Zombies (de rigeur);;;so all criteria aside...could you 'trip' on it ;)LOL

Oh yeah - this is a great video. I love almost all of the music you speak about. Something about 1965-66, with the Yardbirds, the Byrds, Small Faces, the Beatles, etc.

A music that takes you out of yourself and presents the listener with a hitherto unknown experience. I would class The Incredible String Band as psychedelic. Thanks Matt, great topic and breakdown.

Would love an entire series on psychedelic music. You've just scratched the surface. There were other genres, including "acid jazz" and "free jazz" (e.g., late 60's Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Pharoah Sanders, Sun Ra Arkestra), trippy fusion (Mahavishnu Orchestra, Chick Corea's Return to Forever). Plus: "I Hear a New World" (wild early 60's album by Joe Meek - CHECK IT OUT!).

Good criteria, to which I would add experimenting with song structure. Grace Slick's compositions starting with White Rabbit exemplify this in that they are through-composed, defeating typical verse-verse-chorus form. Her other outstanding examples of this are Rejoyce, Mexico and Lawman.

Nothing to really add to the discussion... just feel this is such a great channel! Thank you for all you're doing... as one who grew up in the 60's... I find these episodes sorta soothing to my soul. Not sure if that makes any sense. Maybe it's the music reminds me of my youth... my mom and dad, my younger siblings, the places we lived... etc. To have your insights into it all it adds a visceral side or content with those experiences. Very cool... very, very cool! Blessings of all your efforts!

I managed a record store in Houston from 1978 to 1983. Love your videos. Kind regards Scott AKA et2petty. Armenia City In the Sky-The Who, A Love Supreme-Miles Davis, Happenings Ten Years Time Ago-Yardbirds, Legend of a Mind-Moody Blues....etc

Pink Floyd seems to meet most of your criteria as well as 90's era shoegaze. Great video.

I lived through this period, I was 14 in 1967. One thing great about a lot of the music of that period was the aspiration to do something beyond commercialism. In fact a lot of time being overly commercial was disdained and some of the revered bands like The Grateful Dead or Jefferson Airplane had few top 40 hits. Also you wanted the lyrics to say something or try to! A lot of it was forgettable but a lot of the music was fantastic! Thanks.

The album that really blew my mind was Odessey and Oracle the first time I heard I must of replayed it a thousand times it was nothing like I heard before and to this day it considered one of the greatest albums to come out of the 60’s and is The Zombies magnum opus.

I was 6 and 7 when during the psychedelic era. Mostly it what I was hearing on the radio, and I thought at the time it all seemed perfectly normal, like that's what records should sound like. I came to appreciate some of the craft, especially on the British side, though I remember thinking Somebody to Love by the Airplane sounded so great. Great stuff Matt!

Hey Matt. I've been listening to 60s psych music for 35+ years and I think you are spot on. What was considered psychedwlic in the 60s became a very broad category and included numerous styles. Your inclusion of the Carlatana is a erfect example. Many psych 'purists' wouldn't consider them psychedelic but they were. I think your 10th point could be personal interpretation, as you pointed out very well wirh how the Booker T song produces a personal psyxhede experience for you. Lookimg forward to your new explorations of this topic. Keep up the great work!

A wonderful essay/vLog Matt to get the ball rolling on this brilliant Topic. Personally, I think that for Psychedelic music, you didn’t need to be on drugs to listen to it or perform it (certainly NOT to record if you listen to George Martin). Psychedelic rock requires only a “state of mind”. The lyrics and music can definitely evoke that state of mind but you don’t need to be on drugs. In fact on the 20th anniversary of the release of SGT Pepper back in 1987, an amount of a certain green leafy substance might have been inhaled (to find out what all the fuss was about) and the result was being oh so “far out and groovy” that all motor skills were gone and as a result the record was unable to be flipped over to side 2!. So no, one does not need drugs to experience the music, in fact it could be avoided :) I also agree with you that the best music to come from the Psychedelic state of mind was the last half of the 60s. After that period, people had tuned in, turned on and dropped out to the point that Psychedelic rock bloated into what would become Prog rock (where unfortunately you probably did need to be on drugs, if only to tolerate 30 minutes of musical noodling and belly button fluff gazing in the non-ending solos). But we will forever have that small, 5 year window of the last half of the 1960s. The time that gave us some of the best music of ALL time and in my view, most of it is yet to be beaten. I cannot wait for future instalments.

Great video once again. I also believe you don't need to take drugs to "go on a trip" I never had and I'm always "tripping" with these songs. And you're right, there is a fine line with the genres when it comes to psychedelic / garage / flower power. My go to song is (a so and so production, to be honest) Your Golden Touch by the Clockwork Orange

Having a top 9 instead of a top 10 is rather psychadaelic, isn’t it? So in that sense, you nailed it Matt! Another gem of yours for which I thank you!

Hi Matt: Wonderful video and one that has me searching my past to respond. I have written you many times and you may/may not rember that grew up in the Bay Area until I was 17 (1973) and because of older siblings I heard and noticed much more about psychedelia from a rather early age. Of course I embraced it with open arms. I am sure the philosophy of the period has left a very deep inprint on my soul and being. I will try and disentangle my thoughts and emotions in relation to the subject and "rattle on" at a later date when I have had time to do so. There are some issues I would not want to put on you tube, however - so I must give it all deep thought. Thank you very much for your video!!! D

#PopGoesThe60s, Roger McGuinn once gave a great explanation for psychedelic music. He described it as music that sort of bleeds together. Kind of going with the idea that you mention of imitating the hallucinatory drug experience. Roger went on to add that instruments, melodies and vocals in psychedelia would all kind of flow into different sensory experiences, similar to how LSD altered the perception of human senses. That was one of the best explanations for psychedelic music I ever heard: music that bleeds together.

10. The music is released with colorful and/or trippy artwork that signals the artist’s interest in psychedelic imagery to represent their music. Obviously this is not always the case, but it’s presence is a good sign that the music within will have psychedelic elements. Or at least that’s the intended message the artist or record company is sending.

One doesn't need drugs to feel or understand psychedelic music or any music. If you are creative, have an open mind and a love of music, you will understand it and get it.

Those were times of the beginnings of serious awakening for so many. Drugs like pot and LSD (especially LSD) were an ultra profound experience as in the exposure of presumptions one had held previous to the experience. A realization that ‘we’ are “it” so to speak, and as such was unforgettable, not to mention challenging. The age of those participating were on the younger side of my age 27 in 1969 but we were drawn to the experience by the music and the spiritual culture from which it seemed to have spawned: a lifelong influence. Thanks for your thoughtful in-depth approach to this important musical era !!

There is so much more than my reflex reaction but the two big things that come first to my mind are the swirly sound effects and, in view of the fact that the first songs to come to mind, 'Tomorrow Never Knows', 'Blue Jay Way' and 'It's All Too Much', seem to indicate to me that drone is important. I love a good droney piece that goes on for a bit. You need to take drugs to get it? I'll take a couple aspirin, put on 'Within You Without You' and rocket right into fricken orbit. Oh I'm there! I'm there!

One of my favorite things to listen to is the hours long mixes on RU-vid of Grateful Dead improvisations. Bending the rules of music theory and time keeping is on the right track.

A challenging topic Matt. I think your 9 categories check all the relevant boxes on the subject. Full disclosure. I never tried the "Dreaded Lysergic'. Mushrooms was as close as I ever got. Under its influence, everything seems psychedelic. Once we rolled a cassette tape and jammed . We thought we'd reached a new level in our growth as a band. In reality it was abysmal. Psychedelia is a state of mind and thus difficult to quantify. You just know it when you hear it. Gotta split the scene man, RNB

Some not-so-obvious movies meet this definition, and I don't mean Roger Corman movies like _The Trip_ and so on. You mentioned _The Graduate_ in your video about 1960s movies. (It didn't age well for you but it's my favorite movie of all time.) Remember that _The Graduate_ was released in 1967 and probably filmed late 1966 or early 1967 when LSD was prevalent, especially in California. I firmly believe that movie was influenced by psychedelics--especially the direction by Mike Nichols, camera angles and film editing. If you watch it again, and imagine being "under the influence," you might agree. Someone I know very well first saw this movie that way and was knocked out!

Well , a great group from the psychedelic era is The Chambers Bros. with their best and also most well known song being "Time Has Come Today " .

I would have liked to hear you make a distinction between the Westcoast jam- driven psychedelia of the Jefferson Airplane and Doors, etc, and the British psychedelia typified by studio trickery. strings, and horns.

Birthday Greetings Matt ✌️ Interesting breakdown & presentation of these 9 defining Psychedelic criterias(-On the subject of #9, a good example of this is the Altamont concert, where everybody went to get F***ed Up and the music is secondary.) From reading some of the comments on your video on What Makes A Song Psychedelic, its all subjective, but I'll list some of my favorites that are for me Psychedelic: 1. Strawberry Fields Forever- The Beatles 2. Every Lion Hearted Christian Man -The Bee Gees 3. The Red Telephone -Love 4. Legend of a Mind -The Moody Blues 5. Passing The Time - Cream 6. Tomorrow Never Knows - The Beatles 7. The Stars That Play With Laughing Sams Dice -The Jimi Hendrix Expierence 8. Be Careful With That Axe Eugene -Pink Floyd 9. Its A Sin To Go Away - We All Together 10. Space Hymn -Lothar and the Hand People 11.The Red Sign Post - The Fifty Foot Hose 12. Within You Without You - The Beatles 13. New Rising Sun -Jimi Hendrix ( instrumental song from album Voodoo Soup) 14. Feelings - The Grass Roots 15.Tapioca Tundra -The Monkees 16. Some Velvet Morning - Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra 17. The End -The Doors 18. 2000 Light Years From Home -The Rolling Stones 19. Daily Nightly -The Monkees 20. Albatross -Fleetwood Mac 21. Combination Of Two Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company 22. 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds -Jefferson Airplane 23. Hello -Lee Michaels 24. Walking Through My Dreams -The Pretty Things 25. Heroes & Villains -The Beach Boys 26. Becks Bolero - Jeff Beck Group 27. Omaha - Moby Grape 28. Words - The Monkees ( Missing Links Version) 29. I Wont Hurt You - West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band 30. You Dont Love Me - Bloomfield, Kooper and Stills ( Super Session Album). - Im going to check out to check out Ode To Billy Joe from Booker T and The MG's , I didnt know that they covered this song. - Final Note on the subject of Tame Impala, one thing that catches my interest about this group is Not only that they are ( Kevin Parker) influenced heavily from The Beatles and are one of the few groups of today that are very Psychedelic -Im of the opinion that if John Lennon was alive today this is a guess of what his music would sound like... anyways Matt Happy B-Day and Cheers 🍺 - Looking Forward to more of your videos on Psychedelic themes and musical topics 👍

I've always wondered about this question! I'll check out your "Top psychelic songs of 1966" first, and try to come up with some ideas of my own on the question, then come back here.

One of my favourite psychedelic lyrics is the Byrds's "Wasn't Born to Follow," written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin: "where the trees have leaves of prism and break the light in colours that no one knows the names of." I think of psychedelic as revealing everyday reality to be wondrous and infinitely complex.

Hi Matt! I think the Beatles' album "Rubber Soul" is the beginning of Beatles' psychedelic music. John Lennon said he took LSD hundreds of times taking it, and of course, marijuana also influenced their music. Those who took LSD, like "Hawkwind", when recording or performing (except for Lemmy, who only took amphetamines) showed that they could perform and keep the energy flowing during their performances.

My dream is to see your documentary on the original mothers of invention (1965-1969)! Thanks for the content that you put out!

Matt, thank you for suggesting Weber’s book on The Beatles. Fully enjoyed its contribution to the analysis of the historiography of The Beatles. Thank you.

What works for your definition of psychedelia is that it applies to the three minute songs of the Syd Barrett Pink Floyd as well as the freak out longer jams of the Aoxomoxoa era Grateful Dead.

Songs that come to mind immediately: Beatles - 'She Said, She Said', Byrds - 'Eight Miles High', Beach Boys - 'Good Vibrations', Kinks 'Autumn Almanac' (for the tag) and Lovin' Spoonful - 'Six O'Clock'. Later there were bubblegum songs like 'Incense & Peppermints' and 'Green Tambourine'.

Very well done, well presented, and a worthy topic. I particularly agree with your points made in #9, notably that the song needs to stand on its own. Also that typically a band is not considered psychedelic, rather a song (track) is. That would make me believe that for the most part, a band would need to get its foot into the recording studio with traditional music, then if allowed to experiment, could proceed into psychedelia. Surely this wasn't always the case, but likely a trend. As you clearly state, it is entirely subjective, and there are sure to be differences of opinion on some tracks. I look forward to hearing your comments on Dylan's lyrics.

Great stuff as always Matt! A hard topic to pin down or even define well - applaud your efforts. One comment I wanted to throw out regarding musicians and the taking of psychedelics - and this may be as good a forum as any - there is a multi-part documentary film series entitled "Composing the Beatles Songbook: Lennon-McCartney 1957-1965" & "Composing the Beatles Songbook: Lennon-McCartney 1966-1970" (+ there were additional videos regarding their solo careers). These videos involved a bunch of music critics, musicians, producers, etc. looking at the Beatles songbooks. The one aspect of the documentary that I always found fascinating was their reference to the effect of LSD on their music. ("This song was written after John had taken LSD" or "Paul had not yet taken LSD at this point in his career," etc.) Made psychedelics seem as some sort of opportunity for "musical enlightenment." Other musicians (such as Clapton) have been looked upon in similar light (he had his "pre-LSD" days and then his career went to a different level after he took the drug, but then he got sober and nothing happened anymore). May open a few doors perhaps, but can have horrible aftereffects as well (Syd Barrett, Brian Jones, etc.)

I'm going to love this series since I've always loved that music. Whether I was under the influence or not. If I was, it enhanced the experience. If I wasn't, I was transcended into that state through the music. It was a win - win situation, and there's nothing wrong with that!

Any chance of doing an exploration of Lee Hazlewood with or without Nancy Sinatra ! Some great songs. Between the two of them for sure, somewhat psychedelic and I sure like the production, arrangement of songs and just the sound of the songs, thanks Matt 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🤘🇬🇧

Good one, Matt.

Great video. I am glad you covered this topic. It was definitely necessary. I think of Dylan's late 60's music as more surrealistic than psychedelic. Think of Desolation Row (1965 I think) and Memphis Blues Again. I love John Lennon's Across The Universe. That song sent me to another place, without drugs. Definitely psychedelic in feel.

The Kinks "See My Friends" stands as a formidable ground zero for psychedelic music. No gimmickry. The drone,chanted vocals and serious otherworldly atmosphere point to the future. Months later I guess the Who cut "The Goods Gone" with a similar droning riff. And at the same time,Jeff Beck was experimenting with noise and Eastern tones with The Yardbirds.

It is interesting the difference between the originators of a style and those jumping on the bandwagon for monetary or "being hip" reasons. As a guy in the SF Bay Area when it was happening it was easy to tell which is which. Also there was a big difference between US and UK psychedelic music which I hope you explore later.

As a fan of the Psychedelic era I found your analysis spot on Matt. The music often stood on it's own. But I must admit, I was often a #9 on your list while listening in those days. (Number 9, Number 9) 😏 Your programs are always well researched and thoughtful. Well done ol' chap.

Very interesting video. Just found your channel. Thanks for the time put into it. I just happened to stay away from drug use in the 60s and 70s even though people I hung out with used. I wasn’t anti drugs. I didn’t smoke either but that was because I was too cheap. That said, I’m not great at listening always to lyrics just the music and I listened to all, stone cold sober. Cocaine was one of my favorite songs to listen to because of the music. I would not have considered it psychedelic. I had a very screwed idea of what psychedelic songs were until listening to your video. A lot of the other ones mentioned here were also ones I loved. Im going to try to find your video on your list of music that fits into this topic and check them out for both lyrics and music. Thanks for prompting expanded thought!

There’s a funny story that my dad used to tell me when he was back college back in the 90’s he had a cd copy of The Doors greatest hits and he had a roommate that would play his cd every night to point where he grew tired of The Doors I thought well I would get right along with that guy I’m a huge Doors fan🤣

The Moody Blues are the standard for me, so much sound it almost becomes 3D. That's what makes something psychedelic.

Couldn't help but notice that Brotherhood record behind you. What a great album.

Very interesting video Matt.Growing up in the 60s you just knew what was psychedelic and what wasn't.But back then we didn't have labels on music if it was good we picked it up.Could of been Dylan or the Airplane or whoever.It's like the early 70's could of picked up a new album by Zeppelin,ELP,Gentle Giant,Pink Floyd,Crosby,Stills and Nash didn't matter if it was good we picked it up

I think any song that has a significant amount of phasing, distorted vocals, swirly swishy sounds and floating stereo is quintessential psychedelia. Itchycoo Park by the Small Faces, Armenia city in the sky by the who are the best examples

Interesting and well thought dissection of the "psychedelic" concept....I agree with al the 9 criteria and would humbly suggest as a 10th one the integration of the sonic experience with a visual one such as a non conformist cover/packaging/presentation (ie Sgt.Pepper's) or a visual component added like Pink Floyd used (light and colour show) in a live concert. Very interesting topic indeed, thanks Matt! I concur that music should be produced and consumed with a clear mind...the psychedelic "experience" should come/go from/to the soul/heart.

Great show, very entertaining, and informative. I notice you have a Collectors album(the Collectors from Vancouver where I live) what a band, never got to see them I was a bit young,, but Vancouver had a huge psychedelic influence. another great band The Seeds of Time became Prism in the late 70s and 80s, One of the first psych songs I heard was probably Hey Joe- The leaves(version) then Pictures of Matchstick men (Status Quo) I am in a hobby band we play that song(I am keyboards) Electric Prunes very psychedelic, The Doors, Beatles, Stones, The Chambers Brothers- Time Has Come Today- wicked

Fun topic with a, chicken or the egg circular argument that never resolves. Good job, man!

A great album of the psychedelic genre would be The Seeds Future it’s a very underrated album.

Defining psychedelia is no small task. There are so many theories. I used Richard Morton Jack’s book endless trip as the Bible. So much in there isn’t really psychedelic. Lots of pop, blues and garage. But that’s my litmus test. Though? I like the Charlatans. Their cover of Codeine is fire.

"Matt's Psychedelic Criteria." New band name. I called it.

“Psychedelic” is a label and, even more so, is an opinion. The music simply IS, apart from all opinions. So let’s enjoy the music and not overthink it too much. I love the Left Banke, Love, and The Soft Boys. (The last one is a late 7Os-early 80s act.)

Tomorrow Never Knows was my first introduction to what I would label as mind bending. They really paved the genre. Then came the SF groups who were delighting in their power to influence. Thanks for your investigation into to the evolution of this music Nitch.

For me the word psychedelic immediately brings three songs , The Beatles' Tomorrow Never Knows, Jimi Hendrix' s version of All Along the Watchtower and The Rolling Stones' She's Like a Rainbow. Lots of others of course but for me these three do the job.

Wow. This is a harder question than I'd ever thought about before.

I had a funny experience while listening to music of a neo-psych band in the 1990's, Poisoned Elektric Head. The music listening to it late in the evening while already being tired had an effect on me that you could call psychedelic, although not being on some substances (never have been)....it made my brain experience the music other than I had expected, bit like a subconscious move in my head. I still recall it as interesting.