Hey everyone! My name is Caroline Yano and I am the creator of this blog. This blog is dedicated to the emergence and popularity of the psychedelic rock scene during the 1960’s. This time period was possibly the most exciting time for rock and roll music because the artists shaped the rock genre into something no one had ever experienced before. This new style of music replicated the feeling of using psychedelic drugs, which were very popular at this time, and produced a hallucinogenic, mind-altering feeling. Psychedelic rock artists drew people in with lyrics that told a story, intricate instrumental solos primarily on the guitar or piano, and with the use of elaborate studio effects that produced a mesmerizing, out-of-this-world sound. In this decade of hippies, good vibes and heavy drug use, this new genre of rock appealed to the masses and was able to thrive. Legendary psychedelic rock artists like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix were just some of the artists that emerged during this time and created a legacy that still exists today.
Before rock music took a shift towards this psychedelic culture of the 1960’s it was very different. Rock and roll music emerged in the United States in the late 1940’s and was a fusion of blues and country music. However, during the late 1950’s rock and roll music started to decline as a result of the death and retirement of many popular rock musicians, scandals surrounding musicians, and even popular musicians like Elvis being drafted into the war. After this drastic decline of traditional rock music in the 1950’s, in the early 1960’s psychedelic rock came about due to the increasing popularity of psychedelic drugs. During this time period the psychedelic drug LSD, or “acid”, was a legal drug and began to be used an an experimental treatment after it was initially introduced as a potential cure for mental illness. Many musicians started to experiment with these drugs and in return it changed the way they thought about music and the way they made their music, and thus psychedelic rock was born.
Psychedelic rock music was created more than 50 years ago yet it stills remains relevant today in our modern culture. The rock scene in the 1960’s was so popular and influential that decades later it is still being discussed by fans, bloggers like myself, and even other musical artists. These rock artists of the 1960’s created a phenomena among people everywhere and over time they have still continued to be successful. When listeners hear these psychedelic rock songs they can get an understanding of what the sixties were all about. Although this genre related to the 1960’s era, the elements and themes of this music will never go out of style. Psychedelic rock artists in the 1960’s were able to draw in listeners through their mesmerizing sound and lyrics, and today when listeners hear this music they are still entranced by it. When you listen to these songs you become involved in the story that the lyrics tell and the mind-altering sonic elements send you into a trance. It doesn’t matter what time period it is, psychedelic rock’s legacy will continue to thrive.
As I continue to post on this blog I hope I can show you how psychedelic rock artists and albums influenced the music industry and the world. The atmosphere that surrounded this genre during this time period, along with the feelings that these rock groups created through their music revolutionized the world and I will try to accurately represent this in my posts. In my blog you can expect to see reviews of some of the most popular psychedelic artists and albums from this era, but I’ll also include ones that aren’s as well-known too. I hope you enjoy reading and learning about this exciting time in music’s history!
