Time to take another little journey into the land of psychedelia.
There are a lot of definitions out there, but what I know about psychedelic music is that it is a personal journey. What makes a good psychedelic song to me? It has to have several layers, and a different one can hook you at each listening. Of course, the production needs to have some varying between channels to provide a sense of movement & direction. I really appreciate good effects, especially with guitars and/or organs. The lyrics provide a road upon which you can take your journey. The subjects of a song can vary from the mystical to a simple exploration of an everyday situation. It’s the story that’s important.
One of the big attractions of psychedelic music is its unexpected nature. A good psych song doesn’t necessarily follow an expected verse, chorus, solo structure. It creates its own space and explores that space. It’s that uniqueness I find refreshing & enjoyable. And, if you can build up a large enough library, you can “forget” songs such that they are almost new when you hear them again. Of course, age can help with that, too 🙂
The heyday of psychedelia was 1966-71, and that has been the focus of my psychedelic playlists. There are a lot of gems from that era that are being uncovered and it’s fun to cruise various sites for those gems. There are new songs being released that fit into this vein, and I have included three by Weird Owl, Serpent Power (a new band of the same name as the 1967 band) and Mazzy Star.
Don’t forget to get a return transfer from the conductor as you embark on your trip.