"Outasite, Man!"

Psychedelic Week: Part 3 

Well, Psychedelic Week has quickly come and gone (not to mention, my computer contracted a virus in the midst of my blogging!), and I am without the time to go into further details about the following psychedelic songs. If you've been diggin' this week's music, here are some more groovy tunes for you to enjoy:

From 1967, it's the #1 psychedelic pop hit, "Incense and Peppermints" by Los Angeles group, Strawberry Alarm Clock (can't get more psychedelic than a name like that!). One of the group's guitarists, Ed King, would later go on to join the band Lyrnyrd Skynyrd. Sorry about the poor video quality.


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The English rock band, The Who, also had a hit in 1967 with "I Can See For Miles," their biggest US hit to date. Written by guitarist Pete Townshend, this psychedelic/early hard rock song was difficult to perform live because of the complex vocal harmonies, so this video was a mimed performance from the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. One of the greatest rock bands in music history, this isn't the last you'll hear about these guys.

 
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As an Ohio-based psychedelic pop band, The Lemon Pipers had a #1 hit with "Green Tambourine," also released in 1967. Also considered the first bubblegum pop chart-topper, this song has an electric sitar and a cool, psychedelic effect, the tape echo. --------------------------------------------------
Spirit, an American jazz/hard rock/progressive rock/psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1967. Sometimes considered more of an underground band, "I've Got A Line On You" was a big hit in 1969. My dad loves this group and introduced me to this song in more recent years. Spirit (and the band Poco) actually performed at his high school in Orange County around 1969 or '70! How cool is that? Definitely a great tune!

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Also from the Los Angeles area, The Electric Prunes were probably the first to gain international success as an experimental psychedelic group. Their second single, “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night),” was a hit psychedelic rock song released in November 1966, a tune that became influential in garage rock later in the 1970’s. Although I grew up listening to tons of music from the ‘60s, I’m actually more familiar with the cool cover version by Webb Wilder.


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Another group influential in the development of heavy metal and progressive rock is the psychedelic rock, Amboy Dukes, from Michigan. From 1968, the group is probably best remembered for their hit single, "The Journey to the Center of the Mind." Groovy stuff, folks!

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And before things get too trippy, the last band of the day is the American rock band, The 13th Floor Elevators. Also vital in the history of garage rock and punk rock development, these guys were considered one of the first psychedelic rock groups of the 1960's, releasing "I'm Gonna Miss You" in January 1966.

Well, if that hasn't hit the psychedelic spot, be sure to check out these other bands on YouTube: The Blue Magoos, The Chambers Brothers ("Time Has Come Today"), Cream, Eric Burdon & The Animals, The Idle Race, The Moody Blues ("The Best Way to Travel"), early Pink Floyd ("Arnold Layne"), Small Faces, Steppenwolf, Traffic, and The Yardbirds.

Although I pretty much have all the posted tunes on my iPod, I must admit that I'm not the biggest fan of some of the real heavy stuff, however, I appreciate its significance in music history in setting the foundation for many genres to follow. I think seeing "who" influenced "what" is one of the most fascinating things about 1960's pop music. Hopefully, Psychedelic Week has been as interesting to you as it has to me!