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| Psychedelic music is just like anything else, there is good to go with the bad. It came out of an era of experimentation. It varies in style....most of the music recorded resulted from some type of drug experience or "envisioned" drug experience. Not all musicians took drugs. Ted Nugent and Frank Zappa are/were living proof of this. To me, psychedelic music is full of special effects; ie. backwards guitars, chants, unusual noises, poetry, phase shifting, echoes, mega stereo or true stereo effects....generally alterations that took place within the studio. All these strange things were added to what would otherwise be a simple melody. Whereas the drugs supposedly expanded the mind, the special effects expanded the song. The various styles fall into the following catagories. Country psych (Byrds, Goosecreek Symphony, Hearts And Flowers, West), Flower psych (Sweetwater, Flat Earth Society, Complex), Folk psych or acid folk, (Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Trees), Pop psych (Monkees, Five Americans), Baroque (Ars Nova, New York Rock 'n Roll Ensemble), Garage sounds (The Standells, Chocolate Watchband), Raga (Orient Express, Magic Carpet), Electronic or instrumental (Mother Mallards Portable Masterpiece Company, Third Ear Band), Just Plain Weird (Mothers Of Invention, Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band), Jazz-psych (B,S&T, Blues Project), Christian psych (Concrete Rubber Band, Azitis). You could also add the many three or four member Blazing guitar bands (Cream, Chariot, Fat, Sacred Mushroom) to the mix as well. The list goes on and the names of some of the bands are as strange as the music put forth. In many cases the cover artwork on the album is what sold the band. Much of the music was heard during the very infant stages of FM radio and was usually part of a one or two hour program planted between the poetry hour and the political discussion hour. If you heard the music at all, the DJ who was playing it would rarely state who the band was. When I first got serious about collecting, I didn't know what I really liked musically and spent a lot of money on rare sh*t.....and that's just what it was....RARE and SH*T!! Of course, what I like is not always what someone else might prefer. Musical tastes are always a matter of opinion and many times only a matter of ones mood. I can listen to "Tony Bennett and turn to "Captain Beefheart" in a heartbeat. I guess the direction I'm going here and the advise I would give is don't spend a bundle of bucks on something unless you are familiar with the record you are buying.....and especially if you are only curious about the music. The true psychedelic enthusiast enjoys what comes from the grooves, regardless of value. Remember....expensive doesn't always mean good, expensive means rare. Find a copy of "The Collectors" album. It was distributed here in the states by the truckload. A very common album and quite inexpensive ($15-20) usually. The music is some of the most incredible psych to ever be etched into the vinyl grooves. Also. I might say that there is nothing wrong with a reissue or bootleg copy (vinyl or CD). Most have the original cover artwork....which is the part of the record that is missed the most these days. My preference for psychedelic music invloves melody, harmony, plenty of weirdness and special effects. Most of my personal collection reflects this. There are also several reference books that give detailed descriptions of many of the psychedelic bands. Three of the best books on the subject are "Fuzz, Acid and Flowers" (US Bands), "Tapestry Of Delights" (UK Bands) and "Dreams, Fantasies And Nightmres" (Canadian Bands and Bands from other lands). Printed in the UK, they are not easily available at your local book store. But, they can be ordered. These three books would be the best investment you could make on the subject. But, they aren't cheap at about $50 each. Some of these bands actually have websites run by hardcore fans who never let their "heros" die. Finally, I would like to add, that what I have for sale here are records and as such, are not perfect in every way. Many are 10, 20 and over 30 years old. They don't make them anymore. That's why they call them "collectible". If you are looking for perfection in sound quality, buy a CD. Many of the titles on my list are available as such, but as stated earlier, the beauty of a record is the packaging, the artwork, it's BIGGER, and more importantly, you have a prized possession in it's original form. That is what collecting is all about...isn't it? |
