No two psychedelic trips are alike, and the specificities of the reality-bending components are difficult to describe with language outside of this realm. Having said that, these five psychedelic rock songs from the 1960s get pretty darn close to making you feel like you’re seeing the zig-zaggy, rainbow-halo’d, lazily waving world that they’re seeing. In short: they’re really far out.
Get the psychedelic experience without the psychedelic drugs with these five mind-altering tracks below.
“I Am The Walrus” by The Beatles
The Beatles’ 1967 track, “I Am The Walrus”, is peak Fab Four psychedelia. The opening lines, “I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together,” sound straight out of the mouth of someone deep into an LSD trip. This Magical Mystery Tour sentiment is one of those ideas that are acceptably poignant when sober but turn into identity-altering revelations when under the influence. “I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus, goo-goo g’joob.”
“(Ballad Of The) Hip Death Goddess” by Ultimate Spinach
Not all trips are technicolor and comforting. Some are incredibly creepy and downright scary. And for those moments, there is Ultimate Spinach’s “(Ballad Of The) Hip Death Goddess”. The song’s intro is foreboding enough: “See the glazed eyes, touch the dead skin, feel the cold lips and know the warmth of the Hip Death Goddess.” But the tenuous, melancholy singing that follows seals the deal. “Look at me, and I will turn you on / Don’t try to think because your mind is gone.” Sinister psychedelia is still psychedelia.
“White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was at the forefront of the psychedelic rock movement of the late 1960s, thanks in no small part to tracks like “White Rabbit”. The mysterious, borderline ominous Spanish march of the verses swells into a dramatic crescendo, Grace Slick wailing, “Feed your head!” at the top of her lungs, mimicking the same rollercoaster experience as a psychedelic trip. First, it’s quiet. Then, you can sense something is on its way. Finally, it arrives in an explosion of sound and color.
“Astronomy Domine” by Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd’s “Astronomy Domine” comes from their United Kingdom debut, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, released in 1967. The song evokes feelings of auditory hallucinations, where you’re not quite sure what a certain sound is or its location of origin. The psych-rock band’s foray into the extraterrestrial features the musicians at their most psychedelic, led by founding member and songwriter Syd Barrett. This era of Pink Floyd was like the first few times you trip—naive, giddy, loopy. In later years, this evolved into a wary maturity.
“Not To Touch The Earth” by The Doors
“Not To Touch The Earth” from The Doors’ 1968 album, Waiting For The Sun, kind of feels like you’re on a malfunctioning merry-go-round that’s spinning you around faster and faster. The energy of this psychedelic rock cut is frenzied, excited, and on the verge of going completely haywire. Jim Morrison ends the song by saying, “I am the Lizard King, I can do anything,” which is arguably one of the freakiest things you could hear while tripping.
But again, scary psychedelia is psychedelia just the same.
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Go To Source | Author: Melanie Davis