Roll Up, Roll Up For The Magical Mystery Tour
Bob Dylan
During the 60’s Rock’ n ’roll exploded into something many people
still do not comprehend. Without the
new boundaries established by the music of the 60’s most popular forms of music
would not be available to mass audiences.
The musical
experimentation of the 60’s led record labels to rethink how they
went about signing an act. Rock’ n ‘Roll
was beginning to gain popularity and musical mad scientists began experimenting
with feedback and distortion. This new
form of music was, largely but not always, inspired by the newest drug craze;
ACID, but more on that later. Known as
Psychedelic Rock, this new form of music first became popular on the west
coast, especially in San Francisco.
Bands like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the
Holding Company, and of course the Jimi Hendrix Experience were all extremely
popular wets coast Psychedelic Rock bands.
The movement then moved to the East coast to groups such as The Fugs and
the Velvet Underground. It then jumped
the pond and groups like the Beatles and the rolling Stones began experimenting
with this new form often with albums full of overtly psychedelic covers. Psychedelic Rock even began to influence
soul groups such as Sly and the Family Stone and the Chambers Brothers.
Janis Joplin
One
cannot write on the music of the 60’s without at least mentioning the
King. Elvis enjoyed great popularity
even with the explosion of Psychedelic Rock.
The king produced records and movies during this time and never dropped
from popularity with his fans. Often
the “clean cut” Elvis would be quoted as saying negative things about drug
users. As we all now know Elvis, if he
said half of the things he is credited with, is a hypocrite; but lets let the
king RIP.
Roger Daltrey of The Who Members of The Grateful Dead Jefferson Airplane
James Marshal Hendrix Bob Marley
Music Links:
http://www.lib.virgini.edu/speccol/exhibits/sixties/rock.html