^ Always good to hear this song get a mention, Xurtio! A real favourite of mine.

Hard to believe that this thread is 81 posts long and Quintessence hasn`t been mentioned once. If I were a member of the band, I`d feel truly mortified because these guys spent their whole musical career being as pyschedelic as reality would allow. Titles like Bliss Trip, Cosmic Surfer, In Blissful Company give a subtle clue to their direction, and here I`d like to share one of their most accessible efforts:-

I like many of the suggestions in this thread (wouldn't call all of them psychedelic) and I was surprised I didn't see King Crimson in any of the posts. I think these are some of the greatest psychedelic songs:

King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King (and many other)
Cream - Tales of Brave Ulysses
Pink Floyd - A Saucerful of Secrets, See Emily Play (and many other)
Beatles - Strawberry Fields
Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze
Jefferson Airplane – White Rabbit
The Doors - The End
Velvet Underground – Heroin
Traffic - Paper Sun
Led Zeppelin – Dazed and Confused

^ That`s an excellent list, Ana K, with every song having a real touch of psychedelia. Gavin B also contributed a good list - especially as it included a mention of that strange song, Sky Pilot.

As you suggest, some songs in this thread fall short in terms of hallucinatory elements. For example Imagine, Turn Turn Turn and I`d Like To Teach The World To Sing don`t strike me as psychedelic at all, though I suppose they might be squeezed in under the thread title of "Hippy song". Likewise, Feel Like I`m Fixing To Die has been mentioned; a great, popular song of the hippy era, but, unlike Electric Music for Mind And Body, not remotely psychedelic.

Finally, inb4 ladyislingering:-

[QUOTE=Lisnaholic;1456375]^ That`s an excellent list

I’m glad you like it. I was just suggesting some good psychedelic songs and I wanted to avoid including otherwise good songs which don’t fall into this category. Anyway, I see there are some disagreements about whether a song should be included or not. At any rate, King Crimson and Velvet Underground shouldn't be left out of such a list. I suppose that if several people did the list it could really be comprehensive.

Gavin B’s list is quite impressive - I admit I haven’t heard all of these songs. Turn Turn Turn, I`d Like To Teach The World, Paint It Black, Suzy Q.. are definitely not psychedelic. Once Upon the Seas of Abyssinia fits in perfectly here.

Yes, Ana K, if we amalgamated all the songs mentioned here, we could build up a long, definitive list, but it`s unlikely that anyone would bother...

I notice that most songs being mentioned date from the 60s and 70s, suggesting that the search for psychedelic music is an exercise in historical investigation, or in my case, reminiscence. Here, though, is a band who started out in 2000 and play some wonderful psychedelic instrumentals:-



Thanks!
I also haven`t heard every song that Gavin B mentions; a couple I just took on trust, like You Can`t Ever Come Down by Joe Byrd and the Field Hippies.

Is there, btw, any Bulgarian psychedelia that we are overlooking?

[QUOTE=Lisnaholic;1456975]
I notice that most songs being mentioned date from the 60s and 70s, suggesting that the search for psychedelic music is an exercise in historical investigation,

Whether it's an investigation or a reminiscence, I find it far less frustrating than listening to a lot of the current hits.
and this 2000's band is quite good.

[QUOTE=rostasi;1457029]

This is great, I must say this Psych rock piece by Emil Dimitrov was quite a surprise to me, having listened to so many of his songs.The man was very talented, no doubt, but I never knew he worked in this genre.
The second audio is based on a folk song, it can’t go wrong I’ve heard many good ones, folk music is great.
And I admit I never knew that psychedelic rock, folk punk and so on were an established genre here. Obviously I've been missing out a lot of things..

[QUOTE=rostasi;1457142]
I think you can actually find an antologia of Щурците

I must have listened to everything they ever produced, they've always been so popular here.

The track by Srebarnite grivni is very nice to listen to about a street in the centre of Sofia, I've listened to some of their music, but they are not so well known (which is quite unfair).

^ Aha! Thank you for answering my question with so many leads and an insight into Bulgarian psychedelia. I wonder if the two compilation albums are ex libris rostasi ? I enjoyed the two audio clips, and noticed that both are quite unadorned: none of the weird instruments or whoosing electronic effects that many bands west of Bulgaria couldn`t resist.

^ Thank you for explaining about Srebarnite Grivni's Rusky Street clip, Ana K. I liked their Vecheryia Rado song, though I have to say that for me Rusky Street didn`t sound particularly psychedelic, more like an agreeable pop song, but then maybe the lyrics tell a different story...which leads me on, indirectly, to this ...

To be 100% psychedelic, the music should have a specific intention, and lyrics -if any- should encourage, or refer, to an expanded consciousness, wouldn`t you agree? So what are the world`s greatest psychedelic lyrics?

Without looking very far, here are a couple of contenders:-

Tyrannosaurus Rex: Stars with eyes embedded in their footprints wept sweet words from our remembered childhood.
John Lennon: Images of broken light that dance before me like a million suns, they call me on and on across the universe.

[QUOTE=Lisnaholic;1457777] ^
To be 100% psychedelic, the music should have a specific intention, and lyrics -if any- should encourage, or refer, to an expanded consciousness, wouldn`t you agree? So what are the world`s greatest psychedelic lyrics?

I really can't commit myself to naming the greatest psychedelic lyrics, Lisnaholic, though Across the Universe should be a fine specimen and the other one too.

The Chambers Brothers - Time Has Come Today - YouTube


Jefferson Airplane - Two Heads - YouTube


It's a Beautiful Day-White Bird - YouTube


Donovan - Cosmic Wheels - 1973 - YouTube


Just Like Gene Autry : A Foxtrot ~ Moby Grape - YouTube

It's always good to hear Jefferson Airplane and Donovan is also very good.
I can see that this list can go on forever, yet it's better to stick to songs, as it would be impossible to rate the lyrics.

The Guess Who- No Sugar Tonight

Steppenwolf-28

The greatest Psychadelic song I've ever listened to would have to be "Suzy Creamcheese" by Teddy and his Patches. Total cult classic song, and it never fails to spice up the party.

This is impossible.

But,

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense and Peppermints
The Doors - Light My Fire
The Beach Boys - Cabinessence, and
The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever

are all possibilities.