Psychedelic Rock & The Grateful Dead

Throughout this semester I have grown to appreciate different types of music than I wouldn’t generally listen too and where they all originated from. All genres of music originally came from the impact of blues music. I generally enjoy the genre of Rock & Roll music as it stands out to me from the others. Specifically psychedelic rock has been one the most interesting to me. Psychedelic rock is a diverse style of rock and roll music based off of the influence of psychedelic culture present at the time. This is influenced by the usage of hallucinogenic drugs. Drugs like LSD were used by the artists to allow them to produce music that recreated the feeling of being on drugs.

The Grateful Dead is a great example of 1960’s psychedelic rock. The band would often play in concert while under the influence of the use of LSD. One of the Grateful Dead’s most influential songs is called Scarlet Begonias.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj_kK1j3CV0

One of the most important attributes to these songs is the instruments used to produce it. The lyrics alone aren’t what mimics the psychedelic experience, it’s the rhythm. The bass, guitar and drums are the magic within the music.