Welcome to Psychedelic 100…
Here you will find the most outasight lists of psychedelic albums in existence anywhere in the known and hallucinogenic universes. Phase-shifting, swirling organs, feedback, distortion, sitars and heaps of modern neo-psychedelic studio gimmickry are all on offer. For all you groovy old hippies who long ago gave up dropping tabs for spilling chardonnay, this is the place to relive all those old memories… or discover what they would probably be like if you could actually remember anything from your misspent youth. And for younger groovers, also on offer is the best of what's happening now, topped off with a healthy rush of psych history. How far-out is that?!

The site currently features two psych Top 100 lists. All the albums on the 1960s list have at some stage shown up on CD. The original psych music didn't last for long - its heyday was from 1967-68 and by 1969 only the diehards remained. Prog-rock and/or art rock kind of took over for a while in the 70s, but by the early-80s psychedelia was back in vogue thanks to a handful of so-inclined 'new wave' bands and LA's 'paisley underground'. The neo-psychedelic list features albums from 1980 to the present.

Top 100 Psychedelic 60s Albums
The Sixties list is a statistical survey. I found about 50 lists containing anywhere from 20-300 albums each and brought them together into sort of a commune. I then tallied up the citations and determined the exact rankings using rated reviews from various music sites on the net. Much of the music from the period that we are listening to today isn't necessarily what was big at the time. Various anthologies, particularly the Nuggets series, have sparked a whole new wave of interest in long lost or forgotten psychedelic artyfacts. The Elevators, for example, are much bigger now than they ever were in the Sixties when they struggled for commercial recognition.

Top 100 Neo-Psychedelic Albums
From the early-80s onwards alternative music was branching out in all sorts of exciting new and innovative directions. While never achieving the commercial dominance psych enjoyed in its 60s heyday, in modern times a host of artists have released albums that find their roots in early psychedelia. The sheer scope and variety on offer from the independent music scene goes far beyond anything seen before. Along with a little help from Jim DeRogatis' superb Turn on Your Mind (Hal Leonard, 2003), this list is based on how visitors to major music sites on the net categorise and rate a diverse body of music that roughly falls under the neo-psychedelic banner.

Neo-Heaven

Various Artists
Children of Nuggets
(2005) Rhino [4CDs]

Rhino brings the fantastic Nuggets series into the modern world with some psyched-out garage obscurities.

Subtitled Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era - 1976-1995, the only real quibble is that it had to stop in the mid-90s. For those unfamiliar with the legendary Nuggets series, the main focus to date has been on psych and garage obscurities from the 1960s.

Fans of the site's recently introduced Top 100 Neo-Psych albums list with lap this up in spades. Scattered among the staggering 100 tracks on offer are examples of most of the notable new wave and paisley underground bands, as well as plenty of fringe retro. The handful of relatively rare Australian tracks are all pure gems. Of course, the focus remains firmly in the garage, with a host of bands proving that reincarnation is real.

As always, comprehensive (and fun) liner notes top off yet another Nuggets set that is sure to make its own mark on rock history. The package price has been known to fluctuate, but working out at about $10-15 a disc surely makes this the neo-psych bargain of the century so far.