It starts with a bit of a cough and soon we are deep into 'I'm Only Sleeping'. By Harrison's 'Love You To' one suspects that something different is happening. 'She Said She Said' is mildly trippy. And then… 'Tomorrow Never Knows' blows the heads away. Using studio techniques borrowed elsewhere the Beatles concoct pure genius.
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Roger the Engineer (aka Over Under Sideways Down) The Yardbirds 1966 [Columbia]
When Jeff Beck replaced Eric Clapton in the blues rave-up outfit the Yardbirds the band entered a new phase of artistic development. Beck was one of the first proponents of using feedback and distortion in his playing, bringing a driving psychedelic sound to many tracks here - particularly the hit 'Over, Under, Sideways, Down'.
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Fifth Dimension The Byrds 1966 [Columbia]
The Byrds didn't quite abandon folk-rock with this record, but they certainly tossed in a generous helping of psychedelia. Unfortunately it probably marked the beginning of their commercial decline, although the album hit #24 and three of its tracks also charted as singles. The pick of the bunch was the mind-blowing 'Eight Miles High'.
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Smiley Smile The Beach Boys 1967 [Capitol]
Some claim the 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds as psych (it isn't), while others say had it been made (it wasn't) the legendary SMiLE album would be the one to have. The troubled Brian Wilson did finally collect himself enough to release a 2004 version of SMiLE, but the Purple Chick Beach Boys bootleg is probably closer to the mark.
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The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion The Incredible String Band 1967 [Elektra]
A visit to Morocco by Scottish folk musician Robin Williamson saw him return with a kit-bag of exotic instruments and reform the ISB as a duo with Mike Heron. A much more conventionally accessible album than the lauded follow-up Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, 'The Mad Hatter's Song' pointed to an increasingly psychedelic sound.
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The Twain Shall Meet Eric Burdon & the Animals 1968 [MGM]
Burdon's transition from blues to psych was completed with this album. He celebrates his newfound status as an antiwar rock festival icon on 'Monterey', while elsewhere he even manages to make bagpipes sound psychedelic. 'Sky Pilot' - a searing statement opposing the Vietnam conflict - is the album's centrepiece. Still sounding good.
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Electric Ladyland The Jimi Hendrix Experience 1968 [Track/Reprise]
Originally released as a double-LP, the last album featuring the Experience saw manager Chas Chandler quit in frustration and Noel Redding's growing dissatisfaction with Hendrix's eccentricities. Despite this the album is a conceptual masterpiece, moving well away from the tightly produced pop of previous efforts and into experimental territory.
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Aoxomoxoa The Grateful Dead 1969 [Warner]
Guitarist/singer Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter emerged as the creative mainstays of the Dead on this album. Unlike the previous year's Anthem of the Sun, Aoxomoxoa is a more traditionally structured effort featuring shorter more concise songs. In the process the transition to their two superb 1970 albums was almost complete.
