A heavy metal monster featuring fuzzed-out guitars tuned-down to get that genuine occult feel. These were the early days before singer Ozzy Ozbourne had been tossed out of the band. The title track was virtually created on-the-spot by guitarist Tony Iommi owing to a lack of material to fill out the album. The critics, of course, hated it.
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Workingman's Dead The Grateful Dead 1970 [Warner]
On this record the Grateful Dead went from being a psychedelic San Francisco band specialising in extended jams to the premier roots rock outfit on the West Coast. Although a seemingly unlikely transition, songs like the hit 'Uncle John's Band', 'New Speedway Boogie' and 'Casey Jones' showed they had found their niche.
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Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus Spirit 1970 [Epic]
Spirit's synthesis of jazz, hard rock and psychedelia peaked with this classic head-spinning record. The ecologically aware 'Nature's Way' was an FM hit, while elsewhere the booming bass lines and Randy California's crunching guitar made 'Mr. Skin' and 'Animal Zoo' playlist favourites. Proof positive that a Moog synthesizer can be cool.
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Led Zeppelin III Led Zeppelin 1970 [Atlantic]
The pounding blues-metal of Led Zep's first two albums gave way to some folksy hard-rockin' flower-powering on the band's third outing. A big favourite with psych fans, despite only the occasional trimming. The original hippy-dippy album sleeve with its rotatable cardboard inset was well-and-truly tripped out. Some nice acoustic pieces as well.
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If Only I Could Remember My Name David Crosby 1971 [Atlantic]
The ultimate laidback trippy-hippie spiritual meditation features an all-star cast in support. Neil Young and Graham Nash give the record a CSNY feel in places - with Jerry Garcia, some Jefferson Airplane alumni and Joni Mitchell also along for the ride. As uplifting as the music is, the album's title probably refers to Crosby's battles with drug use.
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Low David Bowie 1977 [RCA]
Bowie's drug addiction and a fascination with Krautrock found him drying out in Berlin, with Low the first of a trilogy landing him firmly in experimental territory. Brian Eno's involvement shows through in the experimentalism, perhaps even topping his own groundbreaking albums from the same period. No nonsense cutting edge Bowie.
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Chairs Missing Wire 1978 [Harvest]
Emerging from the late-70s punk rebellion, Wire's Pink Flag (1977) was a minimalist onslaught that remains a classic of its genre. Chairs Missing heads the other way, finding the band experimenting with synthesisers and more complex song structures. The result was some dense atmospherics and an almost-hit in 'Outdoor Miner'.
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Dub Housing Pere Ubu 1978 [Rough Trade]
The premier art punk band featuring the somewhat twisted lyrics of frontman David Thomas. Their debut The Modern Dance (1978) spun more than a few heads, with most surprised that things could get even weirder with this fine follow-up. Check out 'Ubu Dance Party' for a slice of psychedelic shortwave radio ingenuity.
