The debut from Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention was only the second double-LP ever released. Zappa's non-conformist approach resulted in a melange of jazz-inspired avant-garde classicism with elements of doo-wop and pop-psych cynicism. By 1968's We're Only in it For the Money he was seriously lampooning hippie flower power.
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Safe As Milk Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band 1967 [Buddah]
Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart) is a theatrically-charged blues-rock artist known for making some pretty 'out there' stuff. His first long player is probably as close as he ever came to commercial accessibility, although there are plenty of obtuse moments. 'Electricity' is a fine dose of avant-garde psychedelia. Fabulous record well worth having.
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Gorilla The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band 1967 [Liberty]
The Bonzos started out playing manic music hall jazz before ascending to a more psychedelic astral plane. They were the looney house band on the British children's show Do Not Adjust Your Set which featured some future Pythons. For a good idea of how whacked-out things got check out the lyrics for 'The Intro and the Outro'.
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Cauldron Fifty Foot Hose 1968 [Limelight]
One of the more experimental bands to come out of San Francisco, Fifty Foot Hose specialised in jazzy psych using a homemade synthesiser. Creative maestro Cork Marcheschi was the main driving force, joined by couple David (guitar) and Nancy (vocals) Blossom in rounding out the sound. Truly original stuff deserving of its following.
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter The Incredible String Band 1968 [Elektra]
British psychedelia folk style. Between them Robin Williamson and Mike Heron play 17 different instruments - including sitar, harpsichord, pan pipe, oud and water harp. Not surprisingly the result is a cacophony of experimental folk that in places sounds somewhat dated today. For the most part, however, this is truly incredible music.
Legendary debut album from Malcolm John Rebennack Jr (aka Dr. John), best described as a New Orleans-style mix of psych and R&B. His stage show at the time was a sort of theatrical voodoo mardi gras. The album's title refers to a voodoo talisman or good luck charm and pretty well sums up the bizarre gumbo mysticism found here.
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Paradise Now Group 1850 1969 [Discofoon]
Dutch acid-rockers who made little impact elsewhere, but have since become recognised for their trailblazing approach. The band ran the gamut from snarlingly psychotic to breezily beautiful, with plenty of head-tripping eccentricities along the way. Their debut album Agemo's Trip To Mother Earth was even more 'out there' than Paradise Now.
Oar Alexander 'Skip' Spence 1969 [Columbia/Sundazed]
Acid-head Skip Spence started with Jefferson Airplane and was a key member of the legendary Moby Grape. After freaking out with a fire axe in the studio he was institutionalised, eventually emerging to make this one-man-band psych-folk obscurity. The CD release featuring a swag of extra tracks is a pure joy to behold.
