5. SRC: Black Sheep
SRC were a psychedelic unit from Detroit who emerged with this grandiose album towards mid 1968. SRC took power trio stylings from the Who, slowed them down, blended them with an almost Gothic sounding Hammond organ in a manner borrowed from Procol Harum, added some sustain-heavy guitar and a melodicism not usually found in acid rock; it makes for particularly unique listening. Originally formed by members of two locally heroic garage bands, the Fugitives and the Chosen Few. SRC lasted long enough to record three albums, all in a similar vein, but never sold enough albums to keep at it. "Black Sheep" is their best known single, from their debut, and features some unusually memorable Hammond work that sounds like a church pipe organ.
6. Electric Prunes: I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)
The Electric Prunes are something of a missing link between garage band and acid rock. They made the top-40 twice, "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" was their first, and biggest hit, reaching #11 in 1967. They were largely a studio creation; the band was controlled by a production and songwriting team that fired and replaced members at will. Their third album, Mass in F Minor, recorded with different musicians than this recording, is an acid rock legend; a psychedelic church mass sung mostly in Latin. The single from that album, "Kyrie Eleison", was featured during the acid freak-out scene in the movie Easy Rider. That one would be a purer example of the genre to include here, although "I Had Too Much To Dream" is a better illustration of the garage band roots of many acid rock bands. Yet another version of this band recorded a fourth album in 1969 before their label dropped them.
7. The Frost: Sweet Jenny Lee
The Frost were a Detroit band led by singer/guitarist Dick Wagner, who had previously played in a band called the Bossmen, featuring bassist Mark Farner, who would go on to form Grand Funk Railroad. The Frost were another power-trio-with-organ band, and their leadoff cut from their debut "Sweet Jenny Lee" sounds like a cross between The Zombies and the Amboy Dukes. The album from which it comes features a somewhat poppier psychedelic sound, borrowing some ideas from English psychedelia, but also carries a dose of Detroit hard rock grit that keeps this in acid rock territory. Wagner would later help Farner set up Grand Funk Railroad, and would himself back both Lou Reed and Alice Cooper.
Article comments
1 - Vern Halen
As is often the case, your tastes intersect mine. One point - I would disagree that Steppenwolf is an acid rock band - I think they had other elements that were more prominent. However, you make the point that their music holds up just fine; I wish the rest of the world would catch on to this and give John Kay & Co. the critical respect they deserve and not just regard them as a footnote to the 60's.
Iron Butterfly - if you get past In A Gadda Da Vida, they had some wonderful cuts. Their current best of CD is a must have.
Electric Prunes - second album is good too - a companion piece to the first.
2 - Douglas Mays
Great list. Yeah, I had too much to dream last night. But it wasn't drug induced.
Then there are your bands that are of the acid rock circles that were a bit more direct in their message, therefore removing the acid from the style a bit. Like Jefferson Airplane. The 'Crown of Creation' album is stellar. Songs like 'Lather' (hhhmmm...that one is acidic) or 'Greasy Heart' will stick with me forever. Huh, I guess that is all acid rock. But I like the selections you made. Ultimate Spinach? I remember that one!
Anyway, just a theory...
peaceloveguidance
3 - douglas mays
Oh god, so if it becomes a radio hit, does that make it ACID POP? Acid pop, I think I drank some of that stuff in the later 60s. It was like Tang.
4 - sydney
yu can add early flaming lips to that list i think..
5 - uao
Thanks guys. Vern, I'm with you on Steppenwolf, they're a lot better than given credit for.
sydney, I didn't include Flaming Lips because they're from a different generation, but they are fairly psychedelic in their own way. I classified them as noise pop.
6 - uao
Douglas-
Jefferson Airplane will be included when I do a Haight-Ashbury playlist (so much music, so little time). They're a lifelong obsession of mine, I also plan a stand-alone artist overview on them someday.
7 - Douglas Mays
uao, right on!
8 - SFC SKI
Ever since I read this column, The Stawberry Alarm Clock's hit "Incense and Peppermints" has been dominating my brain.
9 - Vern Halen
Trivia - Ed King, original guitarist with Lynyrd Skynyrd (he's on their first two albums, which means he's playing on the meir monster hit Sweet Home Alabama), was also guitarist for....the Strawberry Alarm Clock. Go fig.
10 - uao
Even more trivial:
I happened to wander into Amoeba records, a giant emporium of new/used rock stuff in the middle of Hollywood.
They have live shows in there, it's so big; one night, while waiting for a bus, I caught Los Lobos.
On this night, I wnett in there, and who was playing bu Strawberry Alarm Clock (or a band who claimed to be them, most of the members looked a little too young, but there was one grizzled guy, too). Fronting the band was Lynn Carey, former lead singer of the blues-hard-rock Mama Lion, an early 70's outfit that had their cover banned for featuring Carey breast-feeding a lion cub. Their music is long forgotten, but she had good pipes.
This is akin to hearing the Grass Roots fronted by Danny Partridge; it was kinda surreal.
All I was after was a cheap DVD of a flick or two.
11 - Eric Olsen
super uao, fascinating stuff, didn't know that about Billy Joel! Interesting that you see acid rock and psychedelia split, with acid rock emphasizing the "heavy" and mutating into metal. Thanks!
12 - Rick
Captain Beyond!