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What does Psychedelic mean?

I'm sure lots of you good people must be a bit [or a lot!] fed up with me getting on my high horse and trying to give my point of view - 'cos it sounds like I think I know what's true and you don't.
Time to say sorry to you all. I only can see things from my point of view - just like you.
Sometimes I forget I'm just seing things from my point of view - from my personal angle on life, just like you do too and I fail to understand we can be looking at/talking about the same thing.

So for this post, I'd very much like to hear how you see things. Sounds like a crossed metaphor, but for me, hearing things that I'm seeing is part of the trip.
Still, back to the question. What is Psychedelic then?
Over to you! Please feel 100% free to state your view and I PROMISE I'll not criticise you personally. Honest!

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

psychedelic means drugs

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Whatever it is I don't agree that it's just drugs. There were plenty of drugs around before psychedelia and plenty of new drugs since.

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

yo Stevo, there's nothing wrong with criticism itself. However if it turns to personal insult then surely it becomes unacceptable. For instance, I would never call someone a "windbag"


chow dear

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Drugs are not needed for psychedelic. A lot of bands wrote great music without the use of them.

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

"Psychedelic" usually means CON As its used to describe lots of albums cos the greedy record companies knew it would sell their trash and in the end it watered down true psychedelic music..
Who among you was hooked? many I bet including me

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Ahh Steve,psychedelic, there's books been wtitten about this and tried to describe it's meaning. Here's my view on it concerning psychedelic music only, I feel groups and artistes tried to convey a drug inspired and influenced sound to their music mainly cnveying an lsd trip, for example I am the walrus by the Beatles lyrically and musically!! The likes of grass and hash was being smoked in the rubber soul era from the fabs, I feel you can hear that and the inluence of hallucigen drugs like lsd made groups experiment more and more in the studio, it's like 3 early albums psychedelic lollipop by blues magoos, psychedelic sounds of by 13th floor elevators and psychedelic moods by the deep all from 1966,all showed the influence of lsd as the 60s wore on. Of course it became big business and yes was diluted by commercialism, but thats my view on what is meant by psychedelic music. Drug inspired through lyrics, music and art, because lets not forget a big part of psychedelic albums in particular the artwork of the sleeve could be just as important!!

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

'Drugs are not needed for psychedelic. A lot of bands wrote great music without the use of them'.

The Troggs 'Night Of The Long Grass' was famously written by Reg Presley on nothing moe than a cup of tea and a cigarette. :slightly_smiling_face:

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

The same with pictures of matchstick men written by francis Rossi over a cup of tea in his mums kitchen,

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Interesting comments, good people!
Maybe a few more and we can have some discussion and debate?!?
We all have our reasons to say what we feel is and isn't psychedelic, depending where the road's taken us so far. A songline from tangled up in blue by Bobbie Dylan comes to my mind. A nice mix of views so far, folks. Thanks!



Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Back in the mid sixties when I was a teenager Psychedelia was a mix of fashion ,music and a strange vibe which seemed to mix it all up into a multi coloured stew..I never took drugs but still embraced the Scene on lots of levels..there seemed to be quite a bit of snobbery around it as well but the copyists had a good time. Also in the Stew was the Free Love movement which seemed to combine with the Flowerpower lot.
They were fantastic times for me new discoveries every day music wise and fashion wise..I joined up in 68 and when I came out bloody Prog music had taken over
Just my views
Also curious how olde were you all in the mid to late sixties? In 68 I was 19
I've also realised folk music has outlived all the music trends but then it always was very organic

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

The late Patrick Lundborg's book 'Psychedelia: An Ancient Culture, A Modern Way Of Life' covers it all since theyear dot

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Psychedelia-Ancient-Culture-Modern-Life/dp/1520617186/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1547891611&sr=1-4&keywords=psychedelia

PM:slightly_smiling_face:

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

I agree with what you say about some fab psych being made without the use of drugs, but initially as I said many songs recorded 50 years ago in the original psych music era were in my opinion originally made to convey a hazy druggy vibe whether a group like the troggs or for that matter the hollies actually ingested lsd or any other drug. Now 50 years on whether a psych song was recorded by the influence of drugs or not really doesn't matter as we all have parameters of what we hear in a song which we can label a psych song, whether it's loaded with effects like phasing or backwards tape effects or hazy trippy lyrics. There's many examples of teabag psych as there is lsd psych, but in general I feel originally it was to convey a druggy vibe. Here in the UK I feel a lot of it was pop derived music shot through a hazy fish eye lense with many having childlike fantasies and themes harking back to more innocent times while in the states I feel it certainly was a sensory of the brain with all sorts of sounds and visual stuff to bombard the brain as in the merry pranksters acid tests, a definite link with lsd and music which became very popular and of course commercialised for companies to make money as the original idea of psych music got lost amongst this commercial marketing. 50 years on those thoughts don't really matter, but at the time psych music was new and exciting but in the UK it was more of a middle class London centred scene while in an enormous country like the states in featured big in many cities. Finally psych music touched all corners of the globe with the likes of Turkey adding their own traditional instruments into the mix. One thing most of us could agree on is that psych music made for some interesting and innovative sounds whether in folk, jazz,pop and rock. To me the variety of its influence is still paramount in 2019.but to me the original idea was to convey a druggy imagery whether with a cup of tea or a tab. That I feel is a common thread throughout psych music. Just my view.

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Steve-O how does one switch yer flashing sign off its giving me a fekkin headache lol

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Hi Phil,

You scroll further down the page, mate!

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Well, so far so good. If someone can stimulate the discussion a bit, that would be really beautiful.
What's reality beyond the mind? Who's pushed themselves beyond the boundaries of everyday consciousness? Where did you go and what did you find there?
Let's hear about your personal experience of knocking on the doors of perception.
Did you get in?

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

What's reality ? it would seem everyone has a different reality based on their life's experiences and lack of experiences. We all seem to look through very different windows out into OUR world as we see it.
So to me our own reality is very personal to each of us.
Also in the mix is OUR reality has been tainted by outside forces and to me and my thinking the older I've got, reality has gotton further from my reach hence my reality is a broken mould of conflicting realities.
Reality walks hand in hand with realisation..a realisation that nothing is really real its just as I see it which is probably a million miles from where anyone else see its
Does that make sense ? or have I totally lost the plot!!?
Over to you O bearded one

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Psychedelia = LSD.

No LSD, no psychedelia. Yes, plenty of bands recorded great psych music without taking anything, but they wouldn't have been able to do that had others not reported back their experiences of LSD through music as a template for them to follow. Unlike most pop fads, psychedelia was very different and was initially a revolutionary new way of thinking and living. Those who argue it was just a phase between mod and prog completely miss the point. Everything that came after was effected by it, but it was a complete departure from anything that went before.

I think the impact of LSD is still massively underreported. The world prior to and after the prime LSD era was massively different over the space of only a couple of years. The world of 1965 was not comparable to the world of 1970 and yet only 5 years had passed. That was not due to the numbers taking it, but that key figures of influence in the arts, science, politics and elsewhere were taking it. It fundamentally effected music, culture and society in ways that are still not fully understood and for some reason not fully acknowledged. In centuries to come, the psychedelic era will be seen as a massive missed opportunity to live a more sane life, killed by a mixture of repression, commercialism and deceit, and perhaps one day the power of psychedelics in general will be better understood and they can be used accordingly.

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Yes PP I read somewhere that some governments didnt like the way the drug and Peace movements were affecting others so as you say they repressed the culture even though it was harmless to a point..governments like a good war to them Peace means getting on with each other

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?



Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

We're Only In It For
... A Bit Of A Laugh, Actually.



Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

one shed phil
Yes PP I read somewhere that some governments didnt like the way the drug and Peace movements were affecting others so as you say they repressed the culture even though it was harmless to a point..governments like a good war to them Peace means getting on with each other
Wallace enjoys the faux-psych,popsike BOSSTOWN SOUND.(Bands like Tangerine Zoo, Stone Circus,Freeport.)
In 1967 Alan Lorber, in an attempt to exploit/duplicate the run of luck of the West Coast (san Fran) psych , wanted to make an East Coast equivalent.
For various reasons - main of which was that his bands Ultimate Spinach, Orpheus and the Beacon Street Union were situated in Boston on MGM - he chose Boston area bands. There were a few "happening" venues (like Psychedelic Supermarket) from where he could mine upcoming talents. Later the term Bosstown would spread to include bands on labels other than MGM - like Mainstream - as long as the bands were OR ORIGIONATED in Boston.

Well ,my point being, this all quickly came to an end in '69 when Lorber was replaced by the ultra-conservative , and later to-be lieutenant governor of California, Mike Curb. Curb did a complete pogrom on mention of drugs in song lyrics.
And that was the end of Bosstown.

(Even Orpheus, which was as Association-tame as it comes, was expurgated.)


......
Right-o!
Wallace should add:

Of course, Curb was not the sole reason for the swift demise of Bosstown.
It was a tumultous period in time, the late sixties were. Trends were ephermal. Would peak quickly and die off just as quickly. (Two year stretch at the very most.)

And then there was the hippy backlash.
Turns out flower children are not that docile.
They refuse to be made fads of...to be exploited.

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Hello Wallace,i love the Bosstown sound,Ultimate Spinaches first 2 albums are excellent in my opinion,the third not so great!!I like Orpheus mate,some fab pop and yes some with a psych taint to it!Another group I love is The Lost,to my ears a totally under rated group,Weren't Edens Children from Boston?Their 2 albums are a very good listen!Becaon Street Union,i find both albums can be a bit uneven,put all the best stuff on a comp ,wow!!Terrific!!!!Alan Lorber was a pretty despotic producer from what I've read and of course it was all to cash in on the psych thing going on,but 50 years on,who cares?Some brilliant music came out of Boston at that time!!Weren't the likes of Phluph and Flat Earth Society from Boston!The Rockin Ramrods and the group that evolved from them Puff were excellent too!!Puff made an excellent and a pretty soft and mellow album,which is screaming for a top class reissue!!Its a shame that the ultimate Spinach cd reissues on big beat were not how the original albums were released,it seems this was down to Alan Lorber!!There's loads of Boston bands who released solitary albums,and many nowt to do with Alan Lorber,who unfortunately got hauled in with Lorbers Bosstown Sound hype!!But agree with you Wallace,some real fab sounds produced by Alan Lorber!!!!!

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Chamaeleon Church, another Bosstown hopeful, featuring Chevy Chase and making just one really nice light psych LP.

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?



Sorry to butt in on your smalltalk guys, but can I just ask you to respectfully get back on track and remember the subject of this post please?
To show some respect - not to me, but to the Subject of this thread and in fact, to the title and subject of this very fine forum.
In case your attention span can't stretch so far, it's
What does Psychedelic mean?

You know you can talk about anything else yo want within reason here, by starting your own thread, can't you?

Thank you so much.
~StevesStuff.

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?



Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream,
It is not dying, it is not dying
Lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void,
It is shining, it is shining.

Yet you may see the meaning of within
It is being, it is being
Love is all and love is everyone
It is knowing, it is knowing

And ignorance and hate mourn the dead
It is believing, it is believing
But listen to the colour of your dreams
It is not leaving, it is not leaving

So play the game "Existence" to the end
Of the beginning, of the beginning

Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows Lyrics

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?





Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Well, dear Brothers & Sisters.

The pic at the end of the last thing i posted here shows our 'fab four' steeling themselves for a psychedelic experience. There is always some nervousness when facing the unknown. You may recognise it in their eyes and the vibes of tension they give out. It takes courage to allow ourselves to open a door of perception and to surrender our minds to enter into altered states of consciousness.

Thank you so much to all who took the time and trouble to contribute to this thread. Thank you also, those who didn't feel able to contribute, but who never-the-less wanted to read others views.
Each and every one of us has a purpose and a reason to be here. Not just on UKPDF but also on Planet Earth. I'm not a judge nor a know-it-all who can bluff or wants to trick anyone by using my points of view to 'enlighten' you so I can exploit you. That's not me. I don't pretend to be any kind of Guru or Teacher sent to show you the way. That's not why I'm here. I'm here for the same reason as anyone else. To learn something. And to promote the Peace & Happiness available to us all through music, if we want to listen and not just hear.

I'm so keen to give you my views on what does psychedelic mean, but I can hold back for a few more ideas from you if you want. This time I'd like to offer another psychedelic masterpiece for your 3rd ears.

Here is the unusually humble/defiant offering of Joe McDonald and his Fish. It twists and turns as different levels of perception slip in and out of mind - changing to end with the animal desire to hang on to this life as it recedes into the distance. A wonderful insight undoubtably inspired by a few hundred microgrammes of the key to the door. It's called "Who am I?"




Country Joe And The Fish Lyrics
"Who Am I?"

Who am I to stand and wonder, to wait
While the wheels of fate slowly grind my life away?
Who am I?

There were some things that I loved one time
But the dreams are gone I thought were mine
And the hidden tears that once could fall
Now burn inside at the thought of all
The years of waste, the years of crime
Passions of a heart so blind
To think that but even still
As I stand exposed, the feelings are felt
And I cry into the echo of my loneliness.

Who am I to stand and wonder, to wait
While the wheels of fate slowly grind my life away?
Who am I?

What a nothing I've made of life
The empty words, the coward's plight
To be pushed and passed from hand to hand
Never daring to speak, never daring to stand
And the emptiness of my family's eyes
Reminds me over and over of lies
And promises and deeds undone
And now again I want to run
But now there is nowhere to run to.

Who am I to stand and wonder, to wait
While the wheels of fate slowly grind my life away?
Who am I?

And now my friend we meet again
We shall see which one will bends
Under the strain of death's golden eyes
Which one of us shall win the prize
To live and which one will die
'Tis I, my friend, yes 'tis I
Shall kill to live again and again
To clutch the throat of sweet revenge
For life is here only for the taking.

Who am I to stand and wonder, to wait
While the wheels of fate slowly grind my life away?
Who am I?
Who am I?

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

Ultimate Spinach. Behold And See.

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

If you don't know this, Jimmeh, then you don't know nuffink:

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On this the Psych Bible is unequivocal.

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?



Re: What does Psychedelic mean?




I HOPE A FEW MORE PEOPLE CAN CONTRIBUTE SOMETHING TO THIS POST ...
... before I say what i have to say on the subject, as after a few returned comments on my perspectives, I suppose the topic will be considered as past it's best before date. Just like anything else, a 'best before' label doesn't mean it's unfit for consumption, but just that you may have liked it a bit more if you didn't leave it so late.

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

For myself I feel when I hear the word 'psychedelic' Music/art comes to mind first and by music I mean mainstream sixties psychedelic tracks..early Floyd, Hendrix, Beatles ,Stones Satanic its as simple as that for me just the music. By art I talk about album covers and fashion. IMHO hippie shit muddied the waters of Psychedelia.
Just my thoughts

Re: What does Psychedelic mean?

An enlightened state of perception.



HAPPY NEW YEAR!