Tag Archives: Psychedelic folk

Electric Music of Barry Melton

14 Jun

Barry Melton may not be easily recognizable in the sea of 1960’s psychedelic guitarists, but his influence on the genre should not be understated. Melton co-founded and played lead guitar for the late 60’s psychedelic juggernaut Country Joe and the Fish, best known for the famous perversion of their own “f-i-s-h” chant at Woodstock. Melton celebrates his 64th birthday today.

Like stated above, most people know of Country Joe and The Fish because of their iconic Woodstock performance. This was the pinnacle of the band’s success and lifted them on a pedestal for the anti-Vietnam campaign. But in the popularity of The Fish’s chant followed by “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin-To-Die Rag, many listeners do not get the full range of the band’s talent. The Fish played an eclectic form of moving psychedelic folk and blues that was both efficient and enjoyable. Barry “The Fish” Melton contributed to the band’s underrated sound and for that we thank him.

Check out some early Fish from their debut album Electric Music for the Mind and Body. This is “Love.”

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What is the Best 1960’s Psychedelic Sub-Genre

15 May

Every post I do about psychedelic music must be prefaced by a piece of computer psychedelic artwork. It is a necessity. Over the past couple of weeks, I have put together posts for the section entitled “60’s Psychedelic Experiment – What is 60s Psychedelic Music.” The section has explored numerous types of psychedelic music. Most similarly to Indie music today, Psychedelic music was a fad genre that took on several sub-genres. I say “fad” genre because it is not a main modern music genre like pop, rock or blues. Psychedelic music was a rather obscure genre that took shape because of its temporary popularity.

I love psychedelic music. It is one of the reasons why I first got into listening to true classic rock (rock before 1973 with the exception of a few bands like Boston and Thin Lizzy). The question that I pose in this poll is what is the best type of 1960s psychedelic music. There are more sub-genres than options in the poll below, but since psychedelic music spawns genres within genres (an Inception twist), I’d rather keep it simple. Plus, remember, we are not including sub-genres like Kraut Rock, Art Rock, and Progressive Rock, because besides a few early examples, these sub-genres burgeoned in the 1970s, uncharted territory for this post. Below are a few big sub-genres that contain most psychedelic songs. I will include an example of the genre as well. Happy Voting.

Psychedelic Folk: “Elevator Man” by Kaleidoscope

Psychedelic Garage Rock: “You’re Gonna Miss Me” by 13th Floor Elevators

Psychedelic Soul: “Everyday People” by Sly and the Family Stone

Psychedelic Pop: “Incense and Peppermints” by Strawberry Alarm Clock

Psychedelic Acid Rock: “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix Experience


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