40 Obscure Psychedelic Rock & Pop Albums That You Ought To Know

At the start of 2012 I put together a list of forty of my favourite psychedelic albums of all time, followed by three lists of additions (linked at the end of that now rather primitive looking post). Between them, these have been the Active Listener's most consistently viewed and commented upon posts.
Since then I've been joined by a number of other writers so we felt that it was time to follow up that list (of mostly well known classics) with a list that required a little more digging.
So here we have a follow up list of classic psychedelic albums from the sixties and early seventies that you're perhaps a little less familiar with, all of which have great things to offer.
This list is in no way an attempt to acknowledge every classic obscurity of the genre - that would be a lifetime's work, and one hell of a huge list. What we have here are a number of our writers and friends sharing some of their favourites with you. Dig in, investigate and enjoy!

Contributors: Nathan Ford (NF), Grey Malkin (GM), Chris Sherman (CS), Jason Simpson (JS), Todd Leiter-Weintraub (TLW)

The Avengers "Medallion"
Third and last album from this New Zealand band, and if the cover wasn't enough to tell you, also their most overtly psychedelic. A mixture of originals and covers with their versions of "Love Hate Revenge" and "The Days of Pearly Spencer" being sizeable hits here, and dare I day definitive versions to my ears. Even better is the moodily atmospheric chant of "Midnight Visitations" which takes the "Every Christian Lion Hearted Man" and "Turns Into Earth" gregorian psychedelia template and owns it. Their debut is well worth checking out too in more of a freakbeat / r&b vein. (NF)
Buy (CD).
Listen.

Baby Grandmothers "Baby Grandmothers"

Before they would go on to become part of the Mecki Mark Men unit, Baby Grandmothers was creating their own brand of fuzzy psychedelia.  It’s a bit like Cream, only if they had the Syd-era Floyd exploration mentality.  Note that this is not an actual album, as the band only released a 7" during their day, so this compiles those two songs, along with a series of live recordings from 1967 and 1968 before they disbanded (and yes, as one would expect, since these are nearly fifty year old bootleg recordings, the sound isn’t spectacular).   “Being Is More Than Life” appears in two forms: once a single version and then again as a full-LP side jam that ebbs and flows from a main theme to feedback soaked, jazz-tinged passages and back to the start again. (CS)

Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen.
 
Birmingham Sunday "A Message From Birmingham Sunday"
Definitely at the poppier end of the psychedelic spectrum, with great male/female vocals in a Mama's & The Papa's / Peanut Butter Conspiracy, lots of mellotron, and great production from Bill Holmes (also responsible for the Strawberry Alarm Clock). Lots of great period detail - fuzz guitars, flutes, organ, and most importantly, memorable songs with big, anthemic harmony pop choruses given the kitchen sink production treatment that I wish more of these sixties harmony pop bands had been rendered in. (NF)
Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Dave Bixby "Ode To Quetzalcoatl"
 Dave Bixby could be seen as the crossroads between the Old World and the New age. "Ode To Quatzelcoatl" is equal parts Syd Barrett and an AA cross-stich sampler, with lyrics like "Open a door in your mind/and we will come in," from "Faith To Move A Mountain", which casts Bixby as a new disciple, which suggests Bixby has not entirely internalized the meekness and humility emphasised by the Holy Book. Who's to say if the music would be as good, if he were? Burning with a dark passion, clutching for dear life, Bixby plays with the devotion of a drowning man, struggling to save his soul and sanity. (JS)

Buy (CD).
Listen. 
 

Bo Grumpus "Before The War"
One of those major label (Atco in this case) signings that was expected to sell with little or no promotion. The material on Before The War was never going to trouble the singles charts but is blessed with a subtle melancholy which at its best (such as on "Sparrow Tune") both recalls and rivals the early solo work of Gene Clark, which as those who know me well can attest is as glowing a recommendation as I'm likely to offer anything. Don't expect an immediate payoff and you'll go far with this underappreciated classic.(NF)
Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Sonny Bono "Inner Views"
Sonny briefly dropped Cher (and a lot of LSD by the sound of it) for this surprisingly hip psychedelic opus. There are sitars all over the place and the lengthier tracks (like "I Just Sit There") have the slightly unhinged quality of Eric Burdon's San Francisco narratives. It all fits together marvelously as an album and has moments that suggest a wiggier Lee Hazlewood. Why this potential cult favourite has remained largely unchampioned is a mystery to us. (NF)
Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Caedmon "Caedmon"
Often described as possibly the best acid folk release of all time, Edinburgh based Caedmon’s self-titled debut (and only studio album till a reunion 32 years later) still stands as an ambitious and awe inspiring take on traditional music. Combining cello, mandolin, psych fuzz guitar and songs inspired by CS Lewis with a genuine maverick creativity ‘Caedmon’ is a musical treasure trove. (GM)
Buy (Vinyl).
Listen. 

Circus Maximus "Circus Maximus"
Amazing psychedelic folk-rock, very much in the Byrds/Gene Clark mold featuring Jerry Jeff Walker before he became a country performer. Every song is a winner, and the band show surprising versatility and depth with plenty of jangle and harmonies, but also rewarding forays into garagey folk-punk and a lengthy jazzy foray that could tenuously be credited as a blueprint for David Crosby's "Deja Vu" but for the fact that he's probably never heard it. A favourite for sure. Oh, and their second album is comparatively weak and best avoided sadly. (NF)
Buy (CD).
Listen. 
 

Comus "First Utterance"
Potentially one of the most disturbing and terrifying albums ever recorded, Comus’s debut was unleashed upon an unsuspecting still swinging London perhaps not quite ready for tales of woodland murder, Roger Wootten’s snarling vocals and the sheer intensity of the band’s singular vision. Now rightly revered and the band reformed, "First Utterance" is unlike any other folk, psych or prog album you will ever come across. Be warned; leave the lights on when listening. (GM)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Condello "Phase 1"
A really great, diverse psychedelic album from an avowed Beatles fan, that refreshingly sounds very little like the Beatles. "Dr. Tarr Professor Feather" is a fabulous example of phasing at its best (and a top psych pop tune in its own right), while there's also excellent heavy psych, baroque pop and on "He'll Keep Waiting" an early country rocker which would have fit nicely on a later Byrds album. Sundazed have just reissued this so you know it's got to be good. (NF)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Dark "Round The Edges"
Could this be the greatest heavy psych private press of all time? While an original is likely to cost you more than $10,000 U.S (in the unlikely event of a copy being offered for sale), we're lucky to be in a position where reissues are now plentiful and everyone has a chance to hear this wee gem. Great heavy psych tunes, with amazing wah wah guitar work, this comes across like a home counties version of the sort of thing coming out in the states by bands like Sir Lord Baltimore or Blue Cheer. An extremely appealing cottage industry artifact with a reputation that it fully deserves. (NF)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen.

Bob Desper "New Sounds"
A few years ago, I came across the term 'Outsider Xian Folk' on some of the prevalent blogs of the time, which led to a rich vein of obscure, unheard-by-anyone ore. Bob Desper's "New Sounds" is one of the best, from that batch. The music is rich, unadorned folk - nimble acoustic guitars and a lone voice. One gets the feeling this would be championed to the heavens, if Desper hadn't name-checked the Son Of Man. The barest whiff of sacred incense is enough to scare off the casual sub-cultural listener. Which is too bad, as this is gorgeous stuff. A direct transmission from the dead of night. Desper makes us wonder, for how many Nick Drakes there are out there, how many bright lights remain unearthed? Desper reminds us to never stop listening, never stop digging, never stop searching for brilliance, no matter what their cosmology. (JS)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen.

Los Dug Dug's "Dug Dug's"
Great debut by the premiere Mexican psychedelic band. While their follow up "Smog" is certainly heavier, this debut has a better sense of atmosphere, variety, and song for song is the stronger of the two to me. Quieter tracks with ethereal flutework float by like a dreamy, gentle breeze while amazing heavy psych beasts like "Let's Make It Now" grab you by the shoulders and give you a vigorous shake. Phenomenal. (NF)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen.
 

Eire Apparent "Sun Rise"
Produced by Jimi Hendrix(!), it was perhaps inevitable that this wouldn't live up to the expectations that were placed upon it. Removed from those lofty heights however, this is a well above average album for its time, with an excellent mix of studio based psychedelia, orchestrated psych pop and heavy fuzz laden psychedelic rock. And on certain moments like the middle section of "Mr Guy Fawkes" you could be forgiven for thinking you were listening to an alternate universe's "Electric Ladyland". Much, much better than you've been told it is. (NF)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Fapardokly "Fapardokly"
Fabulous Byrdsy psychedelic folk-rock from Merrell Fankhauser and co. (later from MU & Merrell Fankhauser & H.M.S Bounty, albums by whom only don't appear on this list for the sake of variety).
Plenty of surf and doo-wop influences make this a little different and more diverse than a lot of the other albums mentioned here, with never a dull moment for those who are willing to give themselves up to a ride that doesn't necessarily take them where they expect to go. (NF)
Buy (CD).
Listen. 
 

The Five Day Week Straw People 
A one off studio album by a band formed around the talents of John Du Cann (the Attack, Atomic Rooster) this is a nice riffy piece of  U.K psychedelia with nice period flavour, Creamy blues rock moments, a Revolveresque rhythm section and a few hints of proto-progressive rock. Du Cann's guitar abilities are given plenty of chances to shine, but the songs are memorable slices of fuzzy Carnaby Street in their own right and not just vehicles for his fretboard antics. (NF) 
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Food "Forever is a Dream" 
A startlingly ambitious example of progressive baroque pop from this Chicago band. A total boundary breaker with tasteful, ornate orchestration, fuzz guitars, Beatlesque harmonies and smart, multifaceted songs that take a little while to sink in but leave a lasting impression. (NF)
Buy (CD).
Listen. 

The Fool "The Fool"
Dutch art troupe The Fool may be best known for their mural on the wall of the Apple building (not to mention painting George's mini, and the sleeve for The Incredible String Band's "5000 Spirits or Layers of the Onion"), but they also produced this under rated and hugely enjoyable LP in 1968. Produced by Graham Nash it's not hugely original, but is extremely diverse from the sci-fi sound effects which usher in "Fly" to Donovanesque whimsy and Bo Diddley shuffles ala "Magic Bus". There's a marked hippie sensibility, so a tolerance towards peace and love is a prerequisite to enjoyment, but those who just chill out man will find themselves having a real nice time here. (NF)
Buy (CD).
Listen. 
 

The 4 Seasons "The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette"
Squeaky clean Frankie Valli and his seasonal chums may seem like the least likely candidates that you can imagine for a compelling psychedelic concept album but that's exactly what they deliver on this "Sgt Pepper" influenced opus. Magnificent harmonies as one would expect, but the lengthy, adventurous arrangements are a surprise - one that unfortunately they didn't investigate further as this stiffed commercially. (NF)
Buy (CD).
Listen. 


The Glass Family "Electric Band" 
Why more people don't rave about this major label gem is a complete mystery to me. Lead single "House of Glass" has a menacing Doors vibe and almost sounds like a prototype for eighties neo-psychedelia in general. It's reason enough to pick up a copy, but there's plenty more to be enjoyed within including excursions into folky and country terrain and heaps of massive fuzz guitar leads. Definitely one that fans of West Coast psychedelia need in their collection. (NF)
Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Harumi "Harumi"
A staggeringly ambitious double album by a Japanese vocalist recorded in New York under the watchful eye of Tom Wilson (The Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa). The first two sides gets a bit of flack in some quarters for not being as far out as the last two, but to my ears they're excellent examples of concise psychedelic pop with great, baroque arrangements and memorable choruses. The two side-length opuses are much more lysergic - one a spoken word piece over traditional Japanese instruments, the other an aggressive, experimental jam. Head music. (NF)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Hollins & Starr "Sidewalks Talking"
What do you mean you haven't heard this? Stop reading now, go here and buy it. Simply one of the best albums of 1970, Chuck Hollins and Dave Starr have crafted a stunner here. "Sidewalks Talking" is extremely diverse, ranging from hippy folk rock with heaps of flute, Terry Reid like meditations, extreme psychedelia and a massive orchestral section which "Atom Heart Mother" fans will go all soft in the center for. They don't come much better than this. (NF)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen. 

J.K & Co. "Suddenly One Summer"
A stunning mellow psych album often compared to George Harrison and Donovan. but with a much more unique style of his own than the comparisons would lead you to expect. Vocalist Jay Kaye was apparently on 16 at the time this was recorded, so we can forgive a little lyrical naivety. "Fly" is an absolute killer with backwards tapes and all sorts of studio trickery, matched with a fabulous hook. Very "Magical Mystery Tour". The rest is great candy floss in summer fields material too. (NF)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Perry Leopold "Christian Lucifer"
Perry’s second album nearly didn’t survive after the studio where it was recorded in closed down and the master tapes were erased to be used again. This would have deprived us of one of the seminal albums of the era; a true visionary, Leopold expertly creates his own psychedelic tapestry with layers of woodwind and acoustic instrumentation that is both equally heartbreaking and uplifting. Essential. (GM)
Buy (CD).
Listen.

Markley "Markley, A Group"
In all but name the last album by the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. With egomaniac Bob Markley pulling in the reins, it's a much more accessible outing than the norm for these guys, but none the worse for it. Great psych nuggets like "The Magic Cat" jostle for position alongside delicately orchestrated acoustic vignettes like "Elegant Ellen" and "Sarah The Sad Spirit" and even when it's at its silliest it's impossibly fun. (NF)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen.

Mecki Mark Men "Running in the Summer Night"
I’ve read that both Dungen and Wolf People have been heavily influenced by this one, which is probably reason enough to give it a listen.  But even if that does not sway you, perhaps the allure of an organ-driven jazz/ blues hybrid with a singer (Mecki) who has a voice comparable to Jimi Hendrix or Jack Bruce does.  The rest of the band is made up of the former Baby Grandmothers (see my next entry), and as expected, they bring along their signature fuzzed out guitar solos.  Highlights are “Future on the Road”, featuring a lengthy jazz-inspired jam as a coda, and the multi-part suite “The Life Cycle”.  The LP was the second for Mecki Mark Men, and unquestionably, their best. (CS)
Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Mellow Candle  "Swaddling Songs"
The Irish acid folk outfit’s only ‘proper’ album and recorded whilst both Clodagh Simonds (later of Fovea Hex) and Alison O’Donnell (United Bible Studies, The Owl Service) were only 15 and 16 respectively. But what an album; silvery trails of psych guitar criss-cross the most crystalline harmonies you will ever have the good fortune to hear whilst harpsichord and mellotron add an otherworldly feel to a record that is now both hailed as a lost classic and seen as hugely influential. (GM)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Pisces "A Lovely Sight"
A lot of albums were recorded in the sixties which for one reason or another didn't actually make it on to the shelves. If you can find one better than "A Lovely Sight" you'll make me a very happy person. Eventually released in 2009 this should be held up in the same regard as the United States of America and Fifty Foot Hose, but for some reason is yet to scale those critical heights. The confidence, individuality, and adventurousness on display here are rare for a second tier band of the era. I wouldn't be surprised if this is ranked up with the best given another twenty years or so exposure time. (NF)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen.

The Plastic Cloud "The Plastic Cloud"
This 1968 release has my vote for best Canadian psych album of all time, and is one of my favourite psychedelic folk-rock albums from anywhere. Great fuzz guitar, heaps of jangle, wonderful harmonies ("Bridge Under The Sky" is goosebumps material) and consistently great songs that know when to be concise and when to veer off on detours into strange and lysergic places. An all time favourite. (NF)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen.

Rainbow Ffolly "Sallies Fforth"
Sneaked out by the suits at Parlophone when the band had only ever intended it to be a demo, "Sallies Forth" is startlingly good even in its slightly primitive form. The mind boggles as to what this could have sounded like with some label cash thrown at it. As it is, it's superior "Revolver"esque guitar pop with fabulous Beatlesque harmonies, great tunes and some nice moments with backwards guitars and the like. Certainly one of the better U.K psych rarities of its time. The Guerssen vinyl reissue sounds marvelous too. (NF)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).  
Listen. 

Satya Sai Maitreya Kali "Apache / Inca"
The Penny Arkade's Craig Smith went AWOL in South America and recorded these two remarkable albums, generally packaged together, on his return. The Monkees meets Buffalo Springfield pop-psych of his previous band is still occasionally allowed to flourish but this is generally a much more mature set of songs which comes across like a mixture of Yo Ho Wha 13, "Forever Changes" and "Electric Music For The Mind & Body", alternately intimate and acoustic, and deeply lysergic. (NF)
Buy CD.
Listen. 

Michael Siegel "Sounds Of The Office"
Folkways website says, "This mysterious album opens with banging and creaking and could be mistaken for a minimalist sound piece. It is in fact the sounds of an office from 1964. Rustling papers, drawers closing, typing and footsteps are just a few of the sounds heard on this album." While field recordings archive may be nothing special, these days, they probably wouldn't exist without records like "Sounds Of The Office", originally released in 1964. These are just normal, everyday sounds of an office environment, but one from 50 years ago. Taken out of context, an interesting phenomena occurs; it becomes a piece of musique concrete sound sculpture, a surreal tapestry of hissing industrial buzzes and clangs and disembodied conversations, which is further exacerbated by the facts that most of these machines, and probably most of these people, are dead and moldering, transforming the set into an industrial ghost dance on par with Eraserhead. As usual, it's also packaged with Folkways ridiculously awesome graphic design. Listening to Sounds Of The Office will forever change the way you hear the world around you, the way you view your home and work, making life 10x more surreal; the hallmark of good psychedelia. For burgeoning concretists, or if you happen to be running a Mad Men live action role playing campaign, get this platter! And then move on to records like "The Sounds Of Medicine", "The Sounds Of The Sea", and "The Sounds Of The Junkyard". (JS)

Slapp Happy "Casablanca Moon"
I discovered them through other bands’ covers (Bongwater's "The Drum" and Mazzy Star's "Blue Flower"). I loved those covers so much that I had to search out the originals. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. In fact, it's safe to say that I discovered a whole new love and an appreciation for German art rock that I never knew I was capable of. The sound? Think Yoko Ono, if she could actually sing, fronting a German cabaret band led by Syd Barrett... after smoking a bunch of hash. Yeah, I think that covers it. (TLW)
Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Staff Carpenborg and the Electric Corona Fantastic Party "Die Tanzplatte für heiße Stunden"
Chuck a bunch of German session pro's into a studio, lace their drinks (OK this may have not happened) and let them loose for a day and occasionally something this marvelous will eventuate. Almost certainly the best psychedelic exploitation LP under the sun, this mixes "Bitches Brew" inspired jazz with psychedelia, krautrock and ominous euro-horror to create an adventurous concoction of mind expanding, unpredictable goodness. (NF)
Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Sweetwater "Sweetwater"
The first and best from this San Francisco via Los Angeles band is easily a match for any of the big hitters on the San Fran scene, with Nansi vocals one of the few who could claim to compete with Grace Slick's in terms of both visceral power and control. The rest of the band are fabulous too, with inventive folk-rock arrangements that made extensive use of flute and harpsichords as well as the usual suspects. One of the most consistently overlooked albums on this list, but also one of the best, particularly the nightmarish psychedelic blast of "My Crystal Spider." (NF)
Buy (CD).
Listen.
 

Tages "Studio"
Some call it "The Swedish Sgt. Pepper’s" and I guess it’s a fair description. The meticulously produced record came out the same year, and employs an expansive sonic palate, with interesting key changes, modal shifts, and instrumental diversions. While the excellent songs always come first, the playful sound of the times is ever present. Vocals occasionally echo into eternity; backwards guitars are sucked into and out of the mix; string quartets pop up; and swirling B3s creep in and out. An underheard Continental masterpiece. (TLW)
Buy (CD).
Listen.

The Third Rail "Id Music"
Certainly the most bubblegum album to make this list, "Id Music" is often pure Beach Boys harmony pop, but with an unusually perceptive grasp of how to enhance its hooks with studio bound psychedelic trickery. Where this would usually reek of band wagon jumping,it's done so well here that you'd have to be hardened cynic to not enjoy. Fans of Sagittarius and other Curt Boettcher related baroque pop ought to bump this right up to the top of their 'to buy' list immediately. (NF)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Thomas Edisun's Electric Light Bulb Band "The Red Day Album"
Another album that wasn't released when it was originally recorded in 1967, only hitting the airwaves this year courtesy of Gear Fab and Guerssen Records. Heavily inspired by "Sgt Pepper" it's an ornate pop psych gem, with marvelous harmonies, clever arrangements and fabulous Macca-esque songwriting. Recorded over a single weekend, it has a slightly lo-fi production sense that allows the quality of the songwriting to shine. Lazy Smoke fans will love this, and anyone with an interest in the Beatlesque needs to pay attention too. (NF)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen. 

The Troll "Animated Music"
Hugely varied, and often exciting release from this Chicago based band with two drummers. This is another release best suited for those with diverse tastes as it combines a few excellently orchestrated psych-pop ballads, with a little vaudeville, experimental production techniques and some really thrilling heavy psych numbers. The diversity is initially a little jarring, but blends really nicely after a few listens. One of my favourites on this list. (NF)
Buy (CD).
Listen. 

Zerfas "Zerfas"
Released in 1973 but sounding every inch like a 1967/1968 classic this album was the work of Dave and Herman Zerfas and originally released in tiny quantities on the 700 West label. Combining proto garage prog with moustache era Beatles vibes (and ambition) this is a really clever and striking mix of memorable melodies and harmonies, with impressive progressive moves. Imagine a less shiny, happy Klaatu and you're most of the way there. (NF)
Buy (Vinyl). Buy (CD).
Listen.