Origins: From Folk Clubs to Acid Tests
Psychedelic rock did not spring from silence. Its roots lie in the electric blues of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, the modal explorations of Indian classical music introduced to Western audiences by Ravi Shankar, and the free-form jazz of John Coltrane and Sun Ra. What catalyzed these influences into a new genre was a molecule: lysergic acid diethylamide. By the early 1960s, LSD had moved from psychiatric clinics to university campuses and bohemian enclaves, and musicians began seeking ways to translate the psychedelic experience -- its sensory distortions, ego dissolution, synesthesia, and expanded time perception -- into sound.
The term "psychedelic rock" first appeared on the back cover of the 13th Floor Elevators' debut album, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, released on the International Artists label in November 1966 out of Austin, Texas. The Elevators, led by vocalist Roky Erickson and electric jug player Tommy Hall, created a raw, frenetic sound driven by Erickson's howling vocals, Stacy Sutherland's acid-drenched guitar, and Hall's amplified jug, which produced an eerie, bubbling texture that mimicked the auditory distortions of an LSD experience.
