Definition

Noun: - A genre of rock music that originated in the mid-1960s, characterized by its attempt to replicate or enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It often features extended instrumental solos, experimental recording techniques (such as backward tapes and phasing), surreal or abstract lyrics, and the use of non-Western instruments like the sitar.

Usage

• Psychedelic rock is used as a countable noun to refer to the genre as a whole or to specific songs or albums within it.
• It describes a style that is heavily influenced by the counterculture and drug culture of the 1960s.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used attributively (as a noun modifier) to describe related aesthetics, fashion, or art from the same era.
  • The club had a psychedelic rock poster from 1967 on the wall.
  • They dressed in psychedelic rock fashion for the themed party.

Variants and Related Words

• Psychedelia (n): The culture, style, or phenomena associated with psychedelic experiences and psychedelic rock music.
  • The festival was a celebration of 1960s psychedelia.
• Acid rock (n): A subgenre or closely related style of psychedelic rock that is often more aggressive and guitar-heavy.
  • Some consider the early work of Jimi Hendrix to be acid rock.

Synonyms

• Psychedelic music: A broader term that can encompass genres beyond rock.
• Acid rock: While often used interchangeably, it can imply a more intense, distorted sound.

Related Phrases

• To be on a psychedelic trip: An idiom describing an experience that is surreal, disorienting, or visually intense, often used metaphorically in music criticism.
  • The guitar solo sends the listener on a psychedelic trip.
• Mind-expanding: An adjective sometimes used to describe the effect or intent of the music.
  • They sought to create mind-expanding soundscapes.

Noun

1. a musical style that emerged in the 1960s; rock music inspired by or related to drug-induced experience