What is the best psychedelic rock album of all time?

Mind-expanding sonic journeys that bent reality and redefined what a rock record could do. From 1967 San Francisco to modern studio dream-states, the contenders span five decades. Pick your trip.

1

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

The Beatles' 1967 psychedelic masterpiece, a studio-boundary-breaking album that defined what rock music could aspire to be.

2

Are You Experienced

Jimi Hendrix Experience's 1967 debut, a mind-bending fusion of blues and psychedelia that redefined guitar playing entirely.

3

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Pink Floyd's 1967 debut led by Syd Barrett, a whimsical and avant-garde psychedelic album unlike anything before or since.

4

Forever Changes

Love's 1967 baroque psychedelic masterpiece featuring orchestral arrangements and Arthur Lee's dark, poetic songwriting.

5

Electric Ladyland

Jimi Hendrix's expansive 1968 double album, the most ambitious and immersive psychedelic rock recording of the era.

6

The Doors

The Doors' 1967 debut blending blues, psychedelia, and Jim Morrison's Dionysian poetry into a distinctly dark vision.

7

Surrealistic Pillow

Jefferson Airplane's 1967 album that put San Francisco on the psychedelic map with Grace Slick's commanding vocals.

8

Revolver

The Beatles' 1966 album marking their transition into studio-bound psychedelic experimentation with Tomorrow Never Knows.

9

The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

The 13th Floor Elevators' 1966 debut, the first album to use the word psychedelic on its cover, raw and revolutionary.

10

Disraeli Gears

Cream's 1967 album fusing blues with vivid psychedelic imagery and Eric Clapton's luminous lead guitar playing.

11

Currents

Tame Impala's 2015 modern psychedelic masterpiece blending synthesizers and dreamy production into a contemporary classic.

12

S.F. Sorrow

The Pretty Things' 1968 concept album, the first rock opera, a pioneering psychedelic narrative predating The Who's Tommy.

13

Cheap Thrills

Big Brother and the Holding Company's 1968 album featuring Janis Joplin's ferocious live vocal performances in a psychedelic setting.

14

The Soft Parade

The Doors' 1969 album featuring full orchestral arrangements and Jim Morrison's most ambitious lyrical explorations.