Psychedelic

Record #107: Cream – Disreali Gears (1967)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

I’ve purchased, received, and installed my new phono cartridge, and I can now listen to records without the very real possibility of damaging them.

And, the first record onto the platter is Cream’s 1967 sophomore release, Disreali Gears, a masterful work of psychedelic blues that dominated rock and roll in the late 60s (see also: The Doors, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, Steppenwolf, etc). There’s a whole mess of classic tracks on this record, including the still-ubiquitous Sunshine of Your Love, as well as mournful rocker World of Pain, bluesy opener Strange Brew, and psychedelic epic Tales of Brave Ulysses. Also of note is the ultra-psych SWLABR, an acronym for “She Walks Like a Bearded Rainbow” (this was 1967, remember). There’s also the blues traditionalism of Take It Back, and the psych-humorist pieces Blue Condition and A Mother’s Lament which close each side.

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Record #85: The Byrds – Fifth Dimension (1966)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

A lot happened between Turn! Turn! Turn! and Fifth Dimension. The primary songwriter left, Bob Dylan betrayed folk music, and the Beatles released Rain, which some argue was the first proper psychedelic song. The Byrds must have heard that single (and famously, John Coltrane’s India) and perked up, because on their third album (which was released before Revolver), the group adapts their California folk rock to accommodate seemingly unnatural source material (Mr. Spaceman, Eight Miles High), untraditional chord changes (What’s Happening?!?!), and what would later be referred to by music critics with the term “guitar freakouts” (I See You).

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