The Ten Best San-Francisco Albums of The Psychedelic Era

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  • Опубліковано 14 чер 2024
  • This video takes a detailed look at the TEN BEST San Francisco albums of the psychedelic era, examining what is that distinctive San Francisco sound and putting these ten albums in context of the period.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 456

  • @samuel56551
    @samuel56551 Рік тому +39

    Quicksilver Messenger Service were one of the best bands and are often overlooked . "Happy Trails" is amazing .

    • @harmonichebe
      @harmonichebe Рік тому +2

      have listened to the A side of "happy trails" hundreds of times!!! john cippolina was incredible in tandem with gary duncan and by his lonesome. Be Blessed

    • @joemeyer6876
      @joemeyer6876 Рік тому

      I agree, QMS was positively orchestral as a Rock Band. I have all their albums on vinyl and CDs. Its good to be a 69 year old hippie.

    • @grantross2609
      @grantross2609 11 місяців тому

      well worth checking out some of the recent live releases too.....

    • @harmonichebe
      @harmonichebe 11 місяців тому

      @@grantross2609 i don't go for these "reunion" bands. would rather listen to the originals. are you speaking of "live shows" that were in the vaults and are being released now but were played in the way back? Be Blessed

  • @markcorbett7402
    @markcorbett7402 Рік тому +87

    The eponymous debut album by It’s A Beautiful Day is very melodic and atmospheric - definitely worth checking out for anyone who likes Surrealistic Pillow. Cool cover too.

    • @Lightw81
      @Lightw81 Рік тому +1

      Melodic and atmospheric but a bit schmaltzy in retrospect?

    • @thefoss5387
      @thefoss5387 Рік тому +1

      Absolutely agree with OP.

    • @weeooh1
      @weeooh1 Рік тому +2

      For sure Its a Beautiful Day. Tripped quite a bit on that album in early 70s.

    • @rickmartin5132
      @rickmartin5132 Рік тому +3

      It’s A Beautiful Day is like Surrealistic Pillow? Eh?

    • @thefoss5387
      @thefoss5387 Рік тому

      @@rickmartin5132 The commonality is that they were both described as part of the "San Francisco Sound" along with bands like Moby Grape, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and others...

  • @patrickalexander9368
    @patrickalexander9368 Рік тому +26

    My favorite track from Surrealistic Pillow is "Comin' Back To Me". Sheer beauty.

    • @3243_
      @3243_ Рік тому +5

      Great song. "Today" is my favorite from that album.

    • @harmonichebe
      @harmonichebe 11 місяців тому +1

      @@3243_ both "today" and "comin, back to me" are excellent excellent tunes from an incredible record. and "white rabbit" isn't bbad either!! Be Blessed

    • @3243_
      @3243_ 10 місяців тому

      ​@@harmonichebeThanks, and may you be blessed as well!

    • @stevenhanson6057
      @stevenhanson6057 6 місяців тому

      Oh yes, an amazing piece of art!

  • @robertlear2712
    @robertlear2712 Рік тому +7

    I saw Jefferson Airplane in concert in 1970. I was right up against the stage and Jack Casady was about 5 feet from me and I marveled to see his hands traveling up and down the neck.

  • @bglrj
    @bglrj Рік тому +8

    This was the music of my childhood. I grew up there in the '60s. You really encapsulate that sound. Your choices are impeccable.

  • @asmallwhitedog0479
    @asmallwhitedog0479 Рік тому +21

    The early Steve Miller Band lps are stellar. Among my favorite albums.

    • @garylester8621
      @garylester8621 Рік тому +1

      Right, I at 76 still can't get enough of Sailor.

  • @davidschecter5247
    @davidschecter5247 Рік тому +28

    Great list, but I'm with some others mentioning the self-titled IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY. No other album ever like it. Haunting performances, best use of electric violin in rock music, and really catchy songs -- each different from the others.

    • @charles_shroomonig1749
      @charles_shroomonig1749 Рік тому

      👆👆👆 look up the handle above he got you covered Shrooms & other psychedelic products too he got a sick page😵🍄🍫

    • @seed_drill7135
      @seed_drill7135 8 місяців тому

      They were, unfortunately, signed to Matthew Katz, too. I don’t think that they had it as bad as Moby Grape, though.

  • @Emlizardo
    @Emlizardo Рік тому +33

    For people who like Jefferson Airplane, I would also recommend their follow-up to Surrealistic Pillow, After Bathing at Baxter's. They were unconcerned about making a "commercial" record at that point, so it's got some of their most experimental music, full of wonderfully unpredictable twists and turns.

    • @3243_
      @3243_ Рік тому +11

      Baxter's was their masterpiece.

    • @willyupshaw
      @willyupshaw Рік тому +10

      Crown of Creation is my personal favorite.

    • @jasontoms2859
      @jasontoms2859 Рік тому +8

      As a young man, and musical novice living in The City, I confess to not fully understanding what the Airplane was trying to do on Baxters. I'm 74 now, and Baxters is now the
      only album from that era of SF that I listen to on a regular basis. It is one of the true master works of the psychedelic period.

    • @bwanna23
      @bwanna23 Рік тому +4

      If I had to pick a favorite, Baxter's is it!

    • @IanYoung-ko4ws
      @IanYoung-ko4ws Рік тому +3

      I always liked "Baxter's" too, "SaturdayAfternoon/Won,t You Try", "Watch Her Ride", "Spayre Chaynge", fantastic, a big step on from the already brilliant "Surrealistic...", and only about 7 or 8 months after it.

  • @jamesmay2631
    @jamesmay2631 Рік тому +10

    I am 74 and was in SF in 1969. Saw the Sons of Champlin at the Avalon Ballroom and was blown away. Steve Miller was the headliner. I had every one of these albums, and I must agree with you...although it could be titled "The Twenty Best..." Your inside information is a real pleasure to hear. I have a copy of Moby Grape's Dark Magic from 1966; the year before their 1967 debut album. All great stuff. Thank you! One other I might include would be Michael Bloomfield and Al Kooper's Session - fantastic!

    • @miguelfernandezdiaz6592
      @miguelfernandezdiaz6592 Рік тому

      Totalmente de acuerdo contigo. Yo tengo 70 y sigo sintiendo esta musica como si tuviera 30 años. Grateful Dead. RIP Jerry
      Salud amigo

    • @joebarr725
      @joebarr725 Рік тому

      I loved when the 2nd band blew the headliner out of the water. Happened in SF a lot back then with so-called 2nd acts like Cold Blood and Sons of Champlain.

  • @stanspb763
    @stanspb763 Рік тому +11

    I found your list very well constructed as someone who lived in San Francisco at the time and was not interested in music except for old 78 big band classics my parents played. I was an electronics nerd to move from middle class Sacramento to San Francisco because it had museums, and culture.very quicky musicians found out I could repair their amps for free since there was only one repair shop in the city. I was 17 and had run a hifi and CB radio repair shop since age 13 and sold it the day I graduated HS midterm. I had a fortune in my pocket, $4000 from the sale so rented a nice apartment on the cliff overlooking the beach and famous Cliff house. I parked my 58 Chevy I had gotten free as a junker and rebuilt the engine and replace the transmission with a manual. I was not a car buff but liked repairing thing.since I was closs to Golden Gate Park, I experienced a lot free jams out in the park. I repaired an amp for a tall Mexican a little older than me, ,who had no money but wrote out a note for free entrance to him playing that night. I was not really interested but since I was in the city center on other matters, I went to the palace, Winterland and found that there were 6 bands playing that night. One of the bands was the guitarist I had repaired his amp. The note got me in, it was full of people and heard my first real intoduction to the San Francisco sound, and heard my new friend's band, Santana. I was blown away but everyone there know the band, he had no record deal so he was not on the radio yet. Eventually I designed and build many custom electronics projects for the many bands there and across the bay in Oakland, and Berkely, so many unique bands. Later after the Summer of Love when a hundred thousands kids from across the country hitchhiked to San Francisco for the dreams of free drugs and rock and roll, the scene got ugly. Many of the bands, artists, writers of leftovers of the Beats of the 1950s, moved over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and for a while it was cheap, beautiful, cool, laid back and perfect. eventually anyone with a lot of money from all over the country moved there for its artistic vibe, which ruined it just like where they came from. For several years however, many of the bands of SF moved there plus many from UK. I designed a unique sound system, the first one that was really hi-fi for a North American tour supporting the UK band Jethro Tull some nerd friends helped build it, everything was custom from the mixing console, speakers, electronic cross-overs and all the power amps. It was tri-amped with seperate cabs and amps for each bass folded horn, mid range direct radiator, and high freq curved array of SEAS tweeters, 24 cabinets. The band insisted on high sound since everyone was used Altec conventional cabs. The most radical element was mixing console that changed how boards were built, 4 of use toured the US and Canada doing the house sound, first and lanst tour. A far less glam job than people would have imagined.
    I designed a lot of things for my favorite live band, the Grateful Dead. But other favs were Steve Miller, John Fogerty(I liked him personally, one of the great guys, along with Jerry Garcia) and all the rest. And started recording and ended up with a 2 studio complex and built a 3rd smaller studio in the complex and recorded really good records for everyone from Whitney Houston, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, Journey, StarShip, John Fogerty's return to recording Center Field, Heart, Boz Skaggs, Metallica, Carlos Santana,Tower of Power, Huey Lewis and the News, Aretha Frankin, BB King, and many more. The era in the 60s however, when the San Francisco sound and scene before it was overrun by kids only interested in getting high, was a uniquely local creative environment. I moved out of the US 23 years ago and have only returned 5 times for 1-2 weeks each. San Fransico from the 80s on has declined badly and it is too sad to see. In fact everything is uncomfortable in the US now and I stay out except for family emergencies or renewing my passport. Now I focus on culture in one of the most cultured cities in the world and work with ballet, opera, classical music, jazz and photography in a gigantic arts scene that San Francisco hinted at in the 50s and 60s. The music that came out of the 60s and 70s was unique and sorely missed. The current trends and loss of the PetroDollar means a very deep hole I doubt there is enough unity to crawl out of. Most of the world has gotten much better while since about 1970 the quality of life in the US has declined for all but the wealthy.

    • @bglrj
      @bglrj 10 місяців тому

      Thank you for sharing your journey with us. It was an amazing time.

    • @senorfunball
      @senorfunball День тому

      I'm sorry, can you repeat that ?
      🦻

  • @leomoore3597
    @leomoore3597 Рік тому +10

    Jefferson Airplane's album, "Crown of Creation" is great also !

  • @booklover3959
    @booklover3959 Рік тому +18

    Intelligent...eloquent...sincere...insightful...and imbued with love for the music is how I would describe your review.

  • @stevecowder4774
    @stevecowder4774 Рік тому +19

    Can't agree more on that album by CJ and the Fish. I think it's one of the most underrated albums of that Era. SO beautifully psychedelic it makes me want to go back to '67 just for the sake of dropping some.
    Great list by the way !!

    • @peterbadham3080
      @peterbadham3080 Рік тому +5

      Barry melton was a fine guitar player

    • @rft2001
      @rft2001 Рік тому +3

      Yes, Electric Music.... and After Bathing At Baxters are my 2 fav's from the San Fran scene.

    • @wanderer299a
      @wanderer299a Рік тому +3

      I prefer Feel Like I'm Fixin To Die. Absolute magic.

  • @Doviderus
    @Doviderus Рік тому +19

    Totally agree. QMS Happy Trails should be included too. It contains the psych atmosphere of the SF sound altogether. Ethereal and rocker live album.

    • @mmakshak
      @mmakshak Рік тому

      "Happy Trails" showed me how great a guitarist ("How do you Love"?) the late Gary Duncan was.

  • @paulperkins1615
    @paulperkins1615 Рік тому +5

    Those albums are historically interesting, but the best albums to represent Psychedelic-era San Francisco are (1) Live/Dead by The Grateful Dead, (2) After Bathing at Baxter's by Jefferson Airplane, and (3) Happy Trails by Quicksilver Messenger Service.

  • @kentonkirkpatrick5225
    @kentonkirkpatrick5225 Рік тому +3

    Band: Fever Tree Album: San Francisco Girls. HEAVY

  • @renepeterse1884
    @renepeterse1884 Рік тому +3

    Today is a gem, as is coming back to you. Embryonic journey is a classic among fingerpicking guitarists

  • @brucespiegelman-zp7xi
    @brucespiegelman-zp7xi Рік тому +2

    Howdee Do, I was 16 in 1966 in San Francisco, and grew up amongest it All.
    I wish someone would cover Lee Michaels who came out with a Self Title Record in 1969. His Purple Alblum.
    That Particular contribution, blew it ALL AWAY
    GOOD JOB You Nailed 'Em.
    Bruce Spiegelman

  • @BlindArthurBlake
    @BlindArthurBlake Рік тому +6

    My list would have to include:
    Grateful Dead - Anthem Of The Sun
    Jefferson Airplane - After Bathing At Baxter's
    Quicksilver Messenger Service - Happy Trails
    Moby Grape - Moby Grape
    It's A Beautiful Day - It's A Beautiful Day
    Country Joe & The Fish - Electric Music For The Mind And Body
    Big Brother & The Holding Company - Big Brother & The Holding Company
    Moby Grape - Wow/Grape Jam
    Grateful Dead - Aoxomoxoa
    And here's a dark horse record: the self titled solo debut of Bob Mosley of Moby Grape

  • @brotherhoodoflightshowcurr3318

    Growing up in San Francisco, and being a purveyor of the Brotherhood Of Light show, You nailed it. Those are the records. Once again truly the 10 great studio albums I would include "Live Dead" as one of the greatest ever and then" It’s a Beautiful Day" and on my show, I mentioned "Sly and the Family Stone" work

  • @jonschwartz4621
    @jonschwartz4621 Рік тому +21

    Spot on selections 👍 but.. if there was a #11 it would be the debut album by It's a Beautiful Day 😍

  • @bwanna23
    @bwanna23 Рік тому +3

    Excellent presentation of music from a very special time.

  • @samblethen
    @samblethen Рік тому +2

    Thanks for the great video. I've been a Deadhead since I first saw the Grateful Dead in 1967 a few months after my first Country Joe & the Fish concert. ☮

  • @ice9snowflake187
    @ice9snowflake187 Рік тому +6

    It might be useful to note that the Carousel Ballroom at the intersection of Market and Van Ness is the same venue that was later referred to as the Fillmore West (as distinct from the "old Fillmore", still located at Fillmore and Geary).

  • @stevenhanson6057
    @stevenhanson6057 6 місяців тому +1

    It’s cool to guess which ones might be included. “It’s a Beautiful Day” has to be one. Thanks for your channel.

  • @MARK-co1ge
    @MARK-co1ge Рік тому +8

    Great exposition on a mythical time in the history rock, maybe even music in general. I've been a fan of this period since I started buying music.

    • @3243_
      @3243_ Рік тому +1

      1965-77--greatest period in rock, soul, and funk by far.

  • @swamichetanananda
    @swamichetanananda Рік тому +3

    The Sons of Champlain , Loosen up Naturally… is my favorite. QuickSiver is also a joy…

  • @whispjohn
    @whispjohn Рік тому +8

    I was a sixties boy, LSD and marijuana was very good back then and so was the music. It made no difference what music was playing. The best band for thr tripped out hippie was seeing a swan take off from a canal and fly right past his line of vision, or sitting in the woods on a windy day listening to the roar of the wing through the trees. On my first acid trip I heard Electric Ladyland, it had a profound effect on me. QMS were the real acid band, Cream were up there, Beatles too. There were a lot of great bands back then. I saw a lot of them.

    • @johnderbyshire673
      @johnderbyshire673 Рік тому +1

      Snap ref Jimi's mystic music. No mention of Spirit, who must have listened to Horace Silver, Brubeck, &/or The Zombies. Great list, however; the sixties was an intensly creative decade.😂

    • @lilajagears8317
      @lilajagears8317 Рік тому +2

      This is about San Francisco bands.

  • @chicklets4ever51
    @chicklets4ever51 Місяць тому +1

    Slight correction to your Santana-at-Woodstock anecdote. By his own telling, Carlos and a couple of other band members dropped the acid voluntarily. It may have come from the Grateful Dead, but at any rate they took it quite knowingly early in the day, as their set wasn't supposed to be until well into the evening, and they thought they would just be easing in for a smooth landing when it was time to play. But since the organization at Woodstock was very chaotic, it turned out that most of the acts scheduled to precede Santana weren't ready, and so the organizers asked Carlos and his band to take the stage when they were indeed peaking on the acid. Carlos was terrified and prayed to God to let him play in key and in tempo, and if he did, he swore never to take LSD again. And so it was. But what a historic performance. (Carlos does look very jittery, adjusting his volume and tone knobs after almost every phrase, and now we know why. Still, the result is for the ages.)

  • @simplechronology2605
    @simplechronology2605 Рік тому +9

    I would replace "Quicksilver Messenger Service" with "Happy Trails", and "Green River" with "Bayou Country", and I would probably drop Steve Miller entirely for something else; maybe giving his slot to Kak, The Mystery Trend, the Oxford Circle, the Charlatans, or The Loading Zone. I do love that Sons of Champlin album; it's often forgotten these days. Good list; it's perhaps my favorite era and scene of rock music history.

  • @Altres
    @Altres Місяць тому

    Another excellent overview. Thanks 🤩

  • @gratefulblac
    @gratefulblac Рік тому +10

    lets not forget -
    Its a Beautiful Day 1st album - a classic with White Bird.
    The Grateful Dead's Live Dead album (the classic Dark Star).
    Jefferson Airplane - Crown of Creation album - even better than Surrealistic Pillow in my opinion.
    Fifty Foot Hose - the amazing Cauldron album.
    The Youngbloods - self titled album with the beautiful Get Together track.

  • @tshandy1
    @tshandy1 Рік тому +2

    An incredibly well written and presented review. I'm familiar with some of these albums, but not others. After watching this video, I'll certainly check out your recommendations. You just earned yourself a subscriber, sir.

  • @deanroberts2737
    @deanroberts2737 Рік тому +1

    Yeah. It’s A Beautiful Day. Just as amazing live as on vinyl.

  • @WilliamBaranowski
    @WilliamBaranowski Рік тому

    A keeper! Thanks for the excellent work. You nailed it.

  • @earlgrey691
    @earlgrey691 Рік тому +3

    Wonderful stuff my friend.I consider myself highly illuminated from this masterclass.

  • @nednobody3253
    @nednobody3253 Рік тому +2

    Purple Owsley LSD and Electric Music for the Mind And Body is the perfect combination when combined with a set of Headphones. Speaking from personal experience as a HIGH school student in Eugene Oregon 1969 of course. What a great time with all the changes going on in R&R.

  • @1deplatt
    @1deplatt Рік тому +1

    Great selection. Brought back a lot of memories:)

  • @mmakshak
    @mmakshak Рік тому +1

    Moby Grape actually won a radio station's(AM) battle of the bands contest, which resulted in a record contract. This led to this record.

  • @drz53
    @drz53 Рік тому +4

    Great choices enhanced by your ornate commentary. One interesting moment during "Anthem of the Son" analysis: it sounds like you said, "Teutonic shift," which might suggest The Grateful Dead had Wagnerian tendencies, but I imagine you meant "tectonic shift" which would be more apropos of California's daily flurry of earthquakes. Glad you included Sons of Champlin. "Loosen Up Naturally" is a fantastic recording that deserves more appreciation.

    • @classicalbum
      @classicalbum  Рік тому

      Probably misread my own notes and didn't pick up on it.

  • @haroldsmith1213
    @haroldsmith1213 Рік тому +1

    nice video i agree with the majority of your picks ,i may have ranked a few differently but its your channel and you did a wonderful job with details ,im getting the steve miller today and i've seen all these bands in their time with the exception of sons of chaplain,thanks for trying so hard with your picks,cheers and stay safe-l'm subjng your channel ,good luck

  • @kw19193
    @kw19193 Рік тому +7

    Your videos are always a pleasure to watch/listen to so well done mate. Fever Tree's first album could very easily have been on your list. They were actually a Texas band but everyone always thought of them as California. "Return of the Native (San Francisco Girls)" is magnificent, the guitar work showcases some very Fripp-like sustain a couple of years before "In the Court of . . . ". Finally, the Crimson comparison is doubly appropriate in that Fever Tree were proto progressive working well outside the box long before it was popular. Cheers!

    • @dianepeel7154
      @dianepeel7154 Рік тому

      They actually moved to San Francisco for a while. They were part of the SF scene.

    • @marksavage1744
      @marksavage1744 Рік тому

      Texas had a great 60s scene also. The was a vinyl compilation released decades ago called "Houston Hallucinations". Great stuff!

    • @kw19193
      @kw19193 Рік тому

      @@dianepeel7154 I did not know this, many thanks. Regardless of their location a gobsmackingly brill band. Their first album is as fresh and strong today as it was five decades ago. Cheers!

  • @russellfranks3811
    @russellfranks3811 5 місяців тому +1

    I loves me some psychedelic music. Thanks for suggesting some albums to try.

  • @2340Vegas
    @2340Vegas Рік тому +1

    You put The Quicksilver Messenger Service in there. YES!

  • @davidbreitkopf3603
    @davidbreitkopf3603 Рік тому +3

    Enjoyed this video a lot. And 10 albums is a small sampling. I'm wondering about Live Dead. Was your criteria only studio albums? Was it defined by time? I can't argue about any of the albums you picked of course, and I'm particularly fond of Anthem of the Sun, but Live Dead seems to me the ultimate psychedelic experience.

  • @snuffyballparks6501
    @snuffyballparks6501 Рік тому +5

    The initial It's Aa Beautiful Day album, Happy Trails by Quicksilver and Blows Against the Empire by Jefferson Starship are favorites of mine.

    • @if6was929
      @if6was929 11 місяців тому +1

      Technically, Blows is a Paul Kantner album.

  • @martinlguzman7711
    @martinlguzman7711 Рік тому +1

    almost perfect , great presentation !!!

  • @charlesandrews2360
    @charlesandrews2360 Рік тому +2

    Good picks. Anthem was the first Dead Album I ever bought. First of about 50 and every format available

  • @david.leikam
    @david.leikam Рік тому +2

    Miss you James (Gurley)! 🎶

  • @BumblebeeElectron
    @BumblebeeElectron Рік тому +4

    I lived in San Francisco and worked at Tower Records around the time you are focusing on. I remember unpacking the first box of the Santana album to appear in the wild. And I saw most of those bands live. So I was a little skeptical about what you would might choose. But you have put together an incredible list. I would say unimpeachable, save for the fact that I could never stand CCR, which is of course a matter of taste, and the fact that "the Fish" in Country Joe and the Fish comes from Barry "The Fish" Melton's nickname. If he got it from Chairman Mao, it's news to me. That notwithstanding, I was more and more impressed as your list went on. The Sons of Champlin are a personal favorite, and not widely known. This is my first experience of your channel, and I subscribed instantly. Great work!

    • @classicalbum
      @classicalbum  Рік тому +1

      The name 'fish' story comes from William Schneable's book 'Love and Haight'

    • @wanderer299a
      @wanderer299a Рік тому +1

      I think John Peel mentioned the fish chairman Mao quote years and years ago. And Country Joe was Stalin's nickname.

  • @ShortBusScotty
    @ShortBusScotty Рік тому

    I've got all but two of these. From the day. The more I watch your vids the more I'm glad I keep them all.

  • @matthewtodd3879
    @matthewtodd3879 Рік тому +3

    Happy Trails , wow , fantastic and the best lol P cover of them all

  • @david.leikam
    @david.leikam Рік тому +5

    Anthem of the Sun is one of my favourite albums.

    • @3243_
      @3243_ Рік тому +1

      Second only to Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix on my all-time favorite album list.

  • @spaclynotorious3288
    @spaclynotorious3288 Рік тому +9

    I appreciate the groups mentioned and their contributions to the vibrant music scene of the period. However I would take exception to albums mentioned by the Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Airplane. Anthem of the Sun was described as a learning experience by Jerry Garcia in a classic rock video covering their first 2 albums. American Beauty to me, featured the actualization of the unique hybrid approach the Dead brought to scene. Although I really loved the music on Surrealistic Pillow, After Bathing at Baxters I feel really put The Airplanes stamp on the movement. I consider this an overlooked and under-appreciated masterpiece with everyone in the Airplane at the top of their game both compositionally and musically.

    • @rft2001
      @rft2001 Рік тому +1

      I agree that After Bathing At Baxters is the better album but it didn't have the hits and Surrealistic Pillow is so well known that I feel both should be in there. Both are better than any of the other albums on the list with the exception of "Electric Music For The Mind And Body" which is a personal favorite of mine.

    • @nigelbailey4704
      @nigelbailey4704 Рік тому +1

      Bless it's pointed little head is a must listen to if only for the superb bass lines.

  • @syater
    @syater Рік тому +2

    Bravo. Deft choices, rankings and insight. If I were to make a mix of SF Psych I would definitely draw tracks from your list, perhaps peppered, or 'spiked', with some lesser knowns like Serpent Power's "Flying Away" and Blackburn and Snow's "Yes Today." (BTW, Sherry Snow is said to have been the Airplane's first choice to replace Signe, she turned them down.) In any case, well done! Greeting from San Francisco. -- Stuart

  • @bobburroughs6241
    @bobburroughs6241 Рік тому +1

    Nice review - had 7 of these and Big Brother sleeve framed on my wall.

  • @scottwilliams2136
    @scottwilliams2136 11 місяців тому +1

    The band that started me down the road of Rock Blue Cheer

  • @elliotwalton6159
    @elliotwalton6159 Рік тому +1

    As always there are a few surprises for me in your choices. you always teach as well as celebrate.

  • @davidwright9318
    @davidwright9318 Рік тому +6

    Kaleidoscope, David Lindley’s band comes to mind as one of the best albums of the era.

    • @vinylrichie007
      @vinylrichie007 Рік тому +3

      I agree but that would have to be included in the LA albums of the Psychedelic era.

  • @shovedhead
    @shovedhead Рік тому +2

    The Haight Ashbury A History by Charles Perry is a really good book about the era. He goes pretty deep into the Diggers. Hey that's a pun.

  • @joebarr725
    @joebarr725 Рік тому +4

    Happy Trails by Quicksilver Messenger Service.

  • @rickkaylor7949
    @rickkaylor7949 Рік тому +1

    So much great stuff made back then. One that stands out was JK and Company. This is a little known album but is amazing.

  • @bertryman773
    @bertryman773 Рік тому +6

    Not saying Pete Townshend is wrong, as he is likely right from his own place of origin, but most of the chord progressions that were found in the psychedelic sounds found in San Francisco scene from that time period were a result of the folk boom that preceded the era and of which most of the purveyors of the sounds found in these prominent bands were themselves rooted. In fact many of the bands themselves started as folk and jug bands prior to the arrival of the Beatles.

    • @0biwan77
      @0biwan77 Рік тому +1

      And so they remained until the 13th Floor Elevators from Austin swept SF in 1966. They invented the psychedelic sound and brought it to San Francisco, whereupon it was taken up by all the usual suspects, who already had the drugs but not until then the music to go with it. The Elevators dynamic singer Roky Erickson sounds frequently indistinguishable from Janis Joplin, who knew them well in Texas, just barely ever mentioning it. All the other former jug bands also “forgot” about the Elevators, who they knew well from shows at the Avalon, run by Chet Helms, another refugee from Texas. Look it up.

  • @peterburnett4332
    @peterburnett4332 Рік тому +5

    Resurrection by Aum also would be in my list. Grossly underrated

  • @klevesmith
    @klevesmith Рік тому +1

    Great Review, subscribed yesterday after stumbling across your Mark Farner interview (GFR is my favorite, and my first concert at 12 years old). Agreeing with your list here and fortunate to be of an age where I was able to own and hear most of these in the first printing. As well as seeing live, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Deep Purple (and a few others including Black Sabbath, Humble Pie, Grand Funk Railroad, and Fever Tree all before my 16th birthday). The first three were actually in the same show in Houston. I would like to know your thoughts on The Fever Tree and where their contributions rank in the history books. Although being from Houston, TX, they [IMHO] embodied the San Francisco sound, if memory serves several members of FT were classical musicians. Their self titled debut album would have made my top ten, yet I cannot say which of yours I would take off. I do know that Fever Tree, Surrealistic Pillow, GFR's Red album are in my top 5 albums from the 60's.

  • @iconicon5642
    @iconicon5642 Рік тому +2

    Fantastic thanks to be reminded of past favourites to be revisited - Steve Miller's great album.

  • @derwynpowell7689
    @derwynpowell7689 Рік тому +3

    One could probably push the number to 20 great psyche. LP 's? Anyway nice to see Country Joe in there...... that album doesn't always get the credit it deserved. All good choices but l would have included "Live Dead" & " Happy Trails" because they were live and are prime examples of improvisation on stage which as you mentioned in your intro. Love there extended version of "Who do you Love". Although CCR worked out of the bay area and recorded there l can't see them lumped into the other selections you chose. l always felt they could be the beginnings of the Americana tag before Americana existed as a genre. They and a few others like the Band had that woodsy, downhome elements in there sound with a melodic infectious groove that grabbed you and never let you go. Anyway keep up the good work.
    Like your presentations .....Cheers!

  • @johncollier9280
    @johncollier9280 Рік тому +4

    I've loved Steve Miller Band-Children O' The Future since my first listen shortly after it's release. It was years later I recognized the acid inspired writin' hidden between the green squiggles on the cover art actually spelled out the album title if you concentrate 'n focus on the space....trippy indeed! It's A Beautiful Day's first album is my perfect soundtrack to 1969-one o' the best albums start to finish o' all time.

    • @billyboy1093
      @billyboy1093 Рік тому

      Funny you should mention the acid alphabet on Steve's "Children" album. It took me years to recognize it as well and I was a regular acid user at the time. It must have cost Capital a small fortune in ink to produce that deeply colorful record cover.

  • @laddrob
    @laddrob Рік тому +2

    Thanks for this video. For the most part I agree with your choices. The only album you listed that I'm not familiar with is Sons of Champlin-- I'll have to check that out. I love the first three Steve Miller albums. I was a big fan of the Fish (though to my mind the Fish haven't worn as well as some others on the list). Surrealistic Pillow in my opinion is great, the best Jefferson Airplane album. I do think the first Moby Grape should be on such a list. Also did you consider the first Joplin album, with "Down on Me"? The first Dead album is very good also. Oh yeah, It's a Beautiful Day too. Thanks again.

    • @if6was929
      @if6was929 11 місяців тому

      I have a special fondness for the Fish, they were a true counterculture band, their music is as steeped in acid consciousness as any other SF band, in some cases more so. They didn't have the kind of songs that would sustain their reputation, no hits. Anyone who wasn't part of the counterculture isn't likely to understand their music.

  • @mirandak3273
    @mirandak3273 Рік тому +2

    Woo Hoo! I called the top 3. Wasn’t sure which would be which, but got them.

  • @hannabaal150
    @hannabaal150 Рік тому

    That's a great list full of great albums. I grew up in Northern CA and went to many concerts in the Bay Area 60's. What a ride!

  • @skykingimagery899
    @skykingimagery899 Рік тому +2

    Superb. Artful articulate and well deserved. Country Joe was iconic. He became a lawyer. I would argue with two selections. Steve Miller was one of my all time favorites, but it was Sailor that is his best album. Everyone remembers him for his more commercial cuts. And Terrapin Station should be seen as the Dead's finest album. Many would argue. No doubt about Janis' rendition of Summertime. Happy Trails was the iconic Quicksilver.
    You had to be there to really appreciate the Tectonic shift these records created. The really defining characteristic -- none were overly commercial. CCR was at the top of their game.
    The only exception was Moby Grape. Even today I find it rambling without coherence. But kudos for such a masterful presentation.

    • @notthebannerboys
      @notthebannerboys Рік тому +1

      It wasn't Joe McDonald who became a lawyer but their guitarist Barry Melton.

    • @skykingimagery899
      @skykingimagery899 Рік тому

      @@notthebannerboys "Thank you. I stand corrected. I always thought that was great irony given the tenor of the band.

    • @if6was929
      @if6was929 11 місяців тому

      @@skykingimagery899 nothing ironic about someone who was part of the counterculture becoming a public defender, a cop, yes but not a PD.

  • @AttosLins
    @AttosLins Рік тому +1

    I pressed 0 like one million times to see that fade in. nice work, my man

  • @stevedraper8849
    @stevedraper8849 Рік тому +3

    Another very interesting deep dive into this subject. I’m a fan of the genre, and agree with most of your opinions. This era of music was adventurous and some of it stacks up for experienced listeners, but also some of it has dated badly and misses the mark. Your use of English language is interesting and amusing at times. I really enjoyed this topic.

  • @jamesscarselletta3446
    @jamesscarselletta3446 Рік тому +1

    I am a fan of these albums. Informative.

  • @MrNEILSUPERNAUT
    @MrNEILSUPERNAUT Рік тому +4

    'Anthem' is my favourite Dead LP. I've got quite a few of the shows that were used on bootleg.

  • @lupcokotevski2907
    @lupcokotevski2907 Рік тому +7

    Cristo Redentor (1968) by Harvey Mandel. The title track echoes the whole sound of Dark Side of the Moon, although the song was written by jazzman Duke Pearson in the early 1960's. Bowie was listening to Mandel's album heavily while he was writing Hunky Dory.

    • @danu6718
      @danu6718 Рік тому

      🌟♥️👍

    • @vinylrichie007
      @vinylrichie007 Рік тому

      I love that album.

    • @lupcokotevski2907
      @lupcokotevski2907 Рік тому

      @@vinylrichie007 Hi mate.

    • @vinylrichie007
      @vinylrichie007 Рік тому

      @@lupcokotevski2907 I wish his other albums were more like Cristo Redentor.

    • @lupcokotevski2907
      @lupcokotevski2907 Рік тому +1

      @@vinylrichie007 Yep me too. Its the only one I listen to. Its something different.

  • @stereo999
    @stereo999 Рік тому +1

    Greetings from San Francisco. Great list. I have every one of those records

  • @richdiddens4059
    @richdiddens4059 Рік тому +2

    Growing up then and there I would nominate Cold Blood, Elvin Bishop Group, People!, It's A Beautiful Day, Stoneground, The Grateful Dead, and Lamb. CCR was post-psych swamp rock and Santana was Latin-Blues-Jazz fusion. Iron Butterfly fit except they were from San Diego and the early Sir Douglas Quintet was pretty psychedelic, too.

  • @mdgersper
    @mdgersper Рік тому +1

    Thank you for the video

  • @PatManganelli-pm6hp
    @PatManganelli-pm6hp Рік тому +1

    "Run for your lives,it's. Blue cheer", with their wall of marshall amps thedrummer played. With gloves on,and album. Covers that take. You on your special trip, a nd all the rest. That. My ffiends is. Rock. And roll!!!

  • @joeharris3878
    @joeharris3878 Рік тому +1

    A club run by the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver and the Airplane ?
    Oh. My. Goodness.

  • @sharktroubles
    @sharktroubles Рік тому +1

    When I started watching this video, I thought, The Sons of Champlin LOOSEN UP, NATURALLY hasta be mentioned. Great job!

  • @kgobrien1
    @kgobrien1 Рік тому +1

    fun review. Thanks for the contact high.

    • @charles_shroomonig1749
      @charles_shroomonig1749 Рік тому

      👆👆👆 look up the handle above he got you covered Shrooms & other psychedelic products too he got a sick page😵🍄🍫

  • @jerryandnancywertzbaugher7778
    @jerryandnancywertzbaugher7778 25 днів тому

    Nice selection. Honorable Mention should go to Paul Butterfield’s East-West. Especially the title cut East West with Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop in their prime is the very definition of the San Francisco Sound.😎

  • @jasonladd6400
    @jasonladd6400 Рік тому +1

    Top drawer take on a still fascinating period in music.

  • @David-mo5jw
    @David-mo5jw Рік тому +3

    Quicksilvers 1st is as tight as it gets and from the heart.The fool is thee journey which takes you through to a spiritual peak with lead guitar playing like his life depended on it .

    • @MrMojabo
      @MrMojabo Рік тому +1

      I still listen to it daily.

  • @mjohnsfly
    @mjohnsfly Рік тому

    I saw every one of these bands live in 1968. Your choices are spot on

  • @bert0522
    @bert0522 Рік тому +2

    I have 9, the only 1 I'm missing is Sons of Champlin. Jim

  • @erniericardo8140
    @erniericardo8140 Рік тому +4

    Honarble Mentions: Sly and The Family Stone, Blue Cheer and Lydia Pense & Cold Blood.

  • @duckman531
    @duckman531 Рік тому +3

    I lean more toward After Bathing at Baxter's than Surrealistic Pillow

  • @bobvanvoorhis1542
    @bobvanvoorhis1542 5 місяців тому +1

    I can't argue with your choices.

  • @markr51
    @markr51 Рік тому +4

    Honorable mention or just a near miss from the top ten, Sly and the Family Stone's "Stand!"

  • @edwardgonczy3170
    @edwardgonczy3170 Рік тому +8

    Here's the way I heard the story. Carlos Santana arrived at the Woodstock Festival and was offered an aperitif by Jerry. He was completely aware it was spiked but I think Townsend once commented: "I'm not sure Owsley always had a handle on the potency of his brews." Anyway, Carlos knew he wasn't going on for about 4-5 hours and thought he would be in the lovely plateau phase of his "trip". He was sitting on stage and the acid hit him like a bolt of lightning. All of a sudden, he said was aware of a screaming face in his stating that if he didn't get his band together and go on right at that moment, he would have lost his opportunity to play Woodstock. I think some band may have bailed opening up the opportunity. Carlos said he muscled every ounce of his courage and offered up the semblance of a prayer to the Almighty, "if you get me through this, I won't do this again." He played brilliantly and later said," I wasn't always able to keep that promise but it was God's hand that guided me through this momentous moment."

    • @if6was929
      @if6was929 11 місяців тому

      A remarkable effort for someone who was peaking but some of the Woodstock performance was overdubbed.

  • @mattreinecke4399
    @mattreinecke4399 Рік тому

    Summer tour 1985. I went to 34 shows in 1985 while studying at UCSB. I hit the second half of the summer tour from Houston through Red Rocks. I only missed one California show that year for a final exam. I don't know if I would include Anthem, but great video.

  • @klausrain111
    @klausrain111 Рік тому +2

    I loved all those bands at that general time, esp Country Joe, but being an L.A. kid I was more into Love and Buffalo Springfield and even the Doors a couple years later.

  • @mmakshak
    @mmakshak Рік тому +1

    I got to talk to 'the Fish" as we waited for Country Joe to arrive. They all smoked Chesterfield cigarettes.

  • @DC-xx4kv
    @DC-xx4kv Рік тому +2

    As a boomer born and raised in the Bay Area, the first 36 years, I love this episode. Great job! ☮️

    • @harmonichebe
      @harmonichebe Рік тому +1

      "moby grape" was an incredible debut!! "omaha"!! "indifference"" "8.05"!! "hey grandma " "come in the morning" all masterpieces!!

    • @if6was929
      @if6was929 11 місяців тому

      I beg of you to please stop giving credit to our generation for this music. The counterculture was a small percentage of the Baby Boom generation and it is the counterculture that deserves the credit. Most Boomers were as straight as their parents and they didn't have a clue as to what was going on until the Woodstock documentary was released.

    • @harmonichebe
      @harmonichebe 11 місяців тому

      @@if6was929 i was a teenager during the summer of love, when some of us were tuned to the FM stations which played the san francisco bands' music. didn't need to see any documentaries about Woodstock- i was there for the first night until the rains came and we headed for home. took hours to get from yasgur's farm to the new york thruway.

  • @momahat
    @momahat Рік тому +1

    Soundtrack of my youth. Couldn't agree more.

  • @chrisames2795
    @chrisames2795 8 місяців тому

    As a native SF born in 1965. Literally raised on this music. ✊🏽 Respect on your breakdown. The Chicago first Album first side is ❤as brilliant as Santana’s debut. Inagadadavita was my favorite. San Diego band. Big Brother rather than Airplane or the Dead is definitive sound of psychedelic SF in my opinion. Thanks for sharing your knowledge in detail.

    • @classicalbum
      @classicalbum  8 місяців тому

      My pleasure, I'd love to visit SF, but the news about the place has been quite negative recently, I don't know how true it is,

    • @chrisames2795
      @chrisames2795 8 місяців тому

      @@classicalbum In the words of Madeleine Kahn It’s trew it’s trew. My mom is still there and I visit for holidays but it is nothing short of apocalyptic. In the mid 90’s the first internet boom 💥 ran all the artists out of town. All of the practice spaces and industrial lofts converted. That was the first wave. The the live music scene vanished. Haight street lost 4 nice venue’s and about a dozen more around town shut. Boz Skaggs club “Slims” one of the last to close. I remember Winterland be bulldozed in the mid 80’s it was falling apart. Condos and a nice Thai restaurant on the corner. Chet Helms and Bill Graham Built an organic unique thriving industry that had artist values soul. It was abiut the music. Sadly when Bill died the connection between the business and artist reverted to default. Jerry death in summer of 1995 was the moment that marked the end of the era. The Metal and Punk scenes in 80’s kept SF a music/ artist town. Faith No More , The Brian Jonestown Massacre born there. The internet literally killed the magic. Clear channel corporation bought BillGrahamPresents BGP the art department that produced all those posters and T-shirt’s swallowed up by a soulless accountant driven soulless exploiter. Radio became unlistenable , concert tickets fees, and the crowds were people that could afford to attend.
      Personally I moved to Portland Oregon in 95 and spent 2000-10 traveling and teaching In Oakland. I had had it with the whole Country and took a position at a University in Phnom Penh and that saved my life and preserved my soul. I was forced to return to the states five years ago and live in Reno , Nevada. Surreal place and time. Located on either side by Burning Man and Lake Tahoe. Once a gambling 🎰 tourist town now tech out post. Elon Musk bought a chunk of the high desert rich in minerals and built a gigafactory here. Amazon Apple Microsoft transformed the Casino town where Johnny Cash once shot a man just to watch him die to a woke diverse livable city. Maybe the most liberal cities in the world. Booze Ganja gambling guns prostitution
      Smoking tobacco all legal and available 24/7
      I’m moving to Memphis ASAP for the music. ✌🏼🕊️If you were to hop the pond I suggest a visit to Highway 61 New Orleans to Chicago.