DAVID KATZNELSON, Birdman Records
7 Modern Psych Albums
1. Spacemen 3, Perfect Prescription
Every Spaceman 3 record should be at the top of this list, but to me, with the swilling mellow quality of Perfect Prescription, the ‘60s leak truest. A paradigm shifting cover of Red Krayola’s Transparent Radiation, complete with the drone symphony that proceeds it, and the psych classic Sound Of Confusion redefine the genre and provide happy landings for any wanderer (see also Spiritualized and Spectrum)
2. Jesus And Mary Chain, Psychocandy
Arguably thee defining band of the era for bringing liquid remnants of Syd Barret’s brain back from the chaos and planting it in over-the-top fuzzy sugar pop.
3. The Flaming Lips, Oh My Gawd
The see-through vinyl leaked every color in the rainbow once the needle hit the groove. The 9-plus minute surrealist epic “One Million Billionth of a Millisecond On A Sunday Morning,” with its fragile moments and triumphant energy blasts, was a defining musical moment both on wax and live. The Flaming Lips sophomore full-length found them in complete control of their trip and produced one of the great voices-green-and-purple lines of the era: “Love yr brain, even when it slips down the drain.”
4. Miracle Workers, Inside Out
I do not think much of the Paisley Underground weathered time well, but this ‘80s incantation of ‘60s garage psych is undeniable, even today. The finest modern take on The Chocolate Watchband, The Seeds, anon.
5. Screaming Trees, Invisible Lantern
Grunge was just a figment in the journalists’ imagination when Mark Lanegan and crew struck with Invisible Lantern. Swirly wah-wah action drooled down the canvas as Lanegan’s signature vocals road on top. Each song carried with it the greens and browns of rainy Seattle’s underbelly and set the stage for what was to come.
6. The Cramps, Gravest Hits
Not sure if The Cramps fall into the psych genre, but if they came close, they have to be here. If anything, Bryan Gregory’s guitar collapse on “Human Fly” is reason enough. Gravest Hits should be on the top ten of any music list: punk, garage, psych… soul… R&B. It is a perfect music moment.
7. Greg Ashley, Medicine Fuck Dream
This falls under post-post-post punk psych, but you cannot leave off the wonderboy who carries with him to this day the true essence of Roky Erickson and all the other Texas brethren that came before him. A dark , cloudy record, “Deep Deep Down” and “Mona Rider” gristle the drippings of the goose the Elevators cooked.
4 Essential Psych Albums
1. The Thirteen Floor Elevators, Easter Everywhere
2. The Electric Prunes, Lost Dreams
3. The Chocolate Watchband, The Best Of
4. July, July
6 Non-Canonical Classics
1. Kak, Kak
2. Marconi Notaro, No Sub Reino Dos Metazoarios
3. Danny Ben Israel, 3 1/4 Bullshit
4. Hapshash and the Colored Coat, Western Flier
5. Savage Resurrection, Savage Resurrection
6. Bokaj Retsiem, The Psychedelic Underground