The United States of America

This is not a good start and also not the band I want to listen to on Canada v. USA day.
It's giving American Sargent Peppers.
I'm gonna need to DNF this guy.

This is actually a jam! Probably wouldn't put it on again but fun to listen to

This had a rough start with the literal clown music in the first track, but as the record went on I started to dig what they were going for here. It's unashamedly weird, yet oddly catchy and engaging. The album's wikipedia page mentions that the usage of electronic instruments here was pretty cutting edge and experimental for the time, and I can certainly see how that would be the case. In a lot of ways it doesn't sound like something made in the 60s, though in others it sounds like the most 60s album ever made. My knowledge of the 60s psychedelia movement in the US is pretty much exclusively derived from that Simpsons episode where Homer becomes a hippy, and I'd believe you immediately if you told me Hard Coming Love was played during that episode at some point.

This album goes through a few different styles of music, so I find it hard to imagine someone getting bored listening to this. There's the sort of eerie, downbeat soundscapes on tracks like The American Metaphysical Circus and Where is Yesterday where things get most avant-garde. Even when they're being deliberately weird, though, they never take the songwriting for granted. There are a lot of interesting progressions going on in these tracks, and the vocals are both excellently utilized and just plain nice to listen to. The two vocalists are both great at bringing different styles and textures to the tracks they take the lead on.

Then you have the groovy psych rock tunes Hard Coming Love and Garden of Earthly Delights, as well as the lullaby-esque ballads Cloud Song and Love Song For The Dead Che (the former track being seemingly the blueprint for every upper-middle class female singer-songwriter in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Not that I have a problem with that, it's a great vibe.) I'd say there's something for everyone here, but looking at this album's rating that's evidently not the case. Oh well.

This would be more of a 4.5 if that was an option, but I'm going to round it down rather than up as it's hard to really describe this as an all time classic. I liked it a lot, though.

Favourite tracks: Garden of Earthly Delights, Where is Yesterday, Coming Down

It's like you've been taken to see the off-off-off-off Broadway version of Hair, put on by a friend of a friend's leftist collective, and it was better than you expected.

Other 60's albums sound like they are enhanced in the studio, but this album sounds like it could have only been made in the studio. The distortion in combination with all the classical touches and overdubs sound really interesting and ahead of their time. The ideas don't always work out but there's a lot of great moments and it showcases just how far out music could go from here really well. Like some sort of demonic circus.

I mean... yeah... it is what it is. It's a bit weird and experimental. An easy enough listen though. There's some fun elements to this, but it's not really the kind of thing I'd come back to. It's an awkward 3, because I liked it enough and kind of appreciate the intent, but it's not something I'll ever think about again.

I can't tell what's worse: the album or the country

I can understand why this is on the list. It has an oddball quality to it that must've been so bizarre in 1968. That said, I don't think I'd ever come back to this.

2.5/5.0: Mixed

very odd album that kept me guessing what would come next. it made listening enjoyable the first time around but not something i care to listen to again

Why is this album here.... ?

iznenađujuće dobro ali podosta nedosljedno

It was kind of interesting but not in a good way. It killed my ears, and I felt like there was something or someone coming for me. A bit unsettling. And past this, the music was just bland.

Wow! Kind of nuts that this was made in the 60s, there are elements here that still sound bang up to date....there's also elements that show it's age mixed in.

Like a retrofuture masterpiece. Never heard it before, but will come back to it. So much going on that a single listen could never do it justice.

3 for now. Probably go up with repeat listens...

Extperimenteller Bullshit ohne musikalische Talente.

Maybe Psychedelic music was huge in the UK...I feel there are a lot on this list that are incredibly redundant. 1.5/5

Really weird!!! Wish there were more.

Um disquinho bacana de música psicodélica. Vale pela curiosidade, mas tem pouco a acrescentar.

Love the experimenting with a lot of different sounds. I dont think I’ll be returning, but I’m glad I listened. There’s better 60s psychedelic out there

Another 60s psychedelic band I have strangely not heard of considering how much I appreciate the genre. First song had too much experimental sound. The band are known for excluding guitars and using, uncommon for the time, electronic instrumentation. However, by track two the wonderful melodies were shining through with the instrumentation enhancing, rather than obscuring the songs. I was torn between 3 and 4 but as I am not sure I will listen again, 3 stars.

It had some good moments, but perhaps too experimental for me. I was also trying to finish my assignment and this was blasting loudly in my ear so I got a little overwhelmed by the noise hence also a lower rating (sorry).