Timeline: Psychedelic Rock from 1965-1970

Period: Jan 1, 1965 to Dec 31, 1970

Psychedelic Rock

Apr 12, 1965

The Begining

A band called the Psychedelic Rangers including future DOORS drummer John Densmore is formed in Los Angeles. This is the first known instance of a rock'n'roll band referring to themselves as "psychedelic".

Jun 29, 1965

Dog Saloon

The CHARLATANS make their debut performance at the Red Dog Saloon in Virginia City, Nevada. This is the first known instance of a band playing rock music under the influence of LSD (many in the audience were tripping too). This event is also commonly seen as the birth of the psychedelic concert poster.

Aug 12, 1965

The Fugs

The FUGS record their debut album where the song "I Couldn't Get High" explicitly mentions LSD. This is the first known instance of the drug appearing in a rock lyric.

Sep 2, 1965

The Doors

The newly-formed DOORS record an acetate in Los Angeles that contains songs such as "Moonlight Drive", "End Of The Night" and "Go Insane". Three of the band members had taken LSD at this point.

Oct 12, 1965

The Beatles

The BEATLES record "Norwegian Wood", which contains elements close to psychedelia. At least two of the band members had taken LSD at this point. The track appears on "Rubber Soul", released in December.

Jan 12, 1966

Psychedelic business cards

The words 'Psychedelic rock' appears on the 13th FLOOR ELEVATORS' business card. This is the first known use of the term.

Feb 10, 1966

First Psychedelic review

A review of a 13th FLOOR ELEVATORS' live gig in a local newspaper bears heading "Unique Elevators Shine With 'Psychedelic Rock'". This is the first ever documented media reference to psychedelic rock music.

Mar 12, 1966

Lennon

John Lennon records demos for what was to become "She Said, She Said", a clearly LSD-influenced song (Lennon also explained the inspiration for the song in an interview).