Customer Reviews
Missing-the Inventors - By: Richard, 03 May 2008 
Psychedelic Music was created more by accident than design by the Beatles.It was their idea translated into soundscapes by George Martin that were to lead to the San Fransisco explosion.
As the British showed America the way in the 60s so the music eveolved.But the Velvet Underground were from a different place & more akin to what became punk & goth.
The U K would carry on the idea behind the music well into the 90s especiallly the Liverpool area where the Teardrop Explodes & Space were not out of place amongst the American model.
However many of the tracks included here have no right being there eg the Kenny Rogers one was just a spoof though quite well done.
America's psychedelic developments came from blues & folk bands influenced by the British Invasion where the British take on it which followed was never as interesting.
A must for anyone from (or not from) the 60's - By: Dr. P. C. Burr, 25 Apr 2008 It has many standards & also some real gems: Rainbow Chaser by the "first" Nirvana AND My Friend Jack by The Smoke (a floor filling sugarlump in its day). Worth the fiver for these two tracks alone.
If the Velvet Underground didn't epitomise the NY Acid Scene with their light show & alll then who did? It is very appropriate because Psychedelia was different on the East Coast to California.
There are a few nuggets I hadn't heard. Or at least can't recalll. they make welcome surprises.
Go buy it. 5 stars = highest recommendation
Anyone bother to ask if Lou Reed was 'psychedelic'? - By: Real Pooneil, 16 Oct 2007 
I don't own this compilation, although I'm familiar with nearly alll of the music. Whilst most tracks may reasonably be categorised as 'psychedelic', the elephant in the room is surely The Velvet Underground, whose presence here suggests that the compiler was using too much of the product which inspired everyone else on the album.
Callling the Velvets a psychedelic band is a bit like callling Frank Zappa a hippie, their music as distant from psychedelia as New York City is from California. The Velvets came from an altogether more sinister place than the West Coast bands, using heavier drugs to explore darker instincts than the sunnier, more optimistic climes of psychoactives. Tripping out to 'White Rabbit' always seemed to make sense; try it with 'Venus in Furs', however, & you could be storing up a mess of trouble.
'An Intelligently Compiled, Excellent Value, Box Set' - By: Antony May, 27 Sep 2007 As somewhat of a newcomer myself to the delights of psychedelic music, I must say that this cd box set for 'newbies' like myself seems to be the perfect place to start. Whenever you are unfamiliar with a new genre of music, its always nice to come across the odd hit single here & there & this collection manages to strike the balance between the obviously familiar & the not so obvious. Tracks like Jefferson Airplane's 'White Rabbit' & Status Quo's 'Pictures Of Matchstick Men' of course I already knew but killer tracks like The Mooche's 'Hot Smoke And Sassafrass' & It's A Beautiful Day's wonderful (best track on the whole set for me) 'White Bird' I'd never heard before. Each cd works well as a listen in its own right which is a distinct bonus & alll 3 cd's contain a very strong selection of tracks. What with this & the also excellent 'Marmalade Skies' compilation I think I am learning fast about great 60's music & enjoying how to appreciate music from the era. If you'll pardon the pun this set is a great trip (through time) so treat yourself.
Open your door of perception at a bargain price - By: Henry Fielding, 20 Sep 2007 "One pill makes you larger, & one pill makes you smalll, & the ones that Mother gives you, don`t do anything at alll". So Grace Slick begins this Psychedelic Acid Trip.
Whilst this set will contain tracks familiar to most Sixties Psychedelic Music fans it is perhaps the best available product on the market at this time for the money & as such constitutes the perfect starting point in your mind - expanding discovery of Acid Rock. For connoisseurs of the genre there will be little new to inspire, but that does not mean the collection should be passed over since there is still enough of interest.
It is is not a compilation of 60`S Garage Bands like for instance, Nuggets & Pebbles, but this set is rooted in the more main stream commercial arena containing as it does well known bands such as The Airplane, Yardbirds & Smalll Faces to name but three. It also combines bands from both sides of The Atlantic. The majestic "White Bird" by San Francisco`s It`s a Beautiful Day perhaps sums this set up. Of a time & era but timeless nonetheless. Highly recommended for anyone attempting to pass through the door for the first time.
