The difference, by ear
The same jangle a year later, with the studio treated as an instrument. If it phases, reverses or drones, it has left folk rock.
Both are sung cleanly, but psychedelic rock swings further either way: 70 to 140 bpm against 80 to 120. Songs run longer in psychedelic rock: usually 3 to 10 minutes, against 2½ to 5 minutes in folk rock. To hear the difference, play The Byrds next to Pink Floyd. Both grew out of rock, folk rock first and psychedelic rock two years after.
In figures
Folk rock
Where it sits
In short
Folk lyrics played on a twelve-string electric guitar. It taught rock that the words can matter as much as the riff.
How it sounds
- Twelve-string guitar, clean tone, open arpeggios.
- Dense vocal harmony inherited from the American folk tradition.
- The text comes first: songs are built around the words rather than the riff.
Key acts
- The Byrds
- Bob Dylan
- Fairport Convention
- Simon & Garfunkel
Start here
The pickFairport Convention - Liege & Lief. The birth certificate of British folk rock.
Full page →Psychedelic rock
Where it sits
In short
Effects, sitar, feedback and songs that fall apart halfway through. The lab that produced prog, space rock and, indirectly, doom.
How it sounds
- Studio effects: phasing, reversed tape, tape echo, extreme panning.
- Instruments unusual for rock: sitar, theremin, mellotron, harpsichord.
- Structures that come apart - a song can have three unrelated sections.
Key acts
- Pink Floyd
- Jefferson Airplane
- The 13th Floor Elevators
- Cream
Start here
The pickPink Floyd - Interstellar Overdrive. Ten minutes that explain half this tree.
Full page →