The mid-1960s were a time of upheaval in the United States. The Civil Rights Movement, protests against the Vietnam War, and the movement for women’s rights inspired many people to become suspicious of American institutions that they were supposed to trust. This distrust and sense of separation led to the development of a countercultural movement that was passionate about maintaining its distance from the mainstream. In particular, many young people sought a new vantage point from which to view the world, and they often used drugs such as LSD to achieve this new vantage point. Musicians began recording psychedelic rock, which was also intended to change the listener’s consciousness or point of view.

• Examine how and why psychedelic music became popular in the mid-1960s
• Recall how the Beatles and the Beach Boys changed their earlier styles of music and began recording psychedelic rock
• Identify new recording techniques, instruments, technologies, and lyric sources that guided these musicians as they began explore different modes of expression and realms of consciousness in their music
• Examine the role the Beatles played in the creation of the concept album