These classic rock songs from the 1960s are nothing like the other popular tunes and sounds of the era. Their makers were just that ahead of their time. And after listening to each of these legendary songs, you might just agree with me there. Let’s take a look!
“Psychotic Reaction” by Count Five (1966)
Count Five proved that a gaggle of teenage high school kids could form a band with absolutely no experience as professional musicians and dish out one of the best songs of their era. “Psychotic Reaction” might have landed Count Five in one-hit wonder territory, but their influence in garage rock from their short time together is still felt today. Those fuzzy riffs, those crazy-fast tempo shifts. Count Five was thinking in a different universe in 1966. There was a touch of the times to their music, as there are psychedelic elements in “Psychotic Reaction”. But the band made such a left turn with this song, I can’t help but think they predicted the future of punk rock with it.
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“Space Oddity” by David Bowie (1969)
Nobody embodied future-forward thinking in rock music quite like art rock superstar David Bowie. “Space Oddity” was the song that started it all, and the song and music video went on to influence countless other creative endeavors for both Bowie and pop musicians that followed in his footsteps. The release of the song, which coincided with the Apollo 11 Moon landing, was also an incredibly smart way to utilize current culture and bring attention to one’s music. Bowie was eons ahead of his time, and he would continue to think outside of the box for much of his career that followed.
“Incense And Peppermints” by Strawberry Alarm Clock (1967)
Maybe I’m just biased for including this tune on our list of ahead-of-their-time classic rock songs from the 1960s. “Incense And Peppermints” is one of my absolute favorite songs from the era. But I do think there is something to be said about how this song was recorded. It was pretty unheard of, actually.
The story goes that a teenager named Greg Munford stepped up to tackle the lead vocals on “Incense And Peppermints” after each member of the band couldn’t quite get it right. In just one take, he blurted out the surreal vocal track that has come to be famous among fans of 60s psychedelia. And he never actually joined the band. Munford was only present in the studio because he was a friend of the group. Imagine that!
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