Reviews (page 2 of 8)
This was a new one to me and it was a fascinating listen. It managed to walk the line between experimental and accessible nicely. The early electronic experiments were interesting and really added something that lifted it above other psychedelic music of the time.
Throughout this process I’ve wondered what I’d end up listening to that I might consider giving a 5 to - turns out this is one of them. If you’d told me that this was the next stereo lab release I’d have believed you, a wonderful collection of krautrock-esque jams, velvet underground and nico pseudo-ballads, and some oddly meandering musique concrete that sound like you’d stumbled out of a big top and into the local fairground. If I have a criticism, it’s that the female voice on here is so much more engaging with the style of music than the male’s, and I was looking forward to the next time she sang on a track. That this was made in ‘68 as well is astounding, the introduction of the Moog to accompany some of the tracks just lifted the overall texture to even greater heights. Grabbed me on a first listen, intend to do so again shortly to see if it grows even more.
Some pioneering and interesting sounds and production. Very immersive listen
It started out very weird and then kinda levelled out, but at no point did I feel like I'd really recommend it to someone. Also, what a terrible name for a band.
i’ve never heard of this, but its immediately clear i’ve heard lots of things influenced by this. i’m a fan of this kind of late 60s california, psychedelic rock so this was always going to be a winner. its definitely more playful than contemporaries like jefferson airplane but with fewer standout tracks.
Dizzying, manic, completely fucking disorienting and uncomfortable. But marvelously experimental all the same. Few albums (if any) sounded like this in '68. And to think this came out on a major and CHARTED!
A good psychedelic album. You hear the grace Slick comparison in the vocalist. The music is definitely interesting because they were using early synthesizers and it gave a definite trippy sound. I enjoyed this thoroughly because this is one of these albums that I thought would a prime example of an album you should hear before you die. I’m glad it’s on the list.
This is probably the shortest tenure any band has had on this list. Specifically, this is also probably the strangest psychedelic album I've heard too. No lead guitar here, as the group opted to use more electronic instrumentation in conjunction with old-timey instruments such as the calliope and organ. But despite the political theming, is was hard to take this album seriously. A bit exhausting too.
I've never heard of this and I think I know why. It sounds very dated. It isn't bad, and it may have been avant-garde at the time, but it isn't compelling any longer.
Occasionally interesting, but mostly just dull and tedious.
The United States Of America - The United States Of America (1968) Why did I love this so much? Why did I procrastinate this for so long ? Let's be honest, when I saw the title, the band's name and the release year, I thought I was in for some corny, semi-boring rock album like that era loved to churn out. How wrong I was. These guys are pioneers of styles that wouldn't even take off until long after the 60s. And their songs seem very finely written to me, especially compared to what was being made back then... Why are they so underrated? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9.75/10 [This album has been listened to and reviewed on October the 2nd, 2026. Review was edited on October the 22nd, 2026. I raised my rating by 0.25/10.]
If you take some mushrooms while listening to this you might give it a four-star rating. I didn't have any so I can only give it three stars. It's definitely ahead of its time, even for psychedelia but it's not something I would put on my playlist. It's a good listen for an art project.
No
This feels too much like someone listened to Sgt. Pepper's and thought they could do just like The Beatles but a little crazier. As intriguing as all the electronic effects are, especially for the time, this album feels like someone just wanted to do something weird. I admire when artists achieve their goals, but weird is not always good, and here it's often appalling. Some song feel like specifically made to play before a clown's show starts in a circus. Others are simply boring acid rock era songs. I still think listening to this album is a good idea, mostly because it tries things that are done much better by better musicians later in history. I mean, we all need to think "oh, this can be nice if I do it better" about something every now and then, right?
What if The Beatles were incomprehensible?
This is an interesting example of early use of electronics in music. As a listening experience it's a mixed bag for me, partly feels like they're being weird just for the sake of it, some very solid tracks, though. Reminds me of Jefferson Airplane at times. Definitely worth revisiting in the future. Bad choice for a band name, though.
I like '60s psychedelic rock but this wasn't like super standout to me or anything. I was going to give it three, and one of my complaints was that it was too long, but I listened to the reissue bonus tracks as well, so that's not a valid complaint. So, four stars.
i fucking adore this album. i love how it puts a stick of dynamite in psychedelic rock and watches it blow to pieces. and the balls to call themselves the USA while dedicating a song to Che Guevara... that's punk as frick. i love all the electronic flourishes. in a sense this is very Velvet Underground and Nico, just more freeform and less intense. west coast instead of east coast. yeah that fits... the west coast Velvet Underground and Nico. fucking beautiful. deserves to be one of the 1001? yes!!! and while we're at it, add An Electric Storm by The White Noise (my favorite album of the 20th century)
Not for me
Even my mom hadn’t heard of this one, deep cut.
This sounded like the Disneyland Electric Parade from hell.
Nuke us off the face of the planet.
Ah, so this is why the world hates America.
I didn’t like the first track at all but it picked up after that. It’s not an album that’s going to live long in the memory but it was an enjoyable enough listen. Top Track - Where Is Yesterday
3.5 stars I had never heard of it. It’s weird and experimental but also fun and inventive. Doesn’t always work, but a cool find on this list.
Forward thinking record with beatlesque qualities and sounds IN ADDITION to synthesizer and modulator production that came to dominate popular music. The synth-based production is probably why this album is on this list, it was simply ahead of its time. Also, while the lyrical content and avant-garde song structures might turn folks away, it was the peak of the love revolution of the 60's so I give it a pass. Personally, 6.7/10 record with a huge question as to what future albums of this artist might have sounded like.
The United States of America self titled 3* it's interesting and likely influenced a lot of bands that came later but that doesn't make it great. It has some good songs but the opening track is horrid and listening straight thought it starts to become more annoying than interesting
I found this album soothing
Strange, somewhat decent music, but too strange to listen more than once
Favourite Songs: The American Metaphysical Circus Hard Coming Love The Garden Of Earthly Delights The American Way Of Love
This is weird. But very interesting. Don’t think I will ever listen again but glad to have heard it, so unique.
What a name for the group, ehh. 2
It was alright. A little creepy in the beginning but I liked it more toward the end.
Odd little folks album with skits. I don't relish the rare releases and alternates.
wtf is goin on
Te experimenteel, te artsy, te vermoeiend. Ohja en te schel. Iets met 'je moet de regels kennen om ze te kunnen breken'; Ik denk dat deze groep mensen een bak hele goeie muziek zouden kunnen maken als ze dat zouden willen, maar dat willen ze niet. Ofja, het is al prima muziek, verstopt onder een vervelend laagje kunstzinnigheid. Jefferson Airplane en dan te ver doorgetrokken. Al waren deze mensen denk ik eerder. Leuk om 15-20 minuten in te grasduinen en dan heb ik het eigenlijk wel gezien. Mag dat? Ja, dat mag van mezelf. Ik skip een stuk vandaag. Twee sterren, vooruit.
Different. Not bad. Not good.
I thought this was going to be worse.
Oh, look what we have here. I was familiar with the band, but it’s been ages since I last listened to this groundbreaking album! It is the band's only release. It kicks off with a blend of electronic sounds reminiscent of marching music, underpinned by a distorted vocal. Many subsequent bands borrowed ideas from the overflowing stylistic mix found on this record. For later generations, the era surrounding the Woodstock Festival remains the absolute creative peak in music history. The risks the musicians took and the way they experimented can truly be described as sensational. Dorothy Moskowitz’s voice shines through this hypnotic music, despite the electronic distortion and layering. She later sang in Country Joe's All-Star Band. This blend of styles makes for a varied and fascinating early avant-garde album. Take, for instance, the intro to "Where Is Yesterday," which evokes a Gregorian chant before evolving into a polyphonic rock song—all underscored by feverish electronic sounds. Highly recommended for anyone with an open ear. The melodies are infectious, even if they sometimes feel unconventional. The lyrics are outstanding—at times highly political, at others imbued with deep humanity and an awareness of the bigger picture. I’m not sure if the nuance of my words translates fully into English, but one thing is certain: this record is one of the most exciting and experimental psychedelic albums of the 1960s and is absolutely worth a listen!
This album is 40% goofy stuff, 40% blah, and 20% really nice string parts. 60% fun is a fine enough ratio for me to probably go back and relisten later, but I was expecting some Captain Beefheart-level off-the-wall nonsense from the first minute of the album and it only somewhat delivered. The softer songs towards the end were really nice, though.
never even heard of this before but damn if it isn’t great!
This album cover and title had me thinking that this would sound like Grateful Dead or the Band or something. Nope, it’s only the trippiest effing album i’ve ever heard in my life! The psychedelia is off the charts and I am more than intrigued.
A terribky mediocre album. It wasn't bad, good, or memorable
Sort of a novelty record, which ultimately caps how seriously I can take it. But there are some good pop tunes here, and on the whole it’s a fun ride with lumps and peaches.
Funky but not my style
I was prepared for The Presidents of the United States of America and this was not that. Setting aside the dissonant tracks, this wasn’t bad.
Everything from the 60s on this list that’s classified as psychedelic rock, just sounds like 60s rock to me. The early Grateful Dead and early Pink Floyd are psychedelic rock to me. This is just 60s music. It’s ok. Nothing great. 2.75
“Challenging” is often used as a euphemism for “sucks”.
"The American Metaphysical circus" indeed (would have been a much better name for the band/album than their pretentious name - no wonder they didn't get anywhere!). Decent and interesting experimentation.
I want to give this two scores, one foe how interesting some of the songs were and how beautiful the woman's voice was, the other score for how grating some of the music was, which seemed to soften by the end.
Props for relatively early collage creativity...AND Tomorrow Never Knows had been out for a while at that point. I also appreciate lyrics referencing gay prostitution on 42nd St and media manipulation about the Summer of Love. Also, band name is a pretty good middle finger to The Man!
A slog to get through, but not unenjoyable.
Somebody was really pleased with themselves over this one.
What a weird ride... not always bad, but not always good either.
i imagine this is what the white album sounds like to people who hate the beatles
Wow. This is not great. I'm three songs in and I want to quit...I'm half way through and all I can think is that these "musicians" know nothing about creating music that people want to listen to...And why is there always a minute or more of just random instrumental that sounds awful. No. Just no. I can see it's appeal as a psychedelic rock album, but it's definitely not for me.
The Good: We get to listen to the peaches song! The Bad: We’ve confused this band with another… The Ugly: Album name = Band name… Listened to it… wasted my time… 1*
Hadn’t heard of it but seems like a perfect ‘68 album.
Coincidentally, a friend of mine recently reccomended this album to me - due to my love of psych rock. Relistening to it for the project has reasserted my opinion when I checked it out at his request. This album is absolutely awesome. I think the USofA really nail the ethos of psych rock in their one album. It's weird at times, quirky at others - but underneath all of that it's got some kickass moments. Take the opening for instance, which fades from circus-esque twee to a haunting vocal-led track. It's almost like a portishead track, only decades beforehand. Or Wooden Wife, in which the catchy satircal chorus is interspersed with a manic bridge, which feels akin to a more unhinged Zappa track. This album won't please everyone. It's too wierd for that. But for the right person this is really engaging, fun music.
Good album
Favorite Track: Hard Coming Love
Lots going on. Great sound. Some tracks would fit well coming out of a crackly record player in a haunted house
Weird and loooong. I’m only half way through and I’m sick of the weird sounds and warbling vocals. Seems like experimentation for the sake of experimentation instead of to actually discover something pleasing to listen to. Some of it sounded like Jefferson Starship or a poor man’s Beatles. But much less good than either. They seem to take themselves a little too seriously too.
Det va noen sanger innimellom der æ til en viss grad satte pris på, men sånn jevnt over e det på ingen måte min sjanger eller nokka æ føle et behov for å sette mæ nærmere inn i. Det e jo litt stilig at det e hundgammelt og likevel tidvis føles moderne, men det e også nokka med vokalen som peke i retning alderen. Mer fascineranes som konsept enn lytteopplevelse.
ok
Weird for the sake of it? Not worth another listen.
Another one of those albums that wasn;t terrible, although it was weird in places.
One of the best albums of the era
3.5
Hot mess. Who picks this stuff?
I found this very difficult to enjoy..
Ok
Another never heard of, glad have heard but not sure needed to, after listening ( original album not the everything in the cupboard) can kind of see why never have heard before. It’s a bit when you have some of those grand ideas knocking around in ‘68 but not quiet the chops, call it what you will ( that the successful acts have) to pull it off at the time. Just feels that the ambition outstrips the talent. There are some nice moments, and the "avant garde" aspects and ideas kinda make sense but it just doesn't quite work for me as a whole. In the end I would have to file as a historic curiosity, ideas but don’t stick the landing. Not some forgotten gem for me, call it avant garde if you want but not essential listening - 2 star.
This was too long and kind of boring to listen to
Pretty bad. Couldn’t get through it all.
was pretty fun all in all, but minus points for reminding me the usa exist lol
This is a psychedelic road trip
I went back through my current 5/5 albums recently. There’s a noticeable subgroup that are American protest records, or at the very least contain songs with commentary on struggle in America. Obvious ones like Winter In America by Gil Scott Herron or American Idiot by Green Day, and more subtle ones like songs by Lynyrd Skynyrd or Stevie Wonder. This one falls a little short of that 5/5 protest album mark for me. It’s not without merit, there’s a point to be taken from how this album has an intentionally chaotic sound to mirror the late 60’s civil and sociopolitical landscape in America. But it’s a bit on the nose at times. It was a similar listening experience that I had with Mothers Of Invention - sometimes delightfully quirky, sometimes taking the crazy too far. “Where Is Yesterday” kinda sounds like if Brian Wilson took one of his mental breakdowns and put it right into a song. Fairly powerful track compared to a lot of the other noisy stuff. 2/5 I respect it but I didn’t particularly enjoy it. Even in its more experimental form, psych rock is just too upright for me. I wish for more concise focus on rhythm and groove, less focus on the sonic aesthetics of being ‘trippy’
No sé ni cómo explicarlo
I didn’t even miss the guitar. I was ready to absolute hate this and tear into it after the first thirty seconds, but then the rest of the album happened and I was sold. The dual vocalists really work here. Very reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane. Super interesting early experimentation into the use of electronics. I guess Mac Miller and ID Labs really liked this one too with how Coming Down became Smile Back. Great album. Favorites were Hard Coming Love, The Garden Of Earthly Delights, Where Is Yesterday, Coming Down, and The American Way Of Love.
Apparently this isn’t on streaming currently, so loses points off the bat for me (not many points mind you cause i like this.) i heard comments that say this inspired Portishead and i can see how, yeah wow this was beautiful if a bit painful at times due to the audio quality, very interesting for the time too. Its got a lot of pluses but i got give it a 3 cause man that ear piercing audio quality can wreck the experience.
Pretty interesting and engaging psychedelic album. Different for its time, engaging use of sonic elements and other great production elements. Theres also cool irony and a departure from common 1960s musical themes. Pretty exciting in retrospect. My only thing is still psychedelic music is best consumed in some trance state with drugs involved. Even the best examples require a prerequisite. So this semi fluid, expressive and progressive example of the genre is gonna give the impression of nonsense without using your minds eye to assume what a trance state would look like here. But maybe thats just me?
C'est probablement un des noms de groupe les moins attractifs du monde. Pourquoi je voudrais écouter un groupe avec un tellement... insipide ? La raison, elle est simple : parce que Robert Dimery l'a mise dans sa liste. Et en vrai, c'est certain que j'aurais jamais tenté d'écouter ce groupe, vu son nom et la pochette pas franchement inspirante. Ce qui commence comme un album de rock classique des années 60 fort sympathique, le genre à qui on donne 3/5, se révèle peu à peu. Car The United States of America est tout sauf un album de rock classique des années 60. Si on sent bien l'époque où il est sorti, ce qui marque le plus, c'est son côté expérimental avec pas mal de sonorités inattendues et pas mal de petites expérimentations qui le font parfois flirter avec l'avant-garde. Je me suis surpris à beaucoup plus l'apprécier que je ne l'aurais cru.
Alright
This is extremely weird and I loved it.
eh....
"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite", except it's evil
I got about halfway through this, and that was about all I could tolerate. This is weird. I like the comment somebody made about this being music that would be played before a clown would kill you. I give a credit for being different though. DNF (2)
started listening to this and had to turn it off after a few minutes because I was in a bad mood and it was pissing me off even more edit: after giving it a listen, it’s not… bad, I appreciate the avant-garde of it all but at times it was painful to listen to, giving it a “didn’t completely hate it” out of 5
3.5
This is a bit long and there’s a fair amount of nonsense on it. But at its best it is good and years ahead of its time. Some of these tracks could be from the 90s. Worth a listen
A bit weird- love the can’t leave my wooden woman song tho😁
This album made me giddy and I'm not entirely sure why. The tongue in cheek lyrics, the Velvet Underground meets the Beatles music, the way it very nearly trips over itself to be experimental and challenging and yet hits the landing. What a great discovery!
Beat, Rock, Noise, 1968 -> 2
FYI The album is only the first 10 tracks on Spotify. I liked it but I like weird. Maybe it deserves a place on the list. 1968 is still a very experimental time (just look at how music psychedelic rock is on the list this year) so I dunno how innovative these guys actually are. 3/5.
Psych rock album to make all the other psych rock seem straight-edge, this album goes places, circus music will dissonantly play over *other* circus music, it ends like the last passing thoughts through your brain before you die, but it's also got plenty of more normal music and it's soothing and satisfying They're hatter-mad, alright
lol no
This is what experimental sounds like without any artistic vision. Or maybe you just need to be high to listen to this and get it. 2/3 terrible and annoying, 1/3 bad and somewhat annoying. 1.5
Solid psyche album
I mean... Maybe if I took some LSD? Otherwise, it's too psych for me.
Pretty interesting stuff. Sixties pop and psychedelia, plus early weird electronic experiments; BeatlesishKinksish bourgeois anxiety and everyday angst, plus nostalgic Americana carnival and oompah-oompah sounds. And they sound like Coven on certain songs, it's all over the place. The political background and inter-band problems are archeological at this point. Do I like it? Actually yes, quite a bit.
I liked it, I'll listen to it again. Over an hour and it rarely sounded samey
Weird psychedelic album with some nice pop songs. I like Cloud Song. The second half of the album is pretty good, but The American Way Of Love is too weird for my tastes.
First track: They only made one of these, huh? Second track: Maybe if they had more electric jug... Middle of album: Growing on me
Really dug this, but some of the random instrumentation was grating. Also, the person on the right side of this album cover looks like Orin from Parks and Rec.
Very experimental with some very cool ideas. But some songs are quite repetitive or annoying.
I really respect that they made all of those weird sound effects by analog means, but I heard their influences loud and clear. There was (of course) Beatles. Also, Jefferson Airplane. I see that they could have been something big, but they did not continue past this one album.
Pretty good.
21/1001 Infelizmente deixa aquele "gostinho de quero mais" The American Metaphysical Circus - 80 Hard Coming Love - 80 Cloud Song - 75 The Garden of Earthly Delights - 80 I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Sugar - 75 Where Is Yesterday - 75 Coming Down - 80 Love Song for the Dead Ché - 80 Stranded in Time - 80 The American Way of Love - 75 Media: 78
I like psychedelia but this didn’t hit the spot.
What the hell was this? It's great! It's weird enough while still being enjoyable to listen to, so in my eyes it's a perfect album.
Not for me. 1/5
This album was weird my guy's and gal's. It was surprisingly enjoyable though.
Weird album. A lot of noise in my opinion rather than music.
One of the absolutely weirdest albums I've ever heard. Have you always wanted to hear Jefferson Airplane but with circus music, grating noises, and repeating songs, along with a bad Eleanor Rigby knock off? Well boy do I have the album for you! Song 10 on this album is completely nuts, the musicians were smoking some mystical herbs when they wrote that one for sure. They also repeat the same annoying sounds in this album often which I definitely was not a fan of. All in all, a very weird artistic album.
Jefferson Starship fever dream wannabe band.
This was a fun psychedelic trip.
Pretty dull for a band with such an outsized name. If "Psychedelic" means "tuneless and meandering", then this is that. I bailed out halfway through and switched to the self-titled album by The Presidents of the United States of America. That's an album you should hear before you die. And while we're on the subject of two-string bassists, you should definitely listen to some Morphine before you die.
The first two Presidents of the United States of America albums are both bangers!
Enjoyable, but not particularly memorable.
Started a bit too 60s experimental and disjointed but got a lot better as it went.
Wow, a very interesting art pop electric inspired gem, a damn shame this project ended after one album.
Not my cup of tea I’m afraid. Felt like there wasn’t enough “substance” to a lot of it. May warrant another listen though.
The tricky thing about psychedelics is that there is a specific amount to take, and if you take too much, it's possible you can loose touch with reality resulting in a bad trip. It's also possible this trip goes on too long, and you feel you are strapped in, waiting for it to end, reminding yourself this was supposed to be fun... This was my experience with this album. Early on there were glimpses of "oh, this is fun and different" but by the midway point I felt I had lost touch with that sentiment, and trapped in a strange world. Was I happy to have had that experience? Maybe. Will I ever do it again? Unlikely.
This album starts off with a sound collage that's overwhelming and feels like circus music from a nightmare. At first I was taken aback and was preparing for a long, difficult listen, but the album really came together quite well and sounds like a mix of the most psychedelic and experimental Beatles tracks and the Velvet Underground. By the end I was completely entranced. I think there may be a few times that their ambitions surpassed their skills or the technical abilities at the time, but the best experimental and avant-garde music should be pushing boundaries. I am definitely going to have to give this a few more listens to fully digest everything I just heard. On second listen, the opening track isn't nearly as abrasive or overwhelming. In context with the rest of the album, it actually works quite well and makes a lot of sense. I am really happy to have discovered this album and am going to return to it in the future for sure.
I just refuse to believe drugs would have been involved with the creation of this album.
Undoubtedly a trip back in the 60s, it is still interesting today. Lacking in variety.
My brain can't get past the obnoxious sounds. Headache for me. I couldn't finish this album.
So strange but also enticing. I added a few songs to a couple of playlists so I can remember to come back to this band. I enjoyed this quite a bit.
No standouts
To be fair, I just wasn’t in the mood.
Man I thought this was the presidents of the United States on pull. This was fine, it's far too weird and experimental in a non enjoyable way at times but when it hits it really hits. One of those albums where if I sat with this for more than the allotted 24 hours this could be a favorite album of all time but on such a short turn around I gotta plow on. High 3, low 4.
Didn’t love this one. With a name like this was expecting a patriotic album for the 4th but apparently not
I was headed towards making this a 1 when I first started listening to it. It’s like this band wanted to be Jefferson Airplane and came up woefully short. Frankly, I don’t know what this album is doing on here, as there are plenty of better psychedelic rock albums out there. I will say though that Coming Down redeemed this a bit for me. A very good track. 2 stars.
Elements of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, early Fairport Convention, and even a bit of King Crimson mix around here and interact in interesting ways. Unfortunately, there is way too much shrill electronic noise, swirling circus music, and other sounds that get in the way of enjoying what is actually pretty good music. There's potential here; it's just smothered under too much avant-gardeness, which makes it actively unpleasant to listen to far too much of the time.
I did not enjoy thid
Painful. No. Please, God, no.
(Light 8/10) Overall really interesting and mind-expanding stuff from this one-off group from the late 60's. Definitely going to have to hear this one more down the line but I liked what I heard!!
347/1089 immediately starts off very annoying and obnoxious… suits the album/band name at least just deeply annoying all the way through to me sorry 15/100
The older I get, the less patience I have for this type of avant-garde psychedelic music. This was pretty grating at times and I found myself counting down until it was over.
I only listened to this yesterday. But feel like I didn't.
Anderledes lyd for tiden, men ret meh for nutiden.
Meget eksperimenterende, særligt for samtiden. Det bliver ret fedt når trommerne får lov at fylde.
Hat mir leider nicht so gut gefallen, fand es irgendwie inkonsequent in seiner Gestaltung? Habe es aber auch auf Boxen, nicht mit Kopfhörern angehört…
Had a lot of fun listening to this. Sonically interesting psychedelia that definitely kept my attention.
You would think this would be some super politically charged punk but really it’s just some annoying early electronic.
“What we did,” said Liddy, “was recruit a bunch of young kids, made a band and got ‘em high as hell. The songs sounded like the hippy shit they like. But the lyrics are right-coded, John Birch stuff. We’re getting right under their skin and they don’t know the fucking difference! We’ll have the whole generation singing Nixon’s praises!” A Liddy aide burst in. “Sir, the drugs worked too well. They were too young, their brains got cooked! They’re singing the most insipid, braindead words, random phrases that sound like nothing, and they can’t even play their instruments! Radio won’t touch it! We’ve failed.” Liddy stared. “WE failed?” He drew out his lighter and flicked it. “YOU failed, Ennis. Come here.” Mesmerized, terrified, Ennis walked slowly forward, unable to resist. He hoped he wouldn’t scream so loudly this time.
Ibland är det ju härligt med lite 60-talskaos. En annan dag kanske det hade blivit ett lägre betyg, men idag passade det bra.
Kul och före sin tid. Både Where is yesterday och coming down var toppen. Stark 3a, men nu går vi vidare från psych från 68 tycker jag.
jag vill inte lyssna på mer 60-tal!
i really really liked some songs: - love song for the dead che - cloud song - the garden of earthly delights
einfach nur miserabel
Went through all sorts of emotions with this - clearly influential but too much weird electronica for me. Vocals were great. Sticks a 3.
I really disliked this, was not what I was expecting
This was an extremely weird album. I did not enjoy it, but it was more interesting than some of the things I’ve had to listen to.
This one starts off rough. It takes a long time to find its footing, and the opening stretch is so experimental that it comes across as more harsh than enjoyable. There are interesting ideas buried in there, but the album makes you work pretty hard to get to them. To its credit, it does improve as it goes along. Once the songs become a little more structured and the experimentation feels like it's serving the music rather than dominating it, I found myself enjoying it more. Unfortunately, by that point the album had already spent a lot of time testing my patience, and it ultimately overstays its welcome. I'll keep saying it: experimental psychedelic rock is just not my thing. I've run into enough albums from this corner of the late '60s to know that I have a hard time being completely impartial when judging them. I can appreciate the creativity, the willingness to push boundaries, and the influence these records had on future artists, but appreciation and enjoyment are two different things.
Strange trip
If anything, this list has made me realize how awful 60's psychedelic rock is
I’ve had enough of this
Late 60’s psychedelia at its finest.
Ok 2/5
another first listen. sometimes i think maybe im too harsh on 60s psych and then i will sit down and listen to a 60s psych album and i remember why i hold so much disdain for it. at least its short. favorite tracks: Where Is Yesterday, Love Song for the Dead Che, Stranded in Time
Nope, detta gillade jag inte. Tråkigt och flummigt på ett mindre kul sätt. Samma sak genom hela albumet. Orkade inte ens lyssna på alla låtar. Kul historia att de var ett av de första psykedeliska banden (aldrig hört talas om dem förut).
Totally bizarre and off the wall. One and done, you've got to respect that
Eh
This was fine, but I really just wanted it to be over.
Pretty impressive for '68 but I think the recording equipment really stumps how good this could've sounded. Some moments I felt like my ears were about to explode with how ear-piercing the instrumentation was. Although, there were some good ideas here. I didn't outright hate it but if it were recorded in the modern times it definetly would've blown up in the indie scene. Great bass lines all-around and the vocals didn't seem out of place. Favourite tracks: Hard Coming Love, The Garden of Earthly Delights, Stranded In Time 2/5
Certainly interesting. Like Laurel Valley with even more psychedelics. If that’s possible?
Currently in US so appropriate
No conocia el album, menos la banda, de hecho este es su unico album por lo que vi, y sinceramente no me agradó. La voz principal no me gusta, le da una esencia como rara a las canciones, me da cosa, las instrumentales de algunas canciones igual salvan un poco pero la voz no ayuda, y tampoco es una instrumental muy sobresaliente. Hay otra voz que es mas bonita pero igualmente siento que hay poca esnecia en las canciones, y no me hacen decir "quiero escucharla de nuevo", ademas que son 20 canciones y 1 hora de album, no podria escuchar todo por completo porque quisiera y menos si me obligan. Tal vez podria destacar algunas, pero como 2 de 20, y eso no es nada, facil diría que me gustaron solo por algunas partes y no por la cancion entera. No me gustó, con suerte podria llegar al dos.
A wild ride, but just the right amount of chaos to feel innovative. Has a bit of a rock opera vibe and I love it.
Rose: Bad. Didn’t like it. Matt: obnoxious
Getting through the first couple of minutes of circus music was rough, but it was worth it to get a trippy, psychedelic vibe after that. A little repetitive at times, but didn’t ruin the vibe
This album was a trip! I really enjoyed it. I've never heard of this band before but was sucked in front to back. Every song was so different as well! Big fan.
This was so fucking weird. And sometimes a little too weird for me (Actual for a large portion it was). This is like a 1.5 and I hope to never listen to this again. This was also SOOO long and I was counting down the time. There were MOMENTS in a lot of the songs and those I have highlighted below lol Liked Songs: "Hard Coming Love" , "The Garden Of Earthly Delights" , "Coming Down" , "Stranded In Time" , "No Love To Give" , "You Can Never Come Down" , "Do You Follow Me"
I need the people on here to explain their low ratings. This is really good!
A few of the tracks were OK but most of it was too weird. An OK album.
Stunning acid prych one of the top of the Era
If I am ever kidnapped by clowns for experimental testing, this is the album that I’m taking with me.
Very ahead of its time. Quite an annoying listen in 2026.
Eh, not really my thing at all. Cool backstory behind the album, and definitely avant garde. But I don't think I'll ever listen to this again.
'In the center of the ring / They are torturing a bear.' Academic is the word to describe this psychedelic mess, at once far stranger than Sgt. Pepper's & yet more solid, more lucid. A third Jefferson Airplane, a third Byrds, & a third Washington Irving on strong LA acid, The United States Of America is about as inevitable as the night resolving itself into day, but the inevitability is shot thru w/ invention, w/ soul, & w/ vitality, so whatever you may find to be annoyingly intellectual, e.g., the silly interludes of traditional, old-world instrumentals, is balanced by Dorothy Moskowitz's vocal profundity, which matches Grace Slick's, & the authentic psychedelic blues that is this thing. My least favorite is 'Where is Yesterday,' but even that one's got a purpose.
it started off actually listenable
i was scared
Groudnbreaking early psychedelic rock. Set the stage for so many later works. Not particularly entertaining, but an interesting footnote in musical history
Most annoying beginning of an album ever.
Osittain kokeellista, paljon urkuja doors yhttyeen kaltaisesti, kolkkia oli nais ja mies vokaalitisteja.
Didn’t care for it much but glad I listened to it. It was unique and interesting, but I didn’t like most of the tracks.
An interesting album. Really out there. I think it was very innovative at the time. However, the band and the album aren’t that far ahead of other bands and albums in terms of innovation. Similar music and experiments had already been around for years. But the album is definitely worth a listen. It reminds me in part of Krautrock, Tangerine Dream, early Pink Floyd albums, and Monty Python. That’s excellent company. I’m going to listen to the album again. 4/5
Lots of caliope duckwalk BS on here and it's way long. No thanks.
there were definitely parts of this i didn't enjoy but i think it's cool that several elements reminded me of later music
This feels like a momentous record. As abrasive as it is avant-garde, it does pull beyond its first track 'The Garden of Earthly Delights' to offer a very weird yet solid psychedelic experience which is unlike most albums on the genre. 9/10 [KEEP]
Haven't heard of them but that's one hell of a band name. I was sceptical at first after reading their Wiki page but the album surprised me. Interesting sound and interesting ideas 3/5
Découverte intéressante mais un bon 3
One of the most interesting records to come out of the late ‘60’s psychedelic wave. Deeply experimental, massively influential, basically an early example of electronic music. Like The Silver Apples, but they integrate those new strange sounds into more familiar (and sometimes parodic) forms. Glad to revisit this one.
como eu nunca ouvi falar nessa banda pqp mt foda
An album that really pleasantly surprised me. The first song lowered my expectations, but the rest of the album I really enjoyed. A real oddity of a record, but one I would return to.
The United States of America – The United States of America (1968) I mean yeah, it is cool. Regarding the sound, I have to say that because I liked Bitches Brew, I understand what is clearly happening here and I lowkey liked it. I cannot say for sure if it is rock or jazz, but the intersection would definitely be psychedelic. For an album from 1968 to sound this visionary, hats off to them, to be honest. There were not many songs that I instantly liked on the first pass, except for "No Love to Give" and "I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Sugar." However, I am going to give it some time and see how it grows on me. 4/5 Edit: Hold on, I spoke too soon, the back half of this album is incredibly good, and I did not expect it. Tracks like "Stranded in Time" (Tailor Man) and the "Perry Pier" section blew me away. The intense organs on Tailor Man and the stunning vocal work on Perry Pier are just incredible. 5/5
I enjoyed Stranded in Time, and there were a couple of other moments that I thought were cool but overall I didn't find much to like. Psychedelic rock remains my least favorite genre.
Some interesting sounds. The distorted bass gives this a unique feel, and the lyrics are poignant. Kind of a mess production- and composition-wise though.
A lot. This album was a lot. I see the vision in the music, but the frequent use of high pitch/ overriding noise made several songs unlistenable (opening of track 2-had to skip whole song)
Wow, this was bad.
Nice. Reminded me the earliest tracks of Pink Floyd.
Fun and actually quite exploratory psych rock, integrating proto-synths and electronic sounds, some pretty amazing rumbling bass, a swishy space age futuristic lounge sound, and all the classic psych trappings: fuzz, jangle, whispery vocals, ecclectic blends of hard hitting foundation with a whimsical silly decoration, pre-modern folk, circus music, and Beatles knock offs. Not always successful, sometimes annoying, sometimes gnarly, often both one after the other very quickly. But a nice artifact of the experimental searching tendency in California counter-culture.
From the opening circus music, I felt like it was album of satire, sadly it was not.
Not the best
This was incredibly dumb. Just because it's weird and *artsy* doesn't mean it's good. Just a bunch of wack carnival sounds with some lyrics overtop that I didn't care about. The delivery for much of it was pretty robotic and bland.
sounded like the Spinal Tap version of psych rock....
6/10 - My journey with this album is just as weird as this album is. At first I didn't like it. Then I thought I didn't like it. Then I noticed that something was there. Then I realized I might like it? Then I got tired of it Fav Tracks: Where is Yesterday, The Garden Of Earthly Delights, Coming Down Heard before? ---–- ❌ Saved a Song? ----- ✅ Saved Album? --–-- ❌ Will Listen Again? -- ✅ Album Cover ------- For as weird as this album is, it's insulting how mundane the album cover is. It deserves better
I'm like 70% sure they use this to torture prisoners of war Best Song: N/A Rating: 1.5/10 Stars: 1
I love how experimental and psychedelic this is. The lack of guitar is really cool and brave. It feels like it could be The Doors and then also Kraftwerk. Despite being experimental, it still somewhat conventional for the time. They’re really pulling American blues, soul and psych rock. The leftist and antiestablishment lyrics are fun and make it more interesting.
the united states of cringe
1968 is crazy early to be making things like this. very interesting, feels like something you'd hear in an indie low budget horror movie..
Feels like one of the only hippie Summer of Love albums that feels ahead of its time instead of woefully of its time. The dreamier stuff is all really fantastic and interesting here... then the band breaks up never to make anything else. The bassist, who is great, has 0 other credits I think. Or at least I read that. Really good one!
Curates egg
Why is this on the 1001?
Sounds like an album featuring a different band on each track.You don't know whether you're going to get a 60s tastic track to swing your pants to, or some utter trash. The sort of album that playlists were invented for. 2*
Interesting as a boundary-pushing album, but not the most overall appealing to listen to. Would have been fascinating to see what else the band could have come up with had they stayed together longer. Top tracks: Hard Coming Love, Coming Down
Very weird and of it’s time but enjoyable all the same. Very much planted in the late 60’s summer of love, psychedelia.
The wiki article says it’s their only album. Thank goodness.
The roots of prog rock. Early, experimental, some of it is interesting.
Can't believe the kinds of psychedelic sounds they were able to squeeze out of the tech they were forced to use at the time - it's all some brave experimental discordance that somehow, beautifully, all ties together in the end. There's shades of Sgt. Pepper, of Steve Reich, and Jefferson Airplane all coming together in some strange sort of sonic symphony. It's proudly weird, but not unlistenably weird and alienating if that makes sense. In a way it starts off pretty hostile, and trusts you to join upon its journey. There's at least enough typically folksy rock fare smattered among the tracklist it avoids becoming too overbearing. This one really blew me away, honestly. Some all-time talent in the rhythm section with some killer bass/brums, the female voice talent was hauntingly beautiful, and it must have taken an otherwordly amount of work to get whatever synth they were playing with at the time to get that level of cacophonic coherence. Bit awkward with the circus-y big-top sounding bits (an interesting political statement but not a particularly interesting auditory one) but otherwise near-perfect and so damn cool. A great album the whole way through and a real pleasant surprise. Fav tracks: The American Metaphysical Circus, Hard Coming Love, The Garden Of Earthly Delights, Love Song for the Dead Che
Trippy AF 60's nugget. Really fun, politics of it seem timely again.
dreadful
Rubbish
Una interesante muestra de rock psicodélico. Se merece estar en la selección, ya que no son conocidos y su escucha , al menos, resulta curiosa.
Ooh, an album with a "reputation"! This should be interesting... I can hear where Broadcast got their inspiration from! Like!
Rating: 4.5/5 Short Review: Strange, ahead of its time, and constantly unstable in an exciting way. Blends psychedelia, electronics, and political unease into something that still feels weird today. Feels like the sound of the late ’60s melting in real time. Favorite Track: “The American Metaphysical Circus.” Pure controlled chaos. Feels like a parade collapsing into a nightmare.
Early experiments with electronic music were cool to hear from a historical standpoint but otherwise a tough listen.
The first two songs were pretty rough for me, but it gets a bit better as it goes on. Sounds like '60s psychedelic/electronic rock music. The bass playing is pretty good. I think if you're into this type of music you'll probably have a great time. But I think it's pretty niche. To me, this is a mixed bag. There's a lot going on and it really drags it down at times. But there's nearly always a solid backbone to it. Your mileage may vary on whether you enjoy the execution. "Cloud Song" is decent enough. "The Garden of Earthly Delights" is pretty good. For me, pretty middling overall.
New fear unlocked: marching bands You know those singing ornaments? How after years of being played with then shoved into a closet for most of the year, when you pull it out 10 years later is sounds like it's dying but still trying it's best to perform for you? (there's a video of an Elsa one somewhere on the internet). This sounds like that at times I think an alternate title for this should be "Overwhelmed on LSD (or Mushrooms, I'm not picky) at the Carnival" yet, i find an odd charm in it all. maybe it's the part of my brain that lovers horror lol There's something both eerie and serene about "Cloud Song" "Garden of Earthly Delights" was pretty cool, despite the space lasers. I'd genuinely love to see someone do an acoustic cover of it. "Where is Yesterday" feels like watching Nosferatu (2024) "Coming Down" and "Stranded in Time" are honestly just pure fun? Or i'm just getting used to the madness lol. AWFUL band name tho 3.5/5 This could actually grow on me if I let it.
This was pretty interesting. Fun, innovative techniques, especially for the era. Did I enjoy it? Sure. Am I going to listen to it again? Nope.
Great album. Loved that variation and ingenuity.
listened to the wrong album by the wrong band first and both of these albums were quite nice but also had some annoying parts
Oh yeah, this is absolutely the shit right here. I've never listened to this before and I've had it on repeat for 3 days. Plays insane through headphones.
Wow. Well this one is truly weird. Actual psychedelia! I dig the objective, and parts of it are really very cool/ interesting. Some of it verges on noise torture. I can see it being VERY divisive. This definitely seems like a love or hate kind of album. I believe I fall on the love side overall. But man, this is a hard listen. I can’t say I would ever just throw this on. Unless I was wanting other people present to leave. Or maybe as a test. Could they make it through the first track or to the song group beginning with where is yesterday? Could they last to hear the reprisal of coming down at the album’s end? I mean it’s actually remarkable. 4 stars. Boolean rating: yes definitely glad I heard before I die. Not sure I can listen again, though.
I didn't have high hopes for a band just called "The United States of America" but I ended up really enjoying this one. This record feels way ahead of its time with its interesting production and very clever use of insterest and often abrupt transitions. I also really liked the contrast of the overly patriotic-sounding horn passages that were interspersed among songs critical of American culture at the time. The only weak point I can think of was I often found the vocals a bit lackluster. Overall very ambition, and one of the better albums from this time period that I've heard! 4.5 -> 5/5
Pleasant surprise, never heard of this band. Really interesting blend of straight up rock, psychedelia, and experimental. Cool, would listen again.
Utter shite, can’t believe there are people trying to to act like it’s some sort of genius.
one of the best united states of america's that i know of 3/5
Hell yeah. What an awesome, crazy album. This one was so much fun, from the weird circus intro to the psychedelic Thomas the Tank Engine sounds later in the album. Absolutely brilliant, loved the chaos. I was completely unaware of this albums existence, such a fun ride. Favourites: The American Metaphysical Circus The Garden of Earthly Delights Love Song For The Dead Che You Can Never Come Down
Mum: We have The Beatles at home. The Beatles at home:
Psych one hit wonders bringing 66 minutes of bliss.
I hated this one.
Its not bad, just ok
What a trip! Genuine psychedelia is so good and I really liked this. Trippy the whole way through, it was so strange and out there. Imagine listening to this tripping on acid in the 60s, what an experience that would’ve been!
Really? Their one and only album from 1968 made the list of the greatest must hear albums of all time? Really? This album has a handful of listens after 57 years, zero hits and no legacy that I'm aware of. Who decided to give her the microphone? First mistake. Apparently they were "revolutionary" and blended psychedelia & avant-garde (avant-garde is the kiss of death in my book). This sucked, big time. The music, the screeching instruments, the weirdness and especially the vocals were all unenjoyable for me. 2 stars and that's generous. The first track was so dated, dreary and poorly sung I just couldn't get through it.
Why the fuck should we care about a band that released one stupid boring album? GTFOH.
What a weird album. By no means enjoyable but I’m sort of glad it exists. Whether this was ever heard by enough future artists to become influential is debatable, but there are clearly some ideas that are ahead of their time in this recording. I hear something akin to the relationship Sonic Youth and a slew of noise bands have with dissonance and atonal sound. The use of electronics and synth tones has to have been groundbreaking for the time. I guess “avant garde” is the moniker that fits. But the songs are only half serious, and never really gel into an enjoyable listen. The version of the album that is linked here is greatly expanded and I actually found that the alternate versions and takes of some of the material unintentionally added a little more intentionality to the collective statement of the album that did it good.
Interesting late 60s experiment. Songs aren’t great, but they tried (I guess).
This band is a worse version of "Jefferson Airplane" with some Beatles mixed in. The track "Stranded in Time" is an especially shameless Beatles ripoff.
Her voice is kinda monotone, but I like it.
I can’t do this to myself
🚨🚨🚨 PSA 🚨🚨🚨 The original release was the first ten tracks of the Spotify album. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER
It was... okay. I struggled to finish it. It had a couple songs that were alright on it, but I can't even remember the names two days later. So.
1968. Approach reflecting an anti-establishment, leftist political stance. Album got popular after the band broke up after it's release.
Is this about the most perfect replica of what might be a weird soundtrack to the late 60s? Or what we think about that time-period and the oddness of those times? I went into this thinking I might absolutely hate this crap...but I am surprised I found it pretty damn good (much better than Trout Mask Replica, to say the least). As opposed to Van Vliet's crap, I made it through the whole damn thing. Bravo, weird ones. Plus an interesting band backstory. Drugs (acid anyone?) had to be involved.... 4 "surrealistic pillow'd" stars.
One of the weirdest albums I’ve heard ever. Did not like it. The whole avant garde thing never really appealed to me and this is no exception.
Sometimes these experimental psychedelic albums from the late 60's can be bit too much, but i kind of enjoyed this one.
At least for duration of two songs this album felt nice....
#381 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ (but maybe few tracks will end up on a playlist) "Pre-kraut" sounds on this are awesome, some of the other soundscapes are very familiar too from latter recordings. But the music here is a whole another thing, from what I understand it's nothing like the other comparable stuff of the era. I'm conflicted. On the other hand I love the psych and hippie elements, on the other there's too much artsy orchestral contemporary pop stuff going on for me to properly enjoy this, but there are gret moments here and there. Weak 3/5
Obnoxious but I didn't hate it
just not really an enjoyable listen for me 2 stars
Psychedelia and a whiny voice. A disastrous combination.
Weird but NOT fun or interesting way. Dnf
I feel sorry for my ears.
awful, unlistenable dribble.
Psychedelic and experimental. But an enjoyable listen? Not really. 2.4/5.
Not a fan of this one
Zero coherence, zero enjoyment, zero thought.
oh yeah baby american metaphysical circus !!!!
Better than fucking Pink Floyd at least
Alternatywna muzyka z damskim wokalem ma specjalne miejsce w moim sercu. Wybaczam jej więcej. Tutaj te cyrkowe wstawki trochę kłują w uszy, całość często odbiega od harmonii dźwięków, ale jest to ciekawe, nietypowe i lekko folkowe - czyli to, co ja lubię najbardziej. 7/10
Blind album and artist. I thought it was actually pretty good! Gave me Jefferson Airplane x Beatles vibe for sure, but more Sgt Peppers Beatles than Abbey Road with all the weird instrumentals and I thought it was interesting. 4
Getting rid of mental institutions was a mistake
The jury is in and they said that this isn't real music
Am Anfang dachte ich nur: "ohoh, das wird schwierig". Aber im Endeffekt verbindet das Album so ziemlich alles, was in den Sechzigern so los war. Klingt teilweise nach Beatles, dann wieder nach Doors und dann auch nach Simon & Garfunkel, um nur ein paar zu nennen. Ziemlich vollgepackt, aber auch recht unterhaltsam im Gesamtbild.
Zum Teil sehr komisch, also genau mein Ding.
Teils schön weird, aber begeistert hat es mich nicht.
What a horrible day to have ears, this is rough
The reviews are hilariously accurate. After reading "music that plays when clowns are coming to kill you" and "Beatles without talent" I had low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised, I didn't hate it. High on originality and some listenable tracks. Overall not great but glad I checked it out.
Not a fan
there's like something to it Will I listen to again: 5%
I did not like this.it wasn't offensively bad but i was glad when it finished. Middle of the road 60's psych folk that is played well but holds no value or interest to me.
This was weird. Very meh, but I've listened to worst.
What did I just listen to???
I was almost filtered by this album. The opening two tracks made me feel physically nauseated. But I’m glad I stuck it through. Maybe one of the better psych rock albums I’ve listened too and I feel like it’s a more listenable audio freakout than the Beatles’ White Album, which released a whole year after this. Is it worth opting into the additional tracks from the re-releases that double the length of this? I can’t really say. I don’t think it massively added or detracted to the overall experience - some tracks were decent but I can’t help feeling that ending on the original closer (The American Way of Love Parts I-III) would be a more cohesive experience. YMMV.
Buen disco de rock psicodélico, por momentos no me gusta tanto, es un buen proyecto. Medio circo a veces.
Questionable. Good for a quiet listen on a substance. Really hits you over the head
This is a historically important album, and for listeners who love experimental rock, it’s a treasure. But as a front‑to‑back listening experience, it’s more admirable than essential. A decent 3/5 feels right: inventive, influential, and intriguing, but not quite a masterpiece.
It is like being trapped inside a 1960s laboratory where scientists are trying to turn bad poetry into robot music; it is definitely a weird trip, but mostly it is just very confusing and annoying.
The opening song with several instruments playing different songs at the same time instantly made me want to turn this off. Fortunately the album didn't continue in the same way. At the same time it isn't a very good album as far as I am concerned. The mixing isn't something that sounds very good, the songs aren't very catchy, and the singing isn't my style. Its from a different time and to me it didn't stand the test of the times after.
A very weird mellow psychedelic album. It grew on me as it went on.
Stop recommending me bs
If I were going to show someone what 60s psychedelic music sounded like I would use this album. Some sounds felt like they would fit perfectly in a Bond film. Not something I would listen to regularly but a perfect time capsule of the era
Interesting and unusual record that gets better near the end. As a record of experimental psychedelic music from 1968 it uses unique instrumentation including an early version of a synthesizer to create an unusual sonic palate for some weird ass leftist lyrics. Favorite track for me was Do You Follow Me which has a lovely melody and is catchy and with a great vibe. The wacky I Won’t Leave My Wooden Wife For You, Sugar is another highlight. The mixture of psychedelic of this late 60s period combined with the jazzy electronic sounds is compelling. Truly a gem from the period. 4:5
This was alright. A worthwhile listen but nothing particularly special or noteworthy.
Too many spacey sound effects. Started off like The Doors with a female singer and too much dissonance. Hard to get through.
Feels like Zappa meets Jefferson Airplane. Really oddball but cool
Annoying