The 11 Best Psychedelic Prog Rock Albums of All Time (Ranked)

Here are the 11 best psychedelic prog rock albums of all time (ranked)!

Psychedelic rock emerged in the mid-1960s as a means for rock artists to experiment with looser and longer song structures alongside colorfully cosmic textures and abstract/academic subject matter. In the process, they were trying to simulate and complement the aesthetic, attitudes and hallucinatory drug experiences of the psychedelic subculture as a whole.

Artists such as the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Love, the 13th Floor Elevators and the Beatles helped pioneer the scene, and unsurprisingly, psychedelic rock led to the birth of several other styles (including space rock and prog rock). By the end of the 1960s, you had bands such as Pink Floyd, Vanilla Fudge and The Moody Blues serving as the first psych-prog rock acts.

Since then, myriad other groups have picked up the mantle to create records that blend the trippy tones, intoxicating jams and metaphysical themes of psychedelic rock with the advanced musicianship and sizable durations of prog rock. Of course, many of them have combined even more subgenres along the way, too.

READ MORE: The 11 Best 1970s Prog Rock Albums (Ranked)

The nearly dozen LPs below represent the greatest psych-prog hybrids to date, with almost every decade since the 1960s being represented.

Keep in mind that we’re considering both personal preference and majority opinion here, just as we’re considering each set’s significance and popularity as we access their enduring levels of quality and enjoyment.

So, get comfy and let the good vibes flow as we rank the 11 best psychedelic progressive rock albums of all time!