David Byrne has shared a new playlist of psychedelic music straight from the ’60s on his eponymous radio station. Stream “Psychedelia Lives!” below.
“Here’s a psychedelic playlist that starts in the late 60’s — naturally — but then keeps going through the decades up until pretty much the present day,” the Talking Heads frontman shared in an email to his subscribers, adding, “The obvious suspects are not here — no Beatles, no [Hendrix]… But lots of others — and many from other parts of the world. It never went away, just keeps humming along, an antidote to conventional perception and understanding.”
Byrne’s definition of psychedelic music differs from the sort of songs you’d normally considered as part of the genre. Artists like Spiritualized, Pink Floyd, Can, Procol Harum, and more are represented. But the list of 43 songs kicks off with The Beach Boys’ “Cabin Essence,” originally released on the band’s 1965 album 20/20 but included here as part of the 2011 box set The Smile Sessions. From there, Byrne delves into everything from Bob Dylan (“Series of Dreams”) and David Bowie (both “Outside” and “Hallo Spaceboy”) to Soundgarden (“Black Hole Sun”), Charlotte Gainsbourg (“Greenwich Mean Time”), and even Sturgill Simpson (“Turtles All the Way Down”).
The Temptations also make multiple appearances thanks to 1969’s “Psychedelic Shack” and 1975’s “Shakey Ground.”
Most recently, Son Lux collaborated with Byrne on the official score to Michelle Yeoh’s acclaimed sci-fi thriller Everything Everywhere All At Once. He also joined forces with Mitski on the duet “This Is a Life,” the soundtrack’s first single.
During their recent string of Ukraine benefit concerts at Bowery Ballroom, Arcade Fire brought out Byrne on closing night to cover John Lennon and Plastic Ono Band’s “Give Peace a Chance.”
