Let’s take a psychedelic trip down memory lane, mun… 🌀🍄🔥
12. The Kinks
Power chords, rebellion, and English charm.
Ray and Dave Davies didn’t just bring the noise – they invented it. Without “You Really Got Me,” punk, garage rock, and even metal wouldn’t exist. They were Britpop before Britpop knew what it was.
🎶 Must-listen: Waterloo Sunset
🎤 Fun fact: Van Halen stole their thunder with a cover of “You Really Got Me” and made it a hit again!
11. The Byrds
Jangly guitars and Dylan covers galore.
Folk met rock, had a cheeky joint, and turned into The Byrds. They helped spawn the entire folk-rock and country-rock movement. Without them? No Eagles, no Wilco, no jangly indie.
🎶 Must-listen: Turn! Turn! Turn!
☮️ Hippie stat: They beat The Beatles to psychedelia with Eight Miles High in ’66.
10. Cream
The first real “supergroup” – and they knew it.
Clapton. Bruce. Baker. Three egos, two fists, one wall of sound. Cream were short-lived but packed enough riffs into three years to last a lifetime. Heavy, bluesy, and loud as hell.
🎶 Must-listen: Sunshine of Your Love
🥁 Drum kit deathmatch: Ginger Baker vs. the world.
9. Jefferson Airplane
The freak flag fliers of San Fran.
Grace Slick and co. soundtracked the Summer of Love with acid-drenched anthems and politically-charged bangers. Without them, Woodstock would’ve been a lot less groovy.
🎶 Must-listen: White Rabbit
🧠 Psychedelic trivia: White Rabbit was written in one go, high on Miles Davis and red wine. Rock ‘n’ roll!
8. The Doors
Morrison’s leather trousers alone deserve a ranking.
Blues, poetry, psychedelia, sex, death – all slathered in organ solos. The Doors weren’t a band. They were a bloody experience. Dark, strange, and seductive as hell.
🎶 Must-listen: Riders on the Storm
🚪 Mad fact: Jim got arrested on stage in Miami. Iconic chaos.
7. The Velvet Underground
Too weird to live, too important to ignore.
Nobody bought their records… but everyone who did started a band. Lou Reed and co. weren’t chart-toppers – they were underground revolutionaries who birthed punk, art rock, and indie.
🎶 Must-listen: Heroin
🖤 Quote: “The Velvet Underground didn’t sell many records, but everyone who bought one formed a band.” – Brian Eno.
6. The Beach Boys
From surfboards to symphonies.
They started with sun and sand, but Pet Sounds changed music forever. Brian Wilson’s layered genius gave The Beatles a run for their money – and maybe even beat them.
🎶 Must-listen: God Only Knows
🏄 Wild stat: Wilson composed Good Vibrations in sections like a bloody mini-opera.
5. The Who
Maximum R&B and maximum destruction.
Smashing guitars, exploding drums, and windmill strums. Pete Townshend’s riffs + Keith Moon’s wildness = absolute carnage. Proto-punk, mod heroes, and arena rock architects.
🎶 Must-listen: My Generation
💥 Smash stat: Townshend destroyed over 35 guitars on stage (and probably a few hotel rooms too).
4. The Rolling Stones
If the Beatles were the nice boys, these were the naughty lads.
Sex, drugs, blues, and strut. The Stones took Chuck Berry and turned it up to 11. Still touring, still dangerous, still somehow alive.
🎶 Must-listen: Gimme Shelter
💋 Rock stat: They’ve outlasted the Cold War, disco, and their own liver functions.
3. Jimi Hendrix Experience
A whole new universe of sound.
Jimi wasn’t from this planet. From feedback to fire rituals, he reinvented what a guitar could be. Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding gave him the canvas. He painted in lightning bolts.
🎶 Must-listen: Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
🎸 Legend stat: Set his guitar on fire at Monterey just for the hell of it. Diolch, Jimi.
2. The Beatles
The blueprint. The boom. The Beatles.
From mop-top mania to psychedelic masterpieces, they did more in a decade than most bands do in a lifetime. Every genre they touched – they transformed.
🎶 Must-listen: A Day in the Life
🌍 Global stat: At one point, they held the top five Billboard spots. Read that again. Five!
1. Led Zeppelin
The ’60s gave birth to the gods of the ’70s.
They may have formed in ‘68, but Zep hit the ground like a thunderclap. Blues-rock, proto-metal, mysticism, Tolkien – it was all in there. Jimmy Page’s riffs? Iconic. Plant’s howls? Eternal. Bonham’s drums? Earth-shaking.
🎶 Must-listen: Dazed and Confused
⚡ God-tier stat: Their first album dropped in January ’69. By year’s end, they’d already changed the game.
Final Thoughts:
Some bands gave us riffs. Others gave us revolutions. The ’60s didn’t just rock – it redefined what rock could be, mun. 🤘 Whether you’re dropping the needle on vinyl or queuing up Spotify, this list is your gateway to the decade that started it all.
💬 Think we missed someone? Chuck a tantrum in the comments and tell us who!
#RiffReportRewind #60sRockRoyalty #TidyTunes 🏴☠️
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘
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