1968 in British Music

The Story of 1968

The honeymoon was over, and British music got heavier, darker and more political. The Beatles released the White Album, a sprawling double LP that reflected the band's growing tensions and extraordinary range, from 'Revolution' to 'Blackbird' to 'Helter Skelter' – the latter a proto-metal monster. The Rolling Stones rebounded from psychedelia with 'Beggars Banquet' and 'Jumpin' Jack Flash', a return to their blues roots with a harder edge. Led Zeppelin formed in September, Jimmy Page assembling a band that would redefine heavy rock. Deep Purple emerged with 'Shades of Deep Purple'. The Who released 'Magic Bus' and were working on 'Tommy'. Pink Floyd lost Syd Barrett to mental illness and found David Gilmour, releasing 'A Saucerful of Secrets' as they began their journey into progressive rock. The British blues boom was in full swing – Fleetwood Mac, Chicken Shack and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers were all active. 1968 was a year of transition, the psychedelic dream giving way to something harder, more cynical and more ambitious. The underground was becoming the mainstream, and British rock was expanding its vocabulary.