3 Underrated Acid Rock Bands From the 1970s That Should Be Household Names Today

Back in the 1970s, tons of acid rock bands made it to the airwaves, many of which ended up becoming underrated in retrospect. The following four outfits are on the niche side, and I think that’s kind of a shame. These three acid rock bands should have been household names.

The Groundhogs

This British acid rock outfit leaned heavily into prog guitar sounds. And they did, for a moment, get their flowers. Albums like Thank Christ For The Bomb from 1970, Split from 1971, and Who Will Save The World? The Mighty Groundhogs from 1972 made it to the Top 10 in the UK. After those records, though, The Groundhogs’ unique blend of acid rock and freakbeat faded into obscurity. And none of their work really crossed over to the US or international market. I just can’t wrap my head around it. 

High Tide

High Tide just barely makes it to our list of underrated acid rock bands from the 1970s, considering they were around in the 1960s, 1980s, and 1990s, and only dropped one album in 1970. But that self-titled album was so stellar, I couldn’t leave High Tide off this list. If “adventure” could be used to describe any band from that era, it would describe this progressive psychedelic rock band with major heavy metal elements. 

High Tide would later break up for good in 1990 with virtually no commercial success. At least we have songs like “Blankman Cries Again” and “Saneonymous” to remember them by.

Leaf Hound

It surprises me that, across the internet, few audiophiles have praised Leaf Hound for their proto-metal psychedelic works from the 1970s. There are quite a few music collectors who have pined after their most-loved album for its rarity, but that’s about it. Leaf Hound were pioneers of acid rock, through and through. 

Growers Of Mushroom from 1971 is a genuinely incredible re-release of their debut 1970 self-titled record, complete with additional songs that seem to predate the stoner rock movement. It’s a shame Leaf Hound is on our list of underrated acid rock bands from the 1970s that should have become household names. But, thankfully, the group is still together and performing today.

Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images