Psychedelic Shack (song)

"Psychedelic Shack", released December 28, 1969, is a 1970 hit single for the Motown label performed by The Temptations and produced by Norman Whitfield.

This single features the Temptations and Whitfield's continuing their submergence into psychedelia, with multilead vocals, hard rock guitars, synthesizer sound effects, multitracked drums, and stereo-shifting vocals giving the record a distinct sound. The song is a dedication of sorts to psychedelic shacks, describing the activities and atmosphere within.

"Psychedelic Shack's" LP mix begins with the sounds of a person entering a psychedelic shack and dropping the needle on a record, which is, interestingly enough, the Temptations single which immediately preceded this one, "I Can't Get Next to You". The use of the re-recording of "I Can't Get Next to You" from its 45 RPM single makes "Psychedelic Shack" one of the first songs to use sampling, a technique that would become a stable of hip hop music in the coming decade.

The song ends, after its fourth verse, with the Funk Brothers backing band going into a jam session as the song fades out. Keyboardist Earl Van Dyke remembers "Psychedelic Shack" as one of his favorite recording sessions. ^[1] The full extended version of the song, with the complete jam session, went unreleased until a new six-minute mix of the record was done in 2003 for the Psychedelic Soul compilation set.

"Psychedelic Shack" was the title track from the Psychedelic Shack album, released in March 1970. The song reached #7 on the US pop charts and #2 on the US R&B charts.