The Serpent Power

The Serpent Power
Cover of the debut album's British edition
Background information
Origin	California, United States
Genres	Psychedelic rock
Years active	1967-68
Labels	Vanguard Records
Past members	David Meltzer: composer; guitarist Tina Meltzer: vocalist Denny Ellis: lead guitarist John Payne: keyboardist Jean-Paul Pickens: banjo player David Stenson: bassist Clark Coolidge: composer; drummer

The Serpent Power were an American, psychedelic rock group active in the 1960s.

Ιn 1966, San Francisco-based poet David Meltzer and his wife Tina, who was a singer, recruited local musicians Clark Coolidge (drummer, also composer), Denny Ellis (lead guitarist), John Payne (keyboardist), Jean-Paul Pickens (banjo player) and David Stenson (bassist), and started playing gigs at clubs and events in the Bay area, such as the North Beach's Coffee Gallery, Deno & Carlo's, and others. Ellis and Stenson were already experienced musicians, having previously played on tracks of the Lovin' Spoonful. Ed Denton, the manager of Country Joe and the Fish caught one of their shows and brought them to Joe's label, Vanguard Records, where they were signed as The Serpent Power, releasing their debut, eponymous album in 1967.

The LP was considered by Forced Exposure magazine to be a "true representation of the San Francisco area sound in the psychedelic era," with "great male/female vocal harmonies, interesting but unusual lyrics and excellent guitar work." It was one of the first rock albums to introduce the influence of Middle-Eastern music, establishing the genre of raga-rock.

Rolling Stone magazine included The Serpent Power in its list of the 50 best albums to come out in the "seminal" decade of the sixties.Robert Christgau suggested the group was "the Bay Area's version of the Velvet Underground. Their music was described as "minimalist folk-rock with noise," while "all but a few" songs were said to be "graced by excellent tunes."