In 1969, guitarist Dave Brock, guitarist Mick Slattery and drummer Terry Ollis gathered saxophonist Nik Turner and synthesist Michael "Dik Mik" Davies; and after a few name and personnel changes, they launched the ultimate underground band, Hawkwind. The band came to the attention of Doug Smith of Clearwater Productions (via DJ John Peel) after opening (as "Group X") for High Tide at a gig Smith organized at All Saints Hall in Notting Hill. Demos were then recorded at EMI Studios (as Hawkwind Zoo), and Huw Lloyd-Langton then replaced Slattery.

Hawkwind quickly earned a reputation as “the people’s band” from playing free concerts in and around London, and from the counter-culture (Friends magazine, drugs) associated with those events. One of Hawkwind’s most notable free gigs was in late August 1970, at Canvas City, an inflatable “bubble” tent outside the gates of the Isle of Wight Festival. With Thomas Crimble on bass, the band played for hours, but the experience proved too much for Huw Lloyd-Langton, who suffered an unsuspected spike of acid.

This was by no means a major release; these are, however, the first recordings from guitarist Robert Fripp, and as such, of interest to the timeline. The band came to London from provincial Bournemouth, on England's south coast. Brothers Peter Giles and Michael Giles, bass and drums respectively, had spent the last seven years as a rhythm section together, performing mainly R&B covers. In London, they managed to secure a deal with Deram Records, who released two singles and the album, The Cheerful Insanity Of Giles, Giles & Fripp.

Family centered on the talents of guitarist John "Charlie" Whitney and vocalist Roger Chapman, and found early acceptance in the London underground scene. The pair was originally in the Leicester-based Farinas, along with sax/flute player Jim King and bassist Ric Grech. American producer Kim Fowley gave them their name, a reference to their "mafia" appearance. Rob Townsend then arrived on drums, and after recording one single for the Liberty label, they were signed by Reprise Records.

Fairport Convention got its start in the same London underground as their more psychedelic counterparts and eventually became England’s first (and finest) electric folk band. Founded by bassist Ashley Hutchings, guitarists Simon Nicol and Richard Thompson, and singer Judy Dyble, the band took its name from Nicol’s parents’ house in Muswell Hill. Drummer Martin Lamble joined after their first gig, while second vocalist Iain Matthews (McDonald) was recruited just prior to the recording of their first album.

Another stanchion of the London underground scene, Arthur Brown had huge success with the single "Fire" b/w "Rest Cure." Released in June, it rose to the top of the UK charts, while reaching No. 2 in the US that September. The single was a tough act to follow, perhaps even overshadowing the rest of his career. But let's not sell the man short. Brown's real contribution to rock music was theatre: his on-stage antics-from fire helmet to crucifixion-set the standard for most every act to follow.

With Syd Barrett's unpredictability on stage reaching the point of embarrassment for the band, Pink Floyd-bassist Roger Waters, drummer Nick Mason and keyboardist Rick Wright-forged ahead into 1968 with fellow Cambridge guitarist and friend David Gilmour in tow. Driven by pressure from EMI for another hit, they first released a single, "It Would Be So Nice" b/w "Julia Dream" in April, but it was mostly throwaway. However, the album, A Saucerful Of Secrets, fared much better.

As the In Crowd, a London-based mid-60s soul band, bassist John "Junior" Wood and singer Keith West (born Keith Alan Hopkins) found middling success, but after teaming with ex-Syndicats guitarist Steve Howe and drummer John "Twink" Alder, the quartet rebranded themselves as Tomorrow and launched straight into the popular psychedelia of 1967.