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The world was a very different place then, but a collection of psychedelic rock posters brings back the pungent flavor of Haight-Ashbury in the late 1960s. The exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts transports visitors to another time (and another coast), providing a trip down memory lane for boomers and a glimpse at what "the good old days" were like for those of us who missed them by a decade or two.

These lively lithographic posters are characterized by vivid, almost-glowing, color; deep turquoise against rich fuschia, electric oranges and blues, the contrasts of which often call to mind the eerie iridescent hues of negative film exposure with an added punch of color.

The prints on display date from 1966-67, many of which were produced as part of promotional campaigns launched by the Avalon Ballroom and the Fillmore Auditorium, two separate venues near the Haight, to advertise summertime weekly rock concerts.

The exhibit overwhelms the senses, thanks to exaggerated designs that mirror the un-reality of hippie counterculture. With swirling shapes and colors, some prints even bring back the motion and excitement of turn-of-the-century advertisements for P.T. Barnum's big top or Willy Wonka's trippy riverboat ride in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" (1971), which was still-to-come at that time.

On a recent visit to the MFA, one woman could be overheard remarking while eyeing a poster: "I remember that show! Well, in truth, I don't really remember much of being there, but I know I went."

In the spirit of the era's drug experimentation, the prints suggest a scary, fantastical world, a day-glow chaos. Accordingly, many images are veiled by masks of sorts; a woman's eyes are hidden by sunglasses, a man's eyes are covered by pinwheel discs, there are over-the-top costumes that include fanciful peacock feathers and headdresses. Even the words on the posters are tough to make out, convoluted by the eccentric designs.

Flashing multicolored lighting overhead highlights the dizzying three-dimensional effect of some of the works. In many cases, attempts to decipher the words, made up of wild colors and distorted by bulbous curve, almost becomes nauseating.

Repetition is a commonly used device, so that the bold outline of an image or word is echoed twentyfold, as if being vibrated by the powerful strum of a Les Paul Standard Gibson and the other amplified sounds of the very concerts being advertised.

Want to take this experience to the next level? Download the playlist of some of the tunes from that magical summer to download to your iPod, and listen as you walk through. The MFA's mix includes classics like Grace Slick and the Great Society's "Somebody to Love," Grateful Dead's "Dark Star," Janis Joplin's "Summertime," The Doors' "Light My Fire," and favorites by the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane and more.

Even without a soundtrack, these posters emit plenty of flower power. You can almost hear the music, nearly 40 years later.

"Light My Fire: Rock Posters from the Summer of Love" is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Mass., through August 13, 2006.

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