Psychedelic Sounds of The 13th Floor Elevators

by 13th Floor Elevators

Description by OLDIES.com:

13th Floor Elevators is considered one of the first original Acid Rock Bands. Their material is still considered some of the best ever produced in the genre. This collection contains all of the band's highly acclaimed tracks, including their hit "You're Gonna Miss Me".

Product Description:

13th Floor Elevators includes: Roky Erickson, Tommy Hall, Stacy Sutherland.

Recorded at Summit Sound Studio, Dallas, Texas. Includes original release liner notes by Lelan Rogers.

The 13th Floor Elevators might have been remembered simply as one-hit wonder of the '60s--the Texas equivalent of the Count 5, for example--had it not been for two things. First, they were the only rock band in history to feature a guy playing a continuous obligato on electric jug, which added a deeply weird element to even their most straightforward three-chord rockers. Second, and perhaps more importantly, they were fronted by a genuine howling weirdo and cult figure-to-be, the incomparable Roky Erickson.

Roky, who took more acid trips than Jerry Garcia had hot meals, was nonetheless a gifted songwriter who sang every word (however bizarre) as if his life depended on it. This debut album--reputedly the first rock album on which the word 'psychedelic' appears-- features the band's sole national hit, the garage punk classic "You're Gonna Miss Me." The other material here is nearly as good, however, including the Stones-y "Reverberation" and the oft-covered "Fire Engine."