13th Floor Elevators
3,209,021 plays (259,385 listeners)
Austin, United States (1966 – 1968)
The band rattled to the middle of the Hot 100 in 1966 with
You’re Gonna Miss Me, anchored by Roky Erickson’s unforgettable yelping vocals, Stacy Sutherland’s guitar, and Tommy Hall’s electric jug runs. According to myth, Tommy’s jug was tuned by the amount of marijuana stored in it.
The group pioneered some of the first garage psychedelia on its albums The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators 1966, and the followup Easter Everywhere 1967.
However, Texas at that time was an extremely conservative area that still hadn’t come to terms with 50’s rock ‘n’ roll. The authorities and the police set out to bust the entire band for pot (and—not surprisingly—succeeded).
Stacy Sutherland was jailed. To avoid a prison term, Roky pleaded insanity—a misguided ploy that landed him in Rusk State Hospital for the criminally insane for 3 years. That turn of events spelled the end of the band, although there was a posthumous 1968 LP, Bull of the Woods.
Roky Erickson was released from hospital in 1973 and embarked upon a successful solo career that resulted in a CBS album produced by Stu Cook from Creedence Clearwater Revival. During the 1980s he struggled with mental illness and withdrew from public life for many years.
Top Albums
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Easter Everywhere
13th Floor Elevators
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Shoutbox
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eSpinoza88 holy Tommy Hall, the god-pigeon! :D
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StarfishSeastar groovieee!!
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Rattengeur @ Spacekniight: The real pigeons are the audience. It has always been that way.
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HusqyisonLastfm lololol "pigeon on lsd". nah, it's the electric jug.
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HardRokas v Yeah, good times. You wouldn't be able to do that now, with all the animal rights activists and shit.
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Spacekniight It's a pigeon on lsd. They would take several pigeons with them on tour, and they would feed them lsd and/or make them smoke DMT every gig. True story
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LordOldington Truly stunning. http://www.last.fm/music/crow+hailer
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genegir Why this Psychdelic rock is kicking ass? Because it's Garage Rock!!!!
Videos
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Play
Till Then(lyrics) - The 13th…
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Play
Scarlet and Gold
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Play
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
1 shout
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Rose And The Thorn
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