13th Floor Elevators

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Biography

Austin, United States (1966 – 1968)

Hailing from Austin, Texas, the members of 13th Floor Elevators were quite possibly the first artists to describe their music as psychedelic. Their lyrics and sleeve notes openly and religiously endorsed the use of drugs (particularly ) to alter human consciousness for the better.

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 runs. According to myth, Tommy’s jug was tuned by the amount of stored in it.

The group pioneered some of the first 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.
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  • HumbertoGillan

    Blows my mind completely. (2)

    24 Apr 1:33pm Reply

  • Acid_Coven

    Blows my mind completely.

    16 Apr 10:48am Reply

  • FuckinEchoes

    Happy Easter Everywhere

    29 Mar 6:32am Reply

  • jhexp67

    I love that electric jug! This music is insane. Yeah they sure were on drugs!

    18 Mar 10:52am Reply

  • ladyinblack20

    Here's a facebook group dedicated to psychedelic music. Feel free to join https://www.facebook.com/groups/387215481353241/

    17 Mar 12:47pm Reply

  • Frank_morrison

    Sex & Roll

    7 Mar 10:52am Reply

  • SOSKI_KROTA

    put aside the awesome unique sound, lyrics are absolutely genious and mindblowing. at first i didnt understand it, didnt even try, but after getting some life expirience i started to realise. its wonderful to discover something new in things you liked for quite a long time

    15 Feb 12:27am Reply

  • sonotsoso

    band speaks truth

    9 Feb 3:52pm Reply

  • HardRokas

    fuck yeah.

    8 Feb 3:39pm Reply

  • fergalmc

    folkfag00 strikes AGAIN!!

    12 Dec 2012 Reply

  • leololozone666

    since the elevators were the first band to use the term to describe their music, i'd say that psychedelic rock was whatever the hell they said it was and wanted it to be.

    1 Dec 2012 Reply

  • Porculus

    listening to the 1st album with the original band track listing and the album suddenly starts to make sense

    28 Nov 2012 Reply

  • ManojBaishyaDM

    "folkfag00 hates the world [899]" Make that 900.

    28 Nov 2012 Reply

  • SaltyMcSushi

    brilliant!

    12 Nov 2012 Reply

  • folkfag00

    adding a wingly twingly sound over generic 60s garage rock doesn't make it psychedelic music, let alone good

    30 Oct 2012 Reply

  • CleisonFerreira

    Foda demais!! Viva o psicodelismo!

    27 Oct 2012 Reply

  • flowwwz

    The whole 'First Psychedelically-Described Band' myth is such nonsense. The Grateful Dead, as The Warlocks, were actual the live soundtrack to the Acid Tests - a year earlier in 1965, the very site and event that triggered psychedelic culture (you really think people in Texas got their hands on LSD before the Bay Area did? The reason Kesey and members of the Dead had even experienced acid in the first place was because they were volunteers for some of the Bay Area MKULTRA tests years earlier).

    20 Oct 2012 Reply

  • RetroRockRadio

    I agree about "Easter Everywhere" being one of the greatest. I have the original LP. Those were actually hard to find in the early 70's.

    16 Sep 2012 Reply

  • gortynios

    http://gortynios.caster.fm/

    25 Aug 2012 Reply

  • satanicazrael

    easter everywhere is one of the best albums ever. copy this

    25 Aug 2012 Reply
    • All 442 shouts

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