13th Floor Elevators
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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 lsd) to alter human consciousness for the better.
The band rattled to the middle of the Hot 100 in 1966 withYou’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.
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.
Shouts:
392 shouts
Top Albums
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Easter Everywhere
13th Floor Elevators
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Shoutbox
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RussellChap wrote:
Electric Jug :-)
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L_Lennon wrote:
psyyyyyychdelicciledhcyyyyyyysp
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oldiesfanjohn wrote:
deserved a better fate...in the Bizarro World ala Seinfeld,they`d be as famous as the Rolling Stones...nice to dream,eh?
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nacht_vogel wrote:
Psychdelic rock kick ass [6]
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adam_wrong wrote:
ha, pigeon voice
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rewixas wrote:
Psychdelic rock kick ass [5]
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claaark wrote:
boop bip boop boop bip boop bip boop bip boop boop bip
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Lautreamont wrote:
GREAT PSYCH!!!! https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-WHIRLINGS/206935879343447
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iconan wrote:
A magical whirlwind of sounds and colors that goes straight in the eye of the mind. Psychedelic ... dreamers. -.-.-.-. om hari om .....
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kyaannabis wrote:
damn that fuckin' pigeon voice in every second song of theirs (I still love them tho)
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MilesAboveYou wrote:
Anyone else see that sad documentary on Roky called "You're Gonna Miss Me"?
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eSpinoza88 wrote:
...continued by paranormal travel inside by Slip inside this house, moves through thoughts and emotions with Nobody to love, overkills by Baby Blue, and disappears by Postures, when I had to tell you makes you free from the cage of normality....
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Spacebel wrote:
Let it happen to you! You gotta open up your mind and let everything come through ... Starts like a roller coaster ride so real it takes your breath away ... DE MAX!
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SkaLaura wrote:
Psychdelic rock kick ass [4]
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restinagony wrote:
Electric jug choir.
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protopost wrote:
sonic youth before sonic youth
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pvsiffert wrote:
man, they really burst my mind
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dead-parade wrote:
I just can't get enough of this band. Amazing.
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Eibel wrote:
Psychdelic rock kick ass[2]
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KenConroy wrote:
we be road lizards
Videos
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Play
Till Then(lyrics) - The 13th…
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Play
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
1 shout
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Play
Rose And The Thorn
2 shouts
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Play
Slip Inside This House
Listening Now
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Recent Activity
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Spacefloat, Emilk666, Pulch and 18 other people added 13th Floor Elevators to their libraries. 3 hours ago
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RussellChap tagged 13th Floor Elevators with electric jug and enigmatic. Sunday afternoon
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Marek1969, Nakedencounter, Anjo-Da-Morte and 16 other people added 13th Floor Elevators to their libraries. Saturday evening
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Andrey_Romanov tagged 13th Floor Elevators with ‘garage rock’. Thursday morning
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DeadCenturies, travis_fortney, nomfals and 4 other people added 13th Floor Elevators to their libraries. Thursday morning
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IslamRemains tagged 13th Floor Elevators with garage rock and psychedelic. last week
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mcnuggetjesus, nik_sus, hypersonido and 2 other people added 13th Floor Elevators to their libraries. last week
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Altlaender tagged 13th Floor Elevators with psychedelic garage, folk, punk and 9 other tags. last week
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dropkick_j tagged 13th Floor Elevators with garage rock and psychedelic rock. last month
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edocomplex2, BatteryHens, mamamarysia and 2 other people added 13th Floor Elevators to their libraries. last month
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