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The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators is the debut studio album by the 13th Floor Elevators. The album's sound, featuring elements of psychedelia, hard rock, garage rock, folk, and blues, is notable for its use of the electric jug, as featured on the band's only hit, "You're Gonna Miss Me", which reached number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Tried to Hide" as a B-side. Another single from the album, "Reverberation (Doubt)", reached number 129 on the Billboard's Bubbling Under chart.
The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 17, 1966 | |||
Recorded | January 3 – October 11, 1966 | |||
Studio | Sumet Sound, Dallas | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 34:31 | |||
Label | International Artists | |||
Producer | Lelan Rogers | |||
The 13th Floor Elevators chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators | ||||
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Background
editThe October 1966 back cover of the album uses the words "The Psychedelic Sounds of: The 13th Floor Elevators", which is purported to be the first use of the word "psychedelic" in reference to the music within.[4] Two other bands also used the word in titles of LPs released in November 1966: The Blues Magoos' Psychedelic Lollipop, and the Deep's Psychedelic Moods.
In 2009, the original mono version was released as part of the "Sign of the 3-Eyed Men" box set. The set also featured a new, alternate stereo version which retained the band's original intended track listing, as well as false starts on some of the tracks (the International Artists label had altered the track listing without the band's consent when the album was first released). Both versions on the box set featured different bonus tracks, some that were previously unreleased.
Critical reception
editReview scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
The Great Rock Discography | 7/10[7] |
Pitchfork | 9.1/10[8] |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[9] |
The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[3]
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "You're Gonna Miss Me" | Roky Erickson | 2:24 |
2. | "Roller Coaster" | Erickson, Tommy Hall | 5:00 |
3. | "Splash 1 (Now I'm Home)" | Erickson, Clementine Hall | 3:50 |
4. | "Reverberation (Doubt)" | Erickson, T. Hall, Stacy Sutherland | 2:46 |
5. | "Don't Fall Down" | T. Hall, Erickson | 3:00 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
6. | "Fire Engine" | T. Hall, Sutherland, Erickson | 3:22 |
7. | "Thru the Rhythm" | T. Hall, Sutherland | 3:05 |
8. | "You Don't Know" | Powell St. John | 2:38 |
9. | "Kingdom of Heaven" | St. John | 3:05 |
10. | "Monkey Island" | St. John | 2:38 |
11. | "Tried to Hide" | T. Hall, Sutherland | 2:46 |
Total length: | 34:31 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" | Bert Russell, Jerry Wexler, Solomon Burke | 5:15 |
13. | "Before You Accuse Me" | Ellas McDaniel | 2:33 |
14. | "I'm Gonna Love You Too" | Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, Norman Petty | 1:53 |
15. | "You Really Got Me" | Ray Davies | 6:17 |
16. | "Roll Over Beethoven" | Chuck Berry | 2:46 |
17. | "The Word" | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | 2:49 |
18. | "Gloria" | Van Morrison | 3:55 |
19. | "She Lives (In a Time of Her Own)" | Erickson, T. Hall | 3:03 |
20. | "We Sell Soul" | Erickson | 3:21 |
21. | "You're Gonna Miss Me" | Erickson | 3:25 |
- Tracks 12–17 were recorded live at the Avalon in San Francisco, September 1966
- Tracks 18–19 were recorded live in Texas
- Tracks 20–21 were The Spades singles released in 1965
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "You Don't Know (How Young You Are)" | St. John | 2:38 |
2. | "Through the Rhythm" | T. Hall, Sutherland | 3:05 |
3. | "Monkey Island" | St. John | 2:38 |
4. | "Roller Coaster" | T. Hall, Erickson | 5:00 |
5. | "Fire Engine" | T. Hall, Sutherland, Erickson | 3:22 |
6. | "Reverberation (Doubt)" | T. Hall, Sutherland, Erickson | 2:46 |
7. | "Tried to Hide" (false start) | T. Hall, Sutherland | |
8. | "Tried to Hide" | T. Hall, Sutherland | 2:43 |
9. | "You're Gonna Miss Me" | Erickson | 2:24 |
10. | "I've Seen Your Face Before (Splash 1)" | C. Hall, Erickson | 3:50 |
11. | "Don't Fall Down" | T. Hall, Erickson | 3:00 |
12. | "The Kingdom of Heaven (Is Within You)" | St. John | 3:05 |
This version was included in the "Sign of the 3-Eyed Men" box set on CD 4 with the following bonus tracks.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "You Don't Know (How Young You Are)" (alternate backing track) | |
14. | "Roller Coaster" (alternate backing track) | |
15. | "Don't Fall Down" (alternate backing track) | |
16. | "Don't Fall Down / band introduction" (Larry Kane show) |
Personnel
edit- Roky Erickson – vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica
- Stacy Sutherland – lead guitar
- Tommy Hall – amplified jug
- Benny Thurman – bass guitar (1, 3)
- Ronnie Leatherman – bass guitar (2, 4-11)
- John Ike Walton – drums, percussion
Production
- Produced by Lelan Rogers, except track 1 produced by Gordon Bynum
- Recorded, engineered and mixed by Bob Sullivan
- John Cleveland – cover design
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The 13th Floor Elevators – The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators (International Artists, 1966)". Spin. March 28, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- ^ Masley, Ed (September 19, 2008). "10 essential garage-rock albums". AZCentral. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Dimery, Robert; Lydon, Michael (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (Revised and Updated ed.). Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
- ^ Hicks, Michael (2000). Sixties Rock: Garage, Psychedelic, and Other Satisfactions. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-252-06915-4.
- ^ Deming, Mark. "The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators - The 13th Floor Elevators : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "13th Floor Elevators". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958 – via Google Books.
- ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). "13 Floor Elevators". The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Canongate Books. p. 1539. ISBN 1-84195-615-5.
- ^ Deusner, Stephen M. "Album Reviews: 13th Floor Elevators / Roky Erickson: The Psychedelic Sounds of... / I Have Always Been Here Before". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
- ^ Cohen, Jason (1995). "Roky Erickson and 13 Floor Elevators". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 133–134. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
Further reading
edit- Draper, Jason (2008). A Brief History of Album Covers. London: Flame Tree Publishing. pp. 44–45. ISBN 9781847862112. OCLC 227198538.
External links
edit- The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)
- The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators at Discogs