13th Floor Elevators - The Psychedelic Sound of the 13th Floor Elevators

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 with You’re Gonna Miss Me, anchored by Roky Erickson’s unforgettable yelping vocals, Stacy Sutherland’s guitar, and Tommy Hall’s 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 1969 LP, Bull of the Woods.

(from Last.fm)

Maybe one of the most famous psychedelic rock album all time. "You're Gonna Miss Me" is an all-time classic in music. Enjoy!

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Tracklist
01.You're Gonna Miss Me
02.Roller Coaster
03.Splash 1
04.Reverberation (Doubt)
05.Don't Fall Down
06.Fire Engine
07.Thru the Rhythm
08.You Don't Know (How Young You Are)
09.Kingdom of Heaven
10.Monkey Island
11.Tried to Hide
12.Everybody Needs Somebody to Love
13.Before You Accuse Me
14.I'm Gonna Love You Too
15.You Really Got Me
16.Roll Over Beethoven
17.The Word
18.Gloria
19.She Lives (In a Time of Her Own)
20.We Sell Soul [The Spades]
21.You're Gonna Miss Me [Live; The Spades]


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