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13th Floor Elevators

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13th Floor Elevators


Boy, oh, boy. Where to start with this legendary Austin, Texas band? Where to start? What to say? Okay, I'll give you half facts & half fan appreciation.
The Facts: The 13th Floor Elevators were an American rock band which consisted of Roky Erickson (guitar and vocals), John Ike Walton (drums), Stacy Sutherland (guitar), and Tommy Hall (electric jug). They released three studio albums and one live album on the International Artists label. They were huge pioneers in the counter-culture movement of the 1960's. Between the amazing vocals of Roky Erickson & his amazing songwriting, not to mention the ELECTRIC JUG! Yes, you read that right. Remember the days of acoustic guitar, banjo, washboard & jug? Well The 13th Floor Elevators somehow found a way to keep the jug relevant (sorry washboard- drums won in the end!). Their shear amount of fearlessness as a band is something to be admired half-a-century later. They were also one of the fore-fathers of the term "psychedelic" in regards to its usage for categorizing rock 'n' roll. They were one of the first to use the term in the title of their debut album, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, released in 1966.
The Fan Appreciation: I've always thought what made a great drummer- was when you could tell who was playing just by their style. There are certain drummers: John Bonham, Ringo Starr, Stewart Copeland, Meg White--> You know who it is by their playing. Same thing goes for bands. And there is not one single band that OWNS their sound more than the 13th Floors. I mean Jesus- they have an electric jug in their band. And God almighty- have you really experienced life or really ever even lived until you've heard Roky Erickson sing "It's All Over, Now Baby Blue,"? I think not. They are so quintessential AUSTIN, TEXAS; If you don't know what I mean by that I suggest you visit Austin & get back to me. Finally, the fact that they made such a huge imprint on rock 'n' roll with just three studio albums, & in a short amount of time [their initial run with the original line-up lasted only from 1965-1969] proves their legacy. Three studio albums and a short amount of time together; who are these guys: Nirvana? In more ways than one, they're more important than Cobain's Seattle band. Their legacy (13th Floor Elevators) only grew greater through the years... growing to... what... a cult status? Call it whatever you will, but at least recognize the genius and beauty that is... THE...

13th Floor Elevators

 -SC

Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 2, 2019 at 5:29 PM

    Now I need to listen to all three of their studio albums!! 😁

    ReplyDelete

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