During an appearance on American Bandstand in 1966, Dick Clark asked: "Who's the head of this band?" ~ "We're all heads.", answered Roky Erickson, the 'tripping' specialist and leader of The Thirteenth Floor Elevators. From Austin, Texas, the group was one of many so-called 'garage bands' that appeared all over the nation in the wake of Timothy Leary's call to: "tune-in, turn-on, and drop-out".
Most notably is the particularly sinister guitar 'scratching' prevalent on most of the tracks. It is to be heard in all their music on all their albums. Their music "grows" on you from "Slip Inside This House" to "Baby Blue" to "I've Got Levitation" and "Postures (Leave Your Body Behind) you will be carried off to a place where you have never been before unless you've heard and are familiar with this group. The Thirteenth Floor Elevators hit the San Francisco music scene like a storm in the late sixties and performed at many concerts in The Fillmore and Avalon Ballrooms. Their albums are to be collected, if you are so inclined; The Psychedelic Sounds of the Thirteenth Floor Elevators, Easter Everywhere, Bull of the Woods, and The Thirteenth Floor Elevators Live (the later two of these released after Erickson left the band). CdNow has got the latest releases of some live stuff from the group. If you like the 'live' albums like I do then go check it out on the link below!
