tell me about rocky erickson

jewels santana · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:36 pm **Posts:** 10198

i always thought he was a slighly spastic folk dude, but this song i'm listening to sounds like early Judas Priest.

Radcliffe · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2005 12:48 pm

Yeh, whatever got you on the spastic folk dude tack was wrong. Nothing folky about the 13th Floor Elevators or his solo career. He's almost as much an acid casualty as Syd Barrett, although his tenuous grasp on reality has allowed him to write and record sporadically over the years.

As far as I know, his discography is in disarray right now, but there's a suprisingly good tribute to him called When The Pyramid Meets The Eye, and it actually offers a decent overview of his music.

Modem · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2005 12:53 pm

There are some great Roky Erickson tunes. I prefer the stuff that sounds like a sinister Buddy Holly or CCR myself. i.e.:

The Interpreter
Starry Eyes
Night Of The Vampire
I Have Always Been Here Before
Don't Shake Me Lucifer
Cold Night For Alligators

Yail Bloor · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2005 12:53 pm

Senator LooGAR · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2005 12:56 pm

Yailvon Bloorsdale Wrote:

jail

EXACTLY.

Mentioning this dude's name in public will snag you a 10 year bid under Leavenworth.

Evil Dr. K · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:51 am **Posts:** 6327

The legendary rock journalist Nick Kent claimed to have had a fist fight with Roky Erickson the wing of an moving aircraft, proving it's not just musicians that are drugged out, acid casualty fantasists.

Evil Dr. K · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:51 am **Posts:** 6327

Oh, I forgot to mention the 13th Floor Elevators blow like an Evansville trailer park twister.

PopTodd · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2005 2:17 pm

konstantinl Wrote:

Oh, I forgot to mention the 13th Floor Elevators blow like an Evansville trailer park twister.

Completely disagree.

The essentials you need from Roky (as far as the stuff I know):

The Psychadelic Sounds Of the 13th Floor Elevators (Released in 1965) -- possibly the first ever psychadelic album.)

The Evil One (1981 or 82) -- Some great monster-themed songs with simply perfect screaming vocals from Roky and lead guitar from some guy named Duane Aslaksen.

But the way I first heard his music was covered by some really great bands on the outstanding tribute disc:
Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye

Great versions of Roky songs from a scarily eclectric crew, including: Bongwater, ZZ Top, Poi Dog Pondering, Primal Scream, Julian Cope, Jesus & Mary Chain, T-Bone Burnett, Tabby Thomas, and a bunch more.

It's just awesome and well-worth seeking out. (PM me and I'll see if I can get a burn to you.)

Spade Kitty · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:49 am **Posts:** 4401

Yeah, Roky's pretty seminal. I thought he wasn't as much an acid casualty as a shock therapy casualty, because of his incarceration and his plea of insanity. I'll look it up now.

Evil Dr. K · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:51 am **Posts:** 6327

PopTodd Wrote:

konstantinl Wrote:

Oh, I forgot to mention the 13th Floor Elevators blow like an Evansville trailer park twister.

Completely disagree.

The essentials you need from Roky (as far as the stuff I know):

The Psychadelic Sounds Of the 13th Floor Elevators (Released in 1965) -- possibly the first ever psychadelic album.)

I have this and it's trash. It's completely unspectacular garage rock. Not only is it abysmally recorded and utterly mundane it's also not psychadelic in any way, shape or form.

Spade Kitty · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:49 am **Posts:** 4401

allmusic Wrote:

The record's success earned the 13th Floor Elevators a deal with International Artists, but as their fame grew, so did their notoriety with local law enforcement officials, who took exception to the group's heavy experimentation with (and public support of) marijuana and LSD. The Elevators became the subject of considerable police harassment, and after Erickson was arrested for the possession of one lone joint in 1969, he pleaded insanity to avoid a prison term. A three-and-a-half year stint in the state's Hospital for the Criminally Insane followed; Erickson was diagnosed as a schizophrenic, and subjected to extensive electroshock therapy, Thorazine, and other psychoactive treatments.

Modem · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2005 5:10 pm

Gremlins Have Pictures is the essential Roky disc for me.

nobody · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2005 7:53 pm

I only got one album of his, and I don't know much about it. His discographay is a mess and I think the one I've got is a compilation. It's just got a closeup of him on the front with his name in block letters.

Anyway, some great tunes on there. Don't SLander Me is a great, powerful chuck of rock and there's also mellow creepy stuff like Burn the Flames and great pop rock like Nothing in Return. He's got a fairly wide range, although nothing I've head puts him in the folky camp.

Personally, I'd skip the tribute album. Its decent and all, but really, if you're interested in an artist and don't know where to start, grab a compilation of his original work at least rather than a bunch of other people playing his stuff.

I've seen a fairly recent 2 CD collection of his out. I think its from the last year or so, but not really sure. ITs got stuff from his solo career and 13th floor elevators. I've been meaning to grab it myself.

tell me about rocky erickson

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