The 13th Floor Elevators are often credited as being one of the earliest dedicated Psychedelic Rock performing groups. The band was formed in 1965 after founding member Roky Erickson dropped out of high school to play rock music. The formation of 13th Floor Elevators was the result of Roky’s first band, the Spades, dissolving within a year’s time. Rather than falling apart like before, however, Roky and the 13th Floor Elevators made waves in the rock scene by releasing a single, “You’re Gonna Miss Me” in 1966. Later the same year, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators effectively debuted the band’s album career.
The main factor that set the 13th Floor Elevators apart from other rock ensembles of the time was their emphasis on escaping reality. From the sound design, to the lyrics, and even the artwork (as shown above), the focus is on the surreal side of life rather than the concrete, dull world we reside in.
“After you trip life opens up / You start doing what you want to do / And you find out that the world that you once feared / Gets what it has from you“
Roky Erickson on “Roller Coaster”, the second song from The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators
The surrealist nature of the 13th Floor Elevators’ sound is no more apparent than in the band’s instrumentation. At first, the lineup seems typical: instruments such as vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, drums, and electric bass all make appearances in the music of the 13th Floor Elevators. However, when you add an electric jug into the mix, the music truly branches out further into uniqueness. The electric jug player of the 13th Floor Elevators was Tommy Hall, who has been credited as the instrument’s inventor.
It goes practically without saying that Psychedelic Rock groups tend to dabble in the world of drugs, and the 13th Floor Elevators were no exception. The group was famously arrested early in their career for marijuana possession and use, which made headlines all over Texas newspapers in 1966. They were all released on bail, but the association between the group and drugs was a sealed fate. The group was also involved in the deeper and darker corners of the drug world, going as far as using LSD and acid to get to a psychedelic state of mind.
Unfortunately, the 13th Floor Elevators’ success in their debut was short-lived. Their second album, Easter Everywhere, saw limited success, and their final attempts at third and fourth albums in the late 1960s miserably flopped. The group was finally torn apart in 1969, but their influence had already planted the seed for Psychedelic Rock to begin anew. The 13th Floor Elevators were truly the origins of psychedelic rock as we hear it today, acting as a source of reference for many future psychedelic music groups from Texas.
Despite his drug-fueled degradation of health, Roky Erickson’s music career was not yet over, as he pursued a solo career beginning in the 1980s with his solo album The Evil One. His most recent musical outing is the 2010 release of his album True Love Casts Out All Evil under label ANTI- Records.
Sources:
“13th Floor Elevators Interviews.” Youtube, 20 Jan. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcabFNyVGLU. Accessed 3 Nov. 2021. (5:13 – 6:12)
“13th Floor Elevators Poster.” Wolfgang’s Vault, https://images.wolfgangsvault.com/m/large/FD028-PO/13th-floor-elevators-poster-sep-30-1966-oct-1-1966.webp. Accessed 3 Nov. 2021.
“Rock-Roll Outfit Out on Bond.” The Austin Statesman, 28 Jan. 1966, pp. 9–9, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32290771/13th-floor-elevators-drug-bust/. Accessed 3 Nov. 2021.
Sheff, Will. Youtube, ANTI- Records, 9 Mar. 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA379Aqk1ls&t=2s. Accessed 3 Nov. 2021.
Swanson, Dave. “Everything You Need to Know about the 13th Floor Elevators.” Ultimate Classic Rock, 28 Mar. 2015, https://ultimateclassicrock.com/13th-floor-elevators-history/.
Maerz, Jennifer. “Ex-13th Floor Elevator Tommy Hall Is Still Psychedelic.” Houston Press, Houston Press, 4 Mar. 2009, https://www.houstonpress.com/music/ex-13th-floor-elevator-tommy-hall-is-still-psychedelic-6586955.
Magaña, Isabel. “A Brief History of Psychedelic Rock.” Radio UTD, Radio UTD, 3 July 2017, http://radioutd.com/blog/2017/07/brief-history-psychedelic-rock/.
