13th Floor Elevators A Visual History

The pioneering psychedelic rock group lasted just four years in the late 1960s before retreating back into the haze.

13th floor elevators a visual history. April 21 2020 anthology editions. In a visual history the 13th floor elevators is a band among the living. It s march 16 1966 and kazz fm is live broadcasting a show by the 13th floor elevators from the new orleans club in austin.

A visual history places the band finally and undeniably in the pantheon of innovators of american rock music to which they have always belonged. The story of the 13th floor elevators is often told in sudden bursts and strange visions part earthly chaos part hallucination. In moments where newspaper clippings are reproduced to scale it s almost as if we ve entered into a present past reading about the 13th floor elevators the morning after one of their gigs in texas in the 1960s or examining police photos in the aftermath.

In external reality the war in vietnam is escalating and the no. Born out of a union of club bands on the burgeoning austin bohemian scene and a pronounced taste for hallucinogens the 13th floor elevators were formed in late 1965 when lyricist tommy hall asked a local singer named roky erickson to join up with his new rock outfit. Led by wild eyed howler roky erickson and bolstered by both the fantastic imagery and amplified crock jug of tommy hall the elevators were among the first rock rollers to label themselves psychedelic and the term applied on all fronts.

The book includes interviews photos from rare live performances flier artwork and an introduction by longtime patti smith collaborator and rock historian lenny kaye who first included their debut hit you re gonna miss me in his iconic garage rock compilation nuggets in 1972. The book is thus immediate and nostalgic. Earlier this year anthology editions released a dense archive of the band s history written and organized by paul drummond 13th floor elevators.

The 13th floor elevators. 13th floor elevators a visual history.