13th Floor Elevators
Easter Everywhere
Album · Soundtrack · 1967
The 13th Floor Elevators' debut album, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, was a landmark LP, a pioneering moment in garage rock/psychedelia/punk history. The Texas band's second album, 1967's Easter Everywhere, continued the group's streak. The eight perfect minutes of "Slip Inside the House" manage to stretch out the sound without a whiff of self-indulgence. Singer Roky Erickson is a presence like no other. His vocal range is limited, but the emotion in his voice makes every song sound like a last stand. The cover of Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is raw and dirty, as good in its way as Van Morrison and Them's stellar rendition. "Levitation" turns the electricity upside down, while "I Had to Tell You" twists folk-pop into a personal ballad. Guitarist Stacy Sutherland uses his instrument to color the sound. The music's lack of ego (or the sense of ego deflected) makes it a true band effort. Primitive-sounding live recordings from 1966-1967 round out the reissue.