Roky Erickson RIP

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

The legendary psychedelic pioneer has left this mortal coil. I hope he's out there somewhere, drifting through eternity with the music of the spheres.

https://www.thewrap.com/roky-erickson-13th-floor-elevators-singer-dies-at-71/

Levitation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwU4iCnWAPU

Slip Inside This House: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwSA0Tckwbk

If you dig full-pelt psychedelia and 'outsider' music but somehow haven't discovered The 13th Floor Elevators and Roky's solo output, then you're in for a mind-blowing treat.

[Johnboy]

sad news, quite young really

[Pearly-Dewdrops Drops]

Bit of a tragic life, amazing he made it to 71.

Sent to prison and had his brain fried for being a bit strange and doing drugs in 1960s Texas.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

sad news, quite young really

Yes, I thought he was older for some reason. He had a rough life, to say the least, but I get the impression that he was a bit happier and more at peace with himself in the last ten years or so. I hope so anyway.

[chveik]

very sad news indeed

RIP

[Sin Agog]

Dunno why, but just like how I have an extra appreciation for Love's supposedly past their prime Four Sail, I really dig the Floors' Bull of the Woods.  Has more...varied hues or something.  The dodgy production almost lends it a lo-fi air of mystery.

RIP, Evil One.

[BlodwynPig]

Yes, I thought he was older for some reason. He had a rough life, to say the least, but I get the impression that he was a bit happier and more at peace with himself in the last ten years or so. I hope so anyway.

Same...at least now we've found that common cultural touchstone.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Same...at least now we've found that common cultural touchstone.

I always knew we would. Psychedelic rock: bringing people together since 1966.

[the science eel]

Dunno why, but just like how I have an extra appreciation for Love's supposedly past their prime Four Sail, I really dig the Floors' Bull of the Woods.  Has more...varied hues or something.  The dodgy production almost lends it a lo-fi air of mystery.

Yeah, it's always been my favourite too. Roky wasn't involved with a lot of it, tho'.

Ah fuck...what wild, magical music!

RIP Roky.

[Lordofthefiles]

Boo!

I Have Always Been Here Before is one of my favourite songs ever.

https://youtu.be/gBWW8oppmtg


RIP has probably never applied to anyone so appropriately.

[sardines]

Roky already looks in another world

https://youtu.be/a6JLKbSjH3E


I really like these videos of the Nuggets era bands on what I assume were rather mainstream US tv shows.
You have this staid of-its-time presentation leading into, let's face it, fucking timeless mindblowing  music.

There are a couple of Seeds videos with a similar feel.

You just know that the presenter was off camera chugging away on 10 cigarettes complaining at the state of their hair.

[alan nagsworth]

Fuckin' love the mad cunt, his undeniable impact and his legacy thru the dark, dark woods of the mind and his excellent solo career.

I will say though, I think The Psychedelic Sounds of... is a brilliant record that is deeply marred by that dreadful electric jug that permeates every damn song. That sound is one thing that probably sounded phenomenal at the time but as a 32 year old man in 2019 I just find it enormously irritating. It ruins the enjoyment of the record for me. Soz!

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

To each their own! I love that electric jug, it sounds like swirling globules of psychedelic lava. Which was the whole idea, of course, but it works for me. I just bloody love the whole sound of that album in general, the heavy reverb, the drones, the dirty twanging guitars, Roky's wild, feral vocals, it's fantastic.

[The Boston Crab]

I've never listened to any of his music but listening to all these links has blown me away this morning. Sad for those who are fans. I'll definitely be listening more. Incredible music.

[Funcrusher]

Dunno why, but just like how I have an extra appreciation for Love's supposedly past their prime Four Sail, I really dig the Floors' Bull of the Woods.  Has more...varied hues or something.  The dodgy production almost lends it a lo-fi air of mystery.

RIP, Evil One.

You are correct, both of those are good overlooked albums.

[Funcrusher]

To each their own! I love that electric jug, it sounds like swirling globules of psychedelic lava. Which was the whole idea, of course, but it works for me. I just bloody love the whole sound of that album in general, the heavy reverb, the drones, the dirty twanging guitars, Roky's wild, feral vocals, it's fantastic.

This, although Easter Everywhere is my fave by miles.

[the science eel]

To each their own! I love that electric jug, it sounds like swirling globules of psychedelic lava. Which was the whole idea, of course, but it works for me. I just bloody love the whole sound of that album in general, the heavy reverb, the drones, the dirty twanging guitars, Roky's wild, feral vocals, it's fantastic.

YES yes yes

I prefer the albums either side of Easter Everywhere - which has some wonderful music but also some absolute rubbish ('Dust' is barely there, 'Slide Machine' just weak). The debut and the overlooked Bull Of The Woods are a bit more solid, somehow.

Lots of great solo stuff too: 'I Walked With A Zombie', 'Don't Slander Me', 'I Think Of Demons', 'Starry Eyes', 'I Have Always Been Here Before'.... These songs alone would be enough to elevate a singer to the pantheon of greats.

The Guardian changed their byline from 'musician who influenced Primal Scream' (imagine having THAT as your legacy!) to 'frontman of the 13th Floor Elevators' after a comment I made.

[the science eel]

Are there any of those psych pioneers left now? Syd, Sky, Arthur (Lee), Skip Spence and now Roky, all gone...

[greenman]

To each their own! I love that electric jug, it sounds like swirling globules of psychedelic lava. Which was the whole idea, of course, but it works for me. I just bloody love the whole sound of that album in general, the heavy reverb, the drones, the dirty twanging guitars, Roky's wild, feral vocals, it's fantastic.

Yeah I think along with the reverb its a lot of what really sets their sound apart from a lot of contemporaries giving the music a drone like quality without becoming too rhythmic.

[McChesney Duntz]

Are there any of those psych pioneers left now? Syd, Sky, Arthur (Lee), Skip Spence and now Roky, all gone...

Roky's fellow Texan Mayo Thompson still walks among us...

[Sin Agog]

Roky's fellow Texan Mayo Thompson still walks among us...

Also Billy Miller who made probably the best Texan Psyche Rock album of all time with Cold Sun (most of whom backed Roky at some point in their careers).

[the science eel]

Also Billy Miller who made probably the best Texan Psyche Rock album of all time with Cold Sun (most of whom backed Roky at some point in their careers).

Yeah? Never heard of them. I'll investigate - thanks for the tip!

That Golden Dawn (?) album is pretty good.

[alan nagsworth]

Actually I listened back to The Psychedelic Sounds of... this morning for the first time in ages and the jug didn't annoy me as much as I remembered. Had a blast cooking breakfast and jamming out to it, it's really a remarkable piece of work. The troubled and horror/sci-fi laced The Evil One is fucking fantastic as well. Haven't listened to that one in YEARS and was instantly blown away by "Two Headed Dog". Dude had some fuckin' voice on him.

[Sin Agog]

Yeah? Never heard of them. I'll investigate - thanks for the tip!

That Golden Dawn (?) album is pretty good.

I only have the Dark Shadows archival release.  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ByWGhI84OGU

Julian Cope did a great write-up on three of the more tantric cuts: https://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/albumofthemonth/billy-miller-three-visionary-songs

A bloke I know actually went down to Texas to interview all these cats for a book he was writing.  There is definitely a very particular sound unique to that scene.

[the science eel]

Absolutely.

Didn't Roky play on that early Red Krayola stuff? Maybe I'm just thinking of one track...

[Sin Agog]

Yeah, I remember hearing that was Roky on the organ on Hurricane Fighter Plane.  Admittedly, it sounds like it might have been a bit of a one-finger jobbie.

[alan nagsworth]

Is the later-years stuff with Okkervil River any good? I don't know owt about that band.

[McChesney Duntz]

Didn't Roky play on that early Red Krayola stuff? Maybe I'm just thinking of one track...

Yes, he's the organist on "Hurricane Fighter Plane" and the harmonicaist on "Transparent Radiation."

[Pearly-Dewdrops Drops]

Fuckin' love the mad cunt, his undeniable impact and his legacy thru the dark, dark woods of the mind and his excellent solo career.

I will say though, I think The Psychedelic Sounds of... is a brilliant record that is deeply marred by that dreadful electric jug that permeates every damn song. That sound is one thing that probably sounded phenomenal at the time but as a 32 year old man in 2019 I just find it enormously irritating. It ruins the enjoyment of the record for me. Soz!

I think the electric jug is great, but it does sometimes unjustly pigeonhole them as just a "weird" almost novelty band. In reality, 60s-era Roky was just a fantastic rock vocalist, for example on their Bob Dylan cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGqEFQ5xmjU

[the science eel]

Is the later-years stuff with Okkervil River any good? I don't know owt about that band.

Yes, because you really get to hear Roky's voice and it's very moving in places - especially now, of course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR48Va72vNg