The 13th Floor Elevators-The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators (1966)

We are dealing with a band and an album that are fundamental to understanding the evolution of psychedelic music and garage rock in the 1960s. The 13th Floor Elevators were the first to create a style that would soon be called psychedelic pop/rock, based primarily on the roar of acid guitar riffs and reverberation at high volume, recording and performing live under the influence of LSD, resulting in highly distorted sounds. This band, originally from Austin, Texas, consisted of Roky Erickson, guitarist, singer, and frontman; Stacy Sutherland on lead guitar; drummer John Ike Walton; instrumentalist Tommy Hall; and bassist Ronnie Leatherman. In 1966, thanks to several impactful singles, the group embarked on a successful tour of the American West Coast, which led to a contract with International Artists, with whom they released their first full-length album at the end of 1966. Sarcastic songs like "You're Gonna Miss Me," powerful garage rock tracks such as "Reverberation (Doubt)" and "Tried to Hide," and the decadent "Roller Coaster" and "Fire Engine" served as the perfect introduction to the national scene for The 13th Floor Elevators. However, after several more releases, "Easter Everywhere" (1967) and "Bull of the Woods" (1969), the group was consumed by its own fame. The continued use of hard drugs and the resulting legal troubles led to numerous mental health problems for all its members. Finally, in 1969, Roky Erickson was prosecuted for marijuana possession, an event that marked the end of the band's career.