The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

Freaky, sexy, swinging, psych 60’s rock’n’roll at its purist. Dirty fuzzy production makes it feel cohesive amongst the clangs and crashes and yells and screams.

"The Pyschedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators" is the debut album by American rock band the 13th Floor Elevators. The sound of this album is pyschedelia, hard rock, garage rock, folk and blues. The music was notable for the use of the electric jug. And, it was the first album to use the word pyschedelic. "You're Gonna Miss Me" starts the album with a 60's sounding "Peter Gunn" guitar. Lead singer Roky Erickson letting out orimal screams. The kicker is that the amplified electric jug once Tommy Hall gets it rolling. That's an original sound. The next song "Roller Coaster" is darker with an eerie-sounding guitar which reminded me of U2's "An Cat Dubh." Weird noises. That jug. The drums come in, the pace picks up and the band is jamming. A great guitar solo at the end. The dark tone and eerie guitar continue on "Reverberation (Doubt)." A nice garage rock and pyschedelic mix here. "Fire Engine" is highlighted by Erickson's and the band's howling. "Let me take you to the empty place on my fire engine." That's a scary proposal coming from Roky. The album ends with "Tried to Hide." Harmonica taking this in a blues direction. The jug going full tilt. Throw in some cowbell. Cool 60's guitar progession. Well, this was quite the trip. Roky's screaming vocals are perfect for this music. Great pyschedelic/garage rock guitar by Stacy Sutherland. That weird electronic jug and noises add to the pyschedelia. Solid songs all around and an album worth going back to 1966 to listen to.

What I imagine it would have been like to be a 20 year old in Haight Ashbury in the 60's - sounds wild and drug induced. Cool that they were perhaps the first to describe their music as psychadelic rock. A good listen, and more hard edged than a lot of other psych rock I've heard from this era - less idealism, which is weirdly refreshing.

Was quite good for psychedelic 60's rock. TBH, I'm shocked I had never heard of this band before. The style is not necessarily to my taste, but there's no denying the quality of this album for what it is. I have no idea why rock history has virtually ignored this band.

Favourite tracks: you're gonna miss me; tried to hide; reverberation

Up my street in terms of sound but besides a few standout tracks it does not have the markings of a great album. It deserves less but I’m marking it 4 to remember to pick it up again in the future.

Great psych/garage rock record. I am not a huge fan of psych rock personally but this album completely exceeded my expectations. The singing and instrumentation had the perfect amount of weirdness and distortion. The only thing I did not like is the fact that on some songs like "Roller Coaster" and "Fire Engine", it feels like the weirdness was prioritized over the music and I am not a fan of style over substance in any form. Also it kinda goes without saying but this album cover is so good and is one of my favorite covers of all time. My favorite songs were "You're Gonna Miss Me", "Splash 1", "Reverberation", "Don't Fall Down", "Kingdom of Heaven", "Monkey Island" and "Tried to Hide". 9.5/10

Solid Psych Rock Album. Roky!

4.25

54 year olds are not children #scottkellysnoncingworldcup

I love Roky’s solo stuff- paranoia never sounded so sexy- but I’m not as familiar with his earlier stuff. This is pretty cool, solid psychedelic rock with some killer guitar and neat backing tracks. Would hear more. B

Not really my thing, but it was pretty good.

Haha the elevators gave us a hell of a ride. A great record.

Great psychedelic rock sound and cover art. Their influence on later acts is apparent. Glad to have heard it.

I loved the groovy, psychedelic 60s vibe of this album. It took a little time to adjust to the quality of the recording itself, but I ended up enjoying the atmosphere of it all. Was the strange whomp whomp noises running through most (or all?) of the songs a saw being bent? The electric jug mentioned in the wikipedia article? Some other strange phenomena? After a few songs these questions left me and I just settled in.

I had never heard of this album or artists and it took me by surprise. The sound is definitely ahead of its time - it came out in 1966 but sounds like classic early 70s rock to me. Great surfer guitar licks, and that amplified jug is pretty unique. The vocals are gritty, squealy, bluesy and strongly leaning towards a hard rock sound which had not become popular yet. This is a combination of several genres that aren't my normal go-to (psychedelic rock, hard rock, 70s rock, etc., etc.) but it's so unusual and early I have to give it at least a 4/5 for sheer coolness. I mean, amplified jug .... so strange and cool!

Cool album! I like this psychedelic surf sound, especially the guitar. Never heard of this band before.

It’s great until it disappears uo it’s own arse.

Great album. There are refrains of The Dead, Jefferson Airplane, The Seeds, Love, etc. This is some great music.

pretty sick psychedelic rock. i just love the quintessential 60s guitar tone on all these tracks, i want to capture that in some songwriting soon. really dug this one, had never heard it before.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: You’re gonna miss me, Don’t fall down, You don’t know

nice album

Pretty much exactly what you expect when you think 60s psychedelic rock. I didn’t know the electric jug is an instrument but that definitely adds a unique sound to the album

One of, if not the definitive sounds of the psychedelic 60s. This one caught me off guard and proved to be more enjoyable than it should be.

I have listened this one a few times. It's some really great 60's classic psychedelia.. Love all the weird quirky sounds, the surf guitar riffs and Roky's boisterous vocals. The crazy thing was this sound came from Texas and not San Francisco. Sadly this on about the only decent material they made.

Some definite gems in this collection. I had only heard You’re Gonna Miss Me before (which is fantastic). And the only time I’ve ever experienced the electric jug.

Had never heard this album before. I knew the opening track because it was on the High Fidelity soudtrack, but found I really liked the whole album.

It’s like if The Doors’ cover of Gloria were an album long. Fun, but not incredibly deep

I like a lot of this. I'd never heard of this band before so this is a genuine little hidden gem. They have a lot of elements from similar 60's bands, like the jangly guitars, bluesy riffs and vocals... some surf in there. It's kind of the Doors meet the Rolling Stones, with a bit of Dick Dale thrown in, or sitting somewhere in that space. The jug was pretty interesting at first, but jeez do they use a lot of it! It would have been better used sparingly I think. Still.... Groovy! As a side note, the first song was SO familiar and I knew I'd heard it in a film I knew well - turns out it's the start of High Fidelity, apt!

copado

I liked this a lot more than I expected to...I figured it would be generic knock off psychedelic band and they kind of were... But a much higher quality than anticipated

One of the greatest garage rock albums of all time, as is Easter Everywhere, you could include either. This has more straightforward bangers on it than EE but that Dylan cover... Man. The debut probably loses a bit of steam towards the end. Adore Splash 1, and Don't Fall Down, both of which show they had more about them than freakouts and playing a jug. What the authorities did to Roky and the band is a disgrace.

Fav songs: - Splash 1

Jako ekscentričan album

I'm a sucker for Psychedelic Rock. Čuo sam za njih tek kada sam čitao knjigu o bendovima koji su napravili promjene u glazbi, ali nisu okusili slavu. O svakom bendu po nešto, i eto bio je i ovaj bend - zajedno sa dosta njih i drago mi je što sam posudio tu knjigu. Nažalost ne znam više kako se zvala, ali je bilo nešto što ja volim.

So that’s what an electric jug sounds like. I think this stood out as a bit more out there than some of the other seminal psychedelic rock albums I’ve heard so far, which made it more interesting. 7/10

1 gram av Schwag tack!

A very important album for rock music and also holds up very well. R.I.P. Roky Erickson

helt kova

Electric jug. Freak it.

Peak '60s. This is the music my parents got high to while my grandparents downstairs worried about the fate of the next generation. I love it even if the \"electric jug\" is waaaaay overused.

Really great, enjoyable psych rock. I’d never heard of this but would absolutely revisit it.

Creative and pretty funky to listen to loved there best songs but some ar e a little too experimental for me

Well this was a really cool discovery. Nice blend of melodic tunes balanced well with some grit and trippiness. Sounds bit dated sure, but for 1966 very much ahead of it's time, and certainly predates many similar sounding yet much higher acclaimed artists.

Always love this era of psychedelia, and what these guys may lack in pure songwriting like the Beatles or the Byrds, they make up for with raw grit. Cool stuff.

How in the world did I never hear about these guys before now? Read a bit into them and learned they are credited with creating psychedelic rock, and were an influence on many different artists. Giving this 3 stars for the music. Just not one of my favorite genres of music. I'm giving a bonus star, though, because of the influence they had on other musicians.

Listened to the half of the songs. Went too repetitive at the end (I see people mentioning electric jug in the comment, I guess that was the sound that annoyed me). But it was worth listening too this. Will keep it in my playlist

I’ll need to listen to this again

Great album, love the sound and energy.

Landmark psychedelic rock album.

Enjoyed this album a lot!

Must've been a huge influence on The Brian Jonestown Massacre, they sound just like the 13FEs. This preformed really well as a break from the other stuff I've been listening to. Though I wouldn't be able to sit through this again without dropping acid and frolicking naked in a wheat field at sunrise.

Garage classic!

Some psychedelia, I'd imagine.. "You're gonna miss me when I'm gone" does some really interesting things. The unique sound of what some research tells me is known as an electric jug adds some weirdness and otherworldliness to the track that works really well. Onto the second track and there's a total reframing of the music, like they drop a cog and hammer down the accelerator, changing lanes and blasting past the caravan they'd been stuck behind for four miles. Track three - splash 1 - is a bit of a let down - too slow and not really in keeping with the album. Reverberation picks the pace back up again. I think the age of the recording might be a factor here - but the bass sounds muddy somehow. It could be a production choice, but it just doesn't quite fit. Overall, this is a great album - pioneering, but immediately placed to its time. It should be 4 tracks shorter, but overall I enjoyed it.

"You're Gonna Miss Me" is a great leadoff track and it absolutely belongs on "Nuggets." It might even be the best song on that whole compilation. If you like that kind of psych garage music (I do too) then you'll dig this. The rest is more of the same but not as amazing I guess. Put this on at a party and you're good to go. 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4.

Still undecided on the Electric Jug but a cut above for intensity and passion

Not sure what I was expecting, but this is excellent. Jefferson Airplane and the Moody Blues had a trippy kid.

Nothing else on the album approaches the brilliance of You're Gonna Miss Me; a potent blast of guitar rock gold. The rest of the album stakes the bands claim as the FIRST psychedelic rock band with the amplified jug playing giving them a totally unique and somewhat spacey, ethereal sound. A fine album that all should hear at least if you have even a passing interest in 60s guitar rock. 4 🌟

Edgy for the time

A Psychedelic master work! I would give this 5 stars if I could edit out the electric jug

Menoo oli. Nopeita ja lyhyitä, puhutteli mua tämä levy. Loistava

When I read the band had conducted sly sheepish LSD trips during recording, a lot started to make sense. I didn’t mind it at all. That weird noise throughout is someone making noises into an old jug…

I love 60s music, and this is quite enjoyable.

This would make an excellent soundtrack for a 1960's movie. Some really good riffs

Strong Animals vibe out of this one for me, minus Eric Burdon perhaps. Interesting sounds along with that standard 60’s guitar. Will listen again.

enjoyed this much more than I thought I would

Classic weird psychedelic rock. Some of it rocks, some of it wallows, some of it is just plain strange. A favorite, for sure.

Najs

A very 60s album, and a good listen overall. Definitely a band who's discography I expect to listen to more. Forgot to record favorite/least favorite songs.

Really good example of 60s psychadelic pop

Super fun, trippy, and creative psychedelic rock album! I love this sound from the '60's!!

Pretty cool to listen to the one of if not the first psychedelic Rock records. I like it. What is that wobbly sound, is that the electric jug?

Enjoyed a lot-wasn’t as “Trippy” as I was expecting. Good vocals. Got some Jefferson Airplane vibes

Cool psychedelic rock. Awesome that this was the first!

I like these guys - heard them for the first time years ago when watching that Foo Fighters documentary that tracked roots of music.

Recordando un poco a Moby Grape, los Doors y a Hendrix como los puntos psicodélicos que han tocado hasta ahora creo a mi gusto este es el mejor. Tienen un punto muy interesante de psicodélico pero con un sonido mucho más crudo, con una guitarra que va más fuerte, una voz que puede dejarse llevar a gritar realmente con desaire y un botellón que extrañamente persiste durante todo el disco pero que, aunque pudiera llegar a ser cansado, da cierto sentido de taladrado en la cabeza y que simplemente tengo que aceptar, me da hasta gracia las agallas de dejarlo en el mismo ritmo canción tras canción. Las letras dentro de lo esperable en su imaginario lleno de LSD se me hacen mucho mejor escritas que por ejemplo cualquier cosa de Morrison, mucho más sinceras y aterrizadas. No llega a 5 porque aunque a mí se me hace simpatico creo que el botellón puede trabajar en su contra y porque no es tampoco un género que pueda escuchar una y otra vez; a pesar de eso se me hace de los mejores grupos (a pesar de que tienen creo solo 2 o 3 discos y duraron un par de años) en rock psicodélico, incluso a mi gusto pudiendo llegar casi saltándose un paso a ser también rock ácido.

really enjoyed this album

La pura psicodelia de los 60s. Debo aceptar que los sonidos vocales en forma de instrumento (tucutucutú) son extraños al principio pero si te logras acostumbrar, quedan perfecto en el viaje de esta banda. Songs: Reverberation, Fire Engine, Monkey Island, Tried to hide

This feels so authentic to the era it’s paying homage to that i thought it actually belonged to it. A lot of Mick Jagger inspired vocals.

Beyond unique, too canoncial for less than 4 stars but a little too loose and sloppy for 5.

Este disco es una FUMADOTOTOTOTOTA que imagino está aquí por ser un magnífico exponente del "rock ácido" Pero el disco me agradó bastante y con gusto lo volvería a escuchar. Agregué una canción a mi lista: "Tried to hide", que por cierto me recordó al estilo de “Bad Boy” de los Beatles, y no creo que sea coincidencia.

Groovy

Not as trippy as expected, but still good!

Will come back

Never heard it before, good

I can't be certain, maybe it's just how the albums have come through to me, but there's a lot of pysch-rock here isn't there? They can't ALL have been super game-changey

Org Psychdelic 60’s bad - 1967 3 albums , lived on LSD, tried CA and moved back to TX …fun lesson reading up on them

Like the psychedelic garage band sound. Not sure they stand out particularly among other groups except for that bloody electric jug.

There were some good tracks but certainly this is a psychedelic album first and foremost. This seems to be designed to elicit a wow, crazy, radical, response from an altered state audience. Not that psyche albums can't be enjoyed by a sober audience but theres a lot of interesting noises that perhaps form musical patterns only in the third eye of those who've opened it.

6/10 I enjoyed it, to an extent. Thrift shop guitars, weird jug. Not exceptional in retrospect, but perfectly listenable

Albums like this make me want half ratings. 3.5

Actually psychedelic 😵‍💫 Love how garage-y this sounds. And they’re very passionate about what they’re doing, very sincere. Unique and heavy. Influential.

Roller coaster is cool! Hm, apparently this is one of the earliest rock albums to openly define itself as psychedelic. It is pretty psychedelic.

A fun relic or psychedelic music. I can’t describe it as a particularly enjoyable listen and there would be much better psychedelic albums in the following years, but there’s no denying it was an early pioneer of drug-aided rock music. One related note: check out the song Forever that Roky Erickson recorded with Okkervil River, and also read his story.

Not my fav so far, its ok but there are some annoying elements but still a fun listen just not at the level some of the albums I've heard so far

good fun 60's music, repetitive tho

More psychedelic rock that doesn’t do much to stand out from the rest of the many other psychedelic rock albums on this list. Interesting enough to keep me entertained but not enough to earn a higher rating.

The electric jug is a very interesting instrument.

Nothing special. Maybe they were revolutionary in their time? I'll say 2.5, round up.

kingdom of heaven is within me

60’s psychedelia, dated but an interesting artefact.

the whole concept of blowing into a jug to produce noise and use it as an instrument completely sucks. like dude if you put anything else into the music (including but not limited to tuba, xylophone, theremin, ukulele, banjo or bagpipes or even an accordion) it would sound better. 3/5

Surprisingly good. Sets a high bar for psychedelic prog rock that followed— most subsequent bands did not meet the bar. There are several really good tracks here, separated by weaker tracks. Definitely a 3 for its influence and creativity in spawning a genre.

no mucho para mí

I understand that this was incredibly influential, it doesn't mean I enjoyed it. This is however much better than quite a bit of the psychedelic movement. 3 stars since 2.5 isn't an option.

There’s some great music here, but the jug just sits too forward in the mix for my liking, it’s distracting.

Fun and you can see its influence but the jug sound gets old after a couple of songs

6.5/10 - Started really hot. I thought we heading for an Acid Rolling Stones but it definitely trailed off. Glad I got to hear it but not something that will get a lot of spin time with me.

Well shit, this is weird even for me. A lot of hippy, a bit of garage, and toss in weird little instrument that sounds a bit like a giggly carton hyena. Tab of acid goes here. Enjoy.

Anorak

Buena música para dejar de fondo

3 out of 5. I enjoyed how raw this album sounded.

Pretty average psychedelic rock, good enough for a listen.

Not a classic of the genre, but not bad.

You're Gonna Miss Me

Tried a few times to get into this but it feels all over the place, and was always just decent 60s psych. Maybe I need to come back to it in a few weeks with fresh ears because I tend to quite like 60s psych but I genuinely feel like I've listened to the whole thing three or so times and remember none of it.

You're Gonna Miss Me 3.6 Roller Coaster 3.5 Splash 1 (Now I'm Home) 3.5 Reverberation (Doubt) 3.4 Don't Fall Down 3.2 Fire Engine 3.5 Thru the Rhythm 3.4 You Don't Know 3.3 Kingdom of Heaven 3.5 Monkey Island 3.2 Tried to Hide 3.4 Score: 3.409090909

This is fun. Whatever that instrument or effect is that does those consistent 16th notes (see Roller Coaster) does a nice job of sounding psychedelic but not annoying

Wasnt really for me but okish

Yep that's 60s rock

A very early psychedelic rock album, and a fairly solid one. This basically sets the formula that the garage side of the genre would follow for the next few years while also being better than a lot of what it influenced. It's raw, repetitive, and trippy. That last bit comes from the electric jug, which is all over these songs. It helps to give a disorienting background to the songs, though it's unsurprisingly a bit of a one-trick pony. As unique as it is, it also sounds pretty much the same on every song. In the end it's not enough to elevate this beyond very good, as the variety is limited and there are few memorable moments. Still, it's one of the best examples of this sound.

The jug definitely sets it apart from other psychedelic music so kudos for that. I don't mind the singing or music in general, though I also wouldn't say I want to listen to it again.

Review - better than average psychedelic album but still not great Score - 5.5/10 Need to listen? YES

Glad to have heard it, but won't be going back to it

It wasn't bad, but I wasn't impressed either.

I have only a trace knowledge of psychedelic rock, and zero experience with psychedelics or The 13th Floor Elevators. While it isn’t my cup of tea, I can see, however, their influence on bands moving forward. The jug is a distinctive sound. “You’re Gonna Miss Me” is a good track.

If I ever became a funkadelic hippie this will be my smasher. Hope it will never happen.

fun stuff, learning that I like psychedelic sounds

Fine 60's psych pop rock album. Infused with soul. I'm not one to dive on a grenade to protect or inflate this album. Its really good. Not for everyone and its influential and important to the future of music. But ultimately this album is just 3 stars on quality of product, but 4 stars on legacy.

No huge thoughts on this, its just is. 6/10

Interesting “out there” album with neat little background noises everywhere. The vocals lines seem a bit dated, but I had no idea Roky Erickson had anything going before his solo stuff. 3.0/5.0

Not bad, but just kinda feels like generic rock music that's a bit odd.

Interesting! The novelty of the electric jug wore off but it was fun

2.6 firstly, I can see why they could potentially be an important part for the musical jigsaw. There's a lot more raw (you could say early punk) energy in here than in the usual 60s act to grace this list. However, this doesn't stop it not being a very enjoyable listen. One good song (up first, of course), poor audio quality, unpolished tracks, a wholly forgettable 30 minutes. Save the first track, move on.

It was OK, I was expecting better though

Достаточно интересное звучание для тех лет

мне нравилась песня you're gonna miss me, но прослушав целый полутарочасовой альбом в таком стиле и с фирменным звучанием и фоновыми звуками - поставлю 3

Pretty interesting stuff for me and I love psychedelia. That weird gargling, booping sound that they used was super annoying. I'm told this was an electric jug? Not a fan of that but overall this was 3 stars. Would have been 4 without that annoying thing.

924. Does the elevator just stay at the 13th floor? Because that's not an elevator, that's just a tiny room. 3/5: acceptable

7/10 sonido feo más que sicodélico. No envejeció bien.

КТО ИМ СКАЗАЛ ЧТО ДЕЛАТЬ ТУТУТУТУТУТУРУТУРТУТУТУТУТУТУ на большинстве песен с помощью этого сраного electro jug будет охриненно крутой идеей? Господи, как же это тупо и надоедливо звучит. Я люблю психоделический рок с детства, переслушал десятки групп и альбомов в этом жанре. начиная от отцов жанра, заканчивая современной неопсиходелией. Я ожидал что мне КОНЕЧНО ЖЕ понравится, ведь я очень люблю психодел 60-х, но господи... То, что не касается гитарного инструментала (довольно мощный гаражный, гитарный звучок) звучит круто, но всё что касается чего-то психоделического, либо не до конца докручено, либо этот сраный electric jug, будь он не ладен.. Типа, камон, битлы на Revolver уже реверсировали и гитары и вокал, и использовали какое-то эхо и прочий монтаж записи. Да, я понимаю что сравнивать группу средненького пошиба с Битлами, наверное уже моветон, но типа, камон... Тот же Freak Out от Заппы выпущенный в ЭТОМ ЖЕ году (как и Revolver) звучал намного безумнее, сумасшедшее и психоделичнее чем пластинка от The 13th Floor Elevators. Kingdom Of Heaven звучит круто, остальное.. либо ок либо ни то ни сё. Крч, я в расстройстве. Ожидал большего.

Eh, listened to two versions and nothing grabbed me. Fine and fun but not hearing anything special. Maybe had to be there at the time, but I’ve never heard of this band and apparently they had one hit, so not seeing a lot of historical points. Not bad, but eh.

I suppose it’s really impressive how new and innovative this was. The reason it hasn’t had the cultural impact its contemporaries had is because the songs are mid.

Competent but inessiential

I haven’t really enjoyed the psychedelic rock on this list, but this one was decent.

Already know this is a great album. But isn't it called "The Psychedelic Sounds of..."?

Enjoyable psychedelic 60s rock. Would probably enjoy it more with repeated listens that I doubt I am ever going to give it.

Ist durchaus interessant zu hören, es wird nicht langweilig. Aber mehrfach hören möchte ich es auch nicht. Die Rock-Mischung mit Psychedelic und anderen Einflüssen ist aber 3/5 Sterne wert. 3/5

Hard to rate. Some songs I liked and others I didn't.

These garage sounds... not really for me, I appreciate them for the time.

Way too psychedelic for me to dig

Good surprise and solid! Roller coaster kicks!

The ever-present electric jug on every track started as a novelty, got annoying, and came right back around to hilarious by the end. They seem to be really good at this one niche kind of music that I don't particularly enjoy.

Trippin'...

6/10

Groovy.

5.0/10

I enjoyed this album for the familiar sound and style, but it almost seems like a parody of psychedelic music. The electric jug is more distracting than intriguing, and I am not sure that they are pushing the genre at all. It is almost as if someone commissioned someone to create a psychedelic band and put out an album that checked all the boxes. They checked them well, but I am not sure this will break into the regular repertoire of classic 60s psychedelic rock for me. Maybe the jug will eventually change my mind.

Fun trippy album, but not a remarkable one.

Felt like it wanted to be Rolling Stones

This didn’t do a ton for me. I love garage rock- which this gives me a ton of those jangly, lo-fi vibes. This is classic psych rock and this should hit all the boxes for me. It’s just fine- don’t come at me dads!

Not for me. It's jangly and hard to listen to. There are moments where it shines, but the electric jug wore me out.

Unremarkable album a few nice songs but mostly unremarkable

Certainly Psychedelic - It sounds a like a mashup of the musical styles that would follow I'm the next 30 years.

Good

427/1089 - Not a fan of the voice. Songs were alright. Good drummer.

It’s ok acid rock, could really do without the pigeon noise throughout that got old really quickly. 3 star

Raw psychedelic garage rock built on fuzzed-out guitars, driving rhythms, electric jug textures, and wild, reverb-soaked vocals spirals with unhinged intensity. Listening feels like stepping into a swirling, overstimulated haze where sounds bend and pulse unpredictably. The result is chaotic and immersive, capturing a primal psychedelic energy despite its rough edges.

1960s Psychedelic Acid Rock / R&B. Apparently the earliest known use of the word "psychedelic" in an album title. I prefered the tracks that were more R&B than Psychedelic Acid Rock, but overall I liked this album.

The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators is honestly just an alright album. This band doesn't really seem to be that much different from any of the other psychedelic rock bands that were big around this time. Complete with all the insanely distorted guitars (with the production making them even more distorted). I guess the one thing that this album has that it's contemporaries did not have was that odd sound in a lot of the songs which sounded like constantly poking at a bubble. This is also one of those albums in which i have a tough time picking a favorite/least favorite because they all sound so similar. This album is okay but you can do a lot better than this. Best Song: Splash 1 (Now I'm Home) Worst Song: Tried To Hide

For me, the experience of listening to this album invited focus on the differences between "significant to music history so you should understand it" and "likely/worthy to be replayed". I also thought a lot about the opportunities for and expectations of a vocalist - who may be given almost complete imprimatur to express or perform the desired vibe - while "rhythm section" has to keep the pulse for the dancers. In some periods, the bass and drums might have to keep riff and pulse, while vox, gtr and other instruments can freak out with more or less regard for any other band members. This album by contrast sounds like gtr was obliged to stick with bass/drums, while vox had to show the wild child - and "electric jug" conveyed that we're not in Kansas any more. (I listened without pre-reading, so pretty intrigued/perturbed by electric jug, but feel no great desire to go there again.) Sections of the album palled (I felt grumpy that I was going to make myself listen to the whole thing) - but some later sections were reasonably entertaining. Didn’t relish going back to pick a favourite song, but not hard to pick “Thru the Rhythm” for its soul vibe. Overall, for me it’s Mix of Good and Bad, 5/10.

Hard to rate this one. I appreciate how weird and earnest it is, and how it's an early example of psych music, but the playing is frankly terrible a lot of the time, and not terrible in a punk way, terrible in a 'we have no idea what we're doing' way. It's an album I respected more than I actually enjoyed.

Early acid rock, psychedelia, british invasion rock. It sounds VERY much of its time. I'm kinda surprised I'd not heard of them before. Though I have to say that once you notice that electric jug, as much as you might want to, you can't ignore it. As a whole, I enjoyed it, but it's not something I'll go back to.

I actually had pulled this up just last week and listened to the whole thing. It has moments of absolute greatness, especially the opening track and "Splash" and "Fire Engine." I'm not always the biggest psychedlica guy, but this is a great, bloozy, rock record. There's whiffs of punk in there, an extremely garage sound. The knocks on it are a couple. One, it all starts to sound the same by the end, and none of the songs remotely approach the kick-assitude of "You're Gonna Miss Me", so the entire remainder feels like a letdown. I also don't love the non-"Splash 1" mellow tracks (e.g., "Kingdom of Heaven"). They're not bad, just underwhelming. But my biggest beef is the sort of bubble-sounding effect they use on a bunch of tracks (it comes through most clearly on "Don't Fall Down"). This is, I assume, their famed electric jug. Hate it. Just a constant, annoying, faint buh-ba-buh-ba-buh-ba-buh-ba for the whole damn song. This may not be true for all listeners, but for me, once I pick up on it I can't stop focusing on it and it really takes me out of the rest. Put it all together, I call it a 3. Might've been the 4 without the damn jug.

you’re gonna miss me’ is so cool and definitely worth their #1 track. also the album cover and the name of the album is literally so awesome so needed to mention that. other fav tracks of mine: fire engine, through the rhythm, reverberation (doubt), kingdom of heaven i also want to mention that every song grabs at your attention from the jump and stays so consistent throughout the rest. impressed.

Rock and bloody roll! Favourite tracks: Through The Rhythm, Kingdom of Heaven, You Don't Know

Some classics that I didn’t realize I knew

I liked this overall. It has a cool surf-guitar vibe and is probably the first 'psychedelic' album I haven't disliked. However, that terrible, awful, plastic straw in a plastic soda lid sound cannot be ignored. I'm sure many of us have memories of annoying their entire family by making that sound after ordering a Happy Meal. Also, that is probably the reason I imagine this would be Gene Belchers favorite album of all time.

Meh.

Decent enough - mellow tracks - nothing really stood out but an enjoyable and different listen

Absolutely gorgeous album cover. Some of the instrumentals were great, but the lyrics were often too weird and beatles-esque for me. Not bad though and will probably be listening again at some point.

3.5

Fine, I hope they paid the guy doing the beatboxing in the background well

Not a huge fan at first but liked it more and more as it went on. Liked the vocals

Another rock album from the 60’s but this one didn’t bother me as much as most of the others. I had no idea what the fuck was making the weird sounds I kept hearing, and never in a million years would I have guessed that it was an electric jug. It was bothering me that I couldn’t figure it out but now that I know I think I like it more.

The instrumentation choices prevent this from being better (wtf is that jug clinking).

what the fuck is that annoying ass fucking instrument in fucking "roller coaster" it is *way* too pronounced and fucks with everything else in the song i hate hate hate hate it however, the rest surprised me. pretty solid! i expected it to be pretentious and annoying because of the band and album names (and to some degree the album art; although i like it, i was sure i knew what i was gonna hear from the art alone), but i was happy to be wrong. there are a couple of genres dear to my heart in this one (garage rock chief among them), and there are some really interesting almost Stones-y or even Doors-y sounds coming from whatever this vocalist's name is (too lazy to Google). i think there were some risks taken here, which is always cool. it's the 60s, so people are doing whatever they want, and i think that's rad. some risks paid off more than others, but that's okay. overall i think this album offers some good variety and unique sounds, but i don't know how often i'd revisit it by choice.

This is okay. Cool sounds for the era, especially the opening track. Nice guitar work tat sounds better than most of what you find from the mid 60's. I don't love the singing, and the overall vibe doesn't do anything for me. This may well have been influential at the time, but it now feels a bit lost to time. Very middle of the road 3 stars, didn't hate it, didn't love it.

those sound effects though...

11# Rucurucurucurucurucrucurucurucurucurucurucuru If you would let me know in advance that this would be the album for a valentines saturday and i have nothing to do i would've made the precautions and bought a kilogram of weed to trip balls to this. Never heard of this, i can only compare this with Strawberry fields by the beatles but rougher, or the doors without an audio engineer, or the kinks without catchy tunes. Ok, i can think of some comparisons. Why is someone always incantating something inside my ear, its not evil, neither is it good, their intentions are ambiguous. After watching the film Apocalypse Now, this fits really well. I tripped.. and fell 13th floors.

You're gonna miss me - 4 Roller coaster - 4 Splash one (now I'm home) - 3 Reverberation - 3 Don't fall down - 3 Fire engine - 3 Through the rhythm - 3 You don't know - 4 Kingdom of heaven - 3 Monkey island - 3 Tried to hide - 4

Not bad.

Mildly irritating eh.

no lo terminé pero nice

Nothing particularly stood out, was not bad however.

Pretty good. I prefer when the psychedelic albums have melodies and lyrics rather than endless noodling.

It feels like they found one sound and used it on almost every track.

fun but not very special

Cool psychedelic sound, the songs don't really stick out or ask me to remember them but the album is nice while it lasts

I dig it

fine except the doo doo doo doo doo is fucking annoying.

I think as an obscure late 60's psychedelic album featuring electric jug this is pretty great. If you take away that lens and ignore its place in the history of modern music, I'm not sure it really holds up. I felt like the recording was pretty messy and the songwriting was pretty simple and predictable. This album is pretty fun but I don't feel like musical really offers that much.

Seems like this album is much more impactful in the context of its time. The blending of psychedelic sounds and classic rock and roll is groundbreaking, but seems kind of played out now. Still some fun songs.

My absolute favorite moment of the entire album is the intro and first drum hit on Reverberation. You can tell this was super influential for groups like The Stooges. Not sold on the electric jug though. Favorite songs were You’re Gonna Miss Me, Roller Coaster, Reverberation, and Tried To Hide.

Pretty groovy album !! I can’t say I’m a big fan though, a lot of the album was just loads of sounds… Fav song is ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me’.

I like psychedelic rock but this feels like the kind of album I’d pick up out of the $1 bin at a record shop. It begs the question, as so many of these do: why is it two volumes? Does it need to be this long when each song sounds basically like the one before it? It’s not bad, it’s just leaving me uninspired.

psychedelic indeed

This was reasonably good fun early psychedelia. It had some good grooves on it (far out man) without ever being that remarkable. I guess it would have been hugely out there for the time, but then overtaken really swiftly by some people who were prepared to take things much further.

It didn't particularly appeal to me. It was middle of the road again. I could stand to listen to it but nothing stood out for me.

Wie der Name sagt: psychedelisch

bit too grainy and wacky

This is pure proto punk. There are even familiar some riff's that appeared on punk and sleaze records ten+ years later.

The first track and “Fire engine” are my favorite. The rest sounds more or less the same. I had this album when I was younger, but feel like I never really listened to it-I can now see why.

Pretty interesting stuff. Big time LSD soundtrack.

Exactly what you'd expect based on the album cover, but also good.

Klingt wie 1970 ist aber aus 2010 Keine Ahnung was das werden soll

#9/1001 🇺🇸 Released in 1965 this would be one of the earliest "psych" records and you can hear it's influence right through the last 60 years. It has a raw garage flavour - its great to hear the band wigging out and Roky Erikson, the singer screaming his lungs out - reminds me a bit of Robert Plant. There a few great tracks on here like You're gonna miss me and Splash 1. I was also familiar with Reverberation - it was covered by Jesus and Mary Chain. The big but for me however is the bloody annoying vocal sound which appears on most tracks(* Edit wikipedia tells me this is an electric jug.. why did i then go down the rabbit hole of electric jug playing). I guess it was fun holed up in a studio on LSD but it just grates by the 3rd time you hear it. Influential 5/5 Songs 3/5 Jug 1/5

Has an energy. Reminds me of Eric Burden and the Animals. The first track, You’re Gonna Miss Me, is the only song I was familiar with. Solid song. The whole album is pretty good I think, it’s listenable for sure. I wouldn’t say there’s another track that particularly stands out, but I can’t say they’re bad.

3.5 stars. Trail-blazing 60's psychedelic rock. Probably an album that was better in it's day, though it was still a pretty decent listen today. Best track is upbeat leadoff "You're Gonna Miss Me" which is reminiscent of the Rolling Stones. Other standouts are "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Tried to Hide".

“You’re Gonna Miss Me” was a song I had heard before, so it jumped at me. Everything else kinda just felt like simple standard 60s-70s movie hangout background music. That’s not a dig, just an assessment and feeling toward the music. I enjoyed the vibe, but nothing stuck with me after listening.

“You think that you’re strong when you’re only straining You think that you have when you’re only claiming” It is immediately obvious how this is a foundational album for Psychedelic Rock music. The album title itself was the first time the word “psychedelic” was used in that way and throughout the run time we get all the hallmarks of the late 60s movement. I enjoyed almost all the tracks well enough but my main issue is this: Psychedelic Rock would become so much better within the years following the album’s release. “Electric Ladyland” came out in 1968 and if I had not heard that before listening to this I think The 13th Floor Elevators would have impressed me more. It’s also worth noting that “Revolver” came out in August 1966 and laid the foundations for Psychedelic Rock in a far more imaginative way. I can’t knock the album at all it is perfectly good at doing what it does. The issue is that others would do it better than them within a matter of months.

Kinda like early Beatles or Who. More experimental.

rating the original tracklist, i'm not sitting through 27 tracks on spotify lol You're Gonna Miss Me - 5/5 Roller Coaster - 4/5 Splash 1 (Now I'm Home) - 4/5 Reverberation (Doubt) - 4/5 Don't Fall Down - 3/5 Fire Engine - 3/5 Thru the Rhythm - 4/5 You Don't Know (How Young You Are) - 4/5 Kingdom of Heaven - 3/5 Monkey Island - 3/5 Tried to Hide - 3/5 Average score: 3.6/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ the jug was interesting at first, but hearing it consistently in my ear started to sound a little obnoxious and distracting as the album went on overall, i guess the album was somewhat enjoyable, though the recording sounds a little rough on my ears personally. singer is a little too screechy for my liking as well

Ok, it’s pretty cool, especially given it’s from the mid-60s, but it’s a bit samey after a while.

Not as bad as people talked it out to be. Only thing that really bothered me was the wubwubti that was on every single song

Very very 60/70s. Rolling stones-esque

Un vieux classique de ma période "le psychédélisme c'est quand même peut-être hot", mais malgré plusieurs écoute, j'ai jamais rentré dedans, je l'ai toujours trouvé un peu underwhelming. La pochette est vraiment cool par contre

Sound horrifying, sad, boring, and hilarious simultaneously.

It was psychedelic and....wobbly???? Fine but nothing stood out to me more than the wobble that seemed to happen on most of the tracks.

Weird for weird’s sake.

May be displaying my lack of intellect but I wish all these songs were 13 minutes

Probably the least offensive psychedelic rock I've heard so far.

Rating: 6/10 It’s not bad, and even something I might think is pretty cool given more time with it. It’s weird and trippy and I’ll have to keep this one mind if I go through some 60’s psych some time in the future

It was okay. Psychedelic stuff does not hold up that well.

Sounds like these guys took a lot of drugs and saw a lot of Rolling Stones concerts. I quite liked the stuff that didn't have screeching harmonica in it. The guy making constant 'durka durka durka durka" sounds throughout most of the tracks gets annoying after a while although he did give the band quite a unique sound. But I can see why they never hit the big time.

Overall: 6/10 Haha that jug is so weird. It woukd have been fine as a novelty on one song but it dominates this album in the weirdest way. I've never heard anything like it. Besides that, this is a garage rock album that really isn't as psychedelic as I had hoped. The songs are pretty good though. The production is kind of ass and I don't like how this entire album sounds. I'd still recommend it, but try to get over the jug lol Fav Song: Reverberation

Cool proto-punk sound mixed with psychedelia. "You're Gonna Miss Me" is an all-time banger. Never knew what instrument makes that wubba wubba sound. Maybe spare its use a little bit? Anyway, good times.

Strong 3

Kanske bara är trött men näe

Interesting, a little chaotic and unfocused

Actually kinda good? I'm honestly surprised. By no means is it anything groundbreaking, it's not like I found a new favourite band or anything, but I think this is an alright album, fun here and there. If I were born just in time to be able to listen to this upon its release, I'd have enjoyed it tons more.

It's a good album, but not my favorite I liked but not so much. The songs are very simillar.

Nice sound, mix of zeppelin and the stones, would have been four stars without the jug. You need to know when to stop

Was ok, nothing really stood out to me

Fine, nothing really grabbed my attention. Very early psychedelic and you can hear how it shaped what we now see as that style. I feel like I'd have to go back and really give this one a solid listen to appreciate it.

avg

Yeah this was fun to listen to. Probably wouldn’t recommend it though overall.

Surprised I'd never heard of these before but I was really impressed with the sound of this considering the age of the album, especially compared to the velvet underground album from yesterday that was 2 years later

A perfectly fine example of The 60s but I’m pretty underwhelmed. Nothing stood out for me but not a difficult listen.

these guys are cool, though i've never really crossed over to being a fan. i dig the attitude more than the final product, i guess.

When I was in junior high I would have listened to this on repeat. Now I find it kind of cringey and mediocre.

Some cool stuff here, but let’s just say I got the point of this well before the album wrapped.

Holy shit, more 60s garage/psych that I've never heard of? This list is a wealth of those bands. I just wish they didn't sound 90% the same.

Got into them through Primal Scream's cover of Slip Inside this House (the cover is better IMHO). Shades of Janis Joplin and the 70s rambling psych rock is fine but not really a top album for me.

I thought I knew this band but didn't recognize anything. I did enjoy it though.

4.8/10

- psykerock on ihan hyvä laji - tää levy oli ihan alright mutta ei selkeestikään mikään klassikko

Must say I was hoping this would take me the way that Moby Grape did. But alas it did not. That like sound they use on a few tracks tho is so awesome and their sound is really dang cool. Feeling 3.5 for this guy

Meh it all sounded like the same song lol

This is fine and mostly enjoyable, but they definitely get carried away with the amplified jug. It works as a novelty for a song or two, but it’s pretty overdone by the end.

Good mix of psychedelic and early proto-punk.

Concerned as I’ve found I’m not a fan of 60s Psych Rock. The name and cover lead me to believe it’ll be filled with 60s Psych Rock. Let’s go… It’s an hour and a half, 27 songs. Not bad! Def not as “psychedelic” as I feared. More jangly guitar songs and awkward lyrics. Kinda adorable. I’ll be generous with a 3/5. Won’t relisten, but I enjoyed a taste. Also quickly realised that that the version on Apple Music is a “remaster” so not a full 27 song album. The original recordings (in Mono) then a stereo desk mix run. I’ve stuck with the original recordings. 11 songs of this is totally doable.

Very cool. Got to be a bit repetitive, but still enjoyable. I didn’t know that Roky Erickson was in this band.

some great songs / music but as a whole I didn't love it

This is definitely up my alley- maybe I should be more familiar with it

I wanted to like this one more than I did. Track 1 rips

Great 60s rock

I would enjoy more elevator rides and grocery store trips if this were on muzac... Trippy without being too out there. Is it psychedelic, or actually more garage grunge? Album quality isn't perfect, but it was the 60s....but electric jug? wtf? Listened before? N Saved tracks? N Favorite Tracks: You’re Gonna Miss Me, Roller Coaster, Splash 1, Reverberation, Fire Engine, You Don’t Know, Kingdom of Heaven, Tried To Hide ⭐⭐⭐. Liked it ok

Wacky album for sure -- I do think the second half is weaker than the first, whether is it due to the novelty wearing off or just straight up better execution.

Yeah, it’s wide-ranging and psychedelic - appreciate all it contains, but it does get tiresome after a while

This was interesting. Like listening to early Stones, kind of? ⭐⭐⭐

I liked it but don’t know if it will stick with me. Pretty groovy and intricate at points. Made me think of Gizz. I’d still prefer a lot of modern psych rock over it, biases not aside.

First off, the album art is pretty cool and interesting. This album was cool and easy to listen to. Definitely interested in listening to more of their stuff. 3/5

Impressed by the sound for when this came out. I’m a garage rock fan and this seems to me like a pioneer of the genre which is cool. Shoutout the Austin boys! I enjoyed it but wasn’t enamored either.

3.1/5 Deceivingly good. Thought this was gonna be some wack mushroom tripping shit based on the name of artist and album, but actually vibed to it. Nothing revolutionary in my eyes but did add a few songs to the ole playlists.

Great album, not the best psych rock out there but worth a listen

Oooh this is top notch psych rock with the great Roky Erickson on vocals and although a bit repetitive I bet it was a wild time and it reeks of short skirts and jaybirds filled with the devils lettuce. Freak out man!

Can honestly say this is the first time I've heard an electric jug, and unfortunately it is underwhelming.

relatively classic psychedelia in the vein of late-70s to mid-80s.

Ok music, with some nice parts, but it all sounds the same after a while

Yo también estoy cansada de darle un 3 a las cosas pero genuinamente no me parece que sea para más, tiene un sonido que se asemeja al de los Beatles sin su esencia ni su catchyness. Me gustó incursionar en cosas similares de la época, pero no me fue muy memorable. Las que guardé: Splash 1, Reverberation, You Don't Know

3.5 good but not the best thing ever to exist lol

A totally fine 1960s rock album made required listening by being one of the first psychedelic rock album to hit the public ears. Electric jug as an instrument is very fun. I am glad I listened to it but probably will not revisit. Progenitors get the short end of the stick like that sometimes.

nice enough

I usually find these 60's Psych Rock bands that I have never heard before to be pretty boring, but this one stands out. I don't think it is great, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Roller Coaster was my favorite song. High 3.

Ok listen but do not get the hype. The music did not grab me or move me.

I went into this album fully expecting that I would dislike it. A silly band name, a psychedelic sound literally in the album title, an electric jug and it just seemed like the annoying hippie shit that Boomers would put in the book because they had fond memories of hearing the songs while they smoked pot in the high school bathroom. I enjoyed this album. It was good enough to keep my attention and I was not too distracted by the electric jug. Also, I do not know what the electric jug looks like. The lead singer gave me strong Mick Jagger vibes at times and the music can also sound a bit like early Rolling Stones. I am not sure I would listen again but this was a pleasant surprise from the low expectations that I had. You're Gonna Miss Me Splash One (Now I'm Home) Don't Fall Down You Don't Know Kingdom of Heaven

# Album Name: The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators # Artist: The 13th Floor Elevators # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Starts of decent. Gets a bit long in the tooth as a it goes. I quite enjoy the funky psychedelic sounds but not a full album. # Top Tunes: Gonna miss me / Reverberation / Kingdom of Heaven # Would I listen to it again? Hmmmmmmmm

Highlight Song/s: Roller Coaster and Splash 1 Nothing too exciting nor is it too boring, it's just alright. The lead singer sounds like Robert Plant with all that wailing. It's quite haunting and surf-y, musically.

Fairly generic 60s rock.

Not excited about this; I feel like I’ve already heard more than enough psychedelic sounds for this project —- Actually, I jumped the gun a bit. That wasn’t too bad. It has a (somewhat) dark, garage-y sound that makes it more palatable. That said, while the electric jug was unique (I had to look up what the particular effect was - I thought it was someone making sounds with their mouth, lol), it was a detriment to just about every song it appeared on. Don’t Fall Down, Through The Rhythm

Understand it’s a cult classic, and there’s some good stuff here but it’s also a bit repetitive. Plus it has this odd wobbly sound over the top of several songs. I guess it helped pioneer psychedelic rock, and clearly whatever they were on made them think this sounded good. Enjoyed the song Reverberation the most.

Need to finish the album. The first track is pretty great, but overall not bringing much new to the table. I like the 60s psychedelic/garage rock sound, but most of the songs are fairly average

Not for me but fine and short.

Wow, how psychedelic can an album be? A few songs reminded of Jefferson Airplane and few others of lo-fi indie music. I'm a little surprised that I've never heard of this band. I guess, despite being innovative, they never really broke through. 3.5 if possible.

This was fun at first but got kind of boring. Probably would have been a fun live show in the 60s.

A good psychedelic album. Nothing special as weird or inaccessible as some of the reviews say it is. Could not hear the electric jug sadly.

Let's see what the caterpillar has to say about this one. Caterpillar? "Which way did the fishy fish go?" A complete mid-range album from a time where LSD was both super cool and used by the CIA to look into other dimensions.

I had never heard of them before but enjoyed the album. What is that wibbly noise.

After listening to this album I'm a little surprised I've never heard of The 13th Floor Elevators. It seems like they paved the way for the psychedelic rock movement but I've never heard them mentioned in discussion with other contemporary acts from the 60s. This album had more than enough to stick out from the bunch. Some of it is relatively standard fair, but they go off the beaten path enough to make it interesting. There are a couple tracks that I liked enough to add to my list, with Roller Coast and Fire Engine being a couple highlights. What a cool entry to come out of 1966. Hard not to consider this album ahead of its time. I can't imagine I've heard an example of amplified jug as an instrument before. 2.92 stars