The best Rocky Erickson albums of his entire career
Rocky Erickson - one of the best performers garage rock of all time. He came to the fore in the group 13th Floor Elevators, writing "You're Gonna Miss Me", most popular group's single, and feverish voice and addictive game play guitar gave the song a special atmosphere. Group fell apart in 1968 when Erickson started more and more skip concerts.
Arrested on charges of storage banned substances, Rocky referred to his insanity (before that he was already diagnosed "schizophrenia"), to to avoid imprisonment. The musician was placed in Rask State Hospital for the mentally ill criminals. Erickson was released 1971 and started solo career, recording several singles with a new group "Bleib Aliens". IN 1980 the guitarist concluded the contract to record with CBS Records, but the resulting album Roky Erickson And The Aliens disappointed and compromised the artist's vision for clean, crisp sound.
Subsequent releases Erickson appeared on several secondary labels. Quality records changed, as befits a fickle character and the madness of the artist - he insistently arguedthat was born on mars.
This article contains the best albums Rocky Erickson throughout his career. Peculiarity them is that majority tracks included in composition records, were restored Erickson and other musicians after some time. But that didn't make them worse, on the contrary, acquired a peculiar atmosphere.
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The Evil One (1981)
According to Priestwho worked in psychiatric hospital during conclusions Rocky Erickson at the end 60s and early 70s, writing music supported musician during those horrifying years of forced electroshock therapy:
“He wanted to write and play his own music. And it's all. At the very least, it took his mind off where he was."
Official solo debut Erickson album "I Think of Demons" was released on the channel CBS in 1980. However, it was recorded at the same time Stu Cook from Creedence Clearwater Revival with tracks from "The Evil One"which came out in 1981 after Erickson passed over to an indie label "415". "The Evil One" is one of his strong works. Played by new band Aliens, "Two Headed Dog" and Bloody Hammer rocking and slamming hard accuracy, which is not worse than style 13th Floor Elevators. Still the album has just as much general with progressive, sci-fi-obsessed hard rock "Blue Oyster Cult" or sinister phantasmagoria Alice Cooper with punk. most famous track "I Walked With a Zombie" accurately reflects Erickson's perception rock and roll in the 1980s.
"Never Say Goodbye" (1999)
13th Floor Elevators viewed their music as healing strength. Them hallucinatory rock and roll and workshop execution Rocky Erickson leave no one indifferent. In their music there was a kind of spiritualityescapistbut communal. Erickson in 1975 said:
"We were known as the first psychedelic band, the first that could play music that made you see certain things if you wanted to."
During the years of work in 13th Floor Elevators Erickson believed that use prohibited substances are art, a way to surround yourself positive. IN Raske he plunged into the world negative, getting electroshock therapy and strong sedatives. Among his fellow patients were convicts the killers, with some of them founded group and tried to overcome the daily nightmare his position. Psychiatrist Rask Bob Priest recalled:
"Most of the time, Rocky had a yellow pad and he would sit somewhere in the hallway and write music, very weak and hunched over."
Erickson's wife Dana once brought him cigarettes, television and 12 string guitar. Later musician calculatedthat in Rusk he wrote about hundreds new songs. His mother, Evelyn, talented singerwho gave her son his first lessons in playing guitar, wrote it down in the hospital for record player. Sitting across from her, Rocky played quietlike an anthem compositions and frank and pure songs about love. Most of these works remained unheard still almost 30 years. In 1999, a record called "Never Say Goodbye"who collected these and other homemade records from 1971 to 1985.
Musician Doug Sam invited Erickson to the studio for records singles "Starry Eyes". Recording Itself breathed in new a life into Erickson's career with his band Alienswith which he recorded "The Evil One" in 1981, as well as two solo albums "Don't Slander Me" and Gremlins Have Pictures, both released in 1986. For 80s he continued write other new songs whose home recordings remain on cassettes.
Songs included in "Never Say Goodbye" have a distant soundthat seems deliberate metaphoricalas if they come from deep tunnel, reinforcing loneliness seeker in the a heart all this. On the cover Scott Newton Erickson pictured charming and slovenly, in a velvet jacket and with a guitar in his hands, and a dog roams on his heels.
"I've Always Been Here: The Roky Erickson Story" (2005)
tragic irony behind success Erickson like a father psychedelic rock: those thingsthat make it so important and conspicuous for listeners, also provided him with a hard life in sanatoriums and studios. Intelligence Rocky was so devastated shock therapy and drugs that he gave remainder life in the fight against serious mental disease. It made the musician easy booty for unscrupulous promotersthat made him give up fees for numerous reissues.
Collection "I Have Always Been Here: The Roky Erickson Story" includes only a few tracks from previous albums: "The Psychedelic Sounds" and "Easter Everywhere". Composition "Slip Inside This House" - masterpiece psychedelic ingenuity. In tracks "I Had to Tell You" and heartbreaking composition "Right Track Now" Erickson abandons his usual hysterical vocals in favor of a much more direct, thoughtful approach.
"You're Gonna Miss Me" (2007)
Rocky Erickson did not invent psychedelic rock, but he along with 13th Floor Elevators Gave him title. It's getting clear in the first few minutes "You're Gonna Miss Me", excellent documentary 2005 film about the life of Rocky Erickson. "You're Gonna Miss Me" not so much about the musical heritage Erickson, how much about striving restore this heritage, allowing Erickson get back your pastso that he can have future. Given that Erickson playing again live, task completed, and reputation Erickson was restored. However, for many his music remains either hopelessly incomprehensible, or too scatteredto catch meaning. One of the unique benefits this disc is an unreleased song of the last generation Goodbye Sweet Dreamswhich plays over the end credits "You're Gonna Miss Me" and alludes to the new start in a stalled career Erickson.
"True Love Cast Out All Evil" (2010)
Erickson became a partner of a musical group Okkervil River for his first album in recent 15 years. Vocalist Will Sheff selected a dozen songs for "True Love Cast Out All Evil" from more than 60 songs, which Erickson wrote for the last four decades and then turned them in set list, which emphasizes biography and latitude performer. From my side, Erickson sounds betterthan in the last decades: his voice saved growl and hardness. But at times it seems that Sheff pays too much attention biographies Erickson, especially when he interrupts Please Judge growing cacophony found sounds taken from old household video recordings or recorded at Rusk State Hospital. This applies not only to sad head, but also schizophrenia Erickson, because of which he turned on televisionto mute vote in my head. transformation these artifacts into a sound element - rather academic idea than musical. Sheff wants to introduce Erickson and rock legend, and by this a human beingbut Rocky just wants sing. On this touching and triumphal album Erickson goes to first a place.
