13th Floor Elevators: A Visual History

by Paul Drummond

Born out of a union of club bands on the burgeoning Austin bohemian scene and a pronounced taste for hallucinogens, the 13th Floor Elevators were formed in late 1965 when lyricist Tommy Hall asked a local singer named Roky Erickson to join up with his new rock outfit. Four years, three official albums and countless acid trips later, it was over: the Elevators' pioneering first run ended in a dizzying jumble of professional mismanagement, internal arguments, drug busts and forced psychiatric imprisonments. In their short existence, however, the group succeeded in blowing the lid off the budding musical underground, logging early salvos in the countercultural struggle against state authorities, and turning their deeply hallucinogenic take on jug-band garage rock into a new American institution called psychedelic music. Before the hippies, before the punks, there were the 13th Floor Elevators: an unlikely crew of outcast weirdo geniuses who changed culture. Paul Drummond has spent years documenting every aspect of the history of this amazing band and amassing an unprecedented archive of primary materials, resulting in this comprehensive visual history. The book recounts the story not just of the Elevators as a band--wild and remarkable though it is--but that of the American counterculture itself: the hallucinogens, the rebellion and the truly profound music that resulted. The 13th Floor Elevators: A Visual History places the band finally and undeniably in the pantheon of innovators of American rock music to which they have always belonged.

Genres: Music

298 pages, Hardcover

Published April 21, 2020

Reviews

[Brian Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Visual History paints a clear and comprehensive picture of the band’s history through written accounts of those who were there including band members, friends and family as well as through pictures. newspaper clippings and documents. I found Paul Drummund’s research to be quite extensive. It must have taken hundreds if not thousands of hours to gather and compile the info this book offers. An essential fir fans of Roky Erickson & the 13th Floor Elevators.

[Gunnar Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having owned both the CD box set, “Sign of the 3 Eyed Men” and vinyl box set “Music of the Spheres,” I was well acquainted with the overall story of The Elevators. Due to the well-written books written by Paul Drummond included in those box sets. While those books give a quick overview of The Elevators’ history, this book is far more in-depth. I bought this when it was released, but it has taken me until now to actually read it (bad fan, I know). The images included here (photos of the band, newspaper scans, posters, etc.) are of a much higher quality than the books in the box sets. These help to add the finer details of the picture Paul provides in the text. If you have only read the books from the aforementioned box sets, the details and stories in this one will blow you away. I do think that some details in the box sets are left out in this book that should have been included. Namely some of the philosophy Tommy provides for “Easter Everywhere” and some of the details around “Bull of the Woods.” My only other gripes are: this book should have included high quality images of the “Discography” section featured in the box sets’ books. And the “Bull of the Woods” and “Reunion” sessions were short on details and felt a tad rushed. Certainly a well researched and crafted book that is an excellent read and I can’t recommend highly enough.

Looking forward to the reissue of “The Mind’s Eye” that is rumored to drop later this year.

[Jonas Paro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Underbar text- och bildmatig bok om ett av de mest mytomspunna och legendariska banden som existerat. Ja, de var först med att kalla sin musik psykedelisk. Ja, en av grundarna var Roky Erickson. Det mesta berättas i citat från de som själva var med. Alla klassiska band borde föräras en dylik publikation.

[Dillon Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling read littered with psychedelic time capsules that take you on quite the trip. The 13th Floor Elevators were a band that definitely practiced what they preached. RIP Roky!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real trip! Tons of photos, posters, and ephemera sprinkled throughout a chronological "oral history" of the band drawn from first- and second-hand interviews. Slip inside this book ...

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive!

[Charlie Caraccio · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amount of detail that went into this book and the rarity, and volume, of ephemera collected by Paul Drummond are staggering. A must-read for any fan of Roky or the Elevators.