13th Floor Elevators

The 13th Floor Elevators were an American rock band from Austin, Texas, formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland. The band was together from 1965 to 1969, and during that period released four albums and seven singles for the International Artists record label. The Elevators were the first band to refer to their music as psychedelic rock, with the first-known use of the term appearing on their business card in January 1966. The 2005 documentary You're Gonna Miss Me specifically credits Tommy Hall with coining the term "psychedelic rock", although artists such as the Holy Modal Rounders and the Deep had described their music as "psychedelic" earlier. Their contemporary influence has been acknowledged by 1960s musicians such as Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Peter Albin of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Chris Gerniottis of Zakary Thaks.
== Links to Peel ==
Peel knew of the 13th Floor Elevators, although they didn't seem to be among his favourites during their 1960s career. Their LPs were available in at least some London record shops specialising in US imports and the band's album Easter Everywhere was mentioned in an International Times "Pop Supplement" in early 1968. They also featured in a long article on the Texas music scene in Rolling Stone at the end of that year. Despite this, he doesn't seem to have mentioned them in his journalism, or played any tracks from them on his shows of that period. However, two LPs by the 13th Floor Elevators were among those from Peel's collection chosen for the V&A exhibition on the 1960s, You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966-70", in 2016-17.
The band broke up before it could achieve any commercial success but was one of those 1960s acts whose cult following grew in later decades, helped by their inclusion on the influential Nuggets v/a compilation, so it's likely that Peel re-evaluated their work as a result. He didn't play anything by them until 1978, amidst reissues of their material due to renewed interest in International Artists releases. He also went on to play singer Roky Erickson's solo material, in the 1980's and beyond.
== Shows Played ==
;thumb|330x330px1978
*13 November 1978: Roller Coaster (album - The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators) Radar
;1984
*09 May 1984 (BFBS): Earthquake (album - Easter Everywhere) International IA-LP-5
;1986
*09 December 1986: Slide Machine (LP - Easter Everywhere) Radar
;1987
*24 April 1987 (BFBS): 'Before You Accuse Me (LP-Live)' (International Artists)
;1989
*This One Fades In...: Don't Fall Down
;1996
*18 March 1996: Reverberation (single, 1966)
== Covered ==
(The list below was compiled only from the Cover Versions page of this site. Please add more information if known.)
Artist | Track | First Known Play
*Butthole Surfers: Earthquake 10 February 1991
*Jesus & Mary Chain: Reverberation (Doubt) 14 July 1991
*Primal Scream: Slip Inside This House Peel Late November 1990
== See Also ==
*Record Collection: V&A LPs
*The Collection (Peel Acres - Kieran Hebden)
== External Links ==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
Category:Artists
Category:Covered