Roky Erickson : I Have Always Been Here Before (The Roky Erickson Anthology) 2005

Roger Kynard "Roky" Erickson (July 15, 1947 – May 31, 2019) was an American singer-songwriter, harmonica player, and guitarist from Texas. He was a founding member of The 13th Floor Elevators and a pioneer of the psychedelic rock genre.

Born in Dallas, Texas, Erickson was interested in music from his youth, playing piano from age 5 and taking up guitar at 10. He attended school in Austin and dropped out of Travis High School in 1965, one month before graduating, rather than cut his hair to conform to the school dress code.

His first notable group was The Spades, who scored a regional hit with Erickson's "We Sell Soul"; the song is included as an unlisted bonus track on Erickson's 1995 All That May Do My Rhyme CD and was adapted as "Don't Fall Down" by the 13th Floor Elevators for their first album. The Spades' original version of "You're Gonna Miss Me", later a hit for 13th Floor Elevators, was featured on the compilation album The Best of Pebbles Volume 1.

In 1966 (Erickson was 19 years old) the band released their debut album The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators. The album had the band's only charting single, Erickson's "You're Gonna Miss Me". A stinging breakup song, the single remains probably Erickson's best-known work: it was a major hit on local charts in the U.S. southwest and appeared at lower positions on national singles charts as well. Critic Mark Deming writes that "If Roky Erickson had vanished from the face of the earth after The 13th Floor Elevators released their epochal debut single, "You're Gonna Miss Me", in early 1966, in all likelihood he'd still be regarded as a legend among garage rock fanatics for his primal vocal wailing and feral harmonica work."

In 1968, while performing at HemisFair, Erickson began speaking gibberish. He was soon diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and sent to a Houston psychiatric hospital, where he involuntarily received electroconvulsive therapy.
(Gibberish (sometimes Jibberish) is a language game that is played in the United States and Canada. Similar games are played in many other countries. The name Gibberish refers to the nonsensical sound of words spoken according to the rules of this game.)

The Elevators were vocal proponents of marijuana and psychedelic drug use, and were subject to extra attention from law enforcement agencies. In 1969, Erickson was arrested for possession of a single marijuana joint in Austin. Facing a potential ten-year incarceration, Erickson pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to avoid prison. He was first sent to the Austin State Hospital.

After several escapes, he was sent to the Rusk State Hospital in Rusk, Texas, where he was subjected to more electroconvulsive therapy and Thorazine treatments, ultimately remaining in custody until 1972. Six tracks from the 1999 Erickson collection Never Say Goodbye were recorded during his time there.

In 1974, after having been released from the state hospital, Erickson formed a new band which he called "Bleib alien".
The new band was renamed Roky Erickson and the Aliens. In 1979, after playing with the Reversible Cords on May Day at Raul's, Erickson recorded 15 new songs with producer Stu Cook, former bass player of Creedence Clearwater Revival. These efforts were released in two "overlapping" LPs – "I Think of Demons" (CBS UK, 1980) and "The Evil One" (415 Records, 1981).

I Have Always Been Here Before: The Roky Erickson Anthology confirms what a handful of fans have long known -- that Erickson is a major talent who has created a remarkable body of work -- and this is easily the most comprehensive and satisfying collection of his music assembled to date. If you have any interest at all in Roky Erickson's music, this is easily the best starting point to investigate his work, and unlike many Erickson collections, the artist will actually get royalties for this one.

CD1

1.   We Sell Soul - The Spades (1965)
2.   You're Gonna Miss Me - 13th Floor Elevators (1966)
3.   Reverberation (Doubt) - 13th Floor Elevators (1966)
4.   Tried to Hide - 13th Floor Elevators (1966)
5.   Fire Engine - 13th Floor Elevators (1966)
6.   She Lives (In a Time of Her Own) - 13th Floor Elevators (1967)
7.   Slip Inside This House - 13th Floor Elevators (1968)
8.   Splash 1 - 13th Floor Elevators (1968)
9.   Dust - 13th Floor Elevators (1967)
10. I Had to Tell You - 13th Floor Elevators (1967)
11. Postures (Leave Your Body Behind) - 13th Floor Elevators (1967)
12. Right Track Now - Roky Erickson (1967)
13. Red Temple Prayer (Two Headed Dog) - Roky Erickson (1975)
14. Starry Eyes - Roky Erickson (1975)
15. Bermuda - Roky Erickson (1977)
16. Interpreter - Roky Erickson & the Aliens (1977)
17. Mine Mine Mind - Roky Erickson & the Aliens (1977)
18. I Have Always Been Here Before - Roky Erickson (1977)
19. Click Your Fingers Applauding the Play - Roky Erickson & The Aliens (1977)
20. I Think Up Demons - Roky Erickson & The Aliens (1980)
21. Don't Shake Me Lucifer - Roky Erickson & The Aliens (1980)
22. White Faces - Roky Erickson & The Aliens (1980)

CD 1. Take it HERE



CD2

1.   It's a Cold Night for Alligators - Roky Erickson & The Aliens (1980)
2.   Creature with the Atom Brain - Roky Erickson & The Aliens (1980)
3.   Stand for the Fire Demon - Roky Erickson & The Aliens (1980)
4.   Bloody Hammer - Roky Erickson & The Aliens (1981)
5.   Wind and More - Roky Erickson & The Aliens (1981)
6.   If You Have Ghosts - Roky Erickson & The Aliens (1981)
7.   Song to Abe Lincoln [Live] - Roky Erickson (1986)
8.   Anthem (I Promise) - Roky Erickson (1986)
9.   Warning (Social and Social-Political Injustices) [Live] - Roky Erickson (1986)
10. Beast - Roky Erickson (1985)
11. You Don't Love Me Yet - Roky Erickson (1985)
12. Clear Night for Love - Roky Erickson (1985)
13. Don't Slander Me - Roky Erickson (1985)
14. Nothing in Return - Roky Erickson (1986)
15. Burn the Flames - Roky Erickson (1986)
16. When You Get Delighted - Roky Erickson (1988)
17. True Love Cast Out All Evil - Roky Erickson (1988)
18. For You (I'd Do Anything) - Roky Erickson (1995)
19. Please Judge - Roky Erickson (1995)
20. We Are Never Talking - Roky Erickson (1995)
21. I'm Gonna Free Her - Roky Erickson (1995)

CD 2. Take it HERE