The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

This probably sounded pretty interesting and crazy in 1966. So I'll give them that. But in 2026 it just sounds like shit.

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.

One of the genre-defining psychedelic records, this one. Starting from the cover art to the music itself. The performance is inherently experimental: it’s bubbling, it’s warbling, it’s spellbinding, it’s hypnotic, it’s sprawling, and it’s constantly shape-shifting. Roky Erickson does an amazing job of bringing in an additional odd element. A far cry from the similarly groundbreaking Piper at the Gates of Dawn’s academic approach, the 13th Floor Elevators primarily draw from rock ’n’ roll’s primal intensity and passion. As a result, it’s one of the rawest staples of the genre. Occasionally the band ventures into more melodic and laid-back territory on the third track, which invites comparisons to the later released Jefferson debut. Thhe 13th Floor Elevators were truly ahead of their time.

I found absolutely no joy in this at all.

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.

Loved this. Very forward for 1965, and incredibly unpolished.

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

⭐⭐⭐

Не моє

Fairly generic 60s rock.

Kann man nicht ganz so viel abgewinnen, wenn im Hintergrund jemand pausenlos ein Aluminiumblech wabbelt

Would have been a 5 of that dude wasn't scatting in the background of every song.

Possibly the best find so far! I'm kind of obsessed with this band - the sound almost like proto-Stooges, and each time I hear another band I love in there :) great guitar, groovy songs, and a goshdarn jug! Incredible.

If you asked a good A.I. Engine to generate a psychedelic rock album, it would probably spit out an approximation of this record. Is it chock-full-o-bangers? No, but it absolutely nails the psychedelic sound on every track; you could easily throw this album on instead of a psychedelic rock playlist and not feel like you're missing much. Sure there are bands that did it better, but The 13th Floor Elevators did it first so they get more credit.
If you don't know what an electric jug sounds like, not only will you absolutely know its sound after this album but you'll certainly have feelings one way or the other about its use as an instrument. Had Janis Joplin committed to joining the band, they would have had two of the most polarizing sounds in 1960s rock&roll (and maybe some more success). Oh what could have been...

PS- If anyone reading this is considering an Elevators/psychedelic rock cover band, "The Electric Jugs" would be a great name (currently available per spotify's artist listings).

It's a cool album, but nothing really stuck with me. Par for the course for most of these 60s rock albums.

60slop and some jugs

Standouts: Roller Coaster • Reverberation

One of the earliest psychedelic rock albums with a minor hit in "You're Gonna Miss Me" (I knew that song thanks to the High Fidelity soundtrack). The Electric Jug is a...choice. After a while it got irritating to hear. The whole album is very dated, but deserves accolades for being on the leading edge of psychedelic rock which ultimately influences many acts and other genres for decades to come. I'm glad to have heard it, but I don't think I'd revisit it. I'd call it a 2.5 (docking half a point for how irritating the electric jug got), but I'll round up in recognition of their influence. Favorite tracks: You're Gonna Miss Me, Splash 1 (Now I'm Home), Reverberation.

this is not a remarkable album at all.

Psych rock is one of my favorite genres and it wouldn't exist without this album, so I absolutely adore it. It's incredibly weird and dark for something from this early on.

Two 60s hippie acid rock albums in a row. Neat.

60's acid rock. These guys are one of the bands credited with starting the psychadelic genre. It's not bad. This is the transition period. There are psychadelic elements to it, but it isn't way out there like other bands in the psychadelic genre would be in future years ..at the point of this album it was like garage rock made by people who were fucked up on LSD. It's like a more weird Blue Cheer. Interestingly, this band had a member who played the "electric jug". Literally a jug that he would blow into next to a microphone.

Favorite songs: You're Gonna Miss Me, Reverberation, Fire Engine, Thru the Rhythm

Least favorite songs: Splash 1

3/5