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Roky Erickson In the first half of the year, there has been plenty of Roky Erickson activity, including the recent licensing by longtime client, Orb Productions of classic albums, ”Gremlins Have Pictures” and “Don’t Slander Me”, reissued with bonus tracks and improved liner notes by Rykodisc, one of the best labels in the world at providing such reissued gems. Both albums will be remastered , with bonus tracks, and improved liner notes and artwork. Don't Slander Me contains everything that makes Roky the amazingly unique musician he is. From the fiery title track to the last song, this album kicks ass. Roky expresses his tender side on rock ballads such as Nothing In Return and Starry Eyes, but the high point of the album is without a doubt Burn The Flames (from the Return Of The Living Dead soundtrack), a venture into horror as only Roky could tell it. Features Jack Casady on bass. Gremlins Have Pictures contains a collection of alternate takes, unreleased live performances, and unreleased songs makes Gremlins Have Pictures a must for any die hard Orb also licensed 22 masters to be included on the upcoming Roky Erickson/13th Floor Elevators 2-cd anthology being assembled by Shout Factory, the company run by the nice folks who formerly ran Rhino Records. This Sony-distributed package, more than a dozen years in the making, is quite simply the greatest overview of Roky’s career ever to be released. The complete track listing is set forth below. Roky Erickson is one of the most influential cult artists of all time. His work with the ’60s Texas group The 13th Floor Elevators bridged garage rock and psychedelia, and cast a long shadow over the punk and post-punk movements. After a 1969 drug bust, the already mentally fragile Roky chose a stay in a mental institution instead of doing jail time, but was subjected to electroshock therapy and emerged in a highly unstable condition. He continued to write brilliant, chilling songs throughout the ’70s and ’80s, and the cult around him grew. In 1990 he was honored with an acclaimed tribute album, Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye, featuring R.E.M., ZZ Top, and Primal Scream. This led to a revival of his fortunes, which included new releases made in conjunction with Charlie Sexton and Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers. The 2-CD set, “I Have Always Been Here Before: The Roky Erickson Anthology” is the only release to cover his entire 40-year career, making it the definitive Roky Erickson collection. Official Roky site: www.erickson.com Track Listing Disc 2: 1. It’s A Cold Night For Alligators |
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fan, and a great album for everyone else. Erickson's rendition of Lou Reed’s "Heroin" brings explosive life to the song, and is regarded as "better than the original" by many fans.
