構成数 | 4枚

合計収録時間 | 02:28:41

Personnel: Stacy Sutherland (vocals, guitar); Roky Erickson (vocals, harmonica); Danny Thomas (vocals, drums); Tommy Hall, Ronnie Leatherman (vocals); Benny Thurman (bass guitar); John Ike Walton (drums). Audio Remasterer: Paul Drummons. Photographers: Guy Clark; Russell Wheelock. Since Charly Records began working with the catalog of the fabled Texas label International Artists Records, they've released a steady stream of material by Lone Star psychedelic pioneers the 13th Floor Elevators, beginning with the definitive 2009 box set Sign of the 3 Eyed Men. But while Charly's releases have been beautifully assembled and annotated, they've also been created with serious fans in mind, rather than someone looking for the band's basic oeuvre. While a four-disc box set might seem a bit much for someone who just wants the basics, The Albums Collection is a thorough but elegant collection that delivers the Elevators' essential repertoire in one package. The Albums Collection includes the four albums the Elevators released in their lifetime -- The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, Easter Everywhere, Live, and Bull of the Woods -- all in remastered form, featuring their original mixes and sequencing, packed in reproductions of their original artwork and without extra bells and whistles or bonus tracks (though the session outtake "Fire in My Bones" is inexplicably tagged to the end of Easter Everywhere). There's room to quibble with the way this simple approach pans out in practice -- Psychedelic Sounds is presented in its stereo mix despite the superiority of the monophonic version (which appeared in Sign of the Three-Eyed Men), and though the ludicrous phony concert album Live does feature some rare early material, presenting those numbers without the overdubbed crowd noises would have been welcome. Nevertheless, the three proper albums certainly look and sound far better here than they have in the vast majority of their earlier releases, and the energetic aural exploration of the first album, the lyrical and instrumental majesty of Easter Everywhere, and the elegiac, pastoral beauty of Bull of the Woods adds up to an extraordinary body of work. Taken together, these albums rank alongside the most remarkable music to come out of a decade of brave, exciting rock & roll. The Albums Collection is hardly the last word on the 13th Floor Elevators, but it collects their most significant work in one well-designed package, and includes fine liner notes from historian Paul Drummond; it's a splendid introduction to their music, and for most casual fans, this is all they will ever need and then some. ~ Mark Deming

録音 | ステレオ (Studio/Live)