Rockius of Levitatum

The 13th Floor Elevators are often cited as America's first proper psychedelic band, and while they produced a handful of fine and powerfully influential recordings, the band first gained fame in its hometown of Austin, Texas as a remarkably explosive live act, driven by the manic vocals of Roky Erickson and the thoughtful but muscular guitar of Stacy Sutherland. Rockius of Levitatum is a collection of live performances by the 13th Floor Elevators that should be familiar to many fans and collectors; three songs were from a 1966 taping of the Texas TV music series Sump N' Else (the tracks also appear on the box set Sign of the 3 Eyed Men), four come from the notorious 1967 Houston Music Theater concert where some members of the band were experiencing bad LSD trips on-stage (the full show can be heard on the album Live Evolution Lost), and the remainder come from a blazing set the Elevators played at San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom in 1966 (which can also be found on the album Avalon 66 and in the Sign of the 3 Eyed Men box). While the selection of material seems curiously random (and all of it can be found elsewhere), those with an interest in the 13th Floor Elevators' history as a live act will get a decent sampling of their concert legacy with this compilation. ~ Mark Deming