Live Evolution Lost (Mediabook)

Psychedelic pioneers the 13th Floor Elevators had a sterling reputation as a live act during their years in Austin, Texas, but there are only a few scraps of recorded evidence to back up the legend of the Elevators' fiery shows. Tapes exist of early radio and television performances by the band, and an oft-bootlegged 1966 show at San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom captured them at the height of their powers, but Live Evolution Lost documents one of the only professionally recorded concerts the band would ever give. Recorded at the Houston Music Theater on February 18, 1967, Live Evolution Lost preserves one of the 13th Floor Elevators' biggest and best-attended shows, though the performance has an unusual reputation among fans, as guitarist Stacy Sutherland later confessed he was experiencing a profoundly bad acid trip once he hit the stage. Despite it all, this album captures the unusual musical interplay of the Elevators as they make their way through a set featuring material they rarely played in concert. The album also includes an extended jam session in which the Elevators stretch out with another notable Texas psychedelic band of the day, Conqueroo. Live Evolution Lost marks the first authorized release of the complete Houston Music Theater recordings, and will be of keen interest to committed fans of this trailblazing band. ~ Mark Deming