The Best Albums I’ve Never Heard: 1966 – The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

1966 was a good year for music. Revolver by the Beatles, Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, Blonde on Blonde by Bob Dylan, and Aftermath by the Rolling Stones are just four of the incredible albums released in 1966. When selecting a 1966 album for this project, I found that I had heard just about all of the highly rate albums from that year. One record that had generally favorable reviews I had never heard:The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators by the 13th Floor Elevators. 

Released on October 17, 1966 and produced by Lelan Rogers, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators is the first known use of the term “psychedelic” in an album title as to describe the music therein. “Psychedelic” means “relating to or denoting drugs (especially LSD) that produce hallucinations and apparent expansion of consciousness.”2

The opening guitar phrase of Psychedelic Sounds rings like a surf rock piece from the 1950s before decending into madness. The triplets on the ride cymbal and the ferociousness of the percussion set the mood for an album unlike anything heard before. The frantic mid-range of the electric jug adds a unique texture to the fray. “You gotta open up your mind and let everything come through,” as Roky Erikson sings in the second song, seems to the the overriding theme of Psychedelic Sounds. 

Psychedelic Sounds is one of the first acid rock albums. Acid rock is a sub-genre of music that expresses an interest in taking mind altering drugs and attempts to capture the experience of taking LSD. Acid rock would continue through the late 60s and early 70s as a formidable genre. Bands like Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, and Iron Butterfly, while offering cleaner masters, are all predated by Psychedelic Sounds. It that way, it ranks as an important album. At times, one can hear sounds that likely influenced The Pixies and early R.E.M.

Psychedelic Sounds, while groundbreaking for historical and cultural purposes, leaves much to be desired in sonic quality. The album could benefit from a remix and re-mastering. In my view, there’s too much high midrange in the guitars and the album is difficult for me to listen to for extended listenings. But still, moments like “You’re Gonna Miss Me” and “Fire Engine” are unstoppable, unforgettable moments that have me tempting fate with repeated listenings, in spite of the harshness. That’s good rock ‘n roll for you.

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YearFeatured AlbumOther Notable Albums
1966The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators by the 13th Floor ElevatorsRevolver by the Beatles
Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys
Blonde on Blonde by Bob Dylan
Aftermath by the Rolling Stones
1965My Generation by The Who Rubber Soul by The Beatles
Bringing It All Back Home by Bob Dylan
1964Kinks by The KinksA Hard Day’s Night by The Beatles
Beatles for Sale by The Beatles
1 This ongoing chart will catalog the albums that I feature in this blog. I include my personal favorite albums under “Other Notable Albums.”

2 Psychedelic, New Oxford American Dictionary, Online Ed.