Roky Erickson with Okkervil River: True Love Cast Out All Evil

Roky Erickson with Okkervil River: True Love Cast Out All Evil

2010

Anti Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Devotional Number One  2. Ain't Blues Too Sad  3. Goodbye Sweet Dreams  4. Be and Bring Me Home  5. Bring Back the Past  6. Please, Judge  7. John Lawman  8. True Love Cast Out All Evil  9. Forever  10. Think of As One  11. Birds'd Crash  12. God Is Everywhere


Holy shit. A new album by Roky Erickson backed by the soft rock/roots-rock/alt-country band Okkervil River that I'm somewhat familiar with. Not the first type of music that pops into my head when I think of Roky Erickson but this Will Sheff dude knocks it out of the park with the liner notes though. Sweet fuck, are they comprehensive, working as an in-depth making of the album as well as a complete history of  Roky himself. I'd say the liner notes were probably worth the cost of the album alone. It's seriously a damn book worth of info here. The concept behind the album is kinda interesting. The short version is that Will Sheff sifted through a mountain of Roky's old tapes and demos and pieced together an album that ultimately works as a diary of the man's undeniably interesting life.

As for the music on the album itself? It's not what I would have expected from Roky but it's exactly what I would expect from Roky Erickson and Okkervil River. The man definitely left his Dracula cape at home for this one. Lots of rootsy contemplation, gentle performances and ruminations on love, religion and mortality. You can totally picture old man Roky reflecting on his hazy past while looking at old sepia-toned photos of himself.

The album is mostly low-key country shuffles like "Ain't Blues Too Sad," "Be and Bring Me Home" and the title track or skeletal gospel music as characterized by "Please, Judge" and "Devotional Number On." To be honest, it kinda reminds me of those sad old man albums that Rick Rubin would make with Johnny Cash or Glenn Campbell. The difference being that those guys were basically on their deathbeds while Roky still seems a little too active and impish for such treatment. To be fair, there's a tiny bit of rocking here and there..."Bring Back the Past" is sprightly and Byrds-ish enough to qualify as "rock"  as does the noise-fest "John Lawman" but that's about it. We've come a long way from the horror-rock of his 70's work or the fevered psychedelic fantasias of the Elevators for sure. Even the light-touch Buddy Holly-ish stuff is gone replaced by a darker moodiness despite the unguarded lyrics.

 People (like me) who see the name Roky Erickson and the word "evil" on an album cover might walk a way a bit underwhelmed, but what's on here is interesting. You get to view a different side of Roky for sure. I can totally see a different audience eating this up though. Your narrative-driven NPR fans who like to unwind to some new tunes by old folks will love it. Or people who veer more towards laid-back serious music as opposed to monster-movie rock. But when I readjust my mindset before putting it on I always find myself enjoying it. It's always good to hear Roky again. He's absolutely one of the most interesting rock artists of all time and his output is relatively scant for someone whose career has spanned six decades, so it's important to treasure and appreciate what we have.  Here's hoping the old guy has another record in him...Maybe one with a bit more spring in its step though...

Here's "True Love Cast Out All Evil" by Roky Erickson...Enjoy...

Roky Erickson : Live At Oyafestivalen, Oslo, Norway, August 10th, 2007

Roky Erickson : Live At Oyafestivalen, Oslo, Norway, August 10th, 2007

2007

Bootleg

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Cold Night For Alligators  2. White Faces  3. Don't Shake Me Lucifer  4. The Interpreter  5. Bloody Hammer  6. Before You Accuse Me  7.Two Headed Dog  8. Night Of The Vampire  9. The Wind And More





I wonder what Oyafestivalen is. I bet it's a sweet festival where you get to eat  a lot of oysters and listen to bands play. Yes, I'm certain that's what it is and no one else can tell me otherwise... 

 I'm sure I've discussed my love of bootlegs before. There's just something about blank white labels, incorrect track listings and weak glue that excites me. Sometimes they sound like raw shit, but sometimes you stumble upon something so great you wonder why it was never released. This would be one of those examples. 


I bought this at Double Nickels Collective/Eastside Records for about 10 bucks. Wasn't expecting much. Maybe something along the lines of the more poorly recorded stuff on "Halloween," done by an older, more out of breath Roky...But when I got this thing home and tossed it on the turntable I was immediately blown away at how professional it sounded. This must have been recorded for the radio or television, cos the sound quality is better than anything on "Halloween." No distant mics or muddy/missing instruments.

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  I'm not sure who his backing band is here, but they're top notch. Delivering old favorites  like "Cold Night for Alligators" and "The Wind & More" with utmost rocking professionalism. Roky sounds great too. I had to momentarily adjust to his older voice, he's a bit gruffer and some of the high keening quality is gone, but you quickly adjust. He really does do an excellent job knocking out these songs. And it's super fun to hear him go waaaaayyy back to his 60's repertoire for "Before You Accuse Me," which is delivered in a more straightforward, bluesy manner than his wonked-out  Thirteenth Floor Elevators performances. 

This gets a very high recommendation from me. One of the better bootlegs I've found and it seems to be pretty common, so if you run across it and you're a big Roky fan, go for it...Makes a great companion to "Halloween"...

Here's "Cold Night for Alligators"...Enjoy...

Roky Erickson: Halloween Recorded Live 1979-81

 
Roky Erickson: Halloween Recorded Live 1979-81

2008

Norton Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: Disc 1: 1.  Two Headed Dog  2.  Don't Shake Me Lucifer  3. Bermuda  4.  The Wind And More  5. Starry Eyes  6. I Walked With A Zombie  7.  Stand For The Fire Demon  8.  Bloody Hammer  

Disc 2: 1. Wait For You  2. Wake Up To Rock And Roll  3. You're Gonna Miss Me  4. Creature With The Atom Brain  5. I Think Up Demons  6. The Beast   7.  I've Just Seen A Face  8. The Interpreter  9. White Faces  10. KLBJ Radio Ad


I'm keeping this short. I'm balls-deep in a three-day weekend/birthday celebration but wanted to pop in to let you know I haven't abandoned this blog! 

And ohhh yes! This is the shit! A nice, big, glossy gatefold, 2-record set of prime, live Roky. Captured over several venues (hence the title...duh...), the sound quality fluctuates throughout, ranging from the spectacular to the distant and muffled. They're usually segregated into clusters though, so you'll get a run of five songs from a Texas show that sounds pristine, then you'll flip it over and there will be a run of rougher sounding material from a California show, so it'll take a minute, but your ears do readjust. Even the worst recordings are very listenable.

However, all the performances are all great. Despite the man's reputation for instability, he's a true professional onstage.These performances all pretty much sound just like their studio counterparts, except they sometimes stretch out a bit to rock out more (as evidenced on an 8-minute run through "Stand For the Fire Demon").

My favorite part of the album is possibly one life-changing tid-bit of information hidden deep in the liner notes. Like many other people I've always been amused and intrigued by Roky's seemingly deteriorating enunciation in "I Waked With a Zombie." It gets weirder and weirder as the song goes on, until eventually it sounds like "I waked with suh-sombie..." Weird, right? Well, not actually! Roky's drummer, Freddie Krc, clarifies the reason for this pronunciation is that Roky is working his way through the alphabet...It goes, "I walked with A zombie..." to "I walked with B zombie" to "C zombie" and so on until its just "I walked with zombie" which marks the point where Roky becomes a zombie...I think that info justified the album's price alone.

This is definitely a fun album for Roky enthusiasts. Some of the best live Roky stuff I've come across and any sound issues are secondary to the fantastic performances. It's a miracle any of this stuff was even recorded in the first place, let alone there's so much of it and it's mostly stellar quality.

 Here's the live-run through of "Two Headed Dog" by Roky Erickson. Enjoy:

Roky Erickson: Don't Slander Me

 Roky Erickson: Don't Slander Me

1986

Light in the Attic Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Don't Slander Me  2. Haunt  3. Crazy Crazy Mama  4. Nothing In Return  5. Burn  6. Bermuda  7. You Drive Me Crazy  8. Can't Be Brought Down  9. Starry Eyes  10. The Damn Thing  11. Hasn't Anyone Told You  12. Realize You're Mine  13. Haunt (Alt Take)


Oh, man. I love this record. If it's not as good as "The Evil One," then it's only by a centimeter. Alright, here's your guide to how much you'll like "Don't Slander Me," based on how much you loved "The Evil One" (you did love the 'The Evil One', right? Of course you did...):

If you loved The Evil One" mostly for its rocking and catchy songs,  then you'll love this one equally as much.

If you loved "The Evil One" mostly for the horror imagery, then you'll like this one a bit less. It's about 50% less evil. 

If you loved "The Evil One" but wasn't wild about the horror element, then you like this more than "The Evil One."

Yea, there's about 50% less devils and monsters. But what does he replace it with? BUDDY HOLLY LOVE SONGS THAT SOUND LIKE IF BUDDY HOLLY HAD SURVIVED THE PLANE CRASH AND TOOK PART IN THE LATE70's/EARLY 80's POWER POP SCENE!!! And I'm completely serious when I say that "Starry Eyes" and "Nothing in Return" can stand up to any Buddy Holly song. If Buddy had written and recorded "Starry Eyes" it would be hailed as one of the greatest pop songs of all time, no question. 

There are a couple other non-monster movie songs here that don't fit into the Buddy Holly mold: "Hasn't Anyone Told You" and "Realize You're Mine" are disarming, lovey indie pop. I'm still torn if the insanely rocking "Can't Be Brought Down" falls into the horror/supernatural category. Due to the usually macabre imagery found in his songs, I initially assumed the protagonist was a zombie, but now that I re-listen to it, it might just be a tall-tale, Texas-outlaw. Fucking rocking song either way.

Lots of great horror stuff here: From the stripped down rocking of "Haunt" and the completely bonkers, alien-obsessed title track to the slow, burning theatricality of "Burn," which just might highlight Roky at his horror-host best. He really sounds like he's lurking in the rafters, sawing away at a chandelier on this one. I'm also endlessly fascinated by Roky's repeated insistence that the devil is innocent in "Bermuda" (which as you can guess is about the Bermuda Triangle). This song's awesome and reminds me most of "The Evil One" musically speaking.

Special shout-out to "The Damn Thing" which for some reason, always cracks me up. He sounds so teeth-grindingly irritated at some damn demon lurking out there. Not horrified out of his freaking mind like you'd expect, but just sorta real-world irritated. Think of your Dad complaining about some damn raccoons in the wood pile. That's the level of discomfort on display. A must-hear. 

It's a nice day out today, maybe I'll step away from the computer for a bit...But before I do, let's listen to some music. Here's "Starry Eyes" by Roky Erickson. Enjoy...

Roky Erickson: The Evil One

Roky Erickson: The Evil One

Light in the Attic Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl & Compact Disc

Track Listing: Vinyl version: 1. Two-Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)  2. I Think Of Demons  3. I Walked With A Zombie  4. Don't Shake Me Lucifer  5. Night Of The Vampire  6. White Faces  7. Cold Night For Alligators  8. Creature With The Atom Brain  9. Mine Mine Mind 10. Stand For The Fire Demon 11. If You Have Ghosts  12.  Sputnik  13. The Wind And More 14. Bloody Hammer 15. Click Your Fingers Applauding The Play

CD Version:
1. Two-Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)   2.  I Walked With A Zombie  3. Night Of The Vampire  4.
It's Cold Night For Alligators  5.Mine Mine Mind  6. Sputnik  7.
White Faces  8. I Think Of Demons  9. Creature With The Atom Brain  10. The Wind And More  11.
Don't Shake Me Lucifer  12. Bloody Hammer  13. Stand For The Fire Demon  14. Click Your Fingers Applauding The Play  15. If You Have Ghosts




 Hey! Halloween is what? A month away? 

The perfect time to listen to Roky Erickson's "The Evil One" (although in reality, I listened to Traffic's "John Barleycorn Must Die" while I carved this particular pumpkin). Outside of The Misfits, I can't think of another artist who so perfectly captures the feel of a crisp autumn night spent pouring through old issues of Famous Monsters magazine, quite like Roky and this particular album...

 If for some reason you're unfamiliar with the man and his story, he was in the 60's psychedelic band, the 13th Floor Elevators (who are also an awesome band, just in a completely different way),  before he lost his marbles (medically speaking) and spent a few years in various psychiatric facilities (one such stint was to avoid prison for a drug charge). Somewhere in the mid 70's he emerged, ready to work again and that's when he released some of his best work. 

 The copy of "The Evil One" that I own is the 2013 reissue from Light in the Attic Records, and like pretty much all the stuff they release, it's a beautiful package. This was an album that had an extremely haphazard release history. Released under different titles with different songs, different tracklistings,  etc. Light in the Attic collected all 15 songs that comprised these various versions and put them in one place (although, in keeping with the spirit of random track listings, the CD and vinyl have a completely different running order, for some reason).

The vinyl is heavy fucking duty. A double record containing three sides, the fourth side has a cool etching of the famous Two-Headed Dog...Here's a picture of it that I stole from Google (I'm waaaayyy too lazy to take even a simple photo)...

It also comes with a giant book that is packed with photos, artwork and great information. Highlight? An interview containing the following exchange:

Q: What do you think are the most notable changes in rock and roll over say in the past 15 years?
A: The piano parts and the razor in the keys. 

Q: What are the things you like about England as opposed to America?
A: Oh, (coughs), uh, Friday the 13th.

This is seriously one of my all-time favorite albums. A Friday Night Record Party staple. I don't know how many Friday nights I spent spinning this one. On the surface it simply sounds like a slick, great rock and roll records. Maybe like a Harder Rocking Creedence Clearwater Revival (whose Stu Cook produced the album) or Bad Company with maybe a dash of punk. Just perfect, catchy, radio-ready rock. Even if these were just your basic lyrics about getting laid or partying all night I would hail it as the best of its kind. But it's so much more than that? Y'see, every single song is about devils, demons, ghosts, zombies, alligator people and every other sort of monster imaginable. And Roky sings the songs like he's face to face with all these horrors. If you're aware of his reputation and are expecting some Wild Man Fischer-esque loony bin outsider music, you need not fear. This guy can nail a hook. Anybody that can take, say, Alice Cooper or Ozzy Osbourne should have no problem with this.

  Even being extremely critical and overly-harsh, I would estimate at least 10 of the greatest songs I've ever heard are housed on this album. I can't pick a favorite. Maybe "I Think of Demons" which would be all over the radio if it wasn't for lyrics like:

"First I read a demon with horns with black tips,
Fangs in the day's moonlight,
Blood never touches my lips,
I read demon never sips,
Lucifer, Lucifer, Lucifer, Lucifer,
he's been waiting on you..."

It's all much more grand and uplifting than it reads on paper. The line, "I think of demons for you" comes across as so oddly sweet that your brain processes it as a love song. "If You Have Ghosts" is another textbook perfect example of how to construct a classic rock song. I don't know how he's able to wring so much soul out of such bizarre lyrics. But he makes being haunted by malevolent spirits sound like the most liberating experience ever. "I Walked With a Zombie" is also amazing. A simple, 60's Girl Group-esque pop number where Roky gives a memorable vocal performance. The whole thing is so bonkers and genius that I wouldn't recommend going your whole life without hearing it.

If you have any interest whatsoever in rock, horror or catchiness in general, then you need this record.  One of the few perfect, conceptually sound albums I've ever heard. He's done some great stuff before and after this, but this is truly his shining moment. Again, an essential Halloween record.

Let's listen to some music...Here's "I Think of Demons" by Roky Erickson. Enjoy...