Friday Nuggets: "You're Gonna Miss Me" The 13th Floor Elevators

This is one of the all time great rock'n'roll songs. If you don't know it, you need to pay close attention this week. If you do know it (and if you are over the age of 35 you certainly should), I hope you enjoy checking back in. "You're Gonna Miss Me" from 1966:

The story of Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators is a rich but profoundly sad one, and the subject of a very fine biography Eye Mind: The Saga of Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators. Some say Erickson coined the term "psychedelic rock" and credit The 13th Floor Elevators with inventing the sound. But the Texas police didn't appreciate the band's aesthetic and hounded them, eventually sentencing Erickson to prison for years for the possession of a single marijuana cigarette. Erickson entered a mental health facility instead where he was subject to electro-shock therapy which profoundly changed him.

The 13th Floor Elevators were hardly a one hit wonder and had a many terrific songs due to Erickson's fantastic songwriting. Any serious fan of garage or psychedelic rock should own a collection of their music.

One of my favorite tribute records is the compilation Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson, which featured performances by ZZ Top, R.E.M., The Jesus and Mary Chain, T Bone Burnett, Primal Scream. and many other artists who credit Roky Erickson as a major influence.  "You're Gonna Miss Me" is covered there by another Texas legend, Doug Sahm: