Roky Erickson – Don’t Slander Me (1986)

Roger Kynard Erickson, 15 July 1947, Dallas, Texas, USA. Erickson came to the fore in the infamous 13th Floor Elevators. He composed ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me’, the band’s most popular single, while his feverish voice and exciting guitar work provided a distinctive edge. This influential unit broke up in disarray during 1968 as Erickson began missing gigs. Arrested on a drugs charge, he faked visions to avoid imprisonment, but was instead committed to Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. He was released in 1971 and began a low-key solo career, recording several singles with a new backing group, Bleib Alien. In 1980 the guitarist secured a recording contract with CBS Records but the resultant album, Roky Erickson And The Aliens, was a disappointment and compromised the artist’s vision for a clean, clear-cut production. Erickson’s subsequent releases have appeared on several minor labels. Their quality has varied, befitting a mercurial character who remains a genuine eccentric – he has persistently claimed that he is from the planet Mars. His music borrows freely from horror and science fiction films and, when inspired, he is capable of truly powerful performances.

Erickson was imprisoned in 1990 for stealing mail, but his plight inspired Sire Records’ Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye, wherein 19 acts, including R.E.M. , Jesus And Mary Chain, ZZ Top and the Butthole Surfers interpreted many of his best-known songs, the proceeds of which should ameliorate his incarceration. Following his release from a mental institution a grizzled Erickson recorded 1995’s All That May Do My Rhyme, and against all expectations of a drug-wrecked casualty record, it was one of his better efforts. Like Syd Barrett, Erickson may never return to our cosy and supposedly sane world, but unlike Barrett he is at least still attempting to make new music. (The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin)

Don’t Slander Me is a fortunate rarity among Roky Erickson’s solo albums — it actually captures the man playing with a tight and emphatic rock & roll band, and was recorded in a quality recording studio with a competent engineer at the board, and given the amount of shoddy semi-bootleg Erickson releases that have oozed into the market over the years, this alone makes it worth a listen. Even better, Don’t Slander Me is one of Erickson’s strongest rock albums, with his voice sharp as a switchblade and his rhythm guitar work clicking perfectly with Duane Aslaksen’s fierce leads and Billy Miller’s gloriously eccentric autoharp patterns. (Former Jefferson Airplane bassist Jack Casady is also on board, helping to anchor the rhythm section.)

While many of the songs on Don’t Slander Me popped up before (and since) throughout Erickson’s recording career, the versions here are focused and passionate (especially “Bermuda,” “Can’t Be Brought Down,” and the storming title cut), and while Erickson and his band were obviously in a hot-wired frame of mind when they recorded this material, “You Drive Me Crazy,” “Starry Eyes,” and “Nothing in Return” prove they could shine just as brightly on less hard-edged material. While Erickson was at the height of his legendary eccentricity when Don’t Slander Me was recorded, this album sounds passionate, focused, and coherent on all tracks, and if his lyrical bent is a bit strange here, at least he can convince listeners that his madness is more than just a pose. (by Mark Deming)

Personnel:
Duane Aslaksen  (guitar, vocals)
Jack Casady (bass)
Roky Erickson (vocals, guitar)
Bill Miller (autoharp)
Paul Zahl (drums)
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Bill Burgess (guitar on 06.)
Martin Fierro (saxophone on 02.)
Mike Hinton (guitar on 01., 03.)
Jack Johnson (leadguitar on 09.)
Jeff Sutton (drums on 08.)
John Whitelaw (bass on 08. + 09.

Tracklist:
01. Don’t Slander Me 3.24
02. Haunt 2.48
03. Crazy Crazy Mama 2.00
04. Nothing In Return 2.47
05. Burn The Flames 6.00
06. Bermuda 3.09
07. You Drive Me Crazy 2.26
08. Can’t Be Brought Down 4.59
09. Starry Eyes 3.05
10. The Damn Thing 4.54

All songs written by Roky Erickson

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More from Roky Erickson:

Roky Erickson – The Holiday Inn Tapes + Mine Mine Mind (EP) (1987)

Roky Erickson — lead vocalist and principal songwriter for the psychedelic band the 13th Floor Elevators and one of the leading lights of Texas rock — died Friday in Austin. He was 71.

Erickson’s death was confirmed by his brother Mikel to Bill Bentley, who produced the all-star 1990 Erickson tribute album “Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye,” which included performances by R.E.M., ZZ Top, Doug Sahm and other stars.

“Roky lived in so many worlds, you couldn’t keep up with him,” Bentley told Variety. “He lived so much, and not always on this planet.”

Erickson specialized in a stormy, nightmarish brand of rock. His otherworldly original songs were often inspired by his favorite horror movies (a collection of his lyrics was published in 1995 by Henry Rollins’ book company 2.13.61). His intense, piercing yowl was the focal point of the Elevators’ seething 1966 single “You’re Gonna Miss Me.” A magnum opus of garage rock, it was featured on Lenny Kaye’s influential 1972 compilation “Nuggets.”

The band released four albums of churning psychedelia for Lelan Rogers’ independent label International Artists between 1966 and 1969; its first two collections, “The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators” and “Easter Everywhere,” are acknowledged classics of psych-rock.

After the band folded — due in no small measure due to Erickson’s drug habits and escalating mental illness — the singer embarked on a lengthy solo career that was interrupted by periods of institutionalization.

He released a scathing series of singles flashing horror and sci-fi imagery — “Red Temple Prayer (Two Headed Dog),” “The Interpreter,” “Starry Eyes,” “Bermuda,” “Don’t Slander Me” — during the ‘70s and ‘80s, and issued several solo albums, one of which, “Roky Erickson and the Aliens,” was issued by CBS.

While best known for his snarling garage-rockers, some of Erickson’s most memorable songs were haunting ballads like “You Don’t Love Me Yet” and “I Have Always Been Here Before,” whose heart-wrenching melodies belied the torment hinted in the lyrics.

Erickson’s battle with mental illness was chronicled in the affecting 2007 documentary “You’re Gonna Miss Me.”

In later years, he toured regularly, backed by such acts as the Black Angels, and could often be found performing on his favorite holiday, Halloween.

Born Roger Kynard Erickson in Austin, Texas, on July 15, 1947, Erickson was a high school dropout who formed his first group, the Spades, at 18. The group scored a local hit with the single “We Sell Soul,” and cut the original version of “You’re Gonna Miss Me.”

The 13th Floor Elevators teamed Erickson with the aggressive guitarist Stacy Sutherland and Tommy Hall, who played an ululating, amplified jug. Their debut “Psychedelic Sounds” LP included their signature hit and “Fire Engine,” which became a signature tune in the early repertoire of the New York punk band Television.

The Elevators were a popular Austin act but fell apart thanks to Erickson’s instability, brought on by literally dozens of LSD trips. He was committed to psychiatric hospitals in Austin and Houston, undergoing involuntary electroshock therapy.

He groped his way back to performing in the ‘70s, and some of his best recordings of the period were produced by his Austin contemporary Sahm and Creedence Clearwater Revival bassist Stu Cook. He toured backed by the Austin bands the Explosives and the Aliens (which featured another jug player, Bill Miller).

The ‘80s proved fallow for Erickson, who was sidetracked for a time by charges, later dropped, that he had stolen mail from his neighbors. He lived for several years with his mother in near destitution.

But projects like the Sire/Warner Bros. tribute album and the ardent fandom of younger rock musicians kept him in the public eye; a strong 1995 album, “All That May Do My Rhyme,” was released by Butthole Surfers drummer King Coffey. He appeared at the ACL festival in Austin that year for his first live date in 20 years.

After slowly weaning himself off medication employed to control his schizophrenia, Erickson worked U.S. stages regularly. He became a semi-regular at the South By Southwest Music Festival, and in 2015 he reunited with surviving members of the 13th Floor Elevators at Austin’s Levitation Festival, which was named after an Elevators song.

His survivors include another brother, Sumner, and son Jegar. (variety.com)

And here´s is a strange solo album from the Eighties:

More or less, Roky Erickson playing folk rock. Definitely a far cry from anything he ever did with the 13th Floor Elevators. Liked his covering the two Buddy Holly songs here – “True Love Ways” and “Peggy Sue Got Married”, the so-so “I Look At The Moon”, “Don’t Slander Me”, the emotional “Mine Mine Mind”, the rocking “Two Headed Dog” and one TFE tune “May The Circle Remain Unbroken” (off the band’s less appreciated third lp ‘Bull Of The Woods’). Looks to be the title’s initial ten tracks + four added bonus cuts. Overall, not bad, but an okay pick. (Mike Reed)

Judged on its own as a music recording this is pretty rough. This is a Roky Erickson collectors album most interesting from the historical perspective. Recorded on a cheap portable recorder in a motel room, this album is upfront and claims no pretention. This is not a typical Roky Erickson collection of songs. There are some cover versions of old rock standards and some Roky tunes not often found.

Very informal, ragged playing that sounds like something just slapped together on the spur of the moment. And I guess that’s exactly what it is.

Four stars for being kind of an interesting exploration of this legendary artist. Three stars and maybe less from anybody who doesn’t know who he is and just wants to hear some music. In other words, not everyone will get a kick out of this album and I doubt that anyone would put it on their list of favorites. (Arlee Bird)

I love this record. However, no one else seems to. Its bare, its minimalistic. Just Roky and acoustic guitar. Some of his songs, some Buddy Holly covers, some others. Hardly exciting, but very intimate. Very interesting to hear Holly’s songs covered by Roky acoustically and finger-picked at that, love it. But, it took a while for me to crack into it. If you want a different side of Roky (acoustic) I’d highly recommend this. But if you’re looking for 13th Floor or Two-Headed Dog or Night of the Vampire with all their energy and electricity, perhaps pass on this one. (Colin)

Front + back cover of the “Mine, Mine Mind” EP

I add another rare EP from this period and on “Mine Mine Mind” you can hear the heavy side of Roky Erickson … what a great trip !

This EP was later re-released under the titel “2 Head Dogs”.

Front + back cover of the “2 Headed Dog” EP

Personnel:
Roky Erickson (guitar, vocals)

Tracklist:
01. The Singing Grandfather (Erickson) 3.59
02. The Times I’ve Had (Erickson) 2.31
03. That’s My Song (Erickson) 1.03
04. True Love Ways (Holly/Petty) 3.40
05. Peggy Sue Got Married (Holly) 2.02
06 Mighty Is Our Love (Erickson) 4.16
07. I Look At The Moon (Erickson) 2.45
08. Don’t Slander Me (Erickson) 2.39
09. May The Circle Remain Unbroken (Erickson) 2.33
10. The Singing Grandfather (Reprise) (Erickson) 3.34
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The Mine Mine Mind EP (1987):
11. Mine Mine Mind (Erickson) 2.39
12. Click Your Fingers Applauding The Play (Erickson) 3.20
13. Two-Headed Dog (Erickson) 3.22
14. I Have Always Been Here Before (Erickson) 2.44

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Roky Erickson (July 15, 1947 – May 31, 2019)