The 13th Floor Elevators were seen as oddball one-hit wonders in most of the United States during their glory days from 1966 to 1968, but they were heroes (at least for a while) in their native Texas, and plenty of psychedelic acolytes from the Lone Star State cited them as a major influence. It would be hard to name a band that borrowed more from the Elevators, or did it to better effect, than Austin's the Golden Dawn, whose debut album, Power Plant, sounds like a folkier companion piece to Easter Everywhere. Lead vocalist George Kinney was friends with Roky Erickson and they briefly played together in a teenage garage band, and while Kinney lacks Erickson's feral intensity, his voice bears an uncanny resemblance to the open and quietly passionate tone Erickson was reaching for on songs like "Splash 1" and "Dust." As a songwriter, Kinney couldn't quite match the acid-fueled philosophizing of Tommy Hall, but his lyrics are thoughtful and insightful, reaching for something deeper than the "listen to the sound of purple" clichés that dogged many psych band of the era. The opening cut, "Evolution," uses a set of wind chimes to punctuate the arrangement much in the same way the Elevators used Tommy Hall's jug, and the lovely melodic sense of "This Way Please" and "Reaching Out to You" recalls the more mellow moments of the Elevators' folk-influenced numbers. While the Golden Dawn could rock out when they were so inclined on tunes like "Starvation" and "I'll Be Around," their approach is informed by a gentleness that sets them apart from their contemporaries -- there's a grace in this music that's uncommon for any era, and the interplay in the guitar work of Tom Ramsey and Jimmy Bird shows a subtle sophistication that makes Kinney's melodies all the more compelling. Kinney has frequently told journalists that Power Plant was recorded before Easter Everywhere, and though it's hard to believe that the Golden Dawn didn't learn a lot from the 13th Floor Elevators, the music on this album is good enough to insist they weren't stealing, just following a similar path, and it takes them to a very fine place on Power Plant. Sadly, the Golden Dawn broke up before they could record another LP, but Power Plant shows them to be one of the best bands to emerge from the Texas psychedelic underground during their brief renaissance in 1967.
01.) Evolution (George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 3:28
02.) The Way Please (George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 5:08
03.) Starvation (George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 2:52
04.) I'll Be Around (George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 3:00
05.) Seeing Is Believing (George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 2:21
06.) My Time (Jimmy Bird - Bill Hallmark - George Kinney) - 3:50
07.) A Nice Surprise (Bill Hallmark - George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 2:51
08.) Every Day (George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 3:59
09.) Tell Me Why (George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 2:07
10.) Reaching Out To You (Bill Hallmark - George Kinney) - 2:37
Ripped By: ChrisGoesRock
Thank you Dmitrich!!
ReplyDeleteThank You Dmitrich!
ReplyDeleteI have of course for more than 45 years. One of the best psychedelic records.
ReplyDeletethis is a very great lp thanks
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for this.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
ReplyDeleteTexas Acid Rock at its best. And what a front cover!
ReplyDeleteI love that record and got 2 versions of that one, a very cute Sunspots replica from 2002 and a beautiful 2008 International Artists vinyl reissue.
I don't think the Golden Dawn should always been compared to the elevators, it's just that they were from the same city, shared the same environment and steam of music at almost the same time and above all, were inspired by the same drugs.
Moreover, they also shared the same label which leads me to International Artists and think that they were a real bunch of losers. Let me explain, they had all, the best bands from Texas, nice covers designers, big money and they screwed everything with knowing nothing about production (although Power plant doesn't sound bad at all) but the elevators vinyls are so bad produced that even nowadays, they are difficult to remaster but it's just my 2 cents and another subject.
Otherwise, very, very good post.