13th Floor Elevators' debut album - best version?

So how would I go about possibly getting this? Is there a web site or something?

 

What's better than the Charly Box?
Thanks.

 

Gotta throw in my 2 cents here. Just got the Sundazed today, and I think it sounds great. I have the Texas Music fanclub stuff, and this is easily as good. I'm really amazed at the bass that I'm getting. Again, I think a lot of these comments(mine included) must be taken with a grain of salt dependent on lot's of stuff, not the least of which is personal taste and system set up. But I'm listening to "Reverberation" now and the bass is rumbling out of my Klipsch Forte speakers. No shrillness at all. Just a big, heavy, thumping sound. This is by far the best I've ever heard this album, and this has to be rated as one of the best things Sundazed has produced.

Good job Bob & co.

 

You have expressed my sentiments exactly as regards the Sundazed vinyl reissue of the Elevators' debut. I am really not understanding some of the comments that have been made about this record release here and elsewhere. I also think this is one great sounding record and a true jewel in the Sundazed catalog.

 

I hear quite a bit of distortion throughout the album, which seems to be inherent in the source material and not through any fault of Sundazed. For those of you with clean mono IA pressings, do the originals have the same distortion?

 

I listened to this vinyl release for the 4th time last night (because I wanted to hear if it sounded any "better" with my upgraded Goldring stylus) - and it still sounded OK, but not "great" sounding as others seem to say it is. Just to ensure I wasn't having an issue with my system - I put on a Steve mastered 45rpm Blue Note (now my gauge for how well vinyl can sound) and it sounded sweet!!!!!!

So I stand by my comments that if anyone is calling this album a "great sounding record", etc. - they have to be comparing it to other versions of the 13th Floor Elevators album. I just don't hear this, to my ears, as being a "great" sounding piece of vinyl. The vinyl is quiet but the source material is lacking. (I also point to the Nuggets CD I have, where the one cut on that compilation is also in mono and it sounds better than the Sundazed vinyl.)

 

Wonder where they sourced that from?
Thanks for your review & enjoy the Goldring!

 

I have the I.A. 13th Floor original stereos but not the first album in mono - I've got the Sundazed for that.

People should understand this was a 1966 lo-tech garage/psych recording. None of the originals are audiophile LPs. They do have some distortion and mixing issues. That the the sound of the Elevators though. The Sundazed does sound excellent, way better than any other re-release over the years.

 

I believe that those of us who think the mono Sundazed sounds great are comparing it to other reissues of the album of the years. I have three different versions of it, and the Sundazed mono is my favorite. I do love the sound of "You're Gonna Miss Me" on Nuggets.

 

You're Gonna Miss Me from the Nuggets box sounds very nice indeed. In one of my posts I commented on the Sundazed lp sounding a little bright on my system - I also pointed out that other albums sounded a bit bright to me when played back on my Thorens turntable/Ortofon cartridge combination. I'm getting my copy needle dropped on another system, and I'll let folks here know how it sounds once it's finished.

 

My original stereo IA pressing of the album sounds better than the mono Sundazed LP. It's warmer, more detailed, and less distorted (and my copy is pretty well beat up too).

I'd still like to know if original IA mono pressings are as distorted as the Sundazed version. I'd hate to think that the distortion happened when Bob Irwin made his tape dupe back in the '80s from the (now destroyed) record club source tape.

 

Just listened to my copy of the Sundazed mono and I have to say that side one is quite listen-able once you get used to the distortion. Side two was a bit brighter and tough to listen to. Is it just me or does anyone else's copy have a similar problem?

Jake

 

Yes, some of side two is a bit crunchier.

 

Box vs. Box = Boxing!

OK, "YGMM" on disc one of the Rhino Box (Nuggets/why in the world is "YGMM" not on any of the three single disc "Nuggets"???) is WAY better than the Charly Box.
Butt, its completely different!
I'm still a fan of the Charly Box (w/three versions of "YGMM"; how could you not be?!?!). Just why wasn't the mono source used?
And were did it come from?
Thanks.

 

The mono "record club" master, although found and copied by Bob Irwin 15+ years ago, was only issued this year, albeit only on vinyl. So for that reason, the only way to hear the original mono mix was either on the first pressing IA issue or via bootleg.
However, as has been discussed, the quality of the current Charly/Collectables/Sunspots reissues are questionable at best and deserve MUCH better. I know you like what you have, BIG ED, but the quality is lacking (that box set is essentially a "de-clicked" needledrop) and could be presented in a much improved fashion. This point is made astoundingly clear by the needle drops circulated by a certain online group.

From what I gather, the reason for the degeneration of the sound quality, as many people mentioned are as follows: In the late 70s, the original tapes were misplaced or lost, and Radar/WEA in the UK used low-quality needledrops of some form to capitalize upon the resurgence of all things 13th Floor Elevators, despite being sold the 2-track masters by the Elevators producer, Lelan Rogers. Add 30 years of re-EQing, multiple tape generations and NO-NOISE manipulation into the mix, and you have the travesty on your hands.

Luckily, the TexasPsych group, the Sundazed mono LP, Paul Drummond's "Eye Mind" biography and the upcoming box set are correcting this wrong.

 

So, where does the Rhino mono ceedee version come from?
Needledrop?
Thanks.

I'm a BIG fan of the selection (re: three "YGMM's").
And it beats the IA "Collectables" CD of the 1st album I "had".
(as well as a French "Best of")

Your speaking "only" of the Charly Box?

Will the upcoming box set be available on silver disc?

Thanks a lot for sharing!

 

As I mentioned before, The mono LP is only on vinyl, through Sundazed records (www.sundazed.com) and comes from a 1:1 copy of a record club master of the mono mixdown.
This following excerpt was posted on the Sundazed website a couple months ago:

What is the source material you've used for your mono 13th Floor Elevators LP???
Bob Irwin replies: Many, many years ago - in fact, during the earliest years of Sundazed - I had extremely brief access to a 1:1 (Summit Sound) copy of the original mono master for the Elevators album; myself and another producer-friend were digging deep in a major label's vault and came across a huge load (hundreds?... thousands?) of ancient analog tapes, all undocumented, that were apparently intended for record-club use, (or had been submitted to the label/club for release consideration). Thankfully - with a wonderfully cooperative librarian's help - I quietly copied the reel (to 30ips 1/2" analog tape), because when I went to see if I could again extricate it just a few months ago, I was informed that all of those particular record-club tapes had been "scrapped nearly 15 years ago"... (And you can't believe some of the other things that were in there - it would make you cry...)

Admittedly, the reel was in less-than-stellar shape in some spots, ie: due to an improper wind, some of the endings of songs by the leader tape exhibited oxide-loss issues, etc.. When mastering our album, rather than pulling the fader early (as I believe has been done on all other versions of this release currently available), I sourced and attached approximately four endings/fade-outs, each less than 6 seconds, from a mint, mono, original I.A. pressing of the album.

As far as we're concerned, our new mono vinyl version is the best sounding Elevators master currently in existence. By far. The release, which KILLS in mono, to the best of my knowledge, has NEVER been reissued in anything but the less-powerful, less-exciting stereo mix. Again, we feel that the Sundazed mono vinyl of the Elevators album is positively DEADLY! Mono, mono, mono!!!

If you have some kind of record player, do not hesitate to pick this up. It is amazing: brightly mastered, but amazing - primed for AM radio, circa 1966.
http://www.sundazed.com/product_info.php?products_id=940

Without divulging too much information, there is a group on google that have taken it upon themselves to do needledrops of the four albums, which manage to sound 1000 percent better than any cd reissue, whether "Collectables" or "Charly". If you manage to do a search for them you can find them in a matter of minutes without much trouble.

 

Has anyone here had the chance to listen to the new charly 3-CD boxset "Never Ever Land: 83 Texan Nuggets from International Artists Records - 1965-1970" that was released a couple of months ago? Any remarkable sound improvement on previous issues, or just a typical No-Noise job?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Ever-Land-International-1965-1970/dp/B000Y9NTVO

And while I'm at it, I noticed that this low priced vinyl reissue of Golden Dawn's "Power Plant" is being hawked around various independent record stores as of late. Anyone?

http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php...ncl_cs=1&kwfilter=power+plant+golden+dawn

 

Too bad no Sundazed CD reissue. Maybe greener pastures lay ahead.

Anthony

 

Apparently, Sundazed was only able to acquire vinyl rights from Charly UK. Maybe they were afraid that another Moby Grape-style fiasco was going to be on their hands, but i'm just speculating.

 

Anyone?

 

Never Land has plenty of noise reduction going on, a couple of non 13th Floor first time stereo mixes, a very good booklet - if you like the stuff IA put out (and the first disc has some great garage band songs) and aren't expecting sonic miracles it's worth picking up. If you don't know much about the label and just want some 13th Floor stuff I'd look elsewhere.

 

That Nuggets version of You're Gonna Miss Me does sound awfully good. I've not run across any quotes about where it was sourced from. If it's a needle drop it's a really good one - that's the one I recommend when folks want a good version of YGMM. Unless Bill Inglot had access to the tape dub of the Psychedelic Sounds lp that Sundazed used for their recent lp, it's most likely a needle drop.

 

hi all,

Michael Fremer's review of the 13th Floor Elevators debut "The Psychedelic Sounds of..."

http://www.musicangle.com/album.php?id=674

 

i bought a pressing of the album, mono, with in deadwax side1 IA - 5001 SIDE-I S - 1244 and on side 2 E-9 I-A 5002 Re S-1265Re, what pressing is it ?