Where The Pyramid Meets the Eye - A Tribute to Roky Erickson

Roky Erickson often seems to be better known in rock circles for his well publicized psychological maladies and his less-than-gentle treatment at the hands of Texas' judicial system than for his music and that's a shame. While Roky's habit of informing anyone who asks that he's a Martian or is in contact with Satan makes for good fanzine copy, the best reason to be interested in Erickson is his songwriting there's a graceful, vivid surrealism to his lyrical style that's endured far better than most of the noodlers who came out of the psychedelic rock movement, and his later bursts of horror film fancy conjure up a troubling tension that's laughed at only by the shallow or ignorant. Roky first gained fame as the lead singer of the 13th Floor Elevators, and ushering the an age of psychedelic rock with their debut album "The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators". When Erickson's legal problems came to a head in the late 1980s, longtime fan and Sire Records executive Bill Bentley assembled Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson to raise money for Erickson, as well as drawing attention to the unique beauty of his music. Like most multi-artist tribute albums, the results are a bit uneven; some of these artists seem to have appeared out of convenience rather than any great love of Roky's music, and a few of the interpretations are simple miscalculations (Thin White Rope's Guy Kyser really goes overboard on his version of "Burn the Flames"). But there are a several moments of very real beauty and power here, especially from the artists who share Erickson's Texas heritage (Doug Sahm and ZZ Top) rock out on their contributions, the Butthole Surfers' version of "Earthquake" is one of their finest moments on wax, and T-Bone Burnett's take on "Nothing in Return" is a heart-tugging gem. Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye is a sincere if inconsistent tribute to his work, and shows how well his songs can translate to the styles of other artists.

Track List:
1. Reverberation (Doubt) - ZZ Top
2. If You Have Ghosts - John Wesley Harding & The Good Liars
3. I Had To Tell You - Poi Dog Pondering
4. She Lives (In A Time Of Her Own) - Judybats
5. Slip lnside This House - Primal Scream
6. You Don't Love Me Yet - Bongwater
7. I Have Always Been Here Before - Julian Cope
8. You're Gonna Miss Me - Doug Sahm & Sons
9. It's A Cold Night For Alligators - Southern Pacific
10. Fire Engine - Richard Lloyd
11. Bermuda - Vibrating Egg
12. I Walked With A Zombie - R.E.M.
13. Earthquake - Butthole Surfers
14. Don't Slander Me - Lou Ann Barton
15. Red Temple Prayer (Two Headed Dog) - Sister Double Happiness
16. Burn The Flames - Thin White Rope
17. Postures (Leave Your Body Behind) - Chris Thomas
18. Nothing In Return - T Bone Burnett
19. Reverberation (Doubt) - The Jesus & Mary Chain

Download: Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye
Download Size: 103MB