Bull of the Woods

By the time of The 13th Floor Elevators' third studio album, 1969's Bull of the Woods, the band was suffering from serious fractures. Singer Roky Erickson appears on only a few of the album's 11 songs, with guitarist Stacy Sutherland taking over vocal and writing duties for much of the rest. While Erickson was an iconic vocalist with an emotive style that couldn't be reproduced, Sutherland does offer up solid performances here, and his guitarwork is always a tasteful highlight. Songs such as "Down by the River" (not the Neil Young tune), "Scarlet and Gold," and "Dr. Doom" capture a wild sound that even wanders near territory marked by The Byrds, while Erickson sounds as passionate as ever on the opening cut, "Livin' On," and "Never Another." The mixes of the material really bring out the group's uniqueness. Modern producers would never record this way, and the serendipitous magic is palpable. The bonus cuts include tracks from the original album sessions, the planned but unreleased single "Wait for My Love," and live tracks.