Roky Erickson and the Aliens - Roky Erickson and the Aliens [Ltd Ed Cyan, Light Pink, & Neon Green Splatter Vinyl/ Euro Import]

Landmark 1980 debut reissued on colored vinyl
A cornerstone of psychedelic horror rock — raw, visceral, and utterly singular
Produced by Stu Cook (Creedence Clearwater Revival) with bonus tracks Bloody Hammer and The Wind and More

Few records in the rock canon carry the weight of personal mythology quite like Roky Erickson and the Aliens. Originally released in 1980 on CBS in the UK, this was the long-awaited return of Roky Erickson — founding voice and visionary of The 13th Floor Elevators, one of the earliest and most ferocious psychedelic rock bands of the 1960s — following years of institutionalisation, shock therapy, and silence. Recorded in 1978 and 1979 at The Church studio in San Anselmo, California, with former Creedence Clearwater Revival bassist Stu Cook at the production helm, the album channels Erickson's turbulent inner world through the prism of vintage horror cinema and science fiction, yielding something that sounds like nothing else before or since.

Where The 13th Floor Elevators had traded in lysergic transcendence, Roky Erickson and the Aliens deals in something darker and more visceral: zombies, demons, vampires, and two-headed dogs, all delivered with the conviction of a man who genuinely believes every word. Songs like I Walked with a Zombie, Creature with the Atom Brain, and Don't Shake Me Lucifer draw on B-movie titles and imagery — including films by director Jacques Tourneur — while Two-Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer) and Night of the Vampire showcase Erickson's uncanny gift for melody buried beneath layers of garage-rock ferocity.

The backing band, The Aliens — anchored by guitarist Duane Aslaksen, bassist Steve Burgess, drummer John "Fuzzy Furioso" Oxendine, and the spectral electric autoharp of Bill Miller — provide a tight, hard-driving framework that is as thrilling as it is unsettling. This colored vinyl reissue on Klimt brings the album back to wax with bonus tracks Bloody Hammer and The Wind and More, making it the most complete single-LP presentation of this essential record.

Tracklist

Side A
1. Two-Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)
2. I Think of Demons
3. I Walked with a Zombie
4. Don't Shake Me Lucifer
5. Night of the Vampire
6. Bloody Hammer (bonus track)

Side B
1. White Faces
2. Cold Night for Alligators
3. Creature with the Atom Brain
4. Mine Mine Mind
5. Stand for the Fire Demon
6. The Wind and More (bonus track)

Personnel

Roky Erickson – vocals, guitar
Duane Aslaksen – guitar, backing vocals
Steve Burgess – bass
John "Fuzzy Furioso" Oxendine – drums
Bill Miller – electric autoharp
Andre Lewis – synthesizer, keyboards
Brian Marnell – backing vocals (selected tracks)
Stu Cook – producer