“The 13th Floor Elevators’ “We Are Not Live” serves as both a historical correction and a long-overdue gift to fans of psychedelic rock. To understand its significance, one must first look back to the original 1968 album “Live”. Issued while the band was fracturing under the weight of legal troubles and Roky Erickson’s declining mental health, the 1968 record was one of the most notorious “fake” live albums in rock history.
The label, desperate for content but lacking a professional live recording, took studio outtakes, alternate versions and existing masters, then crudely overdubbed the sounds of a cheering crowd. Legend has it the audience noise was lifted from a boxing match, and the result was a sonic mess where the applause swelled at inappropriate moments, distracting from the raw, garage-psych energy of the Austin pioneers. “We Are Not Live” finally strips away that artificial veneer to reveal the music as it was meant to be heard.
By removing the intrusive crowd noise, the album functions as a “de-mixed” restoration of those 1966–1968 sessions. It transforms what was once a source of frustration for purists into a crisp, essential collection of studio performances. The tracks included represent the band at their most visceral, featuring the piercing, soulful vocals of Erickson and the rhythmic, otherworldly pulse of Tommy Hall’s electric jug — an instrument that provided the Elevators with a sonic signature unlike any of their contemporaries.
The Fat Angel Sings 