Don't let the overly long, mildly clumsy title fool you, this CD is anything but. Quickly, the long, tangled history of the 13th Floor Elevators master recordings, due to extreme ineptitude and carelessness on the part of the record label, original producers, collectors and so on, means pretty much any release of the group's back catalogue will NOT be from an actual master tape. Although not mentioned, the source for this compilation was most likely original pressing 45s, which, sadly, is the best you can hope for. On the upside, you get the complete collection of Elevator single releases in their original punchy mono single mixes, many of which deviate from their mono LP versions.
Highlights include "(I've Got) Levitation", mostly electric jug-free and with a harder-edged double tracked vocal than the "Easter Everywhere" version; the complete French Riviera EP, including unique stereo versions of several songs; and the packaging, complete with label snaps, performance pictures, and extremely detailed liner notes and single histories by Elevator expert Paul Drummond.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect is the story the set tells - a band utilizing the establishment's tool of AM radio to get across its anti-establishment message through attempts at hit-making. It's an alternate history to the band, in line with the Velvet Underground's singles collection issued by Sundazed in 2009.
"7th Heaven: Music Of The Spheres - The Complete Singles Collection" is available, along with double-disc Deluxe Editions of all three original 13th Floor Elevators albums at www.internationalartistsrecords.com, or at most good music outlets. A 180-gram vinyl version of the band's collected works is also available at the website for pre-order. For further reading, consult Paul Drummond's excellent "Eye Mind: The Saga Of Roky Erickson And The 13th Floor Elevators, The Pioneers Of Psychedelic Sound", published by Process Paperbacks.
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