Forty-five years after its original appearance, The Evil One, arrives again via Fire Records’ definitive anniversary edition arrives to remind us that this is not merely one of the great outsider rock records, but one of the most gloriously unhinged, exhilarating and genuinely original albums ever committed to vinyl.
And what a racket it is.
The story behind The Evil One is sufficiently grim to make even the most hard-bitten horror enthusiast wince. Following the implosion of the great 13th Floor Elevators, whose extraordinary collision of garage rock, psychedelia and Texas weirdness had made Erickson an underground legend, a marijuana possession charge led to his incarceration at Rusk State Hospital for the criminally insane. There followed three and a half years of psychiatric institutionalisation, electroconvulsive treatment and Thorazine. Not exactly the conventional route to a rock career renaissance.
Yet from this profoundly disturbing experience emerged an artist with an imagination that seemed to have slipped its earthly moorings altogether. Erickson began channelling his fascination with horror movies, supernatural folklore and the darker recesses of the human psyche into a new body of songs. The result was Roky Erickson And The Aliens: a band that traded the Elevators’ lysergic haze for something considerably more muscular, metallic and downright frightening.
Recorded during 1978 and 1979, with former Creedence Clearwater Revival bassist Stu Cook producing, The Evil One was the culmination of this remarkable transformation. Its original UK and American editions appeared with differing ten-track selections in 1980 and 1981, meaning that the complete 15-song collection has long been the holy grail for anyone seeking the full extent of Erickson’s twisted vision.
Now, Fire Records has assembled the definitive version, restoring the original 415 Records San Francisco sleeve artwork for the first time since 1981 and presenting all 15 tracks across a beautifully mastered double LP, cut at 45rpm. The result is a suitably monumental presentation of a record that deserves every last groove of its expanded running time.
The opening assault of ‘Two Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)’ is an immediate declaration of intent: a savage, fuzz-drenched slab of rock’n’roll with a riff that could strip paint from a battleship and Erickson’s voice howling somewhere between divine revelation and imminent apocalypse. It’s a magnificent introduction to the album’s peculiar universe, where B-movie nightmares become rock anthems and the impossible sounds entirely plausible.
Then there’s ‘I Walked With A Zombie’, arguably the album’s defining moment. A wonderfully sinister slice of horror-inspired garage rock, it marries an irresistible melody to a lyric that sounds like it was excavated from the darkest corner of a drive-in cinema. Erickson doesn’t simply sing about the undead; he sounds like he’s personally acquainted with them. It’s gloriously catchy, gloriously creepy and proof that a song about the walking dead needn’t sacrifice an ounce of pop appeal.
‘Creature With The Atom Brain’ is another absolute belter, transforming its vintage science-fiction inspiration into a blistering rock’n’roll monster. The guitars are gloriously ragged, the rhythm section relentlessly propulsive, and the whole thing barrels forward with the sort of deranged conviction that lesser bands spend entire careers trying to manufacture. ‘It’s A Cold Night For Alligators’ delivers another deliciously peculiar dose of swampy menace, while ‘White Faces’ and ‘The Wind And More’ demonstrate Erickson’s remarkable ability to turn the imagery of old horror films into something genuinely unsettling without losing sight of the song itself.
And that’s the real secret of The Evil One. For all its vampires, zombies, monsters and supernatural mischief, this isn’t some novelty exercise in horror-rock gimmickry. These are superbly constructed rock songs, packed with hooks, memorable melodies and riffs that hit with the force of a runaway truck. The horror imagery is the icing on an already extraordinary cake. Beneath it all lies a songwriter of immense instinct and individuality, capable of making the bizarre sound utterly natural.
When The Evil One first emerged the album found its audience primarily among adventurous underground listeners, critics and musicians rather than the mainstream rock establishment. Its uncompromising sound and eccentric subject matter were never likely to deliver chart domination, but its reputation grew steadily, helped by the sheer originality of the music and Erickson’s standing among those who understood that rock’n’roll’s most interesting characters are rarely the ones playing by the rules. Its influence would ultimately prove considerably more enduring than any initial sales figures might suggest.
The album’s legacy is written all over the alternative rock landscape. Erickson’s influence on successive generations of musicians, from the American underground to the post-punk and garage-rock movements, is impossible to ignore. His admirers have included Patti Smith, Tom Verlaine and members of Pere Ubu, while the songs themselves have been repeatedly revisited by artists who recognise the extraordinary combination of melody, menace and emotional vulnerability at their heart. This is music that sounds like nobody else’s, yet somehow feels like the missing ingredient in countless other people’s records.
Fire Records’ anniversary edition makes an already compelling case even stronger. The restoration of the original 415 Records cover is a welcome historical detail, while the 45rpm double-vinyl presentation gives these 15 tracks the space and sonic definition they deserve. The accompanying archival photographs and imagery, alongside Joe Nick Patoski’s illuminating liner essay, provide valuable context without attempting to explain away the mystery. Crucially, this is the complete collection of songs from the original sessions, finally brought together in one definitive package.
There is also something particularly satisfying about the knowledge that Erickson himself regarded The Evil One as his favourite of his own recordings. Listening to it now, that affection makes perfect sense. This is an album made with absolute conviction, its creator embracing his own peculiar universe rather than making the slightest concession to commercial expectations or conventional good taste.
At a time when rock music can sometimes feel excessively polished, focus-grouped and terrified of offending anyone, The Evil One remains a gloriously refreshing kick in the teeth. It is funny, frightening, ferocious, melodic and occasionally heartbreaking. Most importantly, it is completely, unmistakably Roky Erickson.
Donnie’s Rating: 9/10
The Evil One is out now via Fire Records. Available in CD and LP formats including classic double black vinyl and limited ‘Evil’ Black & White splatter vinyl. Both LP versions come with 24 page collectors booklet and DL card. Plus a Levitation US exclusive colour splatter vinyl.
