Never Ever Land - 83 Texas Nuggets From International Artists Records (Box Set 3CD) 1965 - 1970

It's not unusual for a small independent record company to be defined by its first major success, and that was certainly the case for the maverick Texas label International Artists. IA began life in 1965 as a fairly ordinary regional outfit releasing pop/rock stuff, but when they scored a nationwide hit with the 13th Floor Elevators' proto-psychedelic anthem "You're Gonna Miss Me," the label's de facto A&R chief, Lelan Rogers, dove headfirst into Texas acid culture and IA became a home for consciousness-expanded acts such as the Golden Dawn, the Bubble Puppy, Endle St. Cloud, and the truly crazed Red Crayola. Never Ever Land is a three-CD set designed to give a reasonably comprehensive picture of International Artists' strange and memorable five-year lifespan. Disc one is focused on Texas garage rock, and features some of the fuzzier and more straightforward material from the 13th Floor Elevators, the Red Crayola, and the Golden Dawn alongside lesser-known teen rock acts such as the Beach Boys-influenced Coastliners and the frantic Chayns. Disc two is devoted to IA's psychedelic acts, though since several already popped up on disc one the distinction may seem vague to some; at any rate, while most of this music isn't as eccentric as AI's reputation would suggest, this is still a solid set of acid-influenced rock, ranging from the tight hard rock of the Bubble Puppy and the earnest folk-rock of the Rubayyat to the country-flavored sounds of Ginger Valley and the brilliantly "huh?"-inducing sides from the Red Crayola. Finally, the third disc rounds up various odd and ends, from the sublime (two superb acoustic tracks from Roky Erickson with Clementine Hall) and the worthy (a couple selections from Lightnin' Hopkins' IA set Free Form Patterns) to the ridiculous (Sonny Hall's dunderheaded country novelty "The Battle of the Moon"). The set is accompanied by a thick booklet featuring a short history of the label, an entertaining interview with Lelan Rogers, and an AI discography. Never Ever Land reveals the dirty little secret that much of International Artists' output wasn't as bizarre as their most famous releases would lead you to expect, but the first two discs serve as an excellent overview of the heady era when teenage rock gave way to something more adventurous, and the third delivers some superb moments while filling in the gaps in the IA story; it's a loving tribute to a label whose existence was in many respects a brave leap into the musical unknown. allmusic.com

CD1 : Garage The Texas Earthquake

01.The Emperors - I Want My Woman
02.The Coastliners - Alright
03.The 13th Floor Elevators - You're Gonna Miss Me
04.Sterling Damon - Rejected
05.The Coastliners - Wonderful You
06.Thursday's Children - Dominoes
07.The Chapparals - I Tried So Hard
08.The Chayns - See It Thru
09.The Patterns - In My Own Time
10.The Chayns - Live With The Moon
11.The Chayns - Night Time
12.Thursday's Children - A Part Of You
13.The 13th Floor Elevators - Fire Engine
14.Thursday's Children - Air Conditioned Man
15.Lost & Found - 25 M.P.H.
16.The Chayns - There's Something Wrong (In This Place)
17.Thursday's Children - Help, Murder, Police
18.The Golden Dawn - Reaching Out To You
19.Thursday's Children - You Can Forget About That
20.The 13th Floor Elevators - Tried To Hide
21.The Golden Dawn - A Nice Surprise
22.Red Crayola - Pink Stainless Tail
23.Inner Scene - Communication Breakdown
24.Lost & Found - Let Me Be
25.The Spades - We Sell Soul
26.The Spades - You're Gonna Miss Me
27.The 13th Floor Elevators - I Don't Ever Want To Come Down

CD2 - Out There The Psychedelic Sound of I.A

01.Bubble Puppy - Hot Smoke And Sasafrass
02.The Golden Dawn - Starvation
03.The 13th Floor Elevators - Scarlet And Gold
04.Lost & Found - Everybody's Here
05.Red Crayola - War Sucks
06.Rubayyat - Ever Ever Land
07.The Shayds - Search The Sun
08.The Golden Dawn - My Time
09.The 13th Floor Elevators - Slip Inside This House
10.Lost & Found - When Will You Come Through
11.Endle St.Cloud - Tell Me One More Time (What's Happening To Our World)
12.Bubble Puppy - If I Had A Reason
13.Ginger Valley - Ginger
14.Rubayyat - If I Were A Carpenter
15.Bubble Puppy - Days Of Our Time
16.Lost & Found - Professor Black
17.Endle St.Cloud - Quest For Beauty
18.Bubble Puppy - A Gathering Of Promises
19.Lost & Found - Forever Lasting Plastic Words
20.The 13th Floor Elevators - She Lives (In A Time Of Her Own)
21.Red Crayola - Nickle Niceness
22.Red Crayola - Hurricane Fighter Plane
23.Endle St.Cloud - Come Through
24.Ginger Valley - Country Life
25.Endle St.Cloud - This Is Love
26.Red Crayola - Vile Vile Grass
27.The 13th Floor Elevators - 60 sec. Radio Spot/Bull Of Woods

CD3 - Pot Pourri Pop & Anything Goes

01.Arnim & Hamilton - Pepperman
02.The Disciples Of Shaftesbury - Times Gone By
03.Beauregard - Popcorn Popper
04.Big Walter - Breakfast In Bed
05.Lightnin' Hopkins - Black Ghost
06.Beauregard - Mama Never Taught Me How To Jelly Roll
07.Dave Allen - Terp
08.Bubble Puppy - Hurry Sundown
09.The Disciples Of Shaftesbury - My Cup Is Full
10.Kathy Clarke - Little Girl Called Sad
11.Lightnin' Hopkins - Baby Child
12.The Shayds - Bring Your Love
13.Arnim & Hamilton - Walkin' Midnight Coffee Break
14.Roky & Clementine Hall - Splash 1
15.Roky & Clementine Hall - Right Track Now
16.Billy Wade McKnight - Trouble's Coming On
17.Kathy Clarke - My Summer Prayer
18.Billy Wade McKnight - I Need Your Lovin'
19.Lightnin' Hopkins - Mini Skirt
20.Dave Allen - C.C. Rider
21.Bubble Puppy - Lonely
22.Sonny Hall - Poor Planet Earth
23.Tom Harvey - So Ah In Ah Love
24.Johnny Williams - Honey Child
25.Frankie & Johnny - Sweet Thang
26.Sonny Hall - The Battle Of The Moon
27.Sterling Damon - My Last Letter
28.Roky Erickson - Excerpts Interview KSAN 4.1.78
29.The 13th Floor Elevators - May The Circle Remain Unbroken

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