Eye Mind

Book excerpt: The trailblazing 13th Floor Elevators released the first' 'psychedelic'' rock album in America, transforming culture throughout the 1960s and beyond. The Elevators followed their own cosmic agenda - to change society by finding a new path to enlightenment. Their battles with repressive authorities are legendary. Lead singer Roky Erickson was put away in a maximum security unit for the criminally insane for years. Tommy Hall, their Svengali lyricist, lived in a cave. Guitarist Stacy Sutherland was imprisoned. The drummer was involuntarily subjected to electric shock treatments. This fascinating biography breaks decades of silence of band members and features dozens of never-before-printed photos. ''One of the most exhilarating rock n' roll stories ever told.