Epitaph for a Legend is the story of
the International Artist(s) (IA) label, which operated out of Austin
from 1965 to 1970. The label was run by Lelan Rogers, brother of country
music star Kenny Rogers (everyone considered him the coward of the
county). IA developed a mystique in the 1960s as it was the label of the
13th Floor Elevators, but a number of other artists were on IA,
including Red Krayola (known on early recordings as Red Crayola) and
Lightnin' Hopkins. Epitaph for a Legend is a frustrating compilation
because the story of the label is as interesting as the music it
released, but little of that story is told on this compilation.
Everything about this compilation is raw, from the sound quality of the
recordings to the stark black-and-white graphics to the interview with
Lelan Rogers printed (in maddeningly small type on the booklet—would it
have cost that much extra to have used a larger font and another sheet
of paper?). The interview ends because, as the liner notes explain, the
tape ended. The interviewer gives no information about Lelan Rogers
except to waste several lines describing his office in Century City at
the time of the interview (but I have no idea when interview took place
because, of course, that information is nowhere to be found. Some time
in the 1980s perhaps?) From the content of the interview, readers will
be able to figure out that Rogers ran the label but had a tenuous
relationship with the rock acts on the label because of his age (he was
around 40 when the 13th Floor Elevators were recording for IA) and
because he was more "establishment" than the musicians on the label.
Still, under his leadership the label released some significant music
and he is justified in claiming that the San Francisco sound first
emerged in Texas with the Elevators.
Epitaph for a Legend - International Artists Story
Disc 1
1. Chaynes - "Night Time" (3:02)
2. Patterns - "In My Own Time" (2:21)
3. Chapparrals - "I Tried So Hard" (2:54)
4. Thursday's Children - "A Part of You" (2:11)
5. Electric Rubayyat - "If I Were a Carpenter" (2:40)
6. Sonny Hall - "Poor Planet Earth" (2:11)
7. Inner Sense - "Communication Breakdown" (2:55)
8. The Red Krayola - "Hurricane Fighter Plane" (3:56)
9. The Red Krayola - "Pink Stainless Tail" (4:14)
10. The Red Krayola - "Nickle Niceness" (2:59)
11. The Red Krayola - "Vile Vile Grass" (2:20)
12. The Red Krayola - "Transparent Radiation" (2:53)
13. Emperors - "I Want My Woman" (2:41)
14. Lost & Found - "25 M.P.H." (2:08)
Disc 2
1. Big Walter - "Breakfast in Bed" (2:31)
2. Dave Allen - "C.C. Rider" (2:34)
3. Dave Allen - "Saturday A.M. Blues" (4:02)
4. Lightnin' Hopkins - "Conversation with Lightnin' Hopkins" (3:40)
5. Lightnin' Hopkins - "Black Ghost Blues" (3:52)
6. Various Artists - "Excerpts from Interview With Roky, Ksam 4/1/78" (2:43)
7. Spades - "You're Gonna Miss Me" (3:24)
8. Spades - "We Sell Soul" (3:14)
9. Roky & C. Hall - "Splash I" (3:12)
10. Roky & C. Hall - "Right Track Now" (3:12)
11. 13th Floor Elevators - "Wait for My Love" (3:41)
12. 13th Floor Elevators - "60-Second Radio Spot/Bull of the Woods" (1:07)
13. 13th Floor Elevators - "Fire Engine" (3:17)
http://chocoreve.blogspot.com/2007/06/epitaph-for-legend-international.html
Epitaph for a Legend - International Artists Story