''Bull of the Woods'' is the third studio album by

The 13th Floor Elevators The 13th Floor Elevators was an American rock band from Austin, Texas, United States, formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland. The band was together from 1965 to 1969, a ...

, and the last on which they worked as a group. The album is noted for its moody, dreamy, and fuzzed-out

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

sound, and was released by

International Artists International Artists (IA) was an American independent record label based in Houston, Texas, United States, that originally existed from 1965 to 1970. It is not to be confused with International Artists Records, a classical music record label foun ...

Background

The album project commenced shortly after the completion of ''

Easter Everywhere ''Easter Everywhere'' is the second studio album by the American psychedelic rock band the 13th Floor Elevators. It was released on 25 October 1967, through record label International Artists. It is regarded by many critics to be one of the f ...

'' It featured two bass players: the 1968 lineup of

Roky Erickson Roger Kynard "Roky" Erickson (July 15, 1947 – May 31, 2019) was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was a founding member and the leader of the 13th Floor Elevators and a pioneer of the psychedelic rock genre. Biography Erickso ...

, Stacy Sutherland, Tommy Hall,

Danny Thomas Danny Thomas (born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz; January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) was an American actor, singer, nightclub comedian, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in one of the most successful and long-running si ...

, and Duke Davis was amended with Ronnie Leatherman replacing Davis on some tracks. The band was disintegrating while recording was taking place. Only four songs feature Roky Erickson and Duke Davis. The remaining seven tracks only feature Sutherland, Thomas, and Leatherman. Most of the tracks recorded early in 1968 were discarded and the album was completed later that year. Sutherland holds sole songwriting credits on five tracks, co-writing a further four with Tommy Hall. When it was released in March 1969 as ''Bull of the Woods'' the group had effectively disbanded. In 2009, the album was released with bonus tracks as part of the "Sign of the 3-Eyed Men" box set. The set also included a reconstruction of the "lost" third album, ''A Love That's Sound'', which consisted of mostly previously unreleased tracks, and early versions of songs later included on Bull of the Woods.

Track listing

#"Livin' On" ( Stacy Sutherland, Tommy Hall) – 3:23 #"Barnyard Blues" (Sutherland) – 2:52 #"Til Then" (Sutherland, Hall) – 3:18 #"Never Another" (

, Hall) - 2:27 #"Rose and the Thorn" (Sutherland) – 3:40 #"Down by the River" (Sutherland) – 1:55 #"Scarlet and Gold" (Sutherland) – 4:50 #"Street Song" (Sutherland) – 4:55 #"Dr. Doom" (Sutherland, Hall) – 3:10 #"With You" (Ronnie Leatherman) – 2:10 #"May the Circle Remain Unbroken" (Erickson) – 2:40

Bonus tracks from 2009 CD

"Livin' On" (Sutherland, Hall) – 3:25 (Single version)

#"Scarlet and Gold" (Sutherland) – 4:59 (Single version) #"May the Circle Remain Unbroken" (Erickson) – 2:41 (Single version) #"Livin' On" (Sutherland, Hall) – 3:23 (Alternate horn version)

Personnel

Musicians

– vocals on tracks 1, 4, 9, 11,

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

* Stacy Sutherland –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

, vocals on tracks 2-3, 5-8, 10 * Tommy Hall – electric jug * Ronnie Leatherman – bass on tracks 2-3, 5-8, 10 * Duke Davis – bass on tracks 1, 4, 9, 11 *

– drums, horn arrangements

Technical

Ray Rush Ray Rush is an American songwriter and record producer. After early collaborations with Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison, Rush moved into producing and promoting records of Texas musicians. Music career Rush's music career began while a student at Od ...

– producer * Fred Carroll –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

* Jim Duff – engineer * Hank Poole – engineer * Lloyd Sepulveda – cover

References

{{Authority control 1969 albums The 13th Floor Elevators albums