Η ιστορία και μόνο του Roky Erickson θα αρκούσε για να δώσει μια ιδέα του ρόλου του ψυχιατρικού συστήματος στην κοινωνία …άσε που υπάρχουν άφθονες παρόμοιες περιπτώσεις – μιλώντας για καλλιτέχνες πάντα. Μπορεί κανείς να δει ένα μικρό αφιέρωμα σ’ αυτόν στο προ εξαετίας post, εδώ. Στο άλμπουμ που επισκεπτόμαστε σήμερα, ο άνθρωπός μας επιστρέφει μετά από 10ετή απουσία, με νέο υλικό συνδυασμένο με ηχογραφήσεις που έκανε στο μεσοδιάστημα και …αλλαγή προσανατολισμού : από τα γνώριμα εφιαλτικά τοπία προς μια “ανθρώπινη” θεματολογία, με μουσική επένδυση κοντά στην alternative/indie αισθητική της εποχής, με έντονη την αύρα του folk rock και βασική αναφορά τον Dylan, απ’ τα νεανικά είδωλα του Roky. Ακούμε τρία τραγούδια του άλμπουμ. Το τρίτο, χωρίς καμία υπερβολή, είναι από τα πλέον συγκινητικά που έχω ακούσει στη ζωή μου – από αυτά που ακούς μ’ ένα κόμπο στο λαιμό …τουλάχιστον. 📀 📀 📀 The story of Roky Erickson alone would be enough to give an idea of the role of the psychiatric system in society… not to mention that there are plenty of similar cases as well — always speaking of artists. One can see a short tribute to him in the post from six years ago, here. As for the album we’re visiting today, our man returns after a 10-year absence, with new material combined with recordings he made in the interim, and… a change of direction: from the familiar nightmarish landscapes toward a more “human” subject matter, with musical backing close to the alternative/indie aesthetic of the time, a strong folk-rock aura with Dylan as the main reference point, one of Roky’s youthful idols. We’re listening to three songs from the album. The third of them, without any exaggeration, is among the most moving things I’ve ever heard in my life. One of those you listen to with a lump in your throat… at the very least.

00:00 I’m Gonna Free Her 03:04 The Haunt 06:45 You Don’t Love Me Yet

I’M GONNA FREE HER
I remember her in her dream walking down the road
Running from what she did not know
Thinking she was all alone
And I’m gonna free her when I see her
I’m gonna free her
I can see in her mind her dark eyes
I can see her pale face
So many things that I could her now
I want to shelter her from anything
Where the fragile beauty of her mind and more is not allowed
And I’m gonna free her when I see her
I’m gonna free her
I’m gonna give her any of all I give
All the love she needs
And for beauty she needs and she feeds
She’s a pure being that only exists from love
She gets trapped when she doesn’t have any needs
And I’m gonna free her when I see her
And I’m gonna free her
I’ll be her medicine
She’ll always be in the best of health
I’ll be her color
My spells of the witch to keep her
From not being well and uncaring health
I can think of we’d be saying
I can think of things we’d do
I can see the way we’d be
I surely miss her I fairly do
And I’m gonna free her when I see her
And I’m gonna free her
And I’m gonna free her when I see her
And I’m gonna free her
And I’m gonna free her when I see her
I’m gonna free her
I’m gonna free her when I see her
I’m gonna free her

THE HAUNT
She must be some kind of ghost
The way her loving haunts me so
She must be some kind of ghost
The way her loving haunts me so
Got to be hidden away
If I’d done this in the past my time wouldn’t hurt me so
I swore I’d never let this happen
Get caught in love’s wishes happened to me
I swore I’d never let this happen
Get caught in love’s wishes happened to me
And then it hits me late at night
And I wouldn’t know what to do in the freeze
I wonder if she knows her own strength
I wonder if she knows what she can do
I wonder if she knows her own strength
I wonder if she knows what she can do
With he in her arms I’m never ever ever ever blue
How can I undo the past
How can I make myself blind
How can I undo the past
How can I make myself blind
That that not only seems but is unkind

YOU DON’T LOVE ME YET
Lightning never strikes anymore but I can’t make it rain
Because it would only lightning again
Lightning never strikes anymore but I can’t make it rain
Because it would only cause me pain
Because you don’t love me yet, you don’t love me yet
I just would forget because you don’t love me
You don’t love me yet
I have my start but I never have begun
Because without you my life is unsung
I have my start but I don’t have a part
Because without you only breaks my heart
Because you don’t love me yet, you don’t love me yet
I just would forget because you don’t love me
You don’t love me yet
You don’t love me yet
I just would forget
Because you don’t love me, you don’t love me yet
To be or not to be
That’s the question unceasingly
But with you I would know to be is to be
Because without you I’m not a king
Because without you it would never do
Because I can’t think what life would be like without you
Because you don’t love me yet, you don’t love me yet
I just would forget
Because you don’t love me, you don’t love me yet
Oh no, because you don’t love me, you don’t love me yet
Oh no, because you don’t love me, you don’t love me yet