Never Say Goodbye

Roky Erickson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 9, 1999)
• Original Release Date: February 9, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Emperor Jones
• ASIN: B00000GBR8
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,629 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Unforced Peace

2. I Love The Living You

3. I Pledge Allegiance

4. Pushing And Pulling

5. Save Me

6. Think Of As One

7. Birds'd Crash

8. Never Say Goodbye

9. Be And Bring Me Home

10. I've Never Known This 'Til Now

11. @2 Gone And Number

12. I Love The Blind Man

13. Something Extra

14. You're An Unidentified Flying Object

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The record makes you question the rumor of brain damage, November 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Never Say Goodbye (Audio CD)

I stumbled on this recording and whisked off home to play it. Behind the lo-fi quality and tag of "old" recordings this is yet another piece in the jigsaw that is Roky Erickson. For over two decades this singer songwriter has been tagged mad, brain damaged and all the other derogatory labels that are enough to put many people off a listen. Here we have coherence and melody, simple song structure yet engaging music. Timeless is a corny word to use but this would not be out of place coming from the 1940s, 30s, 20s,10s, 00s etc. Apart from one ridiculously titled You're An Unidentified Flying Object there are none of the usual brain crushing lyric contents. In fact any one who thinks Mr Erickson is mad is in fact off cue themselves. Remember what was said about so many of the genius of the past ? Surely before this man leaves the planet due to old age or God forbid anything else we must study this music. We must ! This man is painfully absent from the generally available books and compilations of music. Where there is mention be sure only to read about insanity, demons and horror. It is not Roky's fault he was administered Electro Shock Therapy. Amazingly this man managed to sing away beyond the horror of narrow-minded so called health help... You buy this album and be given the chance to record your own versions of these songs. How many so-called musicians give everybody their music in the way this man does ?

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beauty from chaos, July 23, 2002

By 

Jonathan Scott (Wheaton, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Never Say Goodbye (Audio CD)

Roky Erickson truly can do it all! From the garage-psych of the 13th Floor Elevators to the Luciferian folk of songs like "I Have Always Been Here Before, from Buddy Holly inspired pop of songs like "Starry Eyes" and "Nothing In Return" to the CCR stomp of songs like "Two Headed Dog" and "Dont Shake Me Lucifer". He is truly one of the greatest songwriters around. This collection of songs are mostly recordings done when he was a patient at Rusk State Mental Hospital in California in the early 70's. This is my favorite album that Roky has ever made. The creepsville beauty of songs like "Never Say Goodbye" and "You Are An Unidentified Flying Object" rivals anything he's done. When I listen to this album it makes me feel a warmth and calm unlike anything in my collection. I cant recommend this beautiful album enough. The fact that he wrote and recorded these songs when he was locked up for being "unfit for society" only proves that what society deems "crazy" might not be all that mad.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ever wonder how Buddy Holly would have sounded in 1974?, April 3, 2002

By 

Will (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Say Goodbye (Audio CD)

"What if..." Buddy Holly would have missed that flight, gone through the Summer of Love and the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, and ... Who knows what would have been the result.

Here is one possibility:

Roky Erickson, prophet with the 13th Floor Elevators and wild man with the Aliens... between those roles, he recorded these acoustic tunes.

Low-fi (very), but from the heart, they are reminiscent of Lennon ("Unforced Peace"), Harrison ("Something Extra" with 12-string guitar jangling like a sitar), Dylan ("Be And Bring Me Home"), all in Roky's high Texas tenor.

This is the other side of the Walked With A Zombie story. We will never KNOW Roky, but these songs give another glimpse.