It's not unusual for a small independent record company to be defined by its first major success, and that was certainly the case for the maverick Texas label International Artists. IA began life in 1965 as a fairly ordinary regional outfit releasing pop/rock stuff, but when they scored a nationwide hit with the 13th Floor Elevators' proto-psychedelic anthem "You're Gonna Miss Me," the label's de facto A&R chief, Lelan Rogers, dove headfirst into Texas acid culture and IA became a home for consciousness-expanded acts such as the Golden Dawn, the Bubble Puppy, Endle St. Cloud, and the truly crazed Red Crayola.
Never Ever Land is a three-CD set designed to give a reasonably comprehensive picture of International Artists' strange and memorable five-year lifespan. Disc one is focused on Texas garage rock, and features some of the fuzzier and more straightforward material from the 13th Floor Elevators, the Red Crayola, and the Golden Dawn alongside lesser-known teen rock acts such as the Beach Boys-influenced Coastliners and the frantic Chayns. Disc two is devoted to IA's psychedelic acts, though since several already popped up on disc one the distinction may seem vague to some; at any rate, while most of this music isn't as eccentric as AI's reputation would suggest, this is still a solid set of acid-influenced rock, ranging from the tight hard rock of the Bubble Puppy and the earnest folk-rock of the Rubayyat to the country-flavored sounds of Ginger Valley and the brilliantly "huh?"-inducing sides from the Red Crayola. Finally, the third disc rounds up various odd and ends, from the sublime (two superb acoustic tracks from Roky Erickson with Clementine Hall) and the worthy (a couple selections from Lightnin' Hopkins' IA set Free Form Patterns) to the ridiculous (Sonny Hall's dunderheaded country novelty "The Battle of the Moon"). The set is accompanied by a thick booklet featuring a short history of the label, an entertaining interview with Lelan Rogers, and an AI discography. Never Ever Land reveals the dirty little secret that much of International Artists' output wasn't as bizarre as their most famous releases would lead you to expect, but the first two discs serve as an excellent overview of the heady era when teenage rock gave way to something more adventurous, and the third delivers some superb moments while filling in the gaps in the IA story; it's a loving tribute to a label whose existence was in many respects a brave leap into the musical unknown.
CD1
01. The Emperors / I Want My Woman - 02:38
02. The Coastliners / Alright - 02:04
03. The 13th Floor Elevators / You're Gonna Miss Me - 02:27
04. Sterling Damon / Rejected - 02:02
05. The Coastliners / Wonderful You - 02:18
06. Thursday's Children / Dominoes - 02:00
07. The Chaparrels / I Tried So Hard - 02:49
08. The Chayns / See It Thru - 02:22
09. The Patterns / In My Own Time - 02:15
10. The Chayns / Live With The Moon [2008 Stereo Mix] - 03:04
11. The Chayns / Night Time (Is The Right Time) [2008 Stereo Mix] - 02:56
12. Thursday's Children / A Part Of You - 02:05
13. The 13th Floor Elevators / Fire Engine - 03:21
14. Thursday's Children / Air Conditioned Man - 02:14
15. Lost And Found / 25 MPH - 01:52
16. The Chayns / There's Something Wrong (In This Place) - 02:30
17. Thursday's Children / Help, Murder, Police - 02:07
18. The Golden Dawn / Reaching Out To You - 02:20
19. Thursday's Children / You Can Forget About That - 01:58
20. The 13th Floor Elevators / Tried To Hide [Single Version] - 02:21
21. The Golden Dawn / A Nice Surprise - 02:54
22. The Red Crayola / Pink Stainless Tail - 03:23
23. Inner Scene / Communication Breakdown - 02:52
24. Lost And Found / Let Me Be - 02:48
25. The Spades / We Sell Soul - 3:17
26. The Spades / You're Gonna Miss Me - 03:25
27. The 13th Floor Elevators / I Don't Ever Want To Come Down - 02:42
CD2
01. The Bubble Puppy / Hot Smoke And Sasafrass - 02:34
02. The Golden Dawn / Starvation - 02:53
03. The 13th Floor Elevators / Scarlet And Gold - 04:59
04. Lost And Found / Everybody's Here - 03:04
05. The Red Crayola / War Sucks - 03:56
06. The Rubayyat / Never Ever Land - 03:43
07. The Shayds / Search The Sun - 02:43
08. The Golden Dawn / My Time - 03:53
09. The 13th Floor Elevators / Slip Inside This House [Single Edit] - 04:08
10. Lost And Found / When Will You Come Through - 02:26
11. Endle St. Cloud / Tell Me One More Time (What's Happening To Our World) - 02:49
12. The Bubble Puppy / If I Had A Reason - 02:20
13. Ginger Valley / Ginger - 02:36
14. The Rubayyat / If I Were A Carpenter - 02:35
15. The Bubble Puppy / Days Of Our Time - 02:26
16. Lost And Found / Professor Black - 02:37
17. Endle St. Cloud / Quest For Beauty - 02:47
18. The Bubble Puppy / A Gathering Of Promises - 02:26
19. Lost And Found / Forever Lasting Plastic Words - 02:10
20. The 13th Floor Elevators / She Lives In A Time Of Her Own - 02:56
21. The Red Crayola / Nickle Niceness [Demo] - 03:09
22. The Red Crayola / Hurricane Fighter Plane - 03:40
23. Endle St. Cloud / Come Through - 02:14
24. Ginger Valley / Country Life - 01:54
25. Endle St. Cloud / This Is Love - 04:24
26. The Red Crayola / Vile Vile Grass [Demo] - 02:21
27. The 13th Floor Elevators / 60-second Radio Spot For 'Bull Of The Woods' - 01:01
CD3
01. Arnim & Hamilton / Pepperman - 02:26
02. Disciples of Shaftesbury / Times Gone By - 02:16
03. Beauregard / Popcorn Popper - 02:51
04. Big Walter / Breakfast In Bed - 02:24
05. Lightnin' Hopkins / Black Ghost - 03:32
06. Beauregard / Mama Never Taught Me How To Jelly Roll - 02:56
07. Dave Allen / Terp - 02:39
08. The Bubble Puppy / Hurry Sundown - 04:00
09. Disciples of Shaftesbury / My Cup Is Full - 02:25
10. Kathy Clark / Little Girl Called Sad - 02:14
11. Lightnin' Hopkins / Baby Child - 03:36
12. The Shayds / Bring Your Love - 01:59
13. Arnim & Hamilton / Walkin' Midnight Coffee Break - 02:25
14. Roky & Clementine Hall / Splash 1 - 03:03
15. Roky & Clementine Hall / Right Track Now - 03:00
16. Billy Wade McKnight / Trouble's Coming On - 02:31
17. Kathy Clarke / My Summer Prayer - 02:25
18. Billy Wade McKnight / I Need Your Lovin' - 03:05
19. Lightnin' Hopkins / Mini Skirt - 03:13
20. Dave Allen / C. C. Rider - 02:25
21. The Bubble Puppy / Lonely - 02:59
22. Sonny Hall / Poor Planet Earth - 02:04
23. Tom Harvey / So Ah In Ah Love - 01:55
24. Johnny Williams / Honey Child - 02:41
25. Frankie & Johnny / Sweet Thang - 02:20
26. Sonny Hall / The Battle Of The Moon - 01:43
27. Sterling Damon / My Last Letter - 02:50
28. Roky Erikson / Interview at KSAN Radio (1st April 1978) - 02:41
29. The 13th Floor Elevators / May The Circle Remain Unbroken - 02:40
