Cold Sun + Golden Dawn (1968/70 Austin, Texas) | Texas Psych Double Header | Vinyl Stream

For today's psychedelic trip this morning I'm spinning two essential Austin Texas psych records back to back - Dark Shadows by Cold Sun on Rockadelic Records RRLP-2.5 and Power Plant by The Golden Dawn on International Artists IA-LP-4, original 1968 promo pressing. Two bands, same city, same scene, both connected directly to Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators. Cold Sun's Bill Miller modeled his vocals on Roky, chose an electrified autoharp as his instrument the way Tommy Hall chose the jug, and when Roky needed a backing band for his 1974 solo debut Miller stepped up. He recruited Cold Sun's rhythm section, renamed the group Bleib Alien, and that first gig at the Ritz in Austin - the same night as the Texas premiere of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - is widely credited as the moment that rescued Roky's post-Elevators career. Miller told Ben Graham: "Nobody took Roky seriously until we did that first gig." The Golden Dawn were signed to International Artists by Roky himself. They recorded Power Plant in mid 1967, finished it before Easter Everywhere, and then watched International Artists sit on it until after the Elevators' second album came out. When it finally dropped in 1968 it was dismissed as an Elevators knockoff - an absurd verdict given that it was recorded first. The band broke up. George Kinney disappeared from music for thirty years. Collectors found the record and built its reputation quietly until a 2002 Texas Psych Fest invitation brought him back. George Kinney passed away in July 2022 at 75. Two records. One city. One scene. Full albums, both sides of each. Come hang. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vinyl_piper/ Full vinyl rips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj0yF7-9YQ9pEOi1yCUyAZikNmWVdz8Hn Shop: https://vinylpipershop.com/ #ColdSun #GoldenDawn #TexasPsych #VinylStream #VinylPiper #MorningStream #RokyErickson #13thFloorElevators #Austin #RareVinyl #DarkShadows #PowerPlant