DESCRIPTION:
This record, released in 1976 or 1977, comes from the period of time just after Roky's release from the Texas mental institution. The demons he suffered from as a result of the inhumane treatment there were expressed in a series of recordings that were done at several smaller studios.

I had the good fortune to be in one of the studios for a short time when Roky was in session, brought there by a friend who worked there and knew of my interest in his music. My friend gave me this Sponge EP, which contains four tracks familiar to all Roky Erickson fans. I believe that this particular record was recorded and produced in Paris, France.

This 'All Music Guide' Review [reviewing a re-release, probably on vinyl] does an unusually nice job of critiqueing this EP:
- - - - -
This brief platter was originally released as a 7" EP in 1977 by Sponge Records; thus, it contains some of Erickson's earliest attempts at a solo career after the demise of his 1960s group 13th Floor Elevators.
The first three songs here would be released in more professional-sounding versions on 'Roky Erickson and the Aliens' and 'The Evil One'. Listening to this re-release is a very frustrating experience. On the one hand, the performances here are extremely compelling, with the stripped-dowm, gutsy feel of punk and garage band styles. The title track ("Two-Headed Dog") gets a committed rendition that underscores the song's frightening excellence. "Mine Mine Mind" is a fine uptempo rocker strongly hinting at Erickson's mid-1960s psychedelic roots. "Click Your Fingers Applauding the Play" is a worthy, funky midtempo number. And "I Have Always Been Here Before" is a ringingly memorable selection presented most effectively in singer-songwriter fashion. On the other hand, shockingly primitive production values, featuring badly distorted sound, make this record almost unlistenable. ~ David Cleary, All Music Guide
- - - - -

Restoring this vinyl to acceptable listening quality took me about 10 hours, using Cool Edit Pro 2.0 and Adobe Audition 3.01, so enjoy!

Please visit Roky's official site here:

www.rokyerickson.net

and check out the Wikipedia page on Roky here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roky_erickson