The triumvirate of Roky Erickson, Tommy Hall and Stacy Sutherland had to feature. Transcendent slower songs (often) don't feature full band performances - so, no Splash One. The song had to be a band original. So, no Baby Blue. 13 unlucky for some.

This compilation launches a new phase in the 13th Floor Elevators catalogue and previews the forthcoming series THE QUEST FOR PURE SANITY: the release in optimal quality of all surviving source material for all of the band's recordings. '13 OF THE BEST' has been mastered separately to vinyl, CD, digital and streaming for the best possible sound quality for each format.

Each original source has been referenced to the earliest vinyl pressing and meticulously transferred at 96khz 24- bit resolution. Multitrack tapes of the original recording sessions have been newly mixed in strict accordance with the records as first released.