Hear A Previously Unreleased Ted Lucas Song From Reissue Of His Cult-Classic 1975 Psych-Folk LP

Hear A Previously Unreleased Ted Lucas Song From Reissue Of His Cult-Classic 1975 Psych-Folk LP

The late Detroit musician Ted Lucas never became famous, but he did a lot of things in the ’60s and ’70s. Lucas led psych-rock bands like the Spike-Drivers and the Misty Wizards. He worked as a studio musician for Motown, playing on classics like the Temptations’ Masterpiece. He learned sitar from Ravi Shankar. And in 1975, Lucas released one self-titled album on the small OM label. Now, that album is getting a Third Man Records reissue that’ll include previously unreleased material.

Ted Lucas’ bands’ the Spike-Drivers and the Misty Wizards both recorded for Reprise Records, and the label dropped both of them when they didn’t find commercial success. In 1971, the label asked Lucas to submit a demo of solo music. They passed on the music that Lucas submitted, so he fleshed the demo out to an entire album and released it himself. That relatively obscure record has attained cult-classic status over the years, with artists like Father John Misty and Okkervil River covering Lucas’ songs.

Given that whole backstory, it’s probably not a surprise that Jack White and the people at Third Man would be Ted Lucas devotees. The label is planning a whole campaign of Lucas reissues, including a lot of previously unreleased material. It’ll start with next month’s reissue of Lucas’ self-titled album, including four previously unreleased songs. One of those tracks is a low-key psych-folk amble called “Nobody Loves Me Like My Baby Does.” Lucas made his own low-budget early video for that song, and Third Man has shared it with the announcement of the reissue. Check it out below.

The reissue of Ted Lucas’ self-titled album is out 2/21 on Third Man.

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