Ted Lucas
self-titled ("The Om Album")
scum stats: limited quantities (400?) on green vinyl. the rest on black. should be in print for all eternity
Ten years of emails and phone calls, contractual negotiations, in person meet-ups, the physical relocation of a mess of tapes and probably a bunch of shit I'm forgetting. This is what it took to get Ted Lucas released on Third Man. And for me, spiritually, it was absolutely worth it.
There is so much I could write about this record, but at the moment it feels best to point you to an interview I did with local NPR station WNXP....
There's audio of me flapping my gums as well as fairly insightful text excerpts of said gum-flapping at that link. If I can further belabor maybe just two points touched on in the interview there, it's as follows:
- there is SO MUCH more Ted Lucas music to sift through and to share. LIke, it might be more that 100 reels worth of material. Across every and all iterations of bands and styles that Ted embodied, from commercial jingles he wrote on spec all the way down to field recordings and answering machine tapes, Ted chronicled and saved just about everything. And film footage? You better believe it. Thank god.
- the digital bonus track of "Love Took A Trip" is just magnificent in every way. I cannot stop listening to it even now, months after first hearing it. This is the song that overwhelmed me and brought me to tears in the Turnip Truck (Iocal grocery store) parking lot. As a raga, as a blues ramble, as an acoustic paean to the twists and turns that are inherent to the nature of "love" as it were...this song inhabits at least three different personas and each one of them is independently brilliant. But married together they take on a profile larger than the sum of its parts.
Here's how you win a green vinyl copy of this record. Just go to whatever your preferred method of streaming is and listen to the entire album, including the four bonus tracks. Once you've done so, just come back and post a comment here. You can say you loved it, say you need it, whatever. You can also say nothing, maybe just "i listened" and I will randomly select from that pool of commenters. Get in before midnight Thursday February 27th.
You really gotta listen though. If you're gonna lie, what's the fucking point? My job, my goal here, is to use my enthusiasm to help convey to you why something is important. So...pony up kiddos.
The original from 1975 is impossible to find and if you do it goes for big bucks. Has been reissued before and also out of print. Thankfully Third Man Records is making this gem available again and keeping it in print so everyone that wants it can get it! Thank You Third Man!!!!
This is why the Vault exists: to uncover great music to its subscribers.
I went a little down the Ted Lucas rabbit hole when you had the proper lyrics contest for a triple-decker several years back. I still wonder if anyone won that thing.
I’ve listened to this album (tidal) & the bonus tracks multiple times now. I’m hoping to win a green vinyl copy for Andrea, my Cousin once removed. She’s championed the power & impact of music for decades.
Including ‘Love Took A Trip’, there are several standout tracks by Ted Lucas here. "Love took a new turn, a blue turn, & you turn away’… SO POWERFUL! ’I’ll find a way’, ’It’s so nice to get stoned’, ‘Sonny boy blues’, ‘Head in California’, all stellar. I hope TMR is able to release much more of Ted Lucas’ output on vinyl, including the 4 bonus tracks.
This type of music, for me, takes the right setting & mood to listen to, so I’m sure it’s not for everyone. As I listened lately, I kept thinking of my former 5th grade teacher (‘86) Ms.Goodman, at Burton International. I think she’s really appreciate Ted’s music. I can see her now in her vest, playing her ukulele somewhere. I hope she’s still around & doing well.
Take care everyone
Really cool record. Reminded me of Jim Sullivan’s redcord U.F.O released by Light in the Attic and the Wayfaring Strangers series from Numero Group. Perfect record to listen to today in a nice spring-like day in Nashville. Thanks for bringing this out for everyone to enjoy.
An interesting listen. Glad I did.
Outside my normal genre, but I enjoyed it.
Awesome album. Loved the play through.
Wasn’t sure what to expect – but it wasn’t that! Would love to listen properly on vinyl….
It’s so nice to get stoned
I first heard about Ted when this was re-released on CD by Riverman in 2010 – ca’t wait to hear the extra 4 tracks. Aside from the music, the thing I remember from that release is how the cover design by Mouse was intended for Hendrix but Ted used it first! Thanks for all the work in releasing this, much appreciated.