Ted Lucas spent his life making music that almost no one heard. Third Man Records is methodically correcting that. Following last year’s reissue of Lucas’ 1975 cult classic self-titled album, the label announces ‘Images of Life,’ a career-spanning 3xLP retrospective boxset arriving May 22. Today, disc two, ‘Rainy Days (1970-1974),’ is available to stream in full, offering the most direct entry point yet into the world of one of Detroit’s most gifted and overlooked songwriters. Listen here.
The boxset covers three distinct chapters. Disc one, ‘Strange Mysterious Sounds (1965-1970),’ documents Lucas’ psychedelic early period with his bands The Spike-Drivers, The Misty Wizards, and The Horny Toads. Disc two, ‘Rainy Days (1970-1974),’ captures the solo acoustic warmth that defines his self-titled album, featuring live performances, unreleased studio tracks, and intimate home recordings from the peak of his creative power. Disc three, ‘Impossible Love (1979),’ is his lost second album, produced by the legendary Don Was, a smoother, near-yacht-rock turn that never compromises his core artistry.
The story behind Lucas is one of genuine tragedy and genuine greatness in equal measure. A trained sitarist under Ravi Shankar, a first-call session player at Motown where Norman Whitfield called him his “exotic instrumentalist,” and by all accounts the most talented guitarist and songwriter in the Detroit counterculture scene of his era. He was never able to translate any of it into lasting recognition during his lifetime. What he did leave behind was hundreds of hours of recordings: reel-to-reel tapes, brittle acetates, homemade cassettes, and obsolete video formats. Third Man is making good on all of it.
Pitchfork called his transmissions “glowing” and enduring. AllMusic placed his sole album at the border of timelessness. ‘Images of Life’ gives listeners the full picture, and it is a substantial one.
‘Images of Life’ Tracklist:
Strange Mysterious Sounds: Group Recordings (1965-1970)
The Spike-Drivers, “Strange Mysterious Sounds”
The Misty Wizards, “It’s Love”
The Horny Toads, “High on Love”
The Spike-Drivers, “High Time”
The Misty Wizards, “Often I Wonder”
The Misty Wizards, “Harold Lloyd”
The Spike-Drivers, “I’m So Glad”
The Spike-Drivers, “Can’t Stand the Pain”
The Misty Wizards, “Love Took a Trip”
The Spike-Drivers, “Blue Law Sunday”
The Horny Toads, “Head in California”
Rainy Days: Solo Recordings (1970-1974)
You’ve Got the Power
Rainy Days
It’s Love
Nobody Loves Me Like My Baby Does
Stay High
It’s Not Easy
Anastasia
Take What You Need
Driftin’ Free
Images of Life
I Wish I Knew
Impossible Love: The Unfinished Second Album (1976-1979)
Slow Motion Ocean (of Love)
Impossible Love
What Can I Believe in Without Love
Searching for Love
You Win Again
Sgt. Pinhead
If I Can’t Be Your Lover (I Won’t Be Your Friend)
How Does It Feel
I Can See It in Your Eyes
Impossible Love (Acoustic)