Ted Lucas's Lost Acoustic Masterpiece: The 1972 Demo That Almost Never Saw Release
By
Grayson Haver Currin
Toasted golden, schmeared with insight. Top of the rack.
Summary
Ted Lucas, a Detroit musician who left promising rock bands and worked as an instrumentalist for Motown, recorded a six-song acoustic demo in his attic in 1972 hoping to sign with Warner Bros. He was so confident he'd be signed that he convinced psychedelic artist Stanley Mouse to give him cover art originally intended for Jimi Hendrix. However, the deal fell through, and the album was only released three years later in September 1975. The article discusses this overlooked masterpiece and its journey to release.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledHe cut a six-song acoustic demo in his Detroit attic at the behest of Warner Bros, submitting it in early 1972.
He believed so strongly he'd be signed that he convinced the great psychedelic visualizer Stanley Mouse to give him cover art once intended for the late Jimi Hendrix.
But that deal never happened, so Lucas—three years later, in September 1975—finally released the album himself.
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