This compilation digs deeper than ever before into the vault of obscure Arkansas rock 'n' roll from the 1960s and early 70s. Lost Souls Volume 3 includes uncomped and unknown gems from small regional studios in the form of acetates, 45s, and recently discovered reel to reel tapes. The sounds heard here include garage and psychedelic rock combined with rockabilly, soul, and even country thrown into the mix that is distinctly Arkansas. This compilation comes as the result of years of research and findings from the original bands and label owners. Many of these tracks were recorded live by the groups at shows and rehearsals or live in the studio at places like at Rimrock in Concord, AR, Joe Keene's in Kennett, MO, Joe Lee's Variety Studio in Jonesboro, and Earl Fox's E&M studio in Little Rock to name a few. This CD offers a glimpse into the past. If you were going to a local American Legion building to hear the latest sounds from local bands in the 1960s in Arkansas then this is what you would have heard. The songs were done by real people, not a major recording studios, professional studio musicians, or major label executives directing the groups. The artifacts that remain are dusty photos, records, and reel to reel tapes that have survived for over 40 years in personal collections. Through the research of compiler, Harold Ott, the stories of the bands are told and friends from decades past are reunited to celebrate their contributions to the world of garage rock and psychedelia.

Check out 45 RPM the Movie by Juli Jackson - Lost Souls Vol 3 REVIEW

Read a REVIEW of Lost Souls Volume 3 in Terrascope Online

Read a REVIEW of Lost Souls Volume 3 in the Arkansas Times

Podcast featuring Lost Souls Volume 3 on Real Cool Time - CIUT - Toronto

1. Richard Vanover & Bob Ralph - I Can See Your Ways
2. Les Soules - Village of Love
3. Robin & the Hoods - Slow Down
4. The Villigers - Empty Heart
5. The Culls - Susie Q
6. Jamie Holmes - Gloria
7. The Bar Boys - That’s the Sound of My Heart
8. JFC Blues - Raise Your Hand
9. The Red Light Funnies - My Little Red Book
10. The Barons - Come With Me
11. The Paragons - Black and Blue
12. Jimmy Ford & the Luzers - Mr. Flying Saucer Man
13. Harold Morgan - White Lightning
14. Little Herbie Mayes - Bony Moronie
15. Danny Johnson & the Rhythm Makers - Tired of Working for the Other Man
16. Jimmy Payne & the Jokers - I Wouldn’t Be Seen Alive With Her
17. The Ramrods - Take My Word
18. The Five Rogues - Wait and See
19. The Spyders - Hush Puppy
20. The Sabers - I’ll Fly High
21. Don Norviel & the Visions - Little Latin Lupe Lu
22. The Music Shoppe - Are You Really My Girl
23. Newcastle Blues - Cotton’s Mama
24. The Tuesday Blues - Till the End of the Day
25. The Wet Dream - Fire
26. Lemon Meat - Signed D.C.
27. Billy Cole & the Fouke Monsters - Fouke Monster
28. Seventh House - Tell Me Man
29. Scorpio - Hey Joe

LABEL: Psych of the South (POTS 4504)

Reviews:

There are more regional psyche series than you would think, and too often the definition of psyche is just any 45 or demo from the 60s by a teen, cover, or party band that hasn’t been comped yet. And while 10,000 Norton-unearthed acetates may indicate otherwise, most of these suck Which is why this CD is a triple treat. First of all, nothing sucks, all of these American Legion Hall-rocking unknowns had something special. Second – these tracks are more than 50% psyche adjacent, which is a high percentage for this kinda thing – even the covers are of Love and Hendrix They even get kinda psyche when they ain’t getting psyche, thanks to gear acquisitions. Notably there’s one super faithful, twang-heavy version of “White Lightning” that could be (and certainly was) played for a honky-tonk full of good old boys…but then the guitar solo is played through a fuzz box from Venus It’s followed by a fairly traditional rockabilly-ish take on “Bony Maronie” that at one point has the guitarist hit a pedal that turns his instrument into a functional Star Trek weapon But the third thing that makes this comp great is that the regional is legitimately regional. Jamie Holmes’ version of “Gloria” breaks down into a spoken rap where they are just trading jokes and boasts with natural drawls, making it sound like teenage Homer & Jethro’s garage band. The highlight on here is actually about a regional incident, and even if it’s far from the best track, the Fouke Monsters win this battle of the bands. There song (called “Fouke Monster”) is a weird, spooky romp, with Zappa freakouts meets Shel Silverstien goofs…but the key is that even though Fouke, AR (where a bigfoot was sighted) is not pronounced “Fuck,” they knew what a “Fouke” record label looked like The fact that the reproduced label (on “Monster” records) has a scribble drawing of hippy bigfoot, and is printed on the CD face, puts this over the top. Plus, now we know how Bill Clinton got that nickname…Roctober Magazine

In my research for 45RPM, I came across an amazing wealth of Arkansas-specific information on the Pysch Of The South website and a killer compilation of early garage rock, which I talked about here. Harold Ott, Arkansas’s own homegrown authority on garage rock, has released another fantastic compilation
Lost Souls Volume 3 I have been listening to this collection since late summer. I definitely have my favorites, like ”I Can See Your Ways” by Richard Vanover & Bob Ralph and “Hush Puppy” by The Spyders. The version of ” Little Latin Lupe Lu” by Don Norviel & the Visions I dig way more than the Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels cover. And you have to love “Fouke Monster” by Billy Cole & the Fouke Monster created to promote the cult classic film Legend Of Boggy Creek. The entire collection is worth owning the hard copy: 29 tracks, a fat insert with super detailed liner notes and pictures – This is what all albums should be Many of the songs compiled in these collections have been gathered from original acetates, 45s, and reel to reel tapes not found anywhere else. Not only is it an exciting and obscure part of Arkansas’s music history, but many of the songs are infectious and will make their way into your playlists. Lost Souls Volume 3 is availble to preview & purchase at CDBaby and Amazon ALSO: check out the complete Lost Souls documentary to see the story of the garage rock band out of Jacksonville who are the namesake of these labor-of-love compilations. Thanks Harold for all the hard work -Juli Jackson, film director, 45RPM

It amazes me that so much music still remains to be unearthed in the period when pop music got attitude, fuzz guitars and snarl became the norm, yet the music retained a melodic innocence. I am, of course referring to '63-71, the years that this overview of obscure Arkansas music covers, although I guess the innocence had gone by end of that period. The fact that this is volume 3 and it still manages to find some real gems just proves what a fertile period it was, not just in Arkansas, but all over the globe.Recorded in 1968, the disc starts in fine style with “I Can See Your Ways”, a definite Pebbles contender, with suitably snotty vocals and guitar provided by Richard Vanover and Bob Ralph. After the more mainstream, but enjoyable Les Soules, we get into beat mode for Robin and the Hoods, a catchy little number that moves along at a cracking pace. Much more gnarly, The Villigers get all moody on “Empty Heart”, whilst two lo-fi covers of “Susie Q and “Gloria” by The Culls and Jamie Holmes respectively, let us know where we are in time, the latter being a garage standard that has a fine groove to it, including some wonderful spelling mistakes and a sense of the absurd. More covers induced fun can be found as The Red Light Funnies turn “My Little Red Book into a basic garage stomp. With 29 tracks, it is inevitable that quality will vary on this comp, although one man's horror is another man's favourite track, and as they are all short and generally sweet, nothing lasts too long, with another cracker just around the corner. A case in point is the rockabilly garage of Jimmy Ford, whose “Mr Flying Saucer Man” is a gem, great guitar and some fine vocals, just perfect. Elsewhere, the brewing of “White Lightning” provides some rock and roll inspiration for Harold Morgan, whilst a solid bass-line runs through “I Wouldn't be Seen alive with Her” a atmospheric rockabilly tune from Jimmy Payne and the Jokers. Having a British (The Hollies?) influence, “I'll Fly High” is a great beat tune with added saxophone courtesy of The Sabers, after which The Music Shoppe, return us to the moody garage with “Are You Really My Girl”, the track containing some excellent organ work that lifts the song from the mundane, sounding not unlike Creedence Clearwater Revival. With a definite soul influence Newcastle Blues press all the right buttons on their horn-infested “Cotton's Mama”, getting the groove going right from the start, before The Tuesday Blues turn everything for a powerful rendition of “Till the End of the Day”, the tune bristling with energy and attitude. Wringing every drop of emotion out of the tune, Lemon Meat, drink heavily in a darkened room, or so it would seem from their rendition of “Signed DC”, a lonesome Harmonica merely adding to the torment. To maintain the strangeness, the last three songs are, in order, based on a sighting of bigfoot, a war protest with religious overtones and a weird organ led version of “Hey Joe”, possibly the epitome of sixties cover songs and a fitting way to end a most entertaining compilation, turn it up, grab yourself a beer and smile. (Simon Lewis) Terrascope Online

Psych of the South Records recently released Lost Souls Vol. 3 Arkansas Garage Psychedelic Rock 1963-1971, its latest installment mining the Natural State's psychedelic nuggets. OK, so it's actually been out for a good minute or so, but we just got our grubby mitts on a copy here at the underground Arkansas Times mega-compound, and it's pretty good stuff. And at 29 tracks and 78 minutes, it's one cot-dang full CD, too.
As with previous volumes, this edition was culled from 45s that were released on regional labels such as Clark, Silver-Dollar, Zay-Dee and others, as well as acetates and reel-to-reel tapes of rehearsals and shows. Much of this stuff had been gathering dust in somebody's box of forgotten dreams for the last 40-plus years, until Psych of the South owner Harold Ott came along to help this music see light of day once more. Most of the bands on this disc will only be familiar to two sets of folks: 1) those who were there, and 2) the sort of obsessive record collectors who still live in their mom's basements and have intense online arguments about whether Love's Forever Changes is better in stereo or mono.
Speaking of Love, there are three tracks from the L.A. folk-rock act's first album included on Lost Souls Vol. 3, and all three were cut by Jonesboro bands. Red Light Funnies' take on the Bacharach/David number Little Red Book is similar to the punked up version Love had a hit with; Lemon Meat cut a brooding, Animals-esque interpretation of Arthur Lee's anti-drug dirge Signed D.C. ; and Scorpio offer up a mellow, Hammond-laced Hey Joe, which was also on the first Love album.
If you're a serious garage rock head or if you have an interest in Arkansas music history, this latest Lost Souls collection is definitely one to pick up. Why, I bet you could find a copy at Arkansas Record & CD Exchange. - Arkansas Times - Robert Bell - Dec 13, 2011

Raise your glasses, if you would, to the regional archivists of the '60s garage world, who toil untold hours sfting through dusty boxes, scouring local newspaper archives and cold-calling complete strangers in the hope of turning up another long lost track to bring to the world. Guys like Harold Ott, who just came up for air after completing the third voume of his fine Lost Souls series, documenting the gorgotten '60s sounds of his native Arkansas.
The first song out of the chute is a stone-cold, unknown-until-now killer: "I Can See Your Ways" by Richard Vanover & Bob Ralph. It rumbles along endlessly on one shord, the rowdy lead vocal fighting to be heard over a nagging single-string lead, before tumbling clumsily into a quick turn-around that passes for the chorus; then back to that one chord again. Musical perfection, in other words.
Other rough'n'ready standouts include "Village of Love" by Les Soules, the Barons' harmony-doused "Come With Me" (from an unreleased reel), the ebullient Mersey sound of the Sabers' "I'll Fly High," and a heartfelt anti-racism number by the Paragons. Meanwhile, the Bar Boys pull off a credible blue-eyed Motown sound wiht "That's the Sound of My Heart," while the Spyders lay down a lazy Slim Harpo swamp groove on "Hush Puppy." There's also tough covers of "Slow Down" (Robin & the Hoods), "Suzy Q" (the Culls), "My Little Red Book" (the Red Light Funnies) and "Till the End of the Day" (a heavied-up, Hammond pumped arrangement by the Tuesday Blues).
This volume also branches out a bit with some rootsy rockabilly material, including Jimmy Ford & the Luzers' previously unreleased "Flying Saucer Man," the Five Rogues "Wait and See," and Danny Johnson's "Tired of Working for the Other Man," which sounds way earlier than its 1970 release date.
On the weirder side of the tracks is "Fouke Monster" by Billy Cole & the Fouke Monsters, a bizarre rocker with a proto-rap vocal and searing guitar work, cut in 1971 to promote interest in an upcoming Bigfoot-themed horror flick The Legend of Boggy Creek.
With a generous 29 tracks on tap there are inevitably a few misfires, but the batting average is higher than most comps of this kind. The 12-page booklet includes label shots, band pics, and track-by-track liners with the back story on all of Ott's latest discoveries. -Mike Stax - Ugly Things issue #32

Well it seems that Harold Ott (mastermind and driving wheel behind POTS Records) will never stop digging in the past, digging deep under the ground till he derives ALL these gems that are patiently waiting to be discovered. Don’t know if there’s going to be a Volume 4, but this CD fills the ‘puzzle’ of the numerous unknown bands that performed in the Arkansas area from ‘63 to ‘71. There are 29 tracks (originals as well as inspired cover-versions too), coming from acetates, 45s, or reel-to-reel tapes, most of them previously unreleased. The music here differs from garage and psychedelic to soul, country and rockabilly, though there are some obscure uncategorized gems accompained by a detailed booklet with lots of info and pictures. Most of the bands were just kidding around and playing music just to be attracted by girls, non professional recordings, no big studios, no producers, small ‘tiny’ labels, but when it comes to music none of the above seems to matter. Youngsters full of energy, visions, inspiration and fun Songs that could easily fill more noted comps such as Nuggets or Pebbles. Do yourself a favor and go get all 3 numbers, if you haven’t already done so (TLM) - Timemazine #7 Autumn 2012

Artist: Various Compilation: Lost Souls Vol. 3
Label: Psych Of The South Records
Psych Of The South unleashes volume 3 of their Lost Souls series, bringing us more garage/psych rock obscurities from Arkansas from the 60's and some early 70's. Harold Ott has once again done a great job in digging around, lifting up rocks, seeing through the dust and bringing some great rock and roll to light that might have otherwise been lost in the vast webs of rock music that was being recorded during that great era. Starts off with a great tune by Richard Vanover & Bob Ralph called I Can See Your Ways, from 1968, just a couple notes, minimalistic, but it sure works and it's got that attitude.... Lots of garage rock with attitude and some that would even be worthy of such comps as the worshipped Back From The Grave, just listed to the Villiger's cover of Empty Heart, great cover with lots of attitude and pure rock n' roll snarl I really dig the rockabilly Mr. Flying Saucer Man from Jimmy Ford & the Luzers (love the misspelling on losers by the way ), simple song, great guitar and way cool lyrics, yes Mr. Flying Saucer Man remove me from this planet so I can leave these brain dead Kardashian watchers a memory of the past, another planet I love the fuzzed out version of the Kink's Till The End of The Day by The Tuesday Blues 29 songs jam pack this disc, so you surely get your money's worth with the purchase. Psych Trail Mix #7