Psych of the Souths latest compilation of Arkansas psych-rock is out now.

  • Psych of the South’s latest compilation of Arkansas psych-rock is out now.

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.

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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.

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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.

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