The Lost (band)
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The Lost was an American
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
and psychedelic band from Plainfield,
Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
who were active in the
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
rock scene 1960s. They were initially an
interracial Interracial topics include: * Interracial marriage, marriage between two people of different races ** Interracial marriage in the United States *** 2009 Louisiana interracial marriage incident * Interracial adoption, placing a child of one raci ...
rock band, one of the few at the time, and, along with the Remains and
the Rockin' Ramrods The Rockin’ Ramrods were an American garage rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, who were active in the 1960s and early 1970s. Along with the Barbarians, the Remains and the Lost, they were one of the most popular acts in the Boston area ...
, later became one of the most popular live acts in Boston, landing a contract with
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
. In spite of having a regional hit with their first record, they were unable to find greater commercial success and broke up in 1967. In the intervening years their work has come to the attention of garage rock collectors and enthusiasts with the release of the anthology, ''Early Recordings and Lost Tapes,'' on Arf! Arf! Records.


History

The Lost were formed at
Goddard College Goddard College is a progressive education private liberal arts low-residency college with three locations in the United States: Plainfield, Vermont; Port Townsend, Washington; and Seattle, Washington. The college offers undergraduate and gra ...
in Plainfield, Vermont in 1964. Initially they were an interracial band featuring black guitarist and singer Hugh Magbie. Their original lineup consisted Magbie on lead guitar and vocals, Ted Myers on rhythm guitar and vocals, Walter Powers III on bass, harmonica, and vocals, Willie "Loco" Alexander on keyboards, percussion and vocals, and Tony Pfeiffer on drums. After the move to Boston in late 1964, Magbie and Pfeiffer departed, both choosing to return to college. Lee Mason, a childhood friend of Myers, replaced Pfeiffer on drums and the band brought in Kyle Garrahan on lead guitar. The Lost built a repertoire containing of a fairly large set of original songs written by guitarist Ted Myers and keyboardist Willie Alexander. The Lost became one of the most popular live bands in Boston, playing at
the Rathskeller The Rathskeller (known as The Rat) was a live music venue in Boston that was open from 1974 to 1997. It was considered the "granddaddy" of Boston rock venues. During its heyday, the Rat hosted such acts as the Cars, the Pixies, Metallica, Dea ...
. On December 12, 1964 they recorded a demo at
Bard College Bard College is a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic District—a National Historic Landmark. Founded in 1860, ...
in Boston produced by
Barry Tashian Barry and Holly Tashian are an American country, folk and bluegrass duo. They are both singer-songwriters and musicians. They have performed and recorded together since 1972. The Tashians have recorded seven albums since 1989, and they have be ...
of the Remains, which helped them land a contract with Capitol Records. Their debut single for Capitol, "Maybe More Than You" b/w "Back Door Blues" reflected the influences of
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
and
folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...
and received a degree of airplay on radio stations in Massachusetts and New York. The band played as an opening act for
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
,
Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...
,
the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...
,
the Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFadd ...
, and Jr. Walker & The All Stars, in addition to touring the East Coast with the
Beach Boys A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...
in the spring of 1966. Their next single, "Violet Gown" did not come out until a year later. Its first release b/w "Mean Motorcycle" was rescinded by Capitol and had to be re-recorded in a second version produced by Jerry Keller, with a new B-side of "No Reason Why." The single failed to chart. Disappointed with its lack of success, Capitol ended their relationship with the band. The band's momentum began to stop. In January 1967 the Lost would play four shows, including one for the opening weekend of a newly christened venue, the
Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party was an American political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. The target was the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India Company to sell t ...
, in a building which had previously served a cinemateque for avant garde film, and would now become a well-known fixture in Boston's burgeoning Bosstown psychedelic rock scene. The Lost played their last show at the Tea Party on January 28, 1967. Shortly thereafter, the band broke up. Ted Myers went on to play in the psychedelic rock band, Chamaeleon Church, along with future comedy star,
Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...
who was their drummer. Myers would also play in
Ultimate Spinach Ultimate Spinach was a short-lived American psychedelic rock band from Boston, Massachusetts which was formed in 1967. In terms of style and national recognition, the band was one of the most prominent musical acts to emerge from the "Bosstown S ...
during their final days. In the early 1970s bassist Walter Powers and keyboardist Willie Alexander joined the final lineup of the
Velvet Underground Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabri ...
after
Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
had departed. Alexander went on to play with local bands over the following decades in the Boston area, earning an almost legendary reputation there as an in-demand musician. The Lost have re-united for occasional performances. In addition to their three singles in the mid-1960s, the Lost recorded numerous unissued songs, much of which were released in the 1990s on the ''Early Recordings and Lost Tapes'' CD, up out by Arf! Arf! Records.


Membership


1964

*Hugh Magbie (lead and backup vocals) *Ted Myers (guitar and vocals) *Walter Powers III (bass, harmonica, and vocals) *Willie Alexander (keyboards, percussion and vocals) *Tony Pfeiffer (drums)


1965-1967

*Ted Myers (guitar and vocals) *Kyle Garrahan (lead guitar) *Walter Powers III (bass, harmonica, and vocals) *Willie Alexander (keyboards, percussion and vocals) *Lee Mason (drums)


Discography

*"Maybe More than You" b/w "Back Door Blues" (Capitol 5519, October 1965) *"Violent Gown" b/w "Mean Motorcycle" (Capitol 5708, July 1966) *"Violent Gown" b/w "No Reason Why" b/w (Capitol 5725, August 1966)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lost, The Rock music groups from Vermont Rock music groups from Massachusetts American garage rock groups Musical groups established in 1964 Musical groups disestablished in 1967 1964 establishments in Massachusetts 1967 disestablishments in Massachusetts