"THE HAUNTED - THE HAUNTED" (60s GARAGE CANADA 1966)

In early 1965, from Chateugay near Montreal, Quebec, Canada. "Jurgen Peter" (rhythm guitar) joined up with "Bob Burgess" (vocals), "Al Birmingham" (lead guitar), "Glenn Holmes" (bass guitar), and "Peter Symes" (drums) to form "The Haunted".
Besides "Jurgen Peter", the other constant band member through most of its six year history was lead guitarist "Al Birmingham".
"The Haunted" entered in a local Battle of the Bands ("The Hopsville Battle of the Bands") contest at the Montreal Forum sponsored by "Quality Records".
With only two 20-minute slots with which to prove their mettle, one inconveniently scheduled in the mid-afternoon and the other in the very early evening, and with the ripe competition including "The Staccatos", "David Clayton-Thomas and The Fabulous Shays", featuring future "Blood, Sweat and Tears" singer "David Clayton-Thomas", "J.B. and the Playboys", "The Haunted" wowed the crowd, winning studio time leading to the release (just several weeks later) of their classic 60s Garage "1-2-5".
With its straight-up "Farfisa Compact Organ" / harmonica girding "Bob Burgess"' charmingly amateurish vocal, "1-2-5" is about as 60s Garage as you can get, and the harder-hitting floor-filler "Eight O'Clock In The Morning" rounds things off nicely on the flip, making this one fine and auspicious debut.
"Bob Burgess" said: "We showed up and that was it; the place went nuts. There was something there they saw that they liked".

"1-2-5", penned by "Bob Burgess" and "Jurgen Peter", was nailed in one take, without overdubs, in only a few hours, "Al Birmingham" said.
The flip side, "Eight O'Clock In The Morning", was similarly rushed.
To this day, friendly disagreements exist about whether the track could have been better. "Al Birmingham" said he likes it just the way it is.
"If you're into the 60s Garage thing, that's what it was all about", he said. "It was raw. It was live. Showtime – that's it".
"Jurgen Peter", however, insisted that the lack of money spent by the label shows in the record – to its detriment.
"You'd hear these American productions on the radio and then the DJ would say "OK, here's 1-2-5 by The Haunted", and this thing came on, sounding like it was being played in a tin can", he said.


The Lo-Fi sound, however, didn't stop the 45 record – released in April, with the group's name misspelled as "The Hunted" – from selling 8,000 copies within a few weeks of its release.
Ironically, the later pressing with the band's name correctly spelt are now more difficult to locate.
Ultimately, the single ended up in the No. 2 spot on CFCF's Top 40, with "Paint It, Black" by "The Rolling Stones" at No. 3 and "Monday, Monday" by "The Mamas and The Papas" sitting at the top of the chart.
Not too bad for a song that was about 'a hooker and drugs', according to "Bob Burgess".
One verse of the song was too raunchy for the label and had to be excised, although an alternate pressing released in the United States on the "Amy Records" includes the offending verse.

Misspelled "The Hunted": "1-2-5" / "Eight O'Clock In The Morning", Quality Records 1814, 1966

"1-2-5 / Eight O'Clock In The Morning", Quality Records 1814, 1966 (Canada) and Amy Records 959, 1966 (US) was a hit in Canada in April 1966 and was subsequently released in US, Australia and some European countries.

"The Haunted": "I Can Only Give You Everything" / "No More Lovin'", Quality Records 1840, 1966

A second single on "Quality Records", a Fuzz-tone-drenched, attitude-heavy cover of Them's "I Can Only Give You Everything" solidified their local cultdom but after heavy touring on the Ontario / Quebec club circuit, "Bob Burgess" ultimately left the band to be replaced by "Johnny Monk".
"Jurgen Peter" is clearly still puzzled by the accepted wisdom that he and "Bob Burgess" had a falling out, pointing out that the vocalist did return to play on the album, even though he didn't sing.
"Everybody says Bob left because of an argument, but I never believed it", "Jurgen Peter" said; "He wanted to play his own type of music".
"Bob Burgess" had a different take: "Jurgen and I almost came to blows", he said; "It was like being at work, with people telling you what to do. I said 'OK, I'm out of here'".
Exit "Bob Burgess", to join "Our Generation".
Enter "Johnny Monk", a bluesy belter from north-end rockers "The Bohemians" (not New Yorker's "The Bohemians").
Catching "The Haunted" live at the Manoir in N.D.G and unimpressed with the temporary singer they were using, "Johnny Monk" collared "Jurgen Peter": "I walked up to Jurgen and said 'I'm the best singer in the city. You've gotta hear me'", "Johnny Monk" said; "They gave me a shot. I went to the (theater) where they were rehearsing. I sang four or five songs and I was in the band. It was as simple as that".
To press some full-length wax with "Trans-World Records" "The Haunted" switched labels – and singers.
"The Haunted"'s self-titled LP, on "Trans-World Records 6701", was issued in 1967.
(Note: the printers failed to use the colour yellow, and as a result both yellow and green are missing on the cover print on all original Haunted albums).

Their music was mostly original, but there were some covers, too.
The album included their first ("1-2-5" was re-recorded with "Bob Burgess"' rough-hewn amateurism replaced by "Johnny Monk"'s more textured pipes, but it is this original that is the 60s Garage land classic hands down) and third 1967 ("Searching For My Baby / A Message To Pretty" "Trans-World Records 1674", 1967) singles.

"The Haunted": "Searching For My Baby" /" A Message To Pretty", Trans-World Records 1674, 1967

"The Yardbirds" impact can be heard on the original "Horror Show", and other Blues-based Fuzz-guitar-organ-and-harmonica rockers, including a good cover of Them "I Can Only Give You Everything".
"The Haunted" covered also "The Tams" with "Untie Me", "The Rolling Stones" with "Out of Time" and Love with "A Message to Pretty".
But like so many regional success stories, the tale quickly fades out like an old single. "The Haunted" went on to play steady gigs, keeping up their local profile and expanding into the francophone market, in cities like St. Hyacinthe, Quebec City and Drummondville.
"Johnny Monk" agreed: "We started playing arenas right across Quebec – an English band in a French market – and they loved us", he said.
But by the time of the group's last single in 1968 ("Land Of Make Believe" / "An Act Of Leisure" "Trans-World Records 1702", 1968) the 60s Garage sound had been converted into Cream/Hendrix-styled ballroom Acid Rock.
Their French-language covers of "The Music Machine" "Talk Talk" and "Jimi Hendrix" "Purple Haze" are a good laugh.
By then, Birmingham had left the band – without acrimony, he said: "I do have one regret – that we never discovered Marshall amplifiers, he joked, referring to the deafening amps favoured by "Jimi Hendrix" and "The Who" in the 1960s.
"Things started to get shaky when we started changing members more and more", "Jurgen Peter" said; "I couldn't see myself another six or seven years playing the same gigs over and over again. The enthusiasm and interest in playing started to thin out – even though we were always assured of a packed house".

"The Haunted" live in 1967 at Bonaventure Curling Club

The tale of "The Haunted" ends – in 1971 – without a dramatic departure or anger-filled breakup.
"I don't remember any bad times", "Bob Burgess" said; "Everything I remember is the humour, the playing and the great gigs when you knew the band was really on".
The band grew to be one of the most in demand bands in Canada for the balance of the 1960s and into the early 1970s.
"Jurgen Peter" decided to fold the band in 1971, commenting as follows: "We were the most sought after and highest paid Canadian band for many years. When I folded the band in 1971, I had to cancel a whole year of advance bookings and it cost me a fortune in lawyer's fees to get out of some of them".
At the time of the breakup, "The Haunted" had a loyal fan club with thousands of members.