THE SYNDICATE - THE EGYPTIAN THING / SHE HAUNTS YOU, DECEMBER 1965

The Syndicate's 'Egyptian Thing' is certainly celebrated within garage circles.  A killer tune for sure, but I'm here to talk about the less mentioned flip side and all time personal fave 'She Haunts You'.  One that will forever live in the back of my moody mind.  There are many merits within this record worthy of discussion.  I could mention the thumping bass, the searing tremolo guitar, the ghostly backing vocals, the ultra cool 60's teenage vibes and lyrics, the list goes on.  The sounds captured here exist as a time capsule which can never be replicated.  The limitations of mid 60's recording studios certainly play a role in this, as no modern technology is capable of replicating this sound no matter how many pieces of vintage gear you may acquire...

This nifty reproduction can be had for $10 at the moment which leaves me with a big smiley face knowing how much you would have to pay for an original copy (if you ever found one).  It probably even sounds better than the worn out copy someone bought for $500.

SAGITTARIUS - HOTEL INDISCREET / VIRGO, AUGUST 1967

I picked this one up mainly for the Gary Usher instrumental flip 'Virgo', but the single version of 'Hotel Indiscreet' is a creature all of it's own.  This was the follow up single to the masterful all time fave 'My World Fell Down', and in similar fashion the 45 single version contains a bizarre midway passage of spoken word and noise rendering it useless in the commercial world.  The album version of 'Hotel Indiscreet' would omit this segment (performed in part with then recent Columbia signees The Firesign Theater) which leaves you with a perfect pop nugget featuring the glimmering voice of Curt Boettcher.  I prefer the album version, but the single is entertaining nonetheless.  You can hear both sides of this 45 in their original mono glory on my OPTICAL SOUND podcast.