The Haunted: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 26, 2022

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

532) The Haunted — “Vapeur Mauve” (“Purple Haze”) 

OK, this has got to be the greatest cover of “Purple Haze” that I have ever heard — and it is sung in French by an English language Quebec band! As their last vocalist Johnny Monk says, “We started playing arenas right across Quebec – an English band in a French market – and they loved us[.]” (https://johnkatsmc5.tumblr.com/post/168259299019/the-haunted-the-haunted-1967-mega-rare-canada)

Richie Unterberger says that the Haunted was “[one] of Canada’s most popular homegrown rock groups in the ’60s, though they made no inroads to the rest of North America. From the English-speaking community of Montreal, the group was very explicit in their desire to emulate the Rolling Stones, and most of their 1966-1968 singles (as well as their sole LP, from 1967) were in a raunchy R&B/blues-rock style.” (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-haunted-mn0001469476/biography)

Johnkatsmc5.tumbler.com adds to their history:

Haunted were a garage rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The band was formed by Jurgen Peter (guitar) in 1965 . . . . They were among the first Canadian bands to achieve a level of success . . . . The band’s first big break came after winning a Battle Of The Bands at the Montreal Forum in 1965, beating such competitors as David Clayton-Thomas and the Shays. The first prize was studio time that they used to record the two songs on their first single, “1-2-5”, with “Eight O’Clock This Morning” as the B-side. The first pressing of this record had the band name misprinted as “The Hunted.” . . . The single achieved substantial local success, making the Canadian version of the national charts . . . and enough attention in the US to attract a US pressing of the single on the Amy record label. Several more singles, as well as a self-titled album over the next two years, served to increase their popularity. Their final single, “Vapeur Mauve” is a French language version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze”. . . . 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.

https://johnkatsmc5.tumblr.com/post/168259299019/the-haunted-the-haunted-1967-mega-rare-canada

Juergen Peter recounts that: “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.” (http://www.thehaunted.com/)

Hyperbolium notes that: “As champions of the English-language side of the Montreal garage rock scene, The Haunted managed to get a few international releases even though they never toured outside of their home country or saw any international chart action.” (https://johnkatsmc5.tumblr.com/post/168259299019/the-haunted-the-haunted-1967-mega-rare-canada)

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