The Haunted (Canadian band)

The Haunted

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1965
Founder	Jurgen Peter
Defunct	1971
Headquarters	Montreal , Canada
Products	Music recordings, singles, albums

The Haunted was a garage rock group originating from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Established in 1965 by guitarist Jurgen Peter, the band issued multiple recordings before their dissolution in 1971. They were pioneers among Canadian acts in gaining significant recognition within their musical style.

History

The formation of The Haunted took place in 1965 when Jurgen Peter teamed up with vocalist Bob Burgess, lead guitarist Pierre Faubert, bassist Glenn Holmes, and drummer Peter Symes. Apart from Peter, Al Birmingham remained a steady presence throughout most of the band's six-year tenure. The ensemble responsible for their signature track "1-2-5" featured Birmingham on lead guitar, Peter on rhythm guitar, Burgess singing, Mason Shea handling bass duties, and Dave Wynne on drums.

Their major breakthrough occurred after triumphing in a Battle of the Bands competition held at the Montreal Forum in 1965, surpassing groups such as David Clayton-Thomas and the Shays. The victory awarded them studio time sponsored by Quality Records, which they utilized to produce their debut single "1-2-5," backed with "Eight O'Clock This Morning." While Quality Records executives endorsed "1-2-5," they requested alterations to the original lyrics resulting in a sanitized version. The single was initially released by Quality in early 1966; however, the first pressing mistakenly credited the band as "The Hunted." Correctly labeled subsequent pressings are now considered more uncommon.

Locally, the single achieved considerable success and eventually charted nationally on RPM Weekly Magazine's listings. It also secured a U.S. release through Amy Records, which distributed the uncensored original version. Over the following two years, further singles and a self-titled album expanded their fan base. Their last single, "Vapeur Mauve," was a French-language adaptation of Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze."

Throughout the late 1960s into the early 1970s, The Haunted ranked among Canada's most sought-after and well-compensated bands. In 1971, Symes decided to end the group’s activities, citing the necessity to cancel a year's worth of advance engagements that resulted in substantial legal expenses.

Following their breakup, ownership of the band's name became unclear. Since 1996, "The Haunted" has been primarily identified with a Swedish heavy metal band sharing the same name.

Reissues

In 1983, Bomp!'s Voxx label issued two albums by The Haunted as part of its Rough Diamonds collection, which spotlighted garage bands with extensive discographies. A 22-track CD compilation entitled The Haunted was released in 1995; although sourced from worn vinyl records, it remains the most readily available anthology of their 1960s material. In 2009, the Quebec-based reissue company Hungry for Vinyl remastered and reissued the original 1967 Trans-World LP in its authentic form with a limited run of 1000 copies.

Studio albums

Year	Title	Label
1967	The Haunted	Trans-World 6701 (Reissued 2009 by Hungry For Vinyl)

Compilations

Year	Title	Label
1983	Return from the Grave	Voxx VXM 200.012 (12" Vinyl)
1983	Part Two: I'm Just Gonna Blow My Little Mind to Bits	Voxx VXM 200.013 (12" Vinyl)
1995	The Haunted	Voxx VCD 2012 (CD)

Singles

Year	Title	Record Label
1966	"1-2-5" / "Eight O'Clock in the Morning" (Reached #23 in Canada)	Quality 1814 (Canada) / Amy 959 (United States)
1966	"I Can Only Give You Everything" / "No More Lovin'" (Peaked at #62 in Canada)	Quality 1840
1967	"Searching for My Baby" / "A Message to Pretty"	Trans-World 1674
1967	"Come On Home" / "Out of Time"	Trans-World 1682
1968	"Land of Make Believe" / "An Act of Leisure"	Trans-World 1702
1968	"Mona" / "I'm Gonna Blow My Little Mind to Bits"	Jet 4002
1968	"Vapeur Mauve" (Purple Haze) / "Pourquoi" (Talk Talk)	Marque XII 7001

External links

• Hungry For Vinyl Records