Syndicats "Crawdaddy Simone" Freakbeat Monster.

	£		449
	$		595

Syndicats  "On The Horizon" b/w "Crawdaddy Simone" 

Columbia DB 7686

Easily one of the most sought after freakbeat singles on the collectors' scene, this single is legendary for the flip-side, "Crawdaddy Simone".

This is an original Demonstration Copy with the release date 10.9.65 (a couple of days before my 4th birthday!).

Before I describe the record in detail, here is what Record Collector said in their Freakbeat special in March 1993:

'“Crawdaddy Simone” – the flip of the Syndicats’ third and final single, “On The Horizon”, produced by Joe Meek and released in September 1965 – contains one of the most incredible guitar breaks ever captured on record, and has forever ensured them pride of place in the higher echelons of freakbeat.'

Often mistakenly credited to Steve Howe the guitar solo is actually by Steve Fenwick and he really does push the technology of 1965 to beyond its limits. The grooves of the single can barely contain his enthusiasm to break his amp, his strings, his wah pedal - anything...

And to cap it all it was produced by that eccentric genius Joe Meek and even appears in the film about his life.

Now for the record:

If anyone has seen previous listings of mine then you would know that I do not use Mint for records that are not still in a guaranteed sealed state or owned by me from new and never played.

This single is the nearest I have ever heard to a Mint copy.

Seriously.

I did the play check on a ProJect turntable through a Mission Cyrus 1 amp and Mission LE speakers.

Side 1

As you can see in the scan there are a couple of places on the red A where the ink is missing. As one of them appears to be below the printed "Columbia" I suspect that these are printing errors rather than wear or damage. There is minor spindle hole wear and a small brown spot bottom left that would probably clean off but I am not going to touch it. Other than that the rest of the label is clean and beautiful. .

The track itself has a quiet lead-in with a little dust noise at the start then plays perfectly right to the end. Overall I would grade it as a little over Excellent.

Side 2

The real reason for buying this record.

The label is perfect - see the scan. This is the same single that I uploaded images of onto the 45Cat database (www.45cat.com).

Even the spindle hole is perfect.

See the third scan for the shine on the vinyl. You can see the clouds reflected in the sky as a rare burst of sunshine came through my window.

The track plays perfectly all the way though from a quiet lead-in to the last note. On the run-off groove there is a soft click that may just be a speck of dust but it occurs after the track has finished. As I said above, if I could I would say this was a Mint copy but I will settle for repeating that this is the closest I have ever heard to Mint especially for a record that is so collectable and 45 years old. And it looks visually Mint too.

Do not miss the opportunity to own this piece of recorded history - a crown jewel among singles.

You do not see this every day and in this condition it may be the best one you will ever see.

Now for the bit at the bottom. Please read this before you bid.

I accept PayPal, cheques drawn on UK accounts and direct bank transfer within the UK.

Postage is free in the UK but I strongly recommend insuring this gem which will be added to the cost.

Feel free to ask any further questions and, though it breaks my heart to see it go - good luck to the new owner, whoever you are.